Cold Case (TV Series) One Fall (2010) User Reviews

Wrestling with this Cold Case episode: One Fall. It's pretty awful

[ivyleague929 · 7/10 · 15 December 2013]

This episode is more fake and unrealistic than the pro-wrestling scene, it's trying to show. This episode of Cold Case was number 16 in its 7th season. It's seems like they were running out of ideas when they came up with this plot. Directed by Donald Thorin, the Cold Case team reopens the case of a dock worker/ Indy-circuit pro wrestler Mike 'The Machine' Malone (Kevin McNamara) who was shot dead in 1986. First off, I have to say, the actors that are portraying wrestler, don't even fit the build of the wrestlers in the 1980's. Most oncoming Indy wrestlers are the time, were jack up with muscles or huge men with a giant gut. The wrestlers in this special looks like something you would see in an 2000's Indy pro wrestling show where most of the wrestler are small build. Don't get me wrong, but Kevin McNamara does not look like a pro-wrestler and can't do any of the common wrestling moves right. The father/ son relationship was interesting, as the movie was really trying to go with the 2008's The Wrestler route with the story. Still, it was pretty cool to see 2010's Walking Dead cast member, Lauren Cohen playing Mike's wife who sees Mike's dream as a wrestler dangerous. Another fault in the episode is how rarely they use the guest star, a real pro wrestler-Roddy Piper. Roddy Piper is one of the most charisma wrestlers in history, but in here, he is pretty quiet and doesn't do much as Mike 'the Machine' Malone opponent/friend, Sweet Sal Tavern. The actor that play the younger Sweet Sal Tavern (Stacey Hinnen) did an OK job in the ring, and out as an Ric Flair rip-off, but the plot just doesn't fit the timeline. I like how the writers did their research with all the wrestling terms, and history. They even mention, name different of famous wrestling companies at the time like WWF, its name at the time, before a lawsuit with the similarly-initialled World Wildlife Fund forced a name change to it's present initials of the WWE. I will give them some props for that. The fake company WIC looks and acts like an promotion that would more likely to exist in the 1990's where extreme wrestling was more common like ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) based out of Philadelphia. Most wrestling promotions at the time in the 1980's were territories run by the NWA or National Wrestling Alliance. They wasn't trying to go to that extreme, because of the conservative views at the time and the fight for a wider audience in nationwide television. Extreme bumps were rare at those days. Instead, these small territories went for blood feuds to get over. Even if WIC did exist, it wouldn't be able to air much shows in Philadelphia, due to WWF Vince McMahon, whom company is mostly based in the Northeast area. The promoter of WIC, Lance Katrola (Jay Thomas) seems one-dimensional greed bad guy. It's pretty clear, that this man is hiding something. While, most of the episodes in Cold Case can be pretty challenging to find out who done it. This episode is not, as it's pretty predictable. The time limit lawyer type ending was somewhat in good use, but it was clear that the bad guys wasn't going to get away with this crime. The reasons of the murderers killing Mick 'Machine' Malone was just odd and doesn't make much sense. The confessions of the killers will probably get tossed out in trial, due to the extreme use of violent against one of the criminals in the interrogation room. The confessions are just over killed and this far in the series seem old. The sub-plot of Scotty Valens (Danny Pito) secretly looks into a lead on the man who mugged and raped his mother didn't match the rest of the story, and seems out of place. It's was probably the best part about this episode, but it's far of a stretch that a cop can come into that guy's apartment with no warrant, and beat him up. I have a feeling that that criminal will get his case tossed out. Also, there is a bit of hints of the next episode 'Flashover', with the fact that Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford) is barely in this episode, and the scenes where he is, he's asleep. It would be great to hear some really great one-liners from Vera about pro-wrestling. Sadly, it was missing. The music use in the episode weren't so bad, but way overused. Bon Jovi seem to be in every flashback scene. It was just awkward. Sadly, in the flashback scenes, I couldn't tell that it was 1986 due to the visuals that look more 1990s. So the music and visuals didn't match well. Overall: not the best episode of Cold Case, so not the first episode I would watch in the Cold Case. Trust me, there are better episodes.