Get MacClusky and O'Hara, and find yourselves a nice quiet closet
to listen from--it's time to discuss

Chinatown

Melanie's Review
Laurie's Review


Melanie's Review:

Chinatown is one of the episodes that I think of as "typical" Due South, especially typical of the first season. It's as close to the basic premise of the series as it can be, the "Due South" archtype. Fraser witnesses a crime; sympathetic victims know that "the system" doesn't care; only Fraser (dragging Ray along behind him) is willing to investigate; Fraser's unique abilities solve the case. It's not altogether different from Diefenbaker's Day Off or They Eat Horses, Don't They? or Pizzas and Promises. The episode has an even blend of comedy and drama. It doesn't have the broad slapstick of The Man Who Knew Too Little or the intense emotion of Juliet Is Bleeding; it doesn't wander into silliness like Some Like it Red or suspense like Heaven &Earth.

What's new is the now-familiar character of the incompetent, arrogant Federal agent. Paul Haggis told the newsgroup that he hadn't intended to victimize the FBI and other federal agencies on a regular basis, it just worked out that way. (Hmmm. Who got skwered more on DS: feds or prosecutors?)

This episode shines in its Benny/Ray moments. The whole sequence in the restaurant, the closet conference, Ray feeling like Dale Evans as he follows Fraser through the alleys in the Riv, and the lighthearted conversation as the skies over Chinatown light up with fireworks. ("I think I should adjust your sights." "I'd appreciate that.") It's nice to have such a step-by-step explanation of Fraser's tracking skills (measuring the skid marks, identifying the soap mixed with the mud).

The coda at the end, in which Elaine talks to Dief about Fraser while eating ice cream, seems tacked on. Considering that Dief was just seen in Chinatown with Fraser, I wonder whether this scene was edited out of a different episode, or from a different part of this episode. (Does anybody have a Chinatown script?) The brief phrase of theme music played on Chinese instruments, however, is a lovely touch.


Dief Moment

Dief shines in this episode. Is there any more wonderful description of Fraser's relationship with Dief than, "You let a wolf save your life, and they make you pay, and pay, and pay." But I'll choose for my Dief moments his two snacks: the cookie he nabs from the derelict who admires him outside the restaurant, and the last spoonful of ice cream he sneaks from Elaine.


Moment of the Week

Wong: Give me five minutes, then come down and get him. Leave the bodies in the alley. I want them found.
Thug: You got it. [to David] You want to start smoking, now would be a good time.

(The look on David's face, his mouth covered with duct tape, puts the perfect punctuation on this cold threat.)


Duesies

Ray: What did I tell you? Talking nice gets you nowhere. These people come from a culture that only responds to strength.
Fraser: That's a cultural stereotype, Ray.
Ray: Yeah, look who's talking.

Fraser: Leftenant I understand your dilemma. In Canada, we have more than a passing familiarity with confusion. We're comprised of 10 provinces and 2 territories communicating across 6 time zones in 2 official languages. The English don't understand the French, the French don't understand the English and the Inuit, quite frankly, couldn't give a damn about either of them. Added to the equation is the Assembly of First Nations, with a total of 633 separate Indian bands speaking 180 sub - dialects among their 50 linguistic groups. And as if that weren't enough, there are some fisherman on the east coast with a remarkably whimsical accent . . . .

Ford: I want two of our best people undercover in Chinatown. Get MacClusky and O'Hara.

Fraser: Shhhh. I'm not certain but it sounds like 'doowsh, doowsh.' What does that sound like to you?
Ray: How about the sound of my job going down the toilet? I'm sitting in a dark closet with a Mountie being licked by a deaf wolf . . . That was the wolf, wasn't it?
Fraser: Yes, Ray.
Ray: Oh, thank God!

Ray: You cannot track a Lincoln Town Car through the streets of Chicago. It's not like a beaver. It doesn't leave nice little tail tracks in the tundra.
Fraser: Ray.
Ray: What is it?
Fraser: We've picked up their trail.
Ray: Why do I feel more and more like Dale Evans? Hey, Roy, wait for me!


Snack to eat while watching Chinatown

Just go with the specials.


Overall Grade

A- because of the humor


Laurie's Review:

I like this episode well enough, mostly for the comic highlights, but overall I find it rather bland. It seems to be lacking something though I'm not sure what. I prefer the kidnapping story of Heaven and Earth. There are many good moments but the plot isn't very cohesive. It's too jumpy, and at times it doesn't blend well from scene to scene.

Melanie talked about this ep being typical. It is. I like Ben and Ray going out to eat at the beginning and end, but this is not a unique parallel. There's a similar pattern in other eps: Pizzas & Promises begins and ends with pizza being delivered; Chicago Holiday begins and ends with Ben at a ball/dance and Ray bringing him accessories; in Manhunt we see Ben and Buck on horseback early in the ep and at the end. Interesting and fun but certainly not original.

Chinatown takes place when Ben hasn't been in Chicago very long so Ray is still discovering new things about him, such as his ability to speak Mandarin and his tendency to taste things.

The Duck Boys are so nasty to Fraser in the earliest eps, aren't they? Rather than trying to work with him or accept that his unorthodox methods may have merit, they're constantly sneering at whatever he does and making snide remarks. Case in point:

Huey: And did you happen to hear the license plate number?
Ben: No, no. The license was obscured by mud.
Louis: You know what we have here, Jack? Another case of speeding with a dirty license plate.
Huey: Damn. This city's going to hell.
Ben: I did find this. Whoever was kidnapped must have tried to escape through the rear window. I believe you'll find that's human blood.
Huey: Ah, someone nicked themselves while driving.
Louis: This case keeps getting worse and worse.

I didn't care for the two of them early in the series. Their total lack of acceptance of a law enforcement officer from another country bugged me, and Jack was too conniving and condescending. As the series progressed they became more likable, mainly because they started to accept Fraser. Of course, Ray wasn't immune to their barbs. Guilty by association.

When Ray and Ben are trying to figure out where David Lee is being held Ben says he knows David is at a particular warehouse. "He's there. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Ray replies, "Another wise Chinese guy?" and Ben answers, "No, Robert Fraser, my father." He says this with such pride.

One of my favorite moments occurs after they find David and they fight off a couple of Charlie Wong's henchmen. Ben turns and points to Ray, "You all right?" and Ray points back, "Fine." Very smooth and synchronized.

Another good moment is when Dief shows up in the nick of time when Ben is in the alley with one of Charlie's men. "Thank you. If you're expecting an apology, you've got another thing coming. You pay, and you pay and you pay." I also like the look on the goon's face as Ben is talking to Dief.


Nitpick:

How did the FBI become involved with the kidnapping so quickly and how did they find out about it? The Lee family didn't call them, they didn't even want the police involved at first.


Duesies:

Ray: No more listening in closets, okay?
Ben: I'm sorry, Ray.
Ray: Is it strictly necessary to humiliate me every step of the way? I mean, is it necessary. . .
Ben: Ray, Ray. Please, I can't have the both of you sulking.

(Analyzing the evidence from Charlie Wong's fingernails)
Ben: Potassium nitrate and a touch of sulfur.
Ray: That's gun powder.
Ben: Not ordinary gun powder. It's very low grade. It's not like anything I've ever tasted.
Ray: Do you do this a lot? Try to solve cases by gnawing on ammunition?
Ben: Well, I admit, it is a calculated risk, Ray, but I am a professional. This is not for amateurs.

Ray: In case you didn't realize, Mr. Mountie, you cannot buy, sell or manufacture fireworks anywhere in the City of Chicago.
Ben: That is unless you have a license to exhibit. City Ordinance Section 15 dash 20.
Ray: You read that?
Ben: There's a world of information at your local library, Ray.

Ray to the guy on watch at the warehouse: Where's the kid.
Guy on watch: You're a cop. You won't shoot me.
Ray: I'm not that good a cop.

Ben: Shouldn't we stay and fill out some reports?
Ray: Well, no. We have to leave them something to do.
Ben: Nice shot, by the way, knocking it out of the guy's hand.
Ray: Oh, you liked that?
Ben: Oh, I was impressed.
Ray: I thought you would be.
Ben: You were aiming for. . .
Ray: His chest.


I watch Chinatown for the Ray and Ben moments. They're still bonding as friends, and we, as viewers, are learning what makes them tick. They're not yet a "well-oiled" police team but they're getting there.

I wish I could give this ep higher than a C+ but it's mediocre, and as much as I enjoy the humorous scenes, they're not enough to warrant a higher mark.


If you want to sound off, or if you'd like to add a review to the site, let me know!
Back to Pizzas and Promises
Forward to Chicago Holiday
Back to the Episode List