Frequent viewers of this series will know that Jane and Maura aren’t afraid of pulling the gay card to divert unwelcome male attention. Remember male nurse Jorge from season 1 or family friend Giovanni from season 2? Rizzoli & Isles 5×04 begins in much the same vein. Read on for our recap of “Doomsday”:
In Rizzoli & Isles 5×04, which opens at the girls’ favorite haunt, the Dirty Robber, Jane and Maura stay true to form when Maura refuses a glass of wine sent over for Jane and claims Jane is a lesbian. When this fails to deter Jane’s suitor, Maura falls back on the truth: Jane’s pregnant. Then – perhaps mercifully – they get interrupted by their phones, which they answer with their trademark “Rizzoli!” “Isles!”
This week’s case is unusual in that the victim, Peter, died in a secret room that is only accessible by pressing a particular book on a shelf in his living room. Peter’s neighbor, who discovered the body, explains that he and Peter were both survivalists, and the room was a “bug-out shelter.” Jane notes that Shaggy and Scooby would be impressed by the setup, then protests when Korsak calls her “Velma,” claiming she’d obviously be Daphne. An examination of the sealed room reveals little, which prompts Jane to suggest foul play.
Maura: It’s suspicious.
Korsak: We have a mystery.
Jane: If only we had the Mystery Machine.
Maura: Really? Still with the Scooby Doo?
Jane: Zoinks!
A tangled web
The case in Rizzoli & Isles 5×04 is a complex one consisting of several suspects. These include the man who built the shelter using Peter’s own plans and the man who was selling gold to Peter as the only sure currency that would retain its value after the apocalypse. Ultimately, the investigators determine that Peter’s neighbor, Scott – the one who found his body – was in cahoots with the builder to steal the gold from Peter and similar valuables from other survivalists.
To cover his tracks, Scott kills the builder – and Jane and Korsak nearly get taken out by a bookcase explosion in the process. (Executive producer Jan Nash posted a video of the explosion test on Vimeo.) Ultimately, the team tracks down Scott’s underground location in Western Massachusetts, thanks to some good, old-fashioned soil analysis.
Looking to the future
Between Jane being caught in the explosion and Frankie acting suspiciously, their mother is beside herself back at the precinct. She implores Jane to take a leave of absence during the pregnancy, and asks if she’ll find out what’s going on with Frankie. Turns out Frankie isn’t dating someone, as Angela had suspected – he’s taking computer engineering courses to further his aspirations of becoming a Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) detective.
Frankie isn’t the only one at the BPD thinking about his future. Jane catches sight of a retirement package on Korsak’s desk, but instead of confronting him, she uses Maura’s computer to look up Korsak’s service record and determine when he’s eligible for retirement. When Maura accuses her of snooping, she denies it, but explains that she’s using Maura’s computer because she doesn’t want Korsak to catch her “not snooping.”
When Jane finally asks Korsak about what she saw, he explains that he’s been exploring his options. Retirement is one possibility, but taking the lieutenant’s exam is another. One thing’s for sure: We haven’t seen the last of him.
Side by side
Inspired by the theme of planning for the future, Maura buys a motorcycle with a sidecar, much to Jane’s incredulity. In the last scene of Rizzoli & Isles 5×04, Jane sits in the sidecar drinking a (virgin) sidecar cocktail, discussing what she and Maura would need to survive in the event of Armageddon. Maura’s list includes her memory foam pillow, a manicure kit and a humidifier. And Jane? “Lots and lots of jerky.”
But all the talk about survivalism and worst-case scenarios did get Jane thinking. In a touching end to the episode, she says that if anything ever happened to her, she would want Maura to look after her baby.
What did you think of Rizzoli & Isles 5×04?
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