While Murderville is largely focused on the weekly (absurd) cases, there has been one thread that has carried through the entire season: The unsolved death of Terry Seattle’s partner, Lori. That storyline takes center stage in the final episode of the season, appropriately titled “The Cold Case.” But don’t take the presence of a larger plot fool you into thinking the season finale takes itself any more seriously than the previous five episodes. It really, really doesn’t.
The Trainee
Six episodes, six “new partners” for Seattle to break in. This episode, it’s Ken Jeong, and he’s just having so much fun. Some of the previous guests would crack and try to hide it, but not Jeong. Nope. This whole situation is absurd and hilarious, and he’s just ready to have the time of his life. The whole episode, even when he’s managing to hold onto his composure, he’s barely doing so, with a wing and a prayer. What a great guest to have on this kind of show.
As was often the case, the highlight of “The Cold Case” was the “undercover” operation. Or perhaps I should say the undercover operations. Perhaps because he was so obviously incapable of playing anything straight – or keeping a straight face – they put him in one situation after another, and almost always with a different accent. But my favorite was the first. Is it just me, or does Jeong have the least threatening face ever? Paired with the least threatening body language. The producers of this show really do tailor each “undercover” operation perfectly to their respective celebrity guest.
Sadly, he chose the wrong suspect in the end. Technically. And I honestly couldn’t blame him. I was so distracted by the amount of fun that he was having, I forgot to pay attention to the clues. They also seemed maybe a little better hidden than in some cases. But that’s probably just me trying to make myself feel better for not picking up on at least 80% of them. I mean, I didn’t pick up on the conspiracy breadcrumbs at all.
Notable Moments
- “Preparation is for losers. Dumb luck is where it’s at.” Words to live by. Not necessarily words to live well by. But words to live by, nevertheless. Nobody ever claimed Terry Seattle was a role model.
- Daz has been too persistent a presence on the show to just be a fellow cop and the guy dating Seattle’s soon-to-be-ex, right?
- I wonder how many times Jeong had to pretend to be dying in med school. From his obvious moment of “wait, you want me to what?” the answer might be zero. But what a waste of medical school, doesn’t it? (Or at least of residency.)
- “Jesus Christ.” I know star Will Arnett was probably in character throughout the whole episode, but every once in a while, I had to wonder…
- I know I think every episode’s guest is my favorite, but I’m pretty sure Jeong is my favorite.
- Terry Seattle did it. He finally solved Lori’s murder (until it gets thrown out in court due to procedural issues, anyway). He can rest easy. Until whatever big mystery drives season 2, of course.
Murderville is streaming now on Netflix. Did you enjoy “The Cold Case?” Let us know in the comments!