Without a Trace (10/30): Copycat
 

or aka Malone v. Spalding Part III)

Looks like Graham Spalding has reared his ugly face again in this episode.

You should remember him from last season as the Schoolmaster who kidnapped and molested his young students. It was the episode where Jack coerced him into telling him where the boy was being held by promising him 15 minutes with him first. You also might remember that that made Jack visibly ill.

Then in his second appearance, we saw Spalding walk due to a technicality and they incestigate the entire group.

Well, he's back again, this time copycatting a case that Jack worked on 12 years prior.

I for one really like this episode.

It had just the right person touch and character development, but only as it pertained to the story.

Spalding's character weirded me out everytime I saw him... but...

this was the first time i've watched this show and I must say that I was pretty impressed....not bad at all....a good tight story and fine acting. I'll give it another go and just leave it on after CSI from now on I think....since ER sucks balls now anyway..

I like how Malone was able to save the girl at the end. Spalding was trying to torture him by setup something similar to what happened to his mom. But Malone was able to realize what Spalding was trying to do and save the girl.

Jack has to be one the most tortured FBI agents working in the missing persons division.

We finally get some resolution to the Jack vs. Spaulding saga, and it was smart of Jack to realize how to find Spaulding's current victim after Spaulding was "mis-handled" to his fate.

A job like this has to take a toll (of which we see in how it has affected Jack, his relationships, his family). We are also seeing the effects of the job with the rest of the characters as the season rolls on.

Good episode.

The Spaulding episode from last season was one of the best and it was goos to see Jack get closure.

This was a great ep. And LaPaglia was top notch. Great conclusion to the Spaulding storyline.

The wife and I still like ER, but this show completely takes precedence now.

I guess I may be in the minority here, I thought it would have ended better with Jack not finding the mother alive.

Did they use that same song in all the Spalding appearances?

But that's the whole point of this show. The bad guy set him up for a repeat of his emotional trauma from the past. But he was able to turn the table and save 'the mom' this time around which he wasn't able to do the first time.

Great episode, IMO. Very similar to the CSI two parter featuring Paul Milander and Gil Grissom, but I thought that this one was much better (no gender bending here). I love this show...

Excellent Excellent Eps.

This show is really firing on all cylinders. There really isn't a weak character and the writining is top notch.

Very good acting by LaPaglia. Not too over the top. Hard to see him as Daphne's Brother.