I’ve watched many procedurals, and it’s rare to see an in-depth look into an artist’s life.
I appreciated Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Season 1 Episode 3, because many shows don’t delve into the local gallery scene and how challenging it is to survive.
This week’s victim was Eve, a beloved Toronto art professor, who was stabbed in her office, during the height of her career, at the gallerist’s lecture.
While Eve seemed beloved and successful, throughout the investigation, it seemed that barely anyone knew “The Real Eve.”
While some artists only reveal themselves through their work, Eve took this a step further, making her loved ones and the investigators wonder if she had secrets, and if someone would kill to keep those hidden.
The First Suspect Is Never the Culprit, and Rick Was An Easy Target
It seemed telling that Eve told Rick that working with Lee wasn’t all it seemed to be. Granted, Rick was jealous and wanted his ex-wife’s success, and that was why he got drunk at the lecture.
Was he bitter and resentful enough to murder Eve? That’s the question that troubled him when he woke up with no memory, and there was blood on Eve’s couch.
Almost everyone rushed to blame Rick, from the bartender to Jasper, Eve’s younger lover.
No one appreciated that Eve still felt obligated to take care of him, but Rick still thought they might have reconciled and was crushed by her death.
He hated that he didn’t even know her that well anymore, except if he looked at her work, and it told a story.
Whoever drugged Rick was dumb since the drugs cleared him since he was passed out cold for eight hours. Sometimes, these killers are as dumb as rocks.
Graff Was Easily the Episode MVP and Found the Clues Others Missed
Rick was an easy suspect, since he had a drinking problem and a well-known dysfunctional relationship with the victim.
Graff was the only one who realized that — thinking they should look past the circumstantial evidence and focus on other likelier suspects.
While it’s unrealistic to expect Graff to be a walking encyclopedia on every case and theme, he had an eagle eye for details, noticing an impulsive and intense style in some paintings.
Finding grease on a painting and an old keychain led them to an old garage and Eve’s secret studio, only to find wet, unfinished paintings and more possible suspects.
Graff suspected that Eve didn’t rise from the dead like on sci-fi shows or soaps, but instead had someone else create her work, while she got all the glory.
It seemed that Melinda, her assistant, might have played a role in it, as she had requested money for the paintings, and Lee didn’t appear pleased to see her.
However, Melinda painted still-life paintings, not abstract art. While she benefited from Eve’s death, she wasn’t the stand-in artist and most likely not the killer.
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Season 1 Episode 3 Finally Showcased the Order Side
We complained about the lack of lawyers in the first two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent Season 1, so I was thrilled to see two lawyers in this one.
Defense Attorney Deb Sutton, played by Catherine Disher of Good Witch, was fierce and snarky and wouldn’t let Bateman intimidate Rick.
I loved how she was the first to suspect that her client was drugged, since drinking wouldn’t have affected his memory that drastically, and they found Ambien (Zolpidem) in his system.
Hopefully, we’ll see her again, as she’d be just as entertaining in court against Forrester.
Speaking of, I loved that we saw the entire team discuss the case as Graff set the case against Lee.
Forrester is more cautious than any of the U.S. Law & Order prosecutors. He wouldn’t proceed until they had video footage of Lee’s assistant leaving the lecture, not Lee, making her alibi null and void.
He’s all about the motive, which was Graff’s specialty.
It Was Challenging to Survive in the Art World When Everyone Only Cared About Themselves
This episode highlighted why many artists adopt different personas. Eve seemed confident when she taught her art classes, but she became a different person with a paintbrush.
When Graff compared her current work to her paintings from a few years ago, they looked radically different.
Eve helped Nikki, a student she met in Art Therapy, get her life back on track, and in exchange, Nikki created paintings that Eve used.
The women genuinely cared about each other and eventually wanted to end the ruse.
However, by then, Lee knew about it and encouraged it, believing that she had contributed to Eve’s success, and otherwise, Eve would have been a mediocre artist.
The quote Bateman found in Eve’s statement proved useful. Eve never would have said, “Behind the pedestrian world of appearances, there is a formal realm of perfection.”
Bateman’s joke that it sounded like a soap opera wasn’t far off since people impersonate one another, with third parties taking credit all the time. Lee would fit right in with her greedy and egotistical ways.
I love that Graff and Bateman ensured the exhibition remained memorable. They honored Eve and Nikki’s memory by reading the actual statement, revealing their partnership and Lee’s greed, and how she took advantage of raw talent.
She knew the ins and outs of everyone in Eve’s life, making it easy to frame Rick. It almost worked, but Graff didn’t fall for it, especially when Nicky had the same drug in her system.
We’ve heard other suspects maintain that genuine art lives on, and Lee believed she had created “The Real Eve.” There was a sense of justice in watching her get arrested at her new gallery opening.
Over to you, Fanatics.
Did you guess the actual suspect, like Graff, or did Lee fool you? Were you pleasantly surprised to see more of the legal side?
Let us know in the comments.
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If you enjoyed our Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent coverage and want to see more Canadian procedurials, yours truly covers Murder in a Small Town. We also cover many other Dick Wolf shows, including the rest of the Law & Order franchise. Interested in more analytical and passionate pieces? Check out our editorials and op-eds.
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