To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap

"To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode

Detective Robert Goren has a conversation with Rex Tamlyn.
Episode no. Season 10
Episode 8
Directed by Jean de Segonzac
Written by Julie Martin
Chris Brancato
Production code 10008
Original air date June 26, 2011
Guest actors

"To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap" is the eighth and final episode of the tenth season of the American police procedural television drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent. This episode is the final episode of the series. It first aired in the United States on the USA Network on June 26, 2011. In this episode, detectives Robert Goren and Alexandra Eames investigate a case centered on Parker and Thomas Gaffney, a set of wealthy twins, who file a lawsuit against a social networking site due to allegations of stealing copyright claims.

"To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap" was written by Julie Martin and Chris Brancato, although uncredited, it was extensively re-written by René Balcer with Warren Leight writing the final scene of the episode, and it was directed by Jean de Segonzac. The story and the characters in the episode were highly influenced by the real-life lawsuit against Facebook made by Tyler Winklevoss and his brother Cameron Winklevoss, as well as the film adaption to the event, The Social Network. Critics reacted to the episode with mixed reception upon airing, with much criticism stemming from the cultural references and the episodic plot. Upon its original airing, "To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap" was watched by 3.75 million viewers, and it achieved a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic according to the Nielson ratings. It featured guest appearances by James Van Der Beek, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, and James Brandon.

Plot

Goren and Eames are called in to investigate when the bodies of twins Parker and Thomas Gaffney are found in the offices of popular dating website Kizmate. The Gaffneys were apparently seeking out information to use in a lawsuit against Kizmate's founders: Danielle and PJ Edwards. The Gaffneys apparently had the idea for Kizmate first, and asked Danielle to help code the site. Danielle claims the algorithm used on the site was one she devised herself after she met her perfect man (PJ) and was trying to track him down, leaving a message for "the boy in the blue knit cap".

No security cam footage is available because the cameras were shut off for some reason. Goren thinks that Thomas's body was already unconscious and Parker was trying to drag him across the floor. Parker was himself attacked while occupied with his brother's body.

The twins' father claims that Kizmate was the twins' idea and that they did meet with Danielle, even if Danielle claims to not know them. They hired her to program the website, but when Kizmate launched, they realized she'd stolen their idea and asked for their share of the site's profits. She refused and the twins sued.

Danielle's alibi is that she was at home and her boyfriend PJ confirms it, but the detectives aren't entirely convinced. Danielle was spotted arguing with Rex Tamlyn (business partner for Kizmate) at a club that night. Goren speaks with Rex, who says that Parker was the man behind the lawsuit, but he doesn't think the twins have any proof. The detectives suspect that Parker may have been at the Kizmate offices that night seeking evidence. Deodorant residue is found on Parker's hands, and it matches the type found on Thomas's body. Parker was breaking into the Kizmate offices to find proof that Danielle stole their idea. Thomas went to stop him and they fought causing Thomas to go head first into the pinball machine. He was pulling his brother out of the building before calling for help when he was interrupted and stabbed In the neck.

Parker may have been seeking out proof that the algorithm that Danielle wrote for their site was also the backbone for Kizmate. The detectives find that a keycard was used that night to access the office, and it belongs to Hildy Whitmore, Danielle's assistant.

Goren and Eames question Hildy, who claims she didn't give her card to anyone and becomes huffy when the detectives continue to press. Meanwhile one of the computer techs at Major Case has discovered that Danielle did use the same algorithm for Kizmate as she did for the Gaffneys' site.

Danielle denies taking the twins' idea, and Samir (business partner with the Gaffneys) points out that Danielle was with him all night, working on an out-of-court settlement for the lawsuit. He didn't want the twins or PJ to know about it until he was sure Danielle was on board.

PJ is very upset that Danielle went to broker a deal outside of court, but Rex reminds him that they're still the public face of the company and they can't have a public falling out. The detectives later confront Rex about his alibi, suggesting that he was with Hildy that night, and Rex says not. When the cameras are turned off, a hidden camera takes a picture of the office, and when he shows the detectives the picture taken from that camera that night, they notice that the camera lens has been covered with a blue knit cap.

PJ refuses to be rattled by the questioning but Hildy caves. She admits that she and PJ were having an affair and that they were the ones who turned off the cameras so that no one would know that they were meeting after hours. She knew Parker was going to be there that night because he found out about her affair and blackmailed her into allowing him access to the office.

Samir says that he was aware what the twins were up to and why Parker managed to get into the Kizmate office. Goren uses Samir's phone to set up a trap for Danielle in Central Park. She arrives, thinking she's about to meet Samir for another meeting about the lawsuit, but find the detectives instead.

They accuse her of informing Thomas about the affair. Then he told Parker about it, which Parker then used to blackmail Hildy. Danielle also had feelings for Thomas, so she warned him, and Thomas said that he was going to try to stop his brother. She was at the office and spotted Parker with Thomas's body. Parker blamed her for making Thomas go soft and turning against him and he went to attack her. Danielle stabbed Parker with a pair of scissors in self-defense.

Meanwhile, Goren attends his final mandated therapy session with Dr. Gyson. She says that he is able to do his job, but that he has anger and trust issues that will need ongoing treatment. She refers him several therapists, but Goren doesn't want to begin with a new therapist when he already works well with her. Gyson insists that he will do fine, but Goren returns the cards and requests another session with her next week, which she agrees to.

The episode ends with Goren and Eames going off to investigate a crime scene at a bank, if they can get there before the feds do.

Guest stars

The ruthless, drug-addicted CEO of a social networking site. This is the only Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode that Van Der Beek has appeared in. [1]
Wealthy identical twins who file a lawsuit against a social networking site, claiming that the idea was stolen from them. The characters were largely inspired by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who filed a lawsuit against Facebook alleging that creator Mark Zuckerberg had breached over copyright claims.

Leslie Hendrix reprised her role as Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers, a recurring character in the fictional universe of Law & Order.

Production

"To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" was directed by Jean de Segonzac, in his third episode of the season. This was the first Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode under the direction of Segonzac since the season ten episode "The Last Street in Manhattan". "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" was co-written by Julie Martin and Chris Brancato, and rewritten extensively by the series' creator René Balcer, with the final scenes written by former show runner Warren Leight. Martin previously wrote "Icarus", while this would be the first episode that Brancato has written for the series since the season ten episode "The Consoler".[2][3] Dick Wolf, the creator of the Law & Order franchise, served as the executive producer for the episode alongside Chris Brancato and Peter Jankowski.[4] Guest appearances on the episode include an appearance by James Van Der Beek, who was portrayed as Rex Tamlyn.[1][5] Thad Luckinbill and Trent Luckinbill made an appearance on the episode, playing the roles of Thomas and Parker Gaffney, a set of wealthy twins.[6] Brandon Jacobs, a running back for the New York Giants, also make an appearance as a bouncer.[7]

"To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap" features several references relating to music, film, literature and other pop culture phenomenon. The plot and several character featured were largely inspired by the controversial event involving the suing of Facebook by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, as well as the theatrical adaption to the event, The Social Network.[8][9]

Reception

"The final episode was less campy, but no less topical. In a nod to the creation of Facebook, or at least as it was portrayed in the movie The Social Network, Goren and Eames are called into the offices of a social networking site, an online matchmaking service. Aryan-looking twins, like the real life Winklevosses, are suing the site's founders, claiming they helped develop it. It wasn’t the best or most challenging case Goren ever tackled, but it served its purpose, which was to show that Goren's intuitive skills didn’t diminish as his psyche healed."

—Alessandra Stanley, of The New York Times.[8]

"To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap" first aired on June 26, 2011 in the United States on the USA Network. Upon its original airing, it was viewed by 3.75 million viewers.[10] The episode garnered a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to the Nielson ratings.[11] The total viewership for the episode slightly increased from the previous episode, "Icarus", which was watched by 3.25 million viewers during its initial airing.[12] Ratings were steady from the previous episode, however, as it also garnered a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic.[13]

Television critics were largely polarized with the episode. Kate Ward of Entertainment Weekly stated that she was disappointed with the delivery of the episode.[14] Ward criticized the writing, deeming it as a "lazy episode".[14] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times felt that the episode was "less campy, but no less topical."[8] Phil Nugent of The A.V. Club gave the episode a 'C+', but opined that it was an improvement from the previous episode.[9] Nugent felt that Van Der Beek's acting was not particularly outstanding, opining: "It kind of got lost in the shuffle, partly because none of the characters seemed especially passionate [...] about anyone: not the people they were supposed to be having affairs with or the people they were suspected of having murdered. If that was meant to be the point, it was a self-defeating one."[9]

Liz Kelly Nelson of Zap2it reacted negatively toward "To the Boy In the Blue Knit Cap". Nelson exclaimed that the episode was "downright unemotional", and expressed that "beyond the step-by-step as we follow Goren and Eames through the clues, there isn't much in the way of hints that this is [...] a series finale."[15]

After confirming "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" was Law & Order: CI's final episode on USA Network; co-president Jeff Wachtel commented on the finale when Goren (D'Onofrio) emerged from his final mandatory shrink session and headed off to a new crime scene with Eames (Erbe); "We felt that was a great place to leave things", he said. "It was a good series finale."[16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "James Van Der Beek: Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
  2. ↑ Leight, Warren (June 11, 2012). "@warrenleightTV: I wrote all shrink scenes and the final ep's last beat/scene.". Verified Twitter/Warren Leight. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Chris Brancato Credits". TV.com. CBS Interactive. June 26, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  4. ↑ "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
  5. ↑ "Law & Order: Criminal Intent Episode: "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap"". TV Guide. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
  6. ↑ Masters, Megan (May 25, 2011). "Law & Order: CI Scoop: James Van Der Beek Joins Social Network-Esque Episode". TVLine.
  7. ↑ "Behind the Scenes: Brandon Jacobs: LA". USA Network. June 26, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Stanley, Alessandra (2011-06-26). "‘Intent’ Comes to an End, Still Tormenting Its Star". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Nugent, Phil (June 26, 2011). "Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Series Finale". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  10. ↑ Seidman, Robert (June 28, 2011). "Cable Top 25: 'BET Awards,' 'True Blood, 'NASCAR' and 'Burn Notice' Top Weekly Cable Viewing". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ Seidman, Robert (June 28, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: More 'True Blood' & 'Falling Skies,' + 'Kardashians,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'The Glades' and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  12. ↑ Seidman, Robert (June 21, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Falling Skies,' 'Game of Thrones', 'The Killing,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'The Glades' and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  13. ↑ Seidman, Robert (June 23, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Falling Skies,' 'Game of Thrones', 'The Killing,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'The Glades' and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Ward, Kate (June 26, 2011). "'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' series finale: That's it?". Entertainment Weekly (Time, Inc). Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ Kelly Nelson, Liz (June 26, 2011). "'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' series finale: Case closed for Vincent D'Onofrio?". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  16. ↑ Mitovich, Matt (July 11, 2011). "No Reprieve for Law & Order: CI: 'It Was a Good Series Finale,' Says USA Network Boss". TV Line. Retrieved July 11, 2011.

External links