Roweena Ryan Was One Of "Cold Case's" Heartbreaking Adult Victims!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                The most heartbreaking victims on this show, are, of course, the children--Vivian Mulvaney  ("A Perfect Day"), Clayton Hathaway ("Offender"), and, of course, Rita Baxter, in "The Sleepover."  Roweena Ryan, whose story unfolds in the "Dog Day Afternoons," is an adult victim, but equally heartbreaking.  She never had a chance.  She made bad choices.  And she was brilliantly played by actress Tina Holmes, in a performance that, in its own way, is as poignant as Betsy Blair's in 1955's "Marty."

                               This was not one of the show's masterwork episodes.  But it did have some vital assets, starting with Tina as Roweena, and, as her mother, the veteran actress Veronica Cartwright, in a uncharacteristically understated performance, as her mother, Mary.

                                 Mary Ryan was a widow with two daughters.  Roweena, and Teri (Shana Sosin).
When the show opens, they are celebrating Roweena's birthday, in 2000.  She is the spinster daughter, aged 30, still living at home, reading a book, rather than dancing Saturday nights away.  Teri is the sister who does just that, but girls, be warned--Teri does not end up murdered, but she does end up behind a sales table--a common shop girl!!!!!!!!--like Joan Crawford as Crystal Allen, in "The Women." 

                                 Roweena was attractive, but plain.  She knew it, and seemed accepting.  But when a customer, named Julius Carver (Jeremy Davidson) walks in, she is smitten, and experienced girls like us can tell, right away, he is one of those "bad boy" types, who will sweep Miss Plain Jane off her feet--and ruin her life!  Only poor Roweena hasn't the awareness to realize this.  Her coworker (both are bank tellers) Darla Dunaway (Kate Levering) is a capital B bitch and a capital S slut.

                                  Roweena loses her life in a seemingly botched robbery attempt that took place the Friday morning following her 30th birthday.  But all is not as it seems.

                                   Julius, it turns out, is a psychopath, who plays off everyone in his life--Roweena, Darla (with whom he was cheating on, and who was in on the whole thing with him), his brother, Rick, and his spineless wimp pal Phil Jorgensen.  The morning of the robbery, Roweena's eyes have been opened by a talk with Phil the night before. Phil urges Roweena not to show up, revealing Darla is in on it, and to save herself.  But Roweena shows up, and bravely confronts Darla, who reveals her true bitch/slut colors.  The robbery is done by robbers wearing Johnny Cash masks (a nod to Roweena, who liked the singer), and, in the ensuing bloodbath, Julius forces loser Phil to shoot Roweena, which is heartbreaking, because Phil, who wanted to break off from his past, might have made a go of it with Roweena--both were not striking.  But, as I said, he was spineless.

                                Poor, heartbreaking Roweena.  But, six years later,  2006. the deed is done again, because tramp Darla is now the Bank Manager!!!!!!!!!  And she probably worked her way up to that the same way Deborah Norville got her brief spot on the "Today" show--giving head to the Executive Board!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But Lily and Company capture all of them, and slam their life doors, for good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               The most important thing to learn from this show is--spinsters are better than tramps, but only if they are AWARE spinsters, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 As I once was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!