MovieChat Forums > Cold Case (2003) Discussion > Best Friends = Best Episode.

Best Friends = Best Episode.

posted 9 years ago by gagemichaeljohn
12 replies | jump to latest

I am a relative new comer to Cold Case and have just finished season 2. It is a fantastic show powerful and moving. The use of flashbacks to tell the story from different angles is an excellent idea. It is very moving at the end to see one of the detectives seeing the victim as they finally get justice.
I’m a 36 year old male and am not ashamed to admit that many of the episodes have moved me to tears.
Some honourable mentions –

Ravaged
Wishing
Yo, Adrian

But my absolute favourite episode and in my humble opinion one of the best hours of TV I have ever seen is Best Friends. From start to finish it was amazing.

Firstly the cast.
Samantha Streets and Tessa Thompson as Rose and Billy where truly outstanding. They really made you feel the love between them.
And Piper Laurie as old Rose again a wonderful performance as you really felt her love and pain.

The poetry.
I have never really been a poetry fan but the poems in this episode where brilliant and really added to the emotion of the story. There where 5 wonderful and touching poems. Firstly Billy’s poem after she had sent Rose away and how is made her ache. Second Billy’s poem of watching Rose at the school gates and how she is the only girl she sees. Third Billy’s poem after Rose had told her she loves her. Fourth Billy’s poem after she has been beaten be Roses ex and his gang. And finally Roses heart breaking poem to Billy after she has survived and lost Billy.

(Does anybody know where to get a full transcript of all the poems thanks or even a sound file)

The story.
Two teenage girls in the early 30,s have a same sex mix race relationship. They face obstacles from all sides. Rose’s bigot brother, and her ex and Billy’s ex. Determined to be together and seeing only one way for it to happen.
There so many great scenes –
Rose and Billy’s first sighting of each other with Billy giving Rose a smile and a wink.

Rose and Billy’s first meeting. Billy is clearly taken by Rose but
trying not to show it in front of the club owner.

Billy meeting Rose outside here school showing her a love poem she has written her and her fear that her ex may hurt her.

The montage in the rain over Billy’s poem to Rose who has told her she loves her.

Rose tenderly taking care of Billy after her ex Ted and his gang have beaten her.

The heart breaking decision they make to be together.

Which brings us to the ending.
Lily meets Rose on a park bench and after 70 years Rose finally reveals her love, pain and guilt.

Rose “I wonder if it was wrong the feelings I had for her?”
Lily “No. It was just the wrong time”

Valens “What happened that night? In the truck?”
Rose “I betrayed my girl”
Lily “How”
Rose “I survived”

Lily leaves and Rose quietly passes away and there is Billy waiting for her. I’ve imagined the dialogue in this scene – Billy “It’s ok Rose I’m here, I’ve been waiting, I love you”
Finally they can be together. And hand in hand they walk of happy.
I was in tears.

Please let me know what you thought of this wonderful episode.

[–] sprittneybeers 9 years ago

Agreed, Cold Case had a lot of powerful episodes but that was my favorite too

[–] Razor187 9 years ago

And there's better yet to come. I'd say Seasons 3-5 are the show at its pinnacle.

And so Governor Devlin, because even the cost of freedom can be too high, I REFUSE your pardon!

[–] gagemichaeljohn 9 years ago

I'm sure there are many more great episodes still to come. But for my Best Friends will always be the best.

[–] fairyqueen144 9 years ago

I agree with a lot of what you said.

Another thing is that I often don't like Hollywood's depiction of lesbianism. It mostly seems like it's catering to straight males and is all about the exploitation of two hot chicks together. This episode subverted that and instead told a very beautiful and romantic love story. I commend Cold Case for that (and for its generally excellent and groundbreaking portrayal of homosexuality).

[–] gagemichaeljohn 9 years ago

I completely agree with your Hollywood comments. Its like the makers of these things just sit there and say "you know what guys always want to see two women together put that in". But for me like you say that is just explotation. What we need are more episodes/films like this that depict it for what it is two people falling in love. This episode showed that to perfection. Rose and Billy where just two girls from different back grounds but when they met they fell in love. That is what love is, it can happen anywhere.

[–] sprittneybeers 9 years ago

They were so amazing with that! I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one with the two cops who fell in love in the 50s or 60s was so beautiful and heart breaking.

[–] fairyqueen144 9 years ago

"I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one with the two cops who fell in love in the 50s or 60s was so beautiful and heart breaking."

Forever Blue. I love that episode too.

LOL. I'm a poet and I don't know it.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] dwtslover 9 years ago

This is actually my favorite episode too.. Best Friends. It is actually making me cry thinking about it right now. When Lily said at the end about it being "the wrong time"..that line gets me every time I see this episode. 40 years old and living the life my family wanted for me. Same sex relationships in my family would have gotten me ostracized. Like Rose I went on to have a family and get married, but inside my true love could never be with a man. It would always be "the wrong time" with my family and a small town. So I suck it up and sacrifice being able to find love with a female to satisfy the family I grew up with and the one I have now. Even though my kids are almost adults, I still have to live this life out like Rose did. It was so sweet when they walked away together at the end. I too, appreciated that they made it a love story. Not just two hot women grinding on each other, people can see that anytime.
I also love the episode about Daniela. The fact that he loved her even after finding out Daniela identified with and lived as a woman, was bittersweet. If only he had gotten their several moments sooner, but then there wouldn't have been a show.
The thing with Cold Case is that it spans several decades, so I can identify with some of them or peek into the generations before me.

[–] LetMeFly 9 years ago

This also was one of my favorite episodes. It was so beautifully written and acted, I truly came to care for the characters.

[–] Xeliou66 8 years ago

The LGBT episodes were always the best of Cold Case IMO. Such a great depiction of what these groups faced in the past, all of them were great : A Time to Hate, Forever Blue, Best Friends, Daniela, It's Raining Men, I might be forgetting one or 2 others. Those along with the episodes dealing with gender and race themes were the highlights of CC, any episode showing the discrimination of the past and how the "good old days" weren't good for people who weren't white heterosexual Christian males, those were the best episodes

[–] velcronewsletter 8 years ago

agreed. one of my absolute favourites and the last poem is my favourite of them all. the main actresses were so convincing together, such chemistry