"Cold Case" Blood on the Tracks (TV Episode 2007) Poster

(TV Series)

(2007)

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8/10
A stolen life
jotix10010 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The house that was damaged because an explosion in the early 1980s is being renovated. The workers unveil a secret that was overlooked by the original investigators. The explosion was due to a device that someone had planted in the kitchen range that was connected to a bomb. The Cold Case team get to the scene and the investigation begins.

In flashbacks we are taken to the time of the explosion. Five friends, that met in college, gather at the home of Jack and Johanna for a weekend so they can catch up with their present lives. It is now ten years since they all met like this. They had all been involved in subversive groups because their leftist ideas. The Viet Nam war was an ongoing embarrassment for them, as well as capitalism and imperialism. Jack, the host, has prepared a slide projection about their college days, when the picture of a dead colleague comes on the screen. They get a jolt when they see Roger McBride on the screen. He was killed because something went wrong with a device the group was preparing.

Sarah, Zimmerman and Porter, the three other friends, have gone into good jobs and they have become yuppies. Johanna Kimball, who married Jack was the only one of them that came from a humble background. She stands to lose the most because she has all the material comforts she never had. Jack, on the other hand, has been carrying a lot of guilt because of his terrorist involvement feels responsible for what happened to Roger. He wants to go to the police and confess. The group takes a vote and he is outvoted.

More than twenty years have elapsed from the time of the terrible explosion that took the lives of Jack and Johanna in their home. Anyone of the three remaining friends could have been the one that planted the device that killed the couple. One of them is hiding a bigger secret that comes to light as the detectives realize a technicality that no one caught from the start.

Kevin Bray a frequent director was in command of this chapter in the series. Gavin Harris, who is also involved in the show wrote the screenplay with the ironic twist no one could have guessed. We enjoyed this episode. The acting is first rate. One of the best cases in this excellent police drama.
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Tricky Twist
dgz7827 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
----- MAJOR SPOILER WARNING ----- This episode did not rely on my pet peeve with the series where the case is closed when the perp, after going years or decades covering their crime, confesses under questioning of the detectives and no lawyer in sight. At least in this episode there was actual forensic evidence.

But it is a real stretch to believe someone could switch identities after two people are killed in an explosion. The deaths were investigated by the PDP in 1981 not Sheriff Bart in Blazing Saddles. They didn't have dna evidence back then but they would have other ways to try to identify the bodies. And even if the police didn't discover the change, weren't there people that knew Sarah and Johanna? With all that said, I enjoyed the episode and especially the Dylan songs. I wondered if they would use Like A Rolling Stone since it is not a three minute pop song and I knew the ending would not last 7 minutes. So after complimenting them for using the entire My Back Pages from The Byrds they cut off LARS after about three minutes. Oh well! Still a great series.
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10/10
Bomb
bevo-1367814 October 2020
Great episode. Awesome soundtrack and a wonderful twist
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10/10
The most interesting episode
rgxdzrybr22 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
It's not that it's perfect it has some issues but this is the episode I can't get enough of.

The set up is six college friends have a past of both activism and shady actions.

Over 25 years after a ten year reunion it's discovered that two of them were murdered a married couple Jack and Johanna Kimball. One of the others Roger McBride has been dead much longer from a bomb blast that was meant as a protest. Taking an extreme step to protest the Vietnam war. McBride's father has been trying to talk to Jack he needs answers. Jack's guilt is preying on him he wants to turn them all in.

Jack and Johanna were killed in what appeared to be an accidental explosion at their home. It's discovered that it was no accident and the three survivors are the suspects.

The twist is Johanna made a deal with the guy who wanted her( one of the group) but she chose Jack . He set the bomb and it actually killed Jack and the other female member of the group Sara . She and Johana are so similar looking Johanna steals Sara's identity for over 25 years and has the family and money and garden she always wanted.

Only Sara is in agreement with Jack to turn themselves in ( she actually had no part in the bombing) the only one that didn't but she was in love with McBride and never got over any of it.

Johanna is the only one who doesn't come from money and doesn't want to give up the money and comforts she had and Jack have achieved. She had an alcoholic father too so probably easily left her old life behind. It's less clear if Sara had any family left nor just inherited wealth . It's the hardest part actually to be clear on .She has a family , we see a daughter and Kat interviewed family but we don't see that part. So it's a little confusing if it was just husband and children or if there were other relatives.

I don't think there was much reason at the time to doubt who died no one knew Sara spent the weekend with Jack and Johanna and after the explosion Johanna took on Sara's identity.

We also don't have any flashback scenes of McBride unfortunately so he remains a ghost.

Vera gets testy about peace protesters but Jefferies takes everything in stride . Just love Jefferies.

No real major subplot on this one except Captain Finn takes care of his grandson while his daughter sees if her marriage can be salvaged. Funny scene when Finn can't open a juice box and needs Kat's help.

The show ends with the remaining three being arrested for their various crimes. Three dead, three arrested. Quite the ending to one of the most fascinating episodes of the series.
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