An episode that was more of a straightforward mystery than usual, with multiple suspects in the murders of various members of a Christian-offshoot sect that could very easily be called a cult, and indeed is classified that way by state and Federal authorities. Also, an episode which gave a little space for Don and Robin to be playful with each other, and for Larry to begin to articulate the discontent which is starting to color his life. The title refers to the place in the chemist's Periodic Table of arsenic.
In the compound of the sect, which like Christian Science and some other faiths prefers to avoid standard allopathic medicine, a social event is disrupted by what turns out to be poisoned coffee, laced with enough arsenic to sicken the assembled...and just a little too much more. It turns out that the recently installed minister and his son have ulterior motives in their involvement with the church--they are con men, playing, as Megan notes, a "life con" to exploit the congregation for their money, and to move the church closer to the mainstream so as to get it off government radar and to get it tax exemption...and therefore more money to play with. But this is not immediately clear, for the minister's son was one of the arsenic victims, though not one of the two fatalities...shortly thereafter, the minister is killed in a suspicious explosion. The obvious suspects are the church's founding minister's wife, who had been shunted from power through the new minister's stratagems, and her daughter, who is in a semi-secret affair with the son.
However, while the mother and widow (a good turn by Jill Eikenberry, whom we don't see often enough these years) makes an excellent suspect, it soon becomes clear that the explosion was the work of the son, in part as payback for the excessive poisoning (which was supposed to be just enough to get the congregation to accept medical help) and in part so as to cash in, since the fake minister was trying to break up the kids' affair.
While helping with the investigation, Larry completely loses his cool when facing Eikenberry's Susan Doran, who tends to equate science with Satan and Nazism. Larry, himself a spiritual seeker as well as a significant scientist, can't stomach her resentment at all, and gives her back as much hostility as she presents, leading Megan and Charlie to pull him aside. Discussing the matter later with Alan, he realizes just how thoroughly he fell into a knee-jerk response, driven in part by his own spiritual doubts and lack of joy in the material world of late. When Alan teases him, pretending to take Doran's view that all scientists want to take over the world, Larry delivers the episode's best line, noting that if he was to conquer the world, "all I'd have to show for it would be...the world."
When not focusing on the case, Don and Robin seek to dig out facts about each other, and give each other playful surprises. It turns out, to everyone's surprise, that Don's favorite film isn't
Heat, but
Sullivan's Travels...and that Robin loves watermelon candy.
And by episode's end, the successful demonstration of how one can run across water with just enough starch in it seems to help lift Larry's spirits.
Another nugget...I wasn't aware that arsenic dust was explosive. But I'll buy it.
And many apologies to anyone who's been missing this entry...tiresome ISP and computer problems, then the crush of work, delayed the post till now.
For more on Numb3rs, please see our
Online Video Guide.
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An episode that was more of a straightforward mystery than usual with multiple suspects in the murders of various members of a Christian-offshoot sect that could very easily be called a cult and indeed is classified that way by state and Federal authorities Also an episode which gave a little space for Don and Robin to be playful with each other and for Larry to begin to articulate the discontent which is starting to color his life The title refers to the place in the chemists Periodic Table of arsenicIn the compound of the sect which like Christian Science and some other faiths prefers to avoid standard allopathic medicine a social event is disrupted by what turns out to be poisoned coffee laced with enough arsenic to sicken the assembledand just a little too much more It turns out that the recently installed minister and his son have ulterior motives in their involvement with the church--they are con men playing as Megan notes a life con to exploit the congrega
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