Warning: spoilers ahead for episode 17 of Expert: Las Vegas Season 2, titled “The Promise”.
Expert: Las Vegas Max and the rest of the team are never shy about investigating serious and sometimes gruesome cases, but the hit show has tapped into the powerful story of a mother still grappling with the death of her daughter over forty years after she was killed and her body taken away. . The first womanRegina Taylor played Raquel Williams in the emotional episode, joining executive producer and episode co-writer Anthony Zuiker to talk with Gossipify about the heartbreaking yet “satisfying” ending, as well as when it needed to be cut from the finished product.
Case of the Week started on an already somber note with the discovery of the remains of a young girl in a barrel that had been sitting underwater in Lake Mead for 41 years. A reconstruction of her face allowed her mother Raquel to recognize her as her daughter, although she was deeply disturbed by how her complexion made her look different. It took a lot of effort and late night hard work, but the team found the evidence they needed to finally get justice for Phoebe, decades after her murder.
And they couldn’t have cracked the case if Raquel hadn’t agreed to have the bullet removed from her chest to use as evidence, after Max spent the episode building a relationship and trust with her. . Tragically, Raquel passed away at the end of the episode, but it wasn’t entirely heartbreaking for emotional reasons, played beautifully by Regina Taylor. When I spoke to her for Gossipify, the actress shared her thoughts on her character’s journey from start to finish:
it’s powerful it’s charged Talk about a mother’s love for her daughter and the loss over the years of that desire: you don’t have your son’s body to bury and you don’t know what happened. He haunts you and creates a mental challenge every day you wake up. I thought the material was deep and I could get into it, just to get on stage and follow it. I loved working on the show. Everyone from top to bottom has been so kind and generous and wonderful… They know exactly what they are doing and encourage you every step of the way, and I needed that support to dig into this material. I felt that support.
Since the emotional weight of this episode fell on Regina Taylor’s shoulders as a newcomer Expert: Las VegasI’d say it’s great to hear that he got the support he needed! After all, Raquel had a tragic backstory to tell in less than an hour to make her death as shocking as she was.
EP Anthony Zuiker, who is also the creator of the original. ITUC, co-wrote the episode that ended in Raquel’s death without getting all the answers she’s been waiting for 41 years. She revealed that she spoke with former BET president Richard Gay, explaining that they “talked about the African-American community and that kind of history” to make sure they understood. The executive producer continued:
The only thing he told me about the community is [for] a woman like that, faced with this kind of blow with a loss, the second she has some emotional closure would be the second she dies. That’s why we choose to do it. She held on, the bullet exited her chest, landed in Max’s hand, and after that she couldn’t take it anymore. It’s very sad, because you want me to hold on and get the good news. But like everything, when you lose someone you love so much, you go there and they catch you and it’s too late. But the satisfying ending is that they are both buried next to each other and both end up in heaven. I think it’s a great ending.
While the episode didn’t show Raquel and her daughter in any form from the afterlife, it ended with mother and daughter in coffins side-by-side, with Max keeping his promise to make sure Phoebe’s reconstruction actually looked like her. she her daughter before she was buried. The bond between Max and Raquel grew as Max escalated in ways ’80s cops didn’t and was central to the episode. Regina Taylor addressed this element:
I think it’s really wonderful to dig into this in terms of race, which is about a Black woman who lost her child. She doesn’t feel like the police department cares about her, cares about her or her child. And Maxine comes in and shoots the script, and we see this blending. I mean, if you’re black or if you’re blue [as law enforcement]see these women united in this mission.
Raquel didn’t immediately trust Max after what happened the first time she expected Phoebe to be investigated, but Paula Newsome’s character found a way to communicate with her. Anthony Zuiker explained how the women were on the same page:
Max’s biggest line in the episode is, “It’s my watch and my watch doesn’t need to be wound.” It’s like, ‘There’s a new sheriff in town, ma’am, and I know you don’t trust us, but this is the face now.’ And then he goes to hell and back to try and fix things, and he does, and in the end Max is victorious. And also, she was punished very badly in this episode. She breaks up with her husband. she misses the appointment [with her son] for art. I mean, she gets beat up throughout the episode. But she ultimately comes out victorious, and it’s quite a lap of honor in the end.
As Anthony Zuiker pointed out, Max struggled with “The Promise,” both personally and professionally. There was originally a moment of levity written for Max and Raquel, but it ended up having to be cut from the final product. He explained what viewers ultimately didn’t see in this episode:
The saddest thing is that we lost half the stage, Laura, when [Raquel] The dialogue is “I want you to make me this promise” and Paula says “I promise”, but the scene continues. The next thing Paula says, Max is like, “And you were so mean to me!” [laughs] And they started laughing together, and then she was like, ‘Okay, bring those fucking doctors over here. It’s time to start the show! So let’s close the scene. It was wonderful, but due to weather we had to cut it. We couldn’t put it in there. It was a great piece of levity.
Unfortunately, Max and Raquel didn’t have time to laugh in “The Promise.” The emotional impact was there, but the episode didn’t have much humor to offer. Even after cutting that moment out, I think it’s safe to say that this hour of TV will be one of the highlights of season 2 as it moves towards its finale.
The episode also brought back an OG. ITUC starring, with Eric Szmanda reprising his role as Greg Sanders. join mate ITUC veteran Marg Helgenberger, who returned as Catherine Willows in season two following the departures of William Petersen and Jorja Fox. Since the series has already been renewed for season 3, it’s not too soon to start speculating if more stars could be signed up! !
For now, fans can continue watching new episodes of Expert: Las Vegas (opens in a new tab) Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, and stream past episodes again with a Paramount Plus subscription.
Source: Cinemablend
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