Melanie's Review
Laurie's Review
Melanie's Review:Because of this episode's heavy emotional toll, I seldom actually watch it. But I have happy memories of talking to a new Dueser who had just seen part one for the first time. I asked her what she thought so far--and she said, "I have a feeling that this Victoria is going to end up dead." I smiled like a sphinx and told her to be sure not to miss part two.
I have found, after many years, that I can now watch Victoria's Secret without feeling the overwhelming pressure of the story's emotional drive cresting over me like a tidal wave. Now that know where it is going, I can step back and cast an analytical eye on the craft that created the emotion: the cinematography, the editing, the music, and the acting.
You would think that losing that sense of emotional immediacy would diminish my enjoyment of the viewing, but there's another quality to this story that is just as masterful: the intricately crafted plot. Paul Haggis must have adopted the mantra of his villianess, "No loose ends," because he created a story that fits together like an intricately carved puzzle-box. Everything fits smoothly and seamlessly, story elements nestle and conform to each other, and nothing is wasted. Even at an emotional arm's-length, I cannot help but be astonished at the perfect precision and elegant execution of this two-hour masterpiece.
I do not defend Victoria as a human being, but I celebrate here as a character. In my view, she is without one grain of conscience, pity or remorse; she was responsible for her own role in the original bank robbery in Alaska and she is responsible for every minute detail of the devious plan that she set into motion in Chicago. She played Fraser like a violin, plucking from him exactly the emotions she needed him to experience on the way to total corruption.
Her downfall was the friendship between Fraser and Ray: she did not anticpate Fraser's willingness to destroy the Vecchio home in order to locate that key, and she did not account for Ray's willingness to pull the trigger. ("Hurt him, and I'll kill you," Ray said, and that is exactly what he was trying to do at the station--but Fraser interposed himself between Ray and his intended target.) Ultimately, Victoria proved her quality by staying on the train. Her own sense of self-preservation is stronger than her willingness to love.
Victoria's Secret as a Series FinaleI didn't get to see very many episodes of Due South when it was on CBS, but I did see the Victoria's Secret 2-hour movie. I remember that it made a great impression on me, and it made a great impression on my brother, as well. He's never become a Due South fan, but he remembers that movie well, and he firmly believes that it should have been the end of the series. And in a way, he's right. Disregarding for a moment the whole of what came after it, and focusing solely on this one story, the end of this movie is truly "The End." In and of itself, Victoria's Secret is a complete tale, a tragic tale in the fashion of Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story.
It was not until Paul Haggis visited the newsgroup a couple of years ago that I learned just how right my brother had been. In his vision, VS was *supposed* to be the end of the series that CBS had just cancelled.
"What happened was -- I also thought 'Victoria's Secret' would be the end of the series, and that's the way I wanted to go out. But then Alliance said we had to shoot another one -- and since I was going crazy directing 'Victoria's Secret,' I turned to Kathy and Jeff and said 'Have at it', and they did it all on their own -- and a terrific job they did. I was too involved with 'Victoria's Secret,' and too drained from the experience, to be any good to them."And later, when I asked if he had always planned for the series to end this way, he hedged a little bit:
"And, I guess, I don't think it's that dark of an ending. But that tells you something about me. I've always believed Fraser to be a tragic hero -- who people took for a fool. There was a reason he was so quite and reserved and withdrawn. There was a reason he lived like he did. We just all assumed it was for lighter, comic, reasons. But they all had their roots in deeper stuff."(Read the whole Paul Haggis newsgroup visit on William & Elyse's website.)
Touches of Genius:The snow motif permeates the story, constantly reminding the viewer of the snowstorm on Fortitude Pass. Snow falls indoors to bless their honeymoon bed. Bob asks, incongruously, if it is snowing outside: he senses the danger to come. When Victoria is missing, Fraser fills his apartment with candlelight--as if to guide her home through a blizzard. Victoria chooses a tiny snowscape for hiding the key of betrayal. And in the end, snow falls to carry Fraser back to his near-death with Victoria as he lies bleeding on the station platform.
A strange, disonant sound plays when Dief approaches the open door of the apartment while Fraser is running after Ray. What better way to remind the viewer that Dief cannot hear what is going on inside?
At Jolley's hotel, the clerk has to peer three times at the photo before recognizing the guy in room 211. Then he walks up to the camera (I love this part!) and spits on a tissue to clean off the lens!
While Fraser and Ray search through the zoo for Victoria, a tiger charges growling and a Canada goose squawks in anger. Even the animals are sensitive to the evil afoot. Later, the cavorting polar bear makes a brief attempt to prevent the recovery of Fraser's gun.
The double-interrogation scene, seamlessly floating back and forth between the two darkened rooms, is magnificent. Not only is this the best scene in the episode, it's the best written, best acted, best edited scene in the whole series.
What a stroke of genius to use the porn shop as a meeting place. The symbolism of depravity, is augmented by the sense of cold sexual denial: she sits on a stool behind glass, as if on display to a lecher who is doomed to seek sexual satisfaction from looking at that which he cannot touch. (And do keep your eyes open for the balding man who shuts the door behind Fraser: that's Paul Haggis himself. He created the series, produced the first season, wrote the pilot and Victoria's Secret and several other of the show's best episodes.)
Duesies:Fraser: What's wrong with your hat?
Bob:: Oh, this is the one they buried me in. They had to snip off the back so I could lie flat. I'm sure they meant well but they have no idea how embarrassing these things can be in the afterlife.
Fraser: She really had no choice. She was living with the man who planned the robbery. It was a very desperate situation.
Bob:: I'm sure the judge took that into account. That's his job; your job was to bring her in. I suspected it might have been your doing.
Fraser: What?
Bob:: The hat thing. Is this the last image you have of me?
Fraser: It was your funeral. I could hardly close my eyes.
Bob:: These things taste like nothing.
Fraser: Well, stop eating them, then.
Bob:: I arrested your mother once.
Fraser: You did not.
Bob:: Honest to God. I gave her a speeding ticket.
Fraser: You knew it was her car and you pulled her over anyway?
Bob:: No, I was right there in the passenger seat.
Fraser: Get out.
Bob:: She was doing 45 in a 30.
Fraser: Mum?
Bob:: I kept telling her I was going to do it and every time I did she kept speeding up. Made absolutely no sense. Women. You ever been able to figure them out, son?
Fraser: Well actually I'm asking for advice Dad.
Bob:: In my 57 years of being alive and my 14 months of being dead I've only learned one thing about women and that is that I haven't learned one damned thing about women. Have I been of some help son?
Fraser: Oh yeah, a big help.Fraser: I'm sorry--it took so long to find the cilantro
Victoria : But you tracked it down.
Fraser: Well, the second grocer I saw said he'd never stocked it, although I did find traces of the leaf on the floor of the produce section. There was a boot print on one of them
Victoria: And you found it?
Fraser: Uh, unfortunately, no.
Victoria: So what you got?
Fraser: Ice cream.Victoria: Shh-- This is my favorite movie. I always wanted to be Eve Kendall.
Fraser: But she sends Carrie Grant to be killed.
Victoria: She had no choice.Ray: Any friend of Fraser's is a friend of mine.
Victoria: So you're Ray?
Ray: Yeah and you're Victoria.. So how did you two meet?
Victoria: He arrested me.
Ray: Ah. He meets a lot of people that way. Listen--hurt him, and I'll kill you.Ray: What the hell is this all about, Lieutenant?
Welsh: Sorry, it's out of my jurisdiction..
Internal affairs officer: Yes it is, Lieu. So if you'll excuse us?
Welsh: Sure. But Malner gets to stay.
Internal affairs officer: Why is that exactly?
Malner: David Malner, Police Protection League.
Internal affairs officer: Did you call an attorney, Detective Vecchio?
Welsh: Yes.
Ray: Did I?
Welsh: Yes.
Ray: Do I need one?
Welsh: Yes.Louis: Sir, I know that Vecchio's a real weasel but he's a straight up cop.
Internal affairs guy: You mean that?
Louis: Oh yeah. serious weasel.Ray: And I thought this woman would come between us.
Fraser: You should take the deal.
Ray: I haven't been offered one.
Fraser: You should take it anyway.
Ray: Hey Benny--not in your lifetime.
Third Runner-Up Nitpick of the Week:What is with Victoria's hair in the car, after Fraser stole the diamonds? Suddenly it's straighter and lighter in color. It could have been a wig, of course, but by the time she gets to the station she's back to her usual tight, dark curls.
Second Runner-Up Nitpick of the Week:
I can't for the life of me figure out why Victoria, who is such a cool customer under so many chaotic circumstances, panicked when her friendly stranger opened the wrong locker and handed her the money that was supposed to frame Ray. Pulling out a gun and shooting at people is a hell of a way to draw attention to yourself!
Runner-Up Nitpick of the Week:
Ironically, this is the only DS episode whose title is seen on-screen. So many other episodes have titles that are slices of creative genius; why, oh why couldn't Paul Haggis come up with a better title than the name of a chain of lingerie stores?
Nitpick of the Week:
There is no way on earth the police would have discovered that the stolen money was being spent in Chicago. Louise chalked it up to an alert bank teller--this is ludicrous. Bank tellers are very good at picking out counterfeit money, but stolen money looks and feels just like any other money, and bank tellers do not sit around comparing serial numbers on bills to reports from bank robberies. For that matter, banks do not make a record of the serial numbers of currency they receive, so there would not have been such a list.
How much more preposterous is it, then, that the merchants--video store, dry cleaner, soap carving salesman--would know that a specific bill was stolen? Are we to believe that they all brought those bills to the same bank, to that same omniscient teller? Are we to believe that the video store and the dry cleaner could identify the customer that spent a particular $20 bill out of all the cash they receive in a 24-hour period?
Fifth Runner-Up Moment of the Week:Ray lifting the triangle from the pool table, and watching the balls roll downhill.
Fourth Runner-Up Moment of the Week:
"Listen--hurt him, and I'll kill you."
Third Runner-Up Moment of the Week:
Fraser filling his apartment with candlelight.
Second Runner-Up Moment of the Week:
Fraser breaking the Vecchio's front door off its hinges, thundering, "RAY!" and systematically tearing the house to shreds in search of the key.
Runner-Up Moment of the Week:
The entire sequence on the train platform
Moment of the Week:
The double-interrogation scene.
Snack to enjoy while watching Victoria's Secret:I was going to have brown beans, pork chop, some spaghetti sauce and some pasta. But I got caught a little short. Caper, sir?
Grading:
Emotional Quotient A+ Elaborate Plot A+ Production Values A+ Overall Grade A+
Laurie's Review:This is, in my opinion, the most dramatic and complex Due South ep. It is not without its flaws but it's about as perfect as television gets. The writing is masterful, the acting by the cast and guest stars is expert, and the music is stunningly beautiful (the songs by Sarah McLachlan could have been written for this story). Each time I watch, it's an incredibly intense experience. The only other ep I can say this about is The Deal. Both need to be watched often.
There are many layers to the story and it can be interpreted on several different levels. Even after having seen it dozens of times, it hasn't lost its power and it moves me as much as it did the first time. Since I had already seen Seasons 3 and 4, it was a given that Ben would survive and recover but nonetheless, I was not prepared to see him lying on the train platform. Were it not for the carefully inserted humor, Victoria's Secret would be very difficult to sit through. We need the reprieve the comic bits offer.
The snowy imagery is beautiful and provides a perfect backdrop. This, along with the music, creates a haunting, romantic, tragic atmosphere.
The continuing development of Ben and Ray's friendship and the chinks thrown into their relationship by the unexpected appearance of a woman is definitely one of the most fascinating elements of Victoria's Secret. Ray for the first time sees facets of Ben's personality that hadn't been evident before Victoria showed up.
When I first saw this ep, and for many viewings after, I was not online, and was not exposed to the opinions and comments of others for a long time. I have since looked at certain plot elements differently but many of my initial impressions have not wavered, and there are three basic beliefs that have not changed:
1. It was not coincidence that Ben saw Victoria on two different occasions. She found out ahead of time where he was posted and where he lived, and she conveniently placed herself at the scene (most likely after following his movements around the city) and made sure he would see her. There were probably other occasions when he didn't spot her. What are the odds of having two chance encounters with someone you haven't seen in 10 years in a city the size of Chicago?
2. Victoria came back to Ben's apartment for the sole purpose of seducing him. She knew her intricate plan could not work unless she had total control over him. When she left his apartment after dinner and a movie, the circumstances did not lend themselves to the sort of manipulation necessary for her to carry out her plan of revenge. It was absolutely essential that she bring his feelings for her to the forefront. He really thought he loved her, and sleeping with her solidified that feeling. At that point he would have done almost anything she asked. As it was, seduction wasn't necessary, but she still got what she wanted - him. Hook, line and sinker. Ben may have bought her sob story, but I don't.
3. Ben's decision to go with Victoria was impulsive and was made at the last moment, right before he started running for the train. Until that point, I really think he had convinced himself that he wasn't going with her, that he couldn't go with her.
This does not imply that anyone else's perceptions are less valid, just that when I first saw Victoria's Secret, this is what I saw on the screen, and I still see it.
Do I think Victoria is evil incarnate? No, but neither is she an innocent victim of circumstance, and the evil in her overshadows the good. She was driven by the darkness Ben saw in her, and had she not gone to prison for her role in the bank robbery, I seriously doubt she would have walked the straight and narrow. Ben can blame himself all he wants for how she turned out, but the seeds were there. She was not an impressionable, vulnerable minor when he arrested her; she was an adult, fully responsible for her actions. We know nothing about Victoria's background, but if we were given an in-depth biographical profile, I suspect we would discover this was not her only trouble with the law. Interestingly, Victoria never tells Ben he's responsible for what prison did to her.
Should he have let her go? Absolutely not. Nor should he have even considered it. Ben's job as an officer of the law was to apprehend a criminal involved in a bank robbery and murder. It was not his place to determine the degree of her involvement or guilt or whether she deserved leniency. If he had let her go, as he later wished he had done, he would have lost all credibility as a police officer. The only excuse he could have offered was that he had feelings for her. Sorry. Not good enough. He said no one knew he found her, and that may be, but Ben would always know he let her go and he couldn't live with that kind of guilt any easier than the guilt of knowing she spent ten years in prison. The guilt of knowing he had forsaken his duty and broken the law would have gradually destroyed him. This guilt would have been further compounded if, had he let her go, she continued her criminal ways and other lives were victimized as a result of her activities.
Without a doubt, there's a strong, unique bond between them. They may or may not have slept together at Fortitude Pass but something profound happened there and it stayed with both of them for the next ten years. Unlike Ben, Victoria was cultivating revenge and dealing with the love/hate equation. I don't think Ben consciously thought he would see her again - he may have hoped and dreamed, but Victoria knew it would happen, and she made it happen.
I've always been impressed by the fact that Ben went to Father Behan to talk about Victoria, but it makes sense. He already knew and trusted Fr. Behan. The first time he told the story was to a sleeping Ray, but now that he thinks Victoria is in Chicago, he needs non-judgmental feedback. However, I don't think he wants to be absolved of his guilt. He truly believes he deserves to carry that burden. Victoria goes to what appears to be the same church. Why? She could have picked any one of the hundreds of churches in the city. If it is the same church, it lends credence to the notion that she's been trailing Ben.
Most Prophetic Words:Spoken by Jolly, right before he slices Ben's hand: "You think you know her? You don't!" Oh, how true. Ben doesn't know her a'tall. As the show continues, he (and we) learn just how little he does know.
Ben tells his dad that Victoria scares the hell out of him. I wish he had given some reasons why he feels this way. He also says he's in love with her and that he knows who she is. He asks his dad, "Did you know Mum? I mean, did you really know who she was or did you know who you wanted her to be?" Ben should ask himself the same thing. He's in love with an illusion, the woman he thinks he remembers from the mountain. The woman in Chicago is the one who scares the hell out of him. He has reason to be scared.
Flash to the scene in the car at the zoo when Victoria shoots Jolly. There is nothing in her expression to indicate she feels threatened or that she feels any compunction about killing him. Flash to the scene in Ben's apartment that evening. Oh, is she good at wrapping him around her finger. He honestly believes that she killed Jolly in self defense. She pours out all this fake emotion for his benefit, and her performance around him and Ray is Academy Award winning all the way. She's cold, cruel, compassionless and calculating and I don't feel remotely sorry for her. To top it off, she calls Internal Affairs immediately after Ben says he'll do what she wants. That still puzzles me, no matter how it's explained.
Despite everything Victoria does, however, I really do believe she loves Ben, but she hates him even more. At the end when the train is pulling away and Ben is lying on the platform, the expression on her face speaks volumes. No one can see her, she doesn't have to put on an act. There's so much anguish, and there wouldn't be if she didn't love him.
Observations:The calendar on the wall in the room of the man who calls his mother all the time indicates it's the third week in March.
Anyone ever notice the date on Victoria's mug shot? Why would there be a date of 07-11-92?
There's such a wide array of visual emotion in this episode, not just from Ben but Ray as well, and the contrast is quite striking, not only when a comparison is made between the two men but how they each react to situations from scene to scene. Fascinating.
Ray really did see what he thought was a gun in Victoria's hand. If you play the scene frame by frame, there's something metallic, in a horizontal position, in her left hand. Perhaps it's meant to be an illusion but in any event, her hand is too low for it to be the top of the rail on the train door.
Memorable Scenes and Moments:Ray's relief when his family is finally out of the house.
Ray kneeling by the pool table, lovingly admiring it, lifting the rack and watching the balls roll away.
Bob telling Ben about the time he arrested Caroline and Ben's disbelief.
Ray showing up at Ben's apartment because he didn't go to work (must be really sick) and the "you got a woman in there?" speech. I love the way Ben rolls his eyes when Ray asks him what kind of friend.
Bob "finding" a new stetson, and Ben later asking him where he found it.
Ray telling Louis, You better not ruin that radiator" when the pool cue is caught and he's struggling to get it out, and the guys trying to shoot pool in the crowded dining room.
Ray showing the same picture to the hotel desk clerk until he recognizes it.
The conversation with the lovely "Miss Arkansas."
Ray hopping over the bed with his foot on fire.
Seeing all the pictures of Ben in Francesca's bedroom.
Ben's lunch room conversation/confrontation with his dad. Ben certainly didn't hold anything back.
Ben frantically checking the trunk for his dad's gun.
The double interrogation. Brilliant.
Louis telling Welsh, "Sir, I know that Vecchio's a real weasel but he's a straight up cop." He also apologizes to Ben in the lineup. He doesn't want to see either one go down.
Welsh regretfully suspending Ray.
The search for evidence of Victoria and the murder weapon, and Ben's arrest, while "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" plays. There is so much meaning and emotion in this scene: the look Ray and Ben share, Huey not wanting to use cuffs, the dignified manner in which Ben submits to the arrest, Huey apologizing, and Ben telling him, "It's your duty," while he looks at his father. Poor Dief. He seems to sense what's going on.
Ray's encounter with his dad, and then telling Louise she can go to hell (if she needs directions, she can get them from the guy who's following him).
I love the exchange a bit later in front of Ben's apartment, Ben telling Ray he should take the deal, Ray responding he hasn't been offered one, Ben saying he should take it anyway, and Ray's parting words, "Hey, Benny. Not in your lifetime." What a friend!
Ben lighting candles in his apartment and the tearful window scene. Gets to me every time.
Ben and Ray both running toward the train but for very different reasons.
Ben lying on the platform, with Ray, Welsh and Bob hovering in concern. This scene speaks for itself. The look on Ray's face when he realizes the bullet from his gun hit his best friend is heartbreaking.
Duesies:Victoria: Bye.
Ben: Victoria.
Victoria: Yeah?
Ben: Can I see you again?
Victoria: When?
Ben: Now.Victoria: Shhh. This is my favorite move. I always wanted to be Eve Kendall. [If there's no sound, why did she tell Ben to shhh?]
Ben: But she sends Cary Grant to be killed.
Victoria: She had no choice.
Ben: Ah.Welsh: Where's the big red one?
Ray: I think he got himself a mystery woman.
Jack: You mean you haven't met her?
Ray: Yeah, yeah, I met her.
Welsh: So what's she like?
Ray: She's, uh, Canadian.
Welsh, Jack & Louis: Ohh.Miss Arkansas: Fire! Fire!
Ray: Really? Where? Okay, whoever's in this room is in imminent danger.I.A. Officer: So you and Fraser, you're pretty close, huh? Best buddies?
Ray: Best buddies? Yeah, we like to play stick ball together after work. What the hell is this all about?
I.A. Officer: Did he ever tell you why he came to Chicago?
Ray: Yeah, he came for the pizza. Now is this about him or is it about me?
[This would have been the perfect time to hear "the explanation" about why Fraser came to Chicago, besides the pizza]Malner: David Malner, Police Protective League.
I.A. Officer: Did you all an attorney, Detective Vecchio?
Welsh: Yes.
Ray: Did I?
Welsh: Yes.
Ray: Do I need one?
Welsh: Yes.Ray: So this is what it comes down to. We're hanging by a thread and Huey and Louie hold the scissors.
Louise: We have $10,000 in Fraser's cabin, an opportunity and a .38 that's conveniently missing. I want an arrest.
Welsh: And I want a murder weapon.
Louise: Lieutenant, you're allowing your personal feelings to interfere with --
Welsh: You're damn right I am.
Louise: Suspend Vecchio, maybe he'll roll on him.
Welsh: For a couple of 20s?Ray: The judge considers you a flight risk but I don't.
Ben: But you don't have that kind of money. You'd have to mortgage your house.
Ray: Are you going to skip on me?
Ben: No.
Ray: Then there's nothing to worry about.
Keepership:Ben's tears.
Grade:A+, no question about it. Absolutely brilliant.
If you want to sound off, or if you'd like to add a review to the site, let me know!
Back to Heaven and Earth
Forward to Letting Go
Back to the Episode List