Lucky "Thirteen"
"Velocity" written by the series creators, husband and wife, Nicholas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and directed by Fred Koeller, is an episode that reveals the deadly truth about street racing. Recently, a young mother and her two young children were struck and killed by a racing motorist in L.A. The episode's Oct. 12 airing was timely, albeit horribly unfortunate. Nic and Cheryl have written our most conscienscious episodes. "Hardball" from Season 3, was an episode that exposed the dangers of steroid abuse amongst pro athletes. "Protest" starred legendary actor Robert Forster as an FBI agent who is desperate to conceal his corrupt past, until Don Eppes figures out that he was part of a much larger, true to life government conspiracy put into action in the late 60's to counteract the anti-war movement in the United States, a subject long considered to Taboo to cover. And in "Money For Nothing", Nic and Cheryl presented the plight of struggling African Nations in their attempts to deliver medical care to their citizens. I think it's highly admirable that these two writers tackle this heavy subject matter time and again within the context of a little show that solves crimes with math. Velocity features incredible stunts, and a brilliant guest appearance by actor Chris Bauer who plays engineer Ray Ray Galuski. A very different image of your typical science and engineering "nerd". I had an awesome time working with him, and there are plans to bring him back to the show in a future episode.
"Thirteen" written by Don McGill and directed by Ralph Hemecker, is a tentpole episode of our show. What I mean is, that when this show was concieved, it was inevitable that we would do an episode about Biblical Numerology, what with the popularity of
The Da Vinci Code, and the emergence of Kabbalism as a religious philosophy. The episode explores a serial killer's desire to be considered a modern day biblical martyr, and the lengths he goes to, to make his presence known. My character has to decipher the numerological code the killer leaves behind in his messages, to discover the true motive behind his killings. The episode is dark, disturbing, downright frightening, and is a brilliant example of the series' strengths. The twisting plotline, the intense manhunt, the imperative use of intellect to solve the crime. A difficult night of sleep lies ahead for our fans who are used to our usual, somewhat lighter fare. This one will linger with you. The writer, Don McGill (who happens to be the creator of the popular CBS series
NCIS) is known around the set as the guy who writes the gory, deranged episodes of our show. With "Thirteen", he has outdone himself. And if you can believe it, he couldn't be a nicer, gentler guy. It's always the nice quiet ones you have to watch out for. It's rare after having filmed almost 70 episodes of this show, to pinpoint an episode as one of my personal favorites. This one joins that exclusive club along with only a handful of episodes. I'm very much looking forward to reading the fan's reactions to this one.
This season, the series has clearly hit it's storytelling stride. Breaking out of formula, a greater freedom expressed in the writing. I think this season is our best so far, and I am thrilled that the show has grown so much. I have always believed in my heart of hearts, that this show has tremendous potential. The potential to surpass the cliches of other crime procedurals and set itself apart from the rest of the pack. So far this season, we are making great strides toward fulfilling that potential. So keep watching. This season will surprise and delight.
CBS' Numbers
airs Fridays at 10 pm/ET.
