Do I, or do I not, know my serial killers, darlings??????? Last night's Summer Finale episode of "Rizzoli And Isles" left some questions unanswered, but it provided a number of thrills along the way. And, as this was not the first episode this season to feature a serial killer, I think
the writers are learning the dramatic value of serial killers, which helps to explain why this season was better than last, and gives hope that the next one, starting in November--my birthday month, dears, in case you want to plan ahead!!!!!!-- will be even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The episode, entitled "Melt My Heart Of Stone," began with a scene which seemed inspired from the 1933 classic "The Mystery Of The Wax Museum". In that one, a deranged artist, was murdering victims, then encasing the bodies in wax, so that, when he exhibited them as Marie Antoinette, or whomever, they seemed just a tad more than "lifelike." If this sounds familiar, darlings, it should; it was remade, twenty years later, in 1953, with Vincent Price. It was then called "House Of Wax," and, I believe, used the Fifties gimmick of 3-D!!!!!!!!!!! I have seen Vincent's movie many times, but, of course, he camps it up in his trademark way. If you want to see a brilliant, more straightforward, treatment of the story, catch the original, which has a wonderful performance by Lionel Atwill, and an appearance by Fay ("King Kong") Wray. And the visuals and cinematography are so striking they give this film a genuinely artistic sheen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The reason I mention this is because the episode opens with a shot of anonymous hands sculpting, in plaster, a human sized figure. Only, as the camera pans up, we can see that a dead woman is inside. Her body is simply being encased, and posing as a sculpture. Creepy, huh??????????
This finished product, a statue without arms, suggesting Aphrodite, turns up at a museum spot, where a group of children are on a field trip. One of the kids is fascinated by the statue, not because he is artistically precocious, darlings, but because he is seeing something he knows he should not. The statue is mysteriously bleeding. He tells, screams ensue, and before you know it, Rizzoli and Isles are summoned to the scene.
One question that I did not pose in my previous post gets answered real fast.
Frankie Rizzoli, Jane's brother, is passed over for promotion to detective, in favor of Riley Cooper, who, in a previous episode, was Jane's mysterious neighbor, who was thought to be a drug dealer, but turned out to be a detective working undercover--and she has always wanted to work the homicide unit. So she gets the spot. While Frankie and Frost, both who were played for a couple of fools by Cooper, are a bit miffed at her joining their unit. I know just how Frankie feels. I still carry scars over being passed over in eighth grade for Algebra, and twice in high school for the National Honor Society!!!!!!!
It turns out the victim encased in plaster had been a local prostitute, who had had a child. Maura, who has had clinical training, suggests the killer is a white man with a strong ego, who has some kind of motherhood issues, and is acting out on them. And that not all are reclusive, creepy, loners and monsters. Soon, another body/statue turns up, this time riding a carousel. The image and scene is creepy. Sure enough; there is a body inside, one who turns out to be older--late fifties--than the rest--with evidence of having gone through childbirth, and, as in the case of the last victim, tortured by cigarette burns on the soles of her feet. When Jane goes to Back Bay to talk to the gals who work those streets, they learn this victim was called Cruella, because of her grey streak of hair. Progress is being made.
Meanwhile, Lydia is just about to give birth, and it still is not known whether Tommy or Mr. Rizzoli, both of whom slept with her, is the father. Added to which, Dennis Rockmond comes back into Maura's life. They dated for a bit, she was interested, but he never called. Now he is back in town, supposedly promoting his brand new book, "Release Your Inner Winner, And Win." Pay real close attention to all this, darlings. He invites Jane and Maura to his book signing--what author, not to mention egotist, wouldn't????---and Jane and Maura both decline, but, later, Maura relents, and goes anyway Along the way, Dennis apologizes for not contacting Maura, and goes on to say how perfect his parents' marriage is--30 years, and still going--and he wants the same for himself, the implication being, of course, that Maura is the one he wants it with.
But Jane has her hands full. Another statue/body has turned up; this time in a park, where there are lots of children. And she receives at her office, a letter from the killer, challenging her to catch him, saying his next creation will be his most perfect. This killer is not only diabolical, but smart; each time the cops show up on the site he knows how to undo all the security cameras in the area. So they can never catch an image of him.
One suspect is brought in, and interrogated. He is known by the girls on the street as "Bear." His thing is strangling girls, which is why he is not one of their favored clients. He tells them he got the nickname from being chubby as a kid, and it stuck. He admits throwing weapons from his truck at officers when confronted, but he says he had nothing to do with killing local hookers.
They can find no real evidence on him, so they slap him with a simple assault charge. He is not their guy. They are also suspicious of a man named Frederick Stone, because, st one time, he shared a prison cell, with Jane's now deceased serial killer nemesis, Hoyt. But Stone proves not to be the one..
What is going on? Frost begins looking into the hookers' pasts. They all had given birth, at one time, to children. He also discovers there have been similarly styled killings, unsolved, in different parts of the country.
Frankie is still miffed over not being promoted. Mama Angela is pissed her baby did not get what he wanted. But they have other problems ahead, because Lydia has supposedly gone into labor, but does NOT want to be taken to a hospital, because, as she says, she wants her baby born "around family." And she considers the Rizzolis, not her white trash mother, family. Tommy shows up, and so do the paramedics. The bottom line is the labor turns out to be a false alarm, but they convince the paramedics to get Lydia out of there; ergo, to the hospital, where she will presumably give birth.
So, simultaneously, we have Maura in her lab, working on her autopsies, when suddenly she is visited by Dennis Rockmond. Now pay close attention, girls!!!!!! He apologizes for his neglect, and suggests dining out tonight, which just happens to be his 36th birthday. Maura wishes him Happy Birthday, and he makes a point of saying how his mother called him, first thing in the morning, to wish him such. Uh huh. Can you see the red flags appearing, darlings?????? But not for Maura, yet, who goes off with Dennis to his bachelor pad.
Frost has looked into the past of the oldest victim, the one called "Cruella." Not a bad name, because Cruella was cruel. Thirty six (remember that number???) years ago, she gave birth to a son, whom she named Mark, who had to be turned over to foster care, because she was found to be abusing him. One way she did so was by burning cigarettes on the soles of the child's feet. Mark did not take to foster care, and at one point escaped, found his mother, who simply abused him again, and sent him back to foster care.
So, it looks like the killer is Cruella's grown son, Mark.
But just who is Mark, and where is he???????????
Come on, dolls, you know by now. Mark is now Dennis Rockmond, big-time ego author of a self-help book, who apparently never got over those Mommy issues. Jane recalls the time Maura first met Dennis; she saved his life from an overdose of Enderol, something found in one of the victims. She goes to Maura's office, and sees the sculpted hand Dennis at one point made for her. She smashes it, and bingo!!! A human hand is encased within!!!!!!!!!!!
The team speed to Dennis' pad, a swank thing four stories above the ground. Of course, the elevator just happens to be out of order. He is coming on to Maura, leading her into his secret room, where he is about to show her his work. We know what that will be, girls!!!!!!!!! But, before he can, Jane and company burst in, but Dennis pulls out a knife, grabs Maura, holds it to her throat, threatening to cut her, if they come any closer. They all drop their weapons, and Jane tells the killer what he wants to hear--he is smarter than all of them. (Well, not really!!!!!!!) Maura is the most terrified I have seen her, and who can blame her???? Jane is concerned for her friend. Then Dennis delivers a painful monologue, explaining himself, on Mothers--how they should treat their children right, his didn't, and he left the statues purposely at places he had wanted "Mommy" to take him to!!!!!!!!! Oh, come on!!!!!! He backs away, and things happen so fast.
Does he push Maura forward to Jane, freeing her; does Jane reach out and grab her, while Dennis is distracted, or does the force of Dennis falling backward, breaking the railing, and plunging four stories to his death, since the elevator does not work, send Maura into Jane's arms???? Either way, Maura is free, and a serial killer has bitten the dust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back at Maura's, everyone is commiserating, when the doorbell rings. And the series season ends on a startling note.
Lydia has given birth to her baby. And has left it on Maura's doorstep, ostensibly for them all to raise.
What a story and what a finale!!!!!!!!!! But we are still kept guessing, until November, because--
We still do not know the father of Lydia's baby.
We do not know what they will actually do with it.
We do not know if Frankie will ever be promoted.
We do not know the situation with Maura, her
mother, and half sister.
We do not know how Frost and Frankie will adjust to Riley Cooper.
Guess we will just have to wait until November, girls!!!!!!!!!!! In the meantime, what am I going to do with my Tuesday nights?????????????
Maybe a dash of champagne and some nice coconut daquoise!!!!!!!!!!
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