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Review:
  "Be good for Daddy."
"I will."
Liar, liar, pants on fire!
Actually, I enjoyed the fact that she wasn't a perfect little angel. Much more realistic that she be a loud-mouthed brat. Rarely have the Simon
boys been so outmatched. Kudos to both men for staying gentle with her no matter how obnoxious she behaved. It's not many men who would simply put her in the
backseat after she's taken his car for a joyride, no matter how brief.
 Okay, let's start with Rick's
new toy, the $300 Voice Stress Analyzer. As a side note, I saw one on sale at eBay for $700 just last month. Good ol' inflation will get ya every time. What a
great toy for a PI, though. I'm amazed they didn't keep this sucker around for the whole series. I'm curious, though - if it was an actual VSA, it can obviously be fooled by actors.
Most of what was said wasn't 'true', it was a script, yet the little green light blinked away. I can't help but wonder if it was a fake or if they just acted that well. Hmmm...
 The scene where Gaines let his
daughter drive the truck brought back memories of the good old days, when parents could do that without risking arrest. My mom used to let me sit on her lap, her controlling
the brake and gas like Gaines did, while I oh so carefully steered the car at 5mph through the neighborhood. Nowadays, the kid can't be in the front seat, much less
anywhere near the wheel. I realize that kids are safer in safety seats in the back, but I can't help but feel there are times when breaking the rules carefully is just fun.
Wait, how'd that soap box get in here?? ;)
Slight sarcastic note - poor Irene, she must suffer from a growth defect. The picture taken '3 years ago' that her mom gives the Simons shows absolutely no change in
Irene. I mean,  would it have killed them to say it was taken last summer during a
custody visit?
One more question about the girl and then I'll move on - when she drives off AJ's Chevy, how is she reaching the pedals?? I can buy that
maybe she coasted during the little joyride, maybe the idle's running high which propelled the car forward, whatever, but she brought that car to a gentle stop and her legs just aren't
that long. It wasn't a quick jerk of a stop that would indicate she went straight to park, so she must've braked. Little things like this just bug me.
 Did anyone else notice that AJ
(or maybe I should say JP) went into a southern accent when he was talking to the little girl? Suddenly, he's saying things like "Darlin', you better sit right down or Uncle Rick'll
come back there and make ya." I wonder where that came from? Maybe that's what AJ sees as how to talk to kids - after all, that's how Rick talked to him when he was a
kid. Or maybe JP just finds accents as contagious as I do. It's precious, but a little out of place.
 Also, what an adorable scene
between AJ and his mom. JP really pulls off the "MoOOom" when she mentions staying away from "things that go bump in the night." Too cute.
 Onto Mac. I wonder if he
enjoyed playing at working a job he really did in life? When Mac was working at the New Orleans Repertory Company, he did six months stints as a mud-logger, and Rick reveals
in this episode he's done the same work. It must have been Mac's influence, mud-logging's not common enough for that to be a coincidence. Neat, neat, neat.
May I also say he looked quite the hunk in this outfit...
 While overall I loved his sighs,
moans, and groans of torture at Irene's antics, he has the only bit of bad acting I've ever seen him do. When AJ is telling the story of the evil Pirates of Pittsburgh, Rick
barks out a terribly forced laugh that smacks of amateurism. I guess the reason this stood out so glaringly is that Mac always makes acting look so easy and smooth that
you forget he's acting. Ah well, everybody has bad days. One in twenty years is nothing to complain about.
And lastly, Mac has said in interviews that the quickest way to empty a room is to
ask him to sing. Even though it's only "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall," I think he's got a very nice singing voice. That end scene where he starts the song is one of the
very few times I've heard him sing alone without accompaniment, and he's great! Too bad he doesn't believe it - I'd like to hear more of it.
Though I'm nitpicking this episode, I enjoyed it. It's fun to watch this little demon
wrap two grown men around her fingers without using bright smiles or tears - just her youth. I'll give it four Camaros.
Oh, and tip for the Devil - if you ever want to lead me into temptation, take this form. It'll work every time. ;)
4 out of 5 Camaros
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