photo: tnt
The Van Gogh Job
Original Air Date: Jul 17, 2011
Patricia Morris Buckley —Sr. Staff Writer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
This episode may be my favorite ever. It was fresh, filled with great story telling and boasted lots of romance. Yes, there’s a heist, but it is secondary to the decades long love story of Charlie and Dorothy, a mixed race couple in the ‘40s. And playing the 88-year-old Charlie is the wonderful Danny Glover.
Now, my husband wants to point out he only thought it was so-so. Not enough action for him. He’s just not as much a romance fan as I am. Ah well…
Owen, an insurance recovery expert who used to work with Nate, comes to the team for help. After decades of trying to track down “the lost Van Gogh” or “the white whale of Van Gogh,” he thinks he has found it. But he’s not the only one who realizes that Charlie is hiding the $100 million piece of legendary art and as the finder’s fee is 10 percent of its value ($10 million), everyone is after Charlie.
Charlie would prefer to daydream at the local roller rink of how he met Dorothy Van Buren, a rich white girl who taught him French. They had an immediate connection, but as they got older, Dorothy’s powerful father and most of the men in the town violently oppose a black-white romance.
The action begins with Charlie in the hospital after chest pains ends a discussion with a hungry art “retriever.” The team swoops in to protect Charlie and find the painting. Parker endears herself to Charlie, who sees the simmering romance between her and Hardison – a parallel that is emphasized as he tells the story of how he found the painting on a German soldier in WWII while in France. Parker plays Dorothy while Hardison is the young Charlie.
Everyone on the team plays a part in the story that Charlie is relating, but this is a real chance for Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge to show off their acting chops as this story is slow and sweet. Plus, Parker-Hardison shippers finally get a kiss, even though it’s really between Charlie and Dorothy. The whole retelling has a nostalgic cinematic feel to it.
After we learn that the lovers were parted forever, and Charlie had given the artwork to Dorothy, the team has to find where she hid it. Even that discovery is romantic. Then, as they leave Charlie, he tells Parker to “not waste time” with a knowing nod to Hardison and the two teammates walk away holding hands. Ah…
Was this too much romance for you? Do you think the producers will keep Parker and Hardison part or let them be together? And why didn’t Charlie return when Dorothy’s dad died? Give us your TwoCents…
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