Rub a Tub Tub

[mlm828]

maggiethecat wrote:
So the only concession required is that the members of the squad not move the furniture and keep their chairs under their desks. This never hit me as a big deal -- I'd put it in the same category as a co-worker with bad allergies asking you to cut down on the perfume. (Which, I think, most would do.) Tom's immediate response to Dunbar's request is "No sweat," and I think we can assume it's no biggie to Karen . . .

. . . which is why Marty's reaction is so over the top. "My bad" indeed -- tell me those lines weren't delivered with a smirk! When Jim follows him into the locker room and offers him, as you said, the olive branch, he opens with something along the lines of, "If I can ever do a favor for you, just say the word and I'll do it -- and wouldn't that be better than the two of us gettin' dug in here?" But Marty just won't bend, not even on a basic human level. Olive branch rejected. It's not even about making concessions or accommodation -- it's about common courtesy. But Marty's viewpoint is warped by jealousy and rivalry, so even that one small act is too for him.

Okay, we need to start a "Rub a Tub Tub" thread!

Good idea -- here it is. I'll just make a couple of observations about the episode and hope others will add theirs.

The last time I watched this episode, I noticed something that had not registered before. In the opening scene, when Jim walks into the desk, everyone just stands by and lets it happen. What's going on here? Why didn't Tom or Karen warn him? Both of them should have been able to see that he was on a collision course with the desk (or so it seems to me).

I, too, think Marty was smirking after Jim collided with the desk. I have always suspected the incident may not have been accidental. It seems to me he had time to move the desk back into place, and he was in the best position to see the imminent collision and warn Jim. More evidence against Marty: He leaves his chair out of place shortly afterward. When Jim again asks for some consideration and offers the olive branch, Marty responds scornfully and insultingly. Then, when Jim tells him he works there now and isn't going anywhere, Marty's response -- "Good luck with that" -- tells Jim Marty is going to continue to make his life difficult. This is not simply a lack of common courtesy, it's malicious.

Aside from the continuing saga of Jim and Marty, a lot of this episode is about trust. No one seems to trust Jim to handle the case appropriately; they all seem to think he's a loose cannon. (Of course, this may be in part because of the "bull in a china shop" mentality Karen called him on in the previous episode). At the outset, Fisk pointedly reminds Jim of the need to conduct the investigation respectfully. Pointing at Jim (which Jim, of course, can't see), Marty tells Karen he's worried about Jim interviewing the widow. When Eric complains about one of Jim and Karen's interviews, Fisk seems to assume the complaint is valid and asks Jim "what went wrong" in the interview. All of this leads up to Jim telling Karen there is no point in their going forward as partners if she doesn't trust him. Since Jim has just revealed his cologne theory, trusting Jim at this point truly requires a "leap of faith" on her part, but she supports him. Finally, at the end of the episode, we see Jim making an effort to regain Christie's trust.

This episode also contains one of my favorite lines. Karen to Sonny (after Sonny complains that Jim hasn't called him for a year): "What do you think he's been doing for the past year -- following Jimmy Buffet around the country?"

[shmeep]

If I had to pick a least favorite episode, this one is it. Of course it's still good, but I think it's unfortunate that this was one of the three episodes distributed to the press. Just think of what the buzz could have been had people had the chance to see Up on a Roof before the show aired.

Even so, this episode provided a lot of key moments that stand out to me.

The first meeting with Sonny, for example, is very telling. This is the first time we get to see someone who has only known Jim as sighted interacting with him now that he is blind. Sonny doesn't quite know what to do. He is torn between his anger over having been ignored and the genuine compassion he feels, all while trying to get enough leverage to make the deal work to his best advantage. Dear Sonny.



Another thing that hit me as I watched:

This is during the second interview with Eric. To divert the tough questions, Eric, in front of Karen and Tom, accuses Jim of trying to be his former badass self. "You're overcompensating," he says. Jim smiles, because he can't show how such words must cut to the quick, but I think it's fortunate he's wearing sunglasses at this moment. Even with them on, his smile seems frozen, unnatural.

And during the final interview with Mary Beth. I find it interesting because, as Mary Beth is hesitating over whether or not to confess, she looks at Jim, who appears to be staring eerily back at her.

It is after a good long look at Jim's face that Mary Beth is unnerved enough to start talking. This seems like a good example of Jim using the sunglasses as a way to intimidate. It works.

And, as usual, the ending brings a surprise. After an argument with Galloway about the status of his marriage, we get to see, from the moment he enters his apartment, that Jim took the advice he had seemed to be rejecting.

Even before Christie knows, we are shown his change of heart and his new determination to start putting effort into his marriage.

Christie accepts the gift, after gently chiding Jim, but Jim isn't satisfied so he pushes the issue, asking for a Mulligan, the opportunity to do the entire last year over.


Now Christie believes Jim is serious and the episode ends just at the beginning of the rebuilding of their marriage.

Thanks, mlm, for starting this topic and for your thoughts on it! You inspired me to go and grab the screencaps.

[shmeep]

I just have to add something funny. Just now as I was re-reading my post, the woman in the office across from me, who is a bit of a big-wig, walked by and, seeing one of the screencaps, said, "Oooh! Good looking!"

This seemed very out of character for her, especially since I don't even know her, but it does make her a lot more human to me.

[mlm828]

shmeep, I love the way you and maggie write up these episodes. I wish I could do the same, but Little Miss Left Brain here has to analyze everything instead!

"Rub a Tub Tub" is not my favorite episode, either, but it has its moments, and some of the things that happen in this episode are important in the development of the characters and the overall story.

First is the escalating conflict between Marty and Jim. Up to this point, it has been mostly verbal jabs by Marty. In this episode, it starts to get really nasty. Marty intentionally (in my opinion) leaves the furniture out of place, for the purpose of humiliating Jim when he runs into it. Then there is the implied threat in "Good luck with that" after Jim tells Marty he works there now and isn't going anywhere. Yes, it's definitely getting nasty now, leading directly to "Marlon's Brando" and "Seoul Man."

Then there is Jim's handling of the situation and what it tells us about him. After he collides with the chair, he slams it back under the desk, scaring Hank. He is obviously very angry. But when he goes to speak to Marty, he shows amazing restraint, simply repeating his request to keep the furniture in place and attempting to make peace between them. This speaks volumes about the restraint he's had to learn and how he's changed since losing his sight. Surely the pre-shooting Dunbar would not have reacted that way to such extreme provocation.

This is also an important episode in the development of the relationship between Jim and Karen. When he tells her there is no point in their going forward as partners unless she trusts him, she has to decide whether she really wants to work with him. And it's a real stretch for her to support his cologne theory. I have always felt it was far-fetched to think anyone could detect Eric's cologne in the apartment so many hours after Eric had been there. But I now wonder if they made the cologne theory so far-fetched, because they wanted to give Karen a difficult decision. When she tells Marty she's with Jim on this, it's a declaration of where she stands, to the whole squad.

[shmeep]

Nothing wrong with the left-brained approach! I enjoy reading your write-ups too.

mlm828 said:

Marty intentionally (in my opinion) leaves the furniture out of place, for the purpose of humiliating Jim when he runs into it.

This point is debatable. I think the first time was genuinely just a thoughtless accident. It looked as though everyone was so used to Jim walking independently around the office that this collision was a shock to them all. If you watch Marty's expression, it gives this away for just a brief second. A little regret flashes across his face, but then he hardens his mean little heart to Jim and says, "My bad," without going so far as to apologize.

My theory is that once Jim announced to the squad that he needed them not to move the furniture (which I believe they had probably all been good about up to that point), it pushed some of Marty's buttons and he went contrary on Jim--I mean, more so than usual. He seemed set on seeing just how far he could push Jim before they came to heads.

I love your thoughts about Karen and how standing by Jim in such a far-fetched situation was really more of a declaration of loyalty than it seemed on the surface. Keep those analytical skills exercised!

[mlm828]

admin said:

mlm828 said:

Marty intentionally (in my opinion) leaves the furniture out of place, for the purpose of humiliating Jim when he runs into it.

This point is debatable. I think the first time was genuinely just a thoughtless accident. It looked as though everyone was so used to Jim walking independently around the office that this collision was a shock to them all. If you watch Marty's expression, it gives this away for just a brief second. A little regret flashes across his face, but then he hardens his mean little heart to Jim and says, "My bad," without going so far as to apologize.

My theory is that once Jim announced to the squad that he needed them not to move the furniture (which I believe they had probably all been good about up to that point), it pushed some of Marty's buttons and he went contrary on Jim--I mean, more so than usual. He seemed set on seeing just how far he could push Jim before they came to heads.

The point is debatable, and it is reasonable to conclude Marty did not leave the desk out of place intentionally. However, here are my reasons for thinking the first collision, with the desk, was not entirely accidental. The main reason is that Marty is standing right there, next to the desk. It must be obvious to him that Jim is on a collision course, but he says nothing. Yes, Marty probably is accustomed to seeing Jim navigate around the squad room independently. But how is he supposed to navigate around an obstacle he doesn't know is there? Even if Marty hasn't given a lot of thought to exactly how Jim navigates, I'd think the sight of a blind man walking straight toward a piece of furniture he doesn't know is there would cause most people to give a warning, at least.

As for the fleeting look of regret on Marty's face, I just didn't see it. And his "My bad" is said grudgingly. Of course, Marty is not a guy who apologizes; in fact, I can't recall a single instance when he did. So perhaps this was just Marty being Marty.

Even if I give Marty the benefit of the doubt on the first incident, I can't do so on the second. By that time, he was "on notice" of the need to keep the furniture in place. And, as shmeep points out, Jim's request to keep the furniture in place surely pushed Marty's buttons.

[maggiethecat]

mlm828 said:

admin said:

This point is debatable. I think the first time was genuinely just a thoughtless accident. It looked as though everyone was so used to Jim walking independently around the office that this collision was a shock to them all. If you watch Marty's expression, it gives this away for just a brief second. A little regret flashes across his face, but then he hardens his mean little heart to Jim and says, "My bad," without going so far as to apologize.

The point is debatable, and it is reasonable to conclude Marty did not leave the desk out of place intentionally. However, here are my reasons for thinking the first collision, with the desk, was not entirely accidental. The main reason is that Marty is standing right there, next to the desk. It must be obvious to him that Jim is on a collision course, but he says nothing. Yes, Marty probably is accustomed to seeing Jim navigate around the squad room independently. But how is he supposed to navigate around an obstacle he doesn't know is there? Even if Marty hasn't given a lot of thought to exactly how Jim navigates, I'd think the sight of a blind man walking straight toward a piece of furniture he doesn't know is there would cause most people to give a warning, at least.

As for the fleeting look of regret on Marty's face, I just didn't see it. And his "My bad" is said grudgingly. Of course, Marty is not a guy who apologizes; in fact, I can't recall a single instance when he did. So perhaps this was just Marty being Marty.

Even if I give Marty the benefit of the doubt on the first incident, I can't do so on the second. By that time, he was "on notice" of the need to keep the furniture in place. And, as shmeep points out, Jim's request to keep the furniture in place surely pushed Marty's buttons.

Great points, both of you! I have to say, Marty's behavior in this episode hit me as pure third grade -- and I don't mean Detective Third Grade, I mean elementary school. When I was in third grade, the popular jokes were Tarzan jokes, elephant jokes, and Helen Keller jokes. Sick, sick, sick, the ultimate in political incorrectness long before the term was coined, and, God help me, we little brats thought them the screaming height of wit. "Hey, didja hear? Helen Keller fell down a well." "Yeah, she broke three fingers calling for help." (Sorry about that one, Shmeep!) And the "classic" -- "What do Helen Keller's parents do to punish her when she's bad?" "Rearrange the furniture."

So Marty took me right back to third grade, which is -- opinion here! -- just about where he is intellectually and emotionally some of the time. Do I think, after Dunbar bloodied himself on the desk, that Marty left the chair out deliberately? Maybe Marty didn't think he had . . . but I have to believe some small part of him was saying "Gotcha." And with Marty, where Jim is concerned, it's all about "gotcha."

Which again brings us around to the concept of being a team player, which Marty famously calls Jim on at the end of "Seoul Man." But is Marty a true team player? Not going along with the rest of the squad in the simplest of acts -- keeping your chair under the desk -- tells me that he's not. Not all the way.

[shmeep]

minianne said:

Hi Maggie!

In my opinion, Marty deliberately left the desk drawer out. I think that he "knows" that Jim is blind, but like many people may not really "believe" it. (Because he just can't wrap his mind around the concept.) He wanted to see what would happen. Now that's not nice, it's wrong, but I think that he was "testing" Jim to see if it was really true.

Now it's hard to say why a fictional character does or doesn't do something...but this is my best guess.

The chair was quite possibly intentional, but he moved the desk to get a quarter and the drawer was out. That really looked like an accident to me, but it snowballed into this whole other thing. I can't say Marty looked sorry that it happened, but I don't think he really knew that Jim was going to fall over it. Sorry to harp on this. I know Marty was a turd for the rest of the episode, but I just don't think the initial trip was planned. There' I'll shut up--unless anyone wants me to pontificate my way through another post like this. No? Okay. I'm done.

[maggiethecat]

admin said:

minianne said:

Hi Maggie!

In my opinion, Marty deliberately left the desk drawer out. I think that he "knows" that Jim is blind, but like many people may not really "believe" it. (Because he just can't wrap his mind around the concept.) He wanted to see what would happen. Now that's not nice, it's wrong, but I think that he was "testing" Jim to see if it was really true.

Now it's hard to say why a fictional character does or doesn't do something...but this is my best guess.

The chair was quite possibly intentional, but he moved the desk to get a quarter and the drawer was out. That really looked like an accident to me, but it snowballed into this whole other thing. I can't say Marty looked sorry that it happened, but I don't think he really knew that Jim was going to fall over it. Sorry to harp on this. I know Marty was a turd for the rest of the episode, but I just don't think the initial trip was planned. There' I'll shut up--unless anyone wants me to pontificate my way through another post like this. No? Okay. I'm done.

You always turn my head around, Shmeep! We may have turned this little bit of Russo-iana inside out in just about every way possible. I do agree that Marty left the desk out the first time because he was looking for a quarter -- and maybe he really was just being careless when he left his chair out. Although he is, as you so aptly put it, a turd through most of the episode, I really don't believe he messed with the furniture deliberately.

That said, I don't think he was the least bit displeased when Jim crashed into the desk drawer. When Jim trips over or bashes into stuff, it just reinforces Marty's belief that he, Dunbar, doesn't belong in the squad room in the first place.

I think Marty's REAL nastiness comes in his words -- the smarmy little speech about "belling" everyone, the jokes about Helen Keller and drawing a map on Jim's face in "Marlon's Brando" -- rather than his actions. And he's not stupid enough to "act" against Dunbar, not in the squad room and with witnesses.

This is starting to give me a headache -- are we done with this one?!

[maggiethecat]

admin said:

If I had to pick a least favorite episode, this one is it. Of course it's still good, but I think it's unfortunate that this was one of the three episodes distributed to the press. Just think of what the buzz could have been had people had the chance to see Up on a Roof before the show aired.

You're not the only one who wished the press could have seen "Up on the Roof," not to mention the Emmy nominating voters -- I'd like to think had that episode been included on a promotional DVD it would have secured a Best Actor nomination for Ron Eldard. (I still wonder why the hell the Pilot didn't get any writing or directing nominations -- not even art direction or cinematography? Sigh.)

I like "Rub a Tub Tub" very much, and for a specific reason. (Okay, I did want to smack that whiny liar Mary Beth through the entire episode, and bottle blondes really shouldn't wear that shade of acid green.) Back when the show had just started, and well before the auction prices hit an insane level, I bought one of the promotional DVDs of the first three episodes on eBay. The picture and sound quality is just spectacular, which is one reason why I've watched it more than my taped-off-TV videotapes and illegal homemade eBay DVDs (I bought episodes 1- 8 before the kid's basement operation got shut down).

And here's what hits me, every time through. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Gary Fleder, who directed the Pilot, also directed "Four Feet Under" and "Rub a Tub Tub," and he comes out of film rather than television. Strung together, these three episodes make a terrific and beautifully paced "Blind Justice" two-hour movie, with a cohesive look and atmosphere. Even the plot arc works. We start with the shootout at the bank and go through three difficult and compelling cases, Jim along the way proving his intuitive skills and intelligence, cementing a solid working relationship with Karen, and beginning to find his place both in the Squad and back in the world. Jim and Christie go from their early tensions and alienation, through the disastrous dinner party and her almost leaving him, and, nudged in the right direction by the good doctor Galloway, on through to the lovely moment of of the Mulligan and their declared -- and renewed -- love for each other. It really does make a wonderful movie!

And that's why "Rub a Tub Tub" has a special place with me.

[shmeep]

maggiethecat said:

I did want to smack that whiny liar Mary Beth through the entire episode, and bottle blondes really shouldn't wear that shade of acid green.

;D

Can I just pause for a moment to point out that Mary Beth, along with her questionable taste in fashion and over-plucked eyebrows, has the most gratingly obnoxious voice I've ever heard? It's goes from extremes of low scratchiness to Kitty-on-That-70s-Show shrillness. It works with the character, so she must have done a good job to be able to elicit such a negative response from me, but could you imagine having to live with that voice?

And I can definitely see how this episode can combine with the first two to make a movie. You're lucky to have that DVD.

I have great fondness for Rub a Tub Tub, but it just doesn't blow me away like some of the others.

[doobrah]

I'm with Shmeep on this one. I think they'd all gotten used to Jim walking unaided around the squad, and the first time Marty left the desk & drawer out was unintentional and none of them registered that Jim was just going to walk into it. I did see that fleeting look of "oh jeez, I forgot" on Marty's face, but then he quickly disintegrated into traditional Marty "jerk" mode. And then he had to make a point to go head to head with Jim over it.

[hoosier]

This was also my least fav episode--for a while I have watched it a couple of times since I have liked it more each time. A few things--

At the dump truck when they find Carl's body, their attitude towards Jim is somewhat disturbing/ Karen tells him there are a lot of messed up cops around right now, Tom and Marty walk out on him while he is talking and even Fisk's attitude towards him--like he was somehow outside the fold, Jim IS a cop for crying out loud!!! And then when they keep reminding him to be respectful to Mary Beth and then he's accused if being too hard on Eric . Come on!!! Jim was anti-crime same as Carl so he knew what elements they ran into and he was the one who ,at first,thought it was a hit.

When Eric accused Jim of overcompensating ,when he was only doing what any other cop would do, I wonder if he was trying to fluster Jim, make him second guess himself?

It was interesting that when Jim wanted to have a private conversation with Karen he took her outside and across the street from the house. Was he concerned about being overheard? That Karen would maybe make a less than favorable reaction to his clue of the cologne so he thought it safer to be out of sight and out of earshot???

Concerning the incident with the desk,I think the first time was an accident--though why in the world Marty didn't at least say "heads up" or something to that affect so at least Jim would have stopped. The second time,no way. I think Marty was just being Marty and being a pain in the you know where. I loved how Jim charged down the hall towards the locker room and the uniform officer got out of his way. ;D I think Marty had been top dog in the squad and was telling Jim what the pecking order was--at least in his mind.

[housemouse]

I was just thinking today that it would be interesting to delve a little bit into Rub a Tub Tub, so I am taking this opportunity to jump into the conversation.

First, I think the desk was intentional. Marty had enough time to either push the drawer closed or, as someone else mentioned in this thread, at least give him the heads up. Jim bouncing off things fuels Marty's nasty fire. The chair, maybe on purpose maybe an accident. At the very least Marty was being careless, at worst, he was showing that mean streak of his (sorry Maggie, again I couldn't resist). Marty was just plain nasty and disrespectful to Jim when he was confronted in the locker room. He shouldn't have shot his mouth off at him, the comments about the bells were uncalled for. I always thought it was a dumb thing to say because bells on stationary objects would be of no help to a blind man. THEY DON"T MOVE!! Therefore the bells would remain silent. Marty just being obnoxious. He is jealous and insecure. He knows he would never be able to go through what Jim has and come back, and it pisses him off! (Tell us how you really feel Mouse!)

Eric's cologne: I just have to say that when I get in my husband's car I can smell his cologne. Though my eyesight is less than fabulous, I do not rely inordinately on my sense of smell. If a person who wears a certain cologne spends a lot of time some place, the smell sticks around. Eric was obviously spending a lot of time at Mary Beth's apartment.

As for this being my least favorite episode - no way. That dubious honor goes to Leap of Faith - except the scene where he punches Doyle. Things I LOVE about Rut a Tub Tub:

1. Meeting Sonny for the first time.

2. Jim giving Marty what for

3. Jim laying it on the line with Karen, and Karen really trusting him.

4. Jim and Karen using real detective skills to solve the case.

5. Marty showing his true colors - he is a meany.

6. A great session with Dr. Galloway that leads to that wonderful final scene with Christie.

Whew, glad to get that off my chest!

[mlm828]

hoosier said:

At the dump truck when they find Carl's body, their attitude towards Jim is somewhat disturbing/ Karen tells him there are a lot of messed up cops around right now, Tom and Marty walk out on him while he is talking and even Fisk's attitude towards him--like he was somehow outside the fold, Jim IS a cop for crying out loud!!! And then when they keep reminding him to be respectful to Mary Beth and then he's accused if being too hard on Eric . Come on!!!

I noticed the same thing and asked myself, "What's going on? Do they think he's forgotten how to be a cop and what it means to be a cop since he was shot?" I think this attitude toward Jim shows that the rest of the squad, including Fisk, do not consider him one of them--he's still the unwelcome outsider at this time--and they don't trust him. Showing the lack of trust in Jim may have been a way to set up the scene later in the episode, when Jim tells Karen there's no point in their continuing as partners if she doesn't trust him.