Motive 4.12 Joanna Cassidy, Emily Tennant. A heartbreaking...

Motive 4.12 

Joanna Cassidy, Emily Tennant. A heartbreaking story, cleverly told with twists/turns and a tragic final reveal.

• Right from the get-go, this one deviates from the formula by including Angie in the victim’s life. Also: the victim doesn’t die until several scenes have gone by. All of that is different to the way the show usually tells it’s stories. And the ending, too, is very different. Normally the cops solve the case…
  
• There are some nice reversals in the storytelling. Near the start - in one short scene - our perception of victim and killer changes abruptly. Suddenly the victim seems less likeable and the killer more sympathetic. All in one scene. Remarkable. The script continues to play with us in this manner. Near the end it looks as if we have been wrong all along and the killer is actually incredibly cold and calculating. But, no… there are further details to come… Ones that will pull at the heartstrings.
  
• The story - the backstory - is very, very sad. It screams “injustice” and makes us feel for all the kids who were scarred by what happened to them. Great writing and great performances lead to stories that make us really feel. It’s something that this particular show excels at. And one of the reasons I will miss it dreadfully.
  
• The final flashback was especially powerful. The misunderstanding that fueled the suicide? Just awful. Watching it, and empathising with the Lexi character…? Gut-wrenching.
  

10/10

Motive 4.11Merritt Patterson, Tim Guinee. The show delivers...

Motive 4.11

Merritt Patterson, Tim Guinee. The show delivers another great story. Here are 6 random reasons why this is brilliant:

• The bond/friendship between the two girls (Liz and Rachel) is strong and interesting.
  
• The victim is a very sympathetic and interesting character. Very real. I really grew to admire her over the course of the hour and felt a sense of loss that she was murdered.
  
• The household of the killer is odd and oppressive. Some lovely camera angles in the filming help set an other-worldly tone. Loved the twist at the end. Clever.
  
• Very witting dialogue abounds. Mostly from the Tommy Flanagan character.
  
• Great scenes for Oscar: showing him to humourous, noble, brave. A hero. Someone who will do what is right, no matter what the cost to him. Really love that character.
  
• The romance between Angie and Jack is adorable. Fab chemistry between the actors, and brilliantly written.
  

10/10

I’ve waited four years to hear Angie say the famous...

I’ve waited four years to hear Angie say the famous Columbo line :)

Motive 4.10

Missy Peregrym, Ian Tracey, Aly Michalka. An exceptionally well-crafted story by Damon Vignale. Multiple twists. Very emotional, very powerful. A tear-jerker. I had guessed the main twist right from the start and felt rather proud of myself, but still totally engrossed in the unfolding story. Both twists at the end caught me by surprise. Flawless performances from everyone. The b-story, the story arc, has been a thriller all season and this installment was no exception. Quite a final scene, too. 10/10

Motive 4.9

Motive 4.8

Tommy Flanagan. The novelty of having a cool new detective around kinda distracts from the case-of-the-week, which starts strong but gets more bland as it goes on. The ending is weak in the sense that it lacks the emotional punch the stories on this show usually have. But it was fun to see Flynn with another new partner and the Lucas b-story arc is very strong. 8/10

Motive 4.7

Christina Cox, Dylan Bruce. Clever script twists the show’s formula but still delivers the sort of terrific case-of-the-week, with strong twist at the end, that could appear on any episode. 10/10

Motive 4.6

Alicia Witt. Engrossing from the get-go, this one has a ticking clock aspect (sick missing child) and a solid twist ending. 10/10

Motive 4.5

Kett Turton.

• Even for this show, this is a clever non-formula story. Brilliant script by Jennica Harper!
  
• The two murders, shown at the very end, are quite shocking (particularly the first one). Horrible.
  
• I still miss the Flynn/Vega partnership (terribly) but - to be honest - the show hasn’t suffered. The stories are still great and the characters (including the newest one, Detective Paula Mazur) are wonderful.
  

10/10

Motive 4.4

Tahmoh Penikett, Will Sasso.

• Despite a predictable reveal at the end, this is still a great episode because the story and the cast are so strong. It almost plays like a pilot for a new series, setting up characters and a situation that the audience comes to care about really quickly.
  
• The murder (shown at the end) is quite shocking, too. Fast, brutal.
  
• Of the regulars Angie and Lucas are well served here with b-stories.
  
• I miss the pairing of Angie and Oscar, though. 
• Warren Christie makes a welcome return to the show.
  

10/10

Motive 4.3

Brittney Wilson. Very busy episode, with a good story/motive and a heck of a lot of ‘very special episode’-type things happening: new recurring character arriving, while one departs, and beloved regular hovering close to death. All good stuff, even if it distracted slightly from a strong case. 9/10

Motive 4.2

Jamie Clayton.

• As usual, there’s a good story here but I’m not sure we really got inside the head of the killer on this one.
  
• It was easy enough to see where the story was going, from early on, but the script didn’t really convince the viewer of the motive in the final scene.
  
• Killer and Victim had a rich backstory and, when the credits rolled, it felt as if we had barely scratched the surface.
  

8/10

Motive 4.1

Strong story opens the season, with typically fascinating guest characters and modified status quo for the regulars. It looks like we are not getting a season-long story arc this season (horaay!) and in it’s place there is an obnoxious new regular, designed to create strife for the team. This idea is off to a good start here, and I look forward to seeing where it goes. 9/10

Motive 3.13

Motive 3.12

• Billy Boyd and Charles Martin Smith are superb in a story that might be the best one they’ve ever done on the show.
  
• At it’s absolute best, such as here, this series tells the stories of real people committing murder for surprising reasons.
  
• Most of the murderers on this show are unique to Motive and wouldn’t really work anywhere else. Lawrence Frampton is a character like that. No other series could do justice to his heartbreaking story.
  
• Boyd and Smith are excellent. The script misdirects us in the opening scene: the one that seems nice is a jerk, and vice versa. By the end of the tale, it’s impossible not to despise Rick Wyatt and take satisfaction from his cruel demise.
  
• Beyond the emotional power of the episode, this script is very clever by layering in a second case: the disappearance of Lisa Wyatt (Michelle Harrison) and the possibility that she has been murdered by her husband.
  
• An amazing script by Damon Vignale. This might be the best they have ever had.
  

10/10

Motive 3.11

Chad Faust, Terry Chen, Donavon Stinson. One of the most intricate cases they’ve had on the show. Far-fetched, but satisfying. Some great misdirection early on. Beautifully filmed. 10/10

Motive 3.10

Motive 3.9

Rob LaBelle. Another great story. Impossible to guess at the motive until they reveal it. Such a sad, tragic ending, too. And the b-story is top notch, too. David Lewis is a great addition to the cast. Best scene in the whole episode? Detective Brian Lucas and Sergeant Gavin Saunders. 10/10

Motive 3.8

C. Thomas Howell, Magda Apanowicz, Agam Darshi. Good case-of-the-week with a tragic ending. Both story arcs are good this week, too, for a change. Flynn’s ongoing investigation hasn’t been doing it for me this season, but the sudden inclusion of Internal Affairs made for some very strong scenes in this episode. The Vega story has been engrossing all season long. And continues to be a high-point of the episodes. 9/10

70 episodes of Arrow? Wow. Still feels like a ‘new’ show to me.

70 episodes of Arrow? Wow. Still feels like a ‘new’ show to me.