In The Blue

In The Dark (S04E06) is a kind of Twilight Zone episode, about an old, weird couple; a suspicious woman in the early stages of Dementia and her boyfriend, an auto parts salesman who appears to be responsible for the deaths of several homeless men. Other than this Robert Goren wears his blue shirt again:) Yay! But first come, let's remember what our detectives think about them:

Robert Goren: They are an interesting couple.
Alex Eames: Sure, the killer and Mrs. Magoo.

This episode is dark, that's for sure. But it also has a dark sense of humour depending on what angle you are looking at it. For instance, we can say that our detective, in an attempt to examine lead after lead, changes his department from Major Case to X-Files for a moment.

Bobby Sending Signals To The Mother Ship

As far as I remember, it's Graham Bell, most well known for inventing the telephone, who said the now famous words 'Watson, come here. I need you!' for the very first time he spoke into the phone to his assistant in another room. It appears that our Sherlock is desperately in the need of his own Watson as he's looking for him everywhere, but in the wrong places, I guess.

Uh-Oh! Watson! Where Are You?

But don't worry! Our detective has always been successful in solving a case without the help of a 'Watson', always did and always will.

Hmmm... I Got It, The Butler Did It!

The Man Who Warmed The World

Last week I was in Denver for a winter vacation and other than trying to break my leg, I had plenty of time to do some thinking while staying alone in a hotel room. We all know that global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. It is a phenomenon that has been discussed widely nowadays and global warming causes are one of the most studied subjects presently in the world. Through out the world many governments, institutes and universities are trying to find out what are the causes for global warming. According to the experts, one of the major causes for global warming can be attributed to the activities of man that thinks of himself as the most intelligent thing on earth is knowingly or unknowingly destroying its own habitat. I'm running deep risk of being shallow to write this down, however I have to say; one man can also be held accountable for global warming:)

Snow And Robert Goren? Not Likely. Or Let Me Rephrase It: Oxymoron!

Allright, global warming is a dramaticaly urgent and a serious problem. The release of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from smokestacks, tailpipes and burning forests has played a central role in raising the average surface temperature of the earth by more than 1 degree fahrenheit since 1900 and the latest report from the climate panel predicted that the global climate is likely to rise between 3.5 and 8 degrees fahrenheit if the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere reaches twice the level. We don't need to wait for governments to find a solution for this problem: each individual can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle starting from little, everyday things. So please check: What You Can Do.

Sound Bobby

Sound Bodies (S03E08) is another vulture culture episode after Anti-Thesis (S02E03) and it also has the most dramatic ending among all the other LOCI episodes as well. But first let's remember the references.

Herman Hesse: was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter who received the Nobel Prize in 1946 and his best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddharta and The Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi) which explore an individual's search for spirituality outside society. Siddhartha is an allergorical novel by Herman Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian boy called Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha. The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple yet powerful and lyrical style. It was first published in 1922, after Hesse had spent some time in India in the 1910s. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s hippi movement. Robert Goren refers to Siddhartha as 'Mr. Syd Arthur' in the episode and later on mentions he read the book years ago.

Carlos Castaneda: was a Peruvian born American author. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his purported training in traditional Mesoamerican Shamanism, a kinda lucid dream (a dream in which the person is aware that they are dreaming while the dream is in progress, also known as a conscious dream). His 12 books have sold more than 8 million copies in 17 languages.

Khalil Gibran (or Halil Cibran in Arabic): was a Lebanese American artist, poet and writer. As a young man he emigrated with his family to the US where he studied art and began his literary career. He is chiefly known for his 1923 book The Prophet, a series of philosophical essays written in English prose. An early example of inspirational literature, the book sold well despite a cool critical reception, and became extremely popular in 1960s counter culture.

Florence Elizabeth Maybrick: was a former American citizen who spent fourteen years in prison in UK after being convicted of murdering her considerably older English husband. In 1889, Maybrick bought fly-papers containing arsenic and soaked them in water which is the same method being used by the killer in this episode. At her subsequent trial she claimed to have done this for the purpose of extracting the poison for cosmetic use. After her husband James Maybrick was taken ill after 'self-administering' a double dose of strychnine and died, his brothers, suspicious as to the cause of death had his body examined. It was found to contain slight traces of arsenic, but not enough to be considered fatal. It is uncertain whether this was taken by James Maybrick himself or administered by his wife, nonetheless Florence Maybrick was charged with his murder.

Charles Manson: is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Sharon Tate-Leno & Rosemary LaBianca murders, which members of the group carried out at his instruction. Through the joint responsibility rule of conspiracy, he was convicted of the murders themselves. Manson is associated with Helter Skelter, the term he took from the Beatles song of that name and construed as an apocalyptic war the murders were putatively intended to precipitate. Manson name is being used in the episode for the killer's intention to build a similar family between Mormons.

Allright, anyway, let's see that dramatic ending above mentioned. Our detective may be shaken but never broken! Like Tesla's Egg of Columbus he is safe and sound in the end. Well, he not only has a sound body but also he certainly knows how to use it:)

Psychopathologically Yours

Blink (S02E20) is an interesting LOCI episode, at least for me. In the first place, we once again find ourselves in the Hudson University (Remember Anti-Thesis S02E03). In the second place, we learn that our detective spent six months in Korea for he defines the meaning of Sannakji which is a live octopus dish in Korean cusine while he is trying to help Eames to break a PC password. On account of this, we figure out that Eames is the 'computer nerd' in that partnership since Robert Goren, after finding a working laptop in the victim's room, kindly leaves it to his partner and moves away to check the books on the shelves, he's certainly not a technophobic though. Aside from these, we further find out that Goren has fear of heights; Acrophobia (same here). Paradoxically he doesn't like confined places as well (Tuxedo Hill S01E22) (Pravda S03E05).

Bobby's IBM

He Seems To Like Computers, Doesn't He?

Besides He Loves Gadgets, Like Ipod

And Nintendo.

For a brief episode summary: Robert Goren deals with a criminal who seems incapable of experiencing fear and is said to be suffering from Psychopathic Personality Disorder. Well, I don't claim to know it all but as far as I know, as a term PPD is scientifically invalid and no longer in use. What can I say? I have plenty of time to concentrate on insignificant details besides I'm a ridiculous, tenacious, meticulous girl:) Anyway people suffering from Antisocial Personality Disorder were formerly called psychopaths and APD is a psychological personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy or conscience, a difficulty controlling impulses and manipulative behaviors. Certainly there is much misunderstanding surrounding the term psychopathy for people having APD are sometimes referred to as sociopaths and psychopaths although some researchers believe that psychopathy/sociopathy are not synonymous with APD. There is no actual diagnosis of psychopathy in DSM-IV however the official stance of the APA as presented in the DSM-IV is that psychopathy and sociopathy are obsolete synonyms for APD. The WHO takes a similar stance in its ICD-10 by referring to psychopathy, sociopathy, antisocial personality, asocial personality and amoral personality as synonyms for Dissocial Personality Disorder. All the same, the definition of APD is still controversial for many have argued that psychopathy/sociopathy are incorrectly put together in DSM-IV. Well, I'm not trying to bore you, though it's too late, therefore I can recommend this Article for those who may like to read more. So in short; psychopaths are just plain horrible but certainly very sharp people. Because of their high level of appeal or call it sexual attractiveness, if you will, it's usually hard to identify their malevolence. Well, after all, even the most sane people, who appear sane to everyone around them, can be insane on the inside. With Bernard Herrmann's simple, stabbing violins as the background music of Psycho, who knows? Psychopaths may look perfect, have the perfect job and (up until a certain point) say all the perfect things so that everyone assumes them perfect.