9x05 LHDP 66.6: The Rip-off - "Bitter Sweet Symphony"

Ep. 109: Una llamadita inquietante (A creepy little call)

Rip-off: The Dark Knight











Summary: Caped crusader Batman, along with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and DA Harvey Dent, try to rid the streets of Gotham City from criminals and crime organizations. Their goal is hindered by the appearance of the mysterious, sadistic criminal mastermind known simply as "the Joker". During one scene in the film, the Joker is captured and asks for permission to make his one phone call. Meanwhile, a criminal is throw in jail and complains about a pain inside of him that "the boss" promised he would make go away. When the Joker is finally allowed to make his phone call, we see that the receiving phone is a mobile located within the criminal's body and connected to something else (a bomb). As the police begin to examine it, it explodes, killing them and allowing the Joker to escape.

LHdP spin: During the autopsy of Father Sistaga, Don Lorenzo and Deker hear a phone ringing but do not know where it is coming from. Eventually, they discover that a mobile has been planted within Father Sistaga's body. WIN-E does a scan of the body and reports that, thankfully, there are no explosives in the corpse. After Deker removes the phone, it receives mysterious calls from Paco and Paco's house, which lead the Pacos to learn that Amadeo, the cannibal (and possibly Satan incarnate) has been in contact with Paco in the past.

Epic fail: Normally, I would say something witty here, like "I'm sad that there was no bomb attached to the mobile". However, I've grown to love DL, so I'm glad there was no bomb, because I don't want to see anymore characters that I actually like dying. I also have to admit that this rip-off wasn't a complete failure, because it actually furthered the "66.6" storyline by showing that Amadeo and Paco have a shared past that Paco didn't know about. It lends credence to the theory that Paco may be "the Chosen One", and that the events occurring now are the result of events that happened in the past. That being said, this rip-off still fails on some level, because the entire "66.6" storyline fails IMO given how unrealistic it is in relation to the "DNA" of the show.

Rip-off: Ghost
Summary: When Sam Wheat is murdered during a botched robbery, he finds himself trapped on Earth as a ghost. He spends his days hanging around his girlfriend Molly, and although she can't hear or see him, she does occasionally sense his presence. The only person who can hear Sam is Oda Mae Brown, a medium who, until Sam shows up, doesn't realize that her powers are real. Sam discovers that his murder was not an accident and, with Oda Mae's help, tries to warn and protect Molly from an impending threat related to his death.

LHdP spin: Silvia's ghost appears to Paco and helps him make some sense of the investigation involving Amadeo. He is the only person who can hear or see her. In one of the final scenes of the episode, Silvia is talking to Paco about her love for Pepa while standing next to an unknowing Pepa. Although Pepa can't see or hear Silvia, she can sense her presence, and she does "feel" her for a second, when one of Silvia's tears falls onto Pepa's finger.

Epic win: The number one reason why this rip-off is an epic win is simple: Marian Aguilera. If anyone can bring "life" to a ghost it's her. Marian provides just enough presence with her rationality and logical way of thinking to make Paco (and the audience) believe that Silvia is really there. However, she also provides the right amount of restraint - through her laid-back movements of sitting on the table barefoot and leaning in the corner with her arms folded - to make us believe that Silvia's a ghost by showing a more relaxed side of Silvia, like she's at peace. Additionally, we got to see trademark Marian Aguilera "acting without words" (which is kinda like Tyra's "smiling with your eyes" or "smeyesing"), like when Silvia closed her eyes as DL walked past her or when she was looking at Pepa but not speaking. Again, it makes us believe Silvia's a ghost who misses her loved ones - she wants to touch them and be near them, but she can't.

The second reason why this rip-off succeeds is the other half of PepSi: Laura Sánchez. Laura often talks about how much she's learned from her colleagues, and in the PepSi scene of this episode, you can certainly see how much she's learned from working with Marian Aguilera. Laura has no speaking parts in the scene, but the little smirks on her face, the way she turns her head, and the look in her eyes speak volumes about how Pepa feels/reacts to Silvia's presence. This scene works so well because they needed to play off each other with the right amount of chemistry to make it believable, and Laura's movements in relation to Marian's is subtle enough for the audience to believe that while Pepa can't see Silvia, in some way, she can still feel her.

The third reason why this rip-off works (that's for you, Q) is that it's one of the few examples where the writers got it right. This rip-off isn't literal or over-the-top like the other ones, which is a good thing b/c Sam had to walk around in the clothes he died in and if Silvia had to spend eternity in that wedding dress, that would've been fucked up. Silvia isn't trapped on Earth (at least I don't think so, and if she is, she needs to hang around more often). She might not even be a ghost, really, but rather a figment of Paco's imagination or his subconscious talking to him in the form of Silvia (which would make sense on some level b/c if you're going to choose a character to represent logic, she's one of the few in the show to pick from). Furthermore, it's somewhat realistic, simply because we don't know whether Silvia is really a ghost or something else. Thus, it stays in line with the DNA of the show. For once. Paco hasn't suddenly become a medium. He's still a cop, but he's incredibly stressed out from this investigation. Whatever you choose to call Silvia - a ghost, a figment, or something else entirely - her appearance wasn't gratuitous or irrelevant. It actually severed a purpose: to help Paco work through his thoughts on everything that's happened to him and provide a calming and reassuring sense of presence. It also furthered the plot by helping Paco work through some of his issues. Some of you might say that all of this is my PepSi bias talking again, but really, I don't give a frak. This was an epic win in my book. It also proves, without a doubt, that everything really is better with PepSi. And Marian.

Feel free to add any other rip-offs you may have spotted, as well as your thoughts in agreement or dissent.

*The title for this lecture is based on the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve