Forever, “Diamonds Are Forever,” was written by Janet Lin, who last wrote episode 3, and was directed by John T Kretchmer, who also directed episode 5. The episode centers on a case that forces Jo (Alana De La Garza) to confront her husband’s death. De La Garza delivers a terrific performance. As I’ve now come to expect, the episode is also extremely well written, weaving the theme of fate throughout the three storylines in the episode.
I’ve come to really appreciate and pay attention to the voiceovers at the beginning and ending of each episode because they provide a terrific narrative frame that helps to focus the seemingly disparate story threads. This week’s episode opens with, “it is often when one least expects it that fate arrives at our door. We can’t foresee it any more than we can escape it. No matter how hard we run or hide, fate, like death, will always find us.” Of course, in this episode the voiceover is underscored by a scene literally playing this out – a mysterious stranger knocks on Jo’s door only to meet his fate – death – and become the victim at the center of the episode.
Likewise, the final voiceover in this episode is accompanied by more of the story playing out. Jo is watching and re-watching video of her late husband, Sean Moore (Andy Karl) when there’s a knock at her door. She opens it, seemingly hopeful that it may be Sean to find Henry (Ioan Gruffudd). De La Garza is wonderful in this scene as she is just ever so slightly disappointed and then pleased to see Henry. Meanwhile, the voiceover tells us “Fate can be cruel. A minute here, a minute there and lives can be lost. Buy fate also gives us moments of impossible grace. Moments in time when we come together and connect in a way that is profound. Chance occurrences so precious that they almost make one believe in the divine. That there is someone out there looking after us.” The episode is full of chance meetings.
The flashbacks also provide insight. Henry has been transferred from the Bedlam – the insane asylum to Southwark Prison in 1816. Henry is immediately face to face with a Priest – wonderfully played by Roger Rees. The Priest tells him that he can’t save him, but he can help him with the little things – like a drink of water and possibly unburdening himself – something Henry was desperate to do with his wife. Henry tells him that he wouldn’t believe him, but the Priest responds that he’s Catholic – “we believe even when we know we’re wrong.” It turns out the Priest is also a prisoner – serving a sentence for sleeping with the magistrate’s wife! The Priest tells Henry, “it’ll do you good to talk. It’s the only way to heal your pain.” And in the present storyline, this is what Henry does for Jo.
Of course, the Priest not only listens to Henry when he finally confides his secret in him, he also believes Henry. In fact, the Priest sees what Henry views as a curse as a blessing. He tells Henry that he believes that God chose Henry. Henry insists that he’s not a religious man, but the Priest says it doesn’t matter, that “the more blessed you are the worse it is! You’re here for a reason, Henry, as am I.” The Priest believes that he’s there to help Henry escape by helping him kill himself. As a Priest, he is committing fully to believing Henry because if Henry isn’t reborn, the Priest will be guilty of murder. More pressingly, as Henry points out, they will think the Priest helped him escape (which he did!) and he’ll be sentenced to life in prison. The Priest is implacable, however, and insists on helping, but he asks for one favor – that Henry use his life, his blessing, by going far away and starting over. And of course, that’s what Henry has largely tried to do as we’ve seen in the other flashbacks.
One of the interesting things about the show is that is doesn’t force one religious view on us. While the Priest, as we’d expect him to, attributes God – the Catholic God – with being the director of fate, the voiceover merely points to a “divine” presence. Abe (Judd Hirsch) is Jewish, as well, and we see fate working through his storyline too. In fact, it seems like fate that Henry and Abigail would have been there to save Abe as a baby.
Just as the Priest seems to believe he’s come into Henry’s life for a reason, you can see that Henry and Jo have also come into each other’s lives for a reason. Jo has been burying Sean’s death and avoiding really dealing with it. Henry tries to draw Jo out and get her to talk three times in the episode – just as the Priest drew Henry out to experience the catharsis of unburdening himself. I loved the scene when Henry went drinking with her and tells her he’s happy to sit silently – and doesn’t last a beat before saying, “Silence isn’t a gift that I was given!” I loved the look on Jo’s face! But he also goes on to give her some excellent advice – something he’s learned through the gift of his very unique life: “What kills you is not what causes your heart to stop beating. It’s what prevents you from living.” And, in fact, it’s through his dealings with Jo that Henry himself has really come back to the land of the living.
Henry isn’t the only one trying to get Jo to talk, and we get to see a new side to Hanson (Donnie Keshawarz). As always, it’s fun to watch Henry deduce the evidence before poor Hanson comes running in with it or for Henry to completely spin the evidence in a different way as in the opening scene. However, we also get to see that Hanson is actually a good partner who cares about Jo, and even understands her. He tries to spare her from going through Sean’s notes on the case, but she insists that she’s “not a wounded puppy.”
He even offers to be there is she wants to talk and offers to have her come over for dinner so she doesn’t have to be alone. I particularly liked the scene in his hospital room when Hanson fakes needing more pain medication to get Jo out of the room, so he can ask Henry not “to blow up the case” and spare Jo.
The case itself is about fate. I really liked how the show was able to convey that Jo’s husband was a really good, caring guy. Sean saw something in Aaron (Tyler Elliot Burke) and went to bat for him, giving him a second chance – it was fate that he’d be the one to try his case. It’s also fairly clever to use “fate” – Aaron knocking on Jo’s door, not knowing Sean was dead and Jo not having been able to move and Jo having gone to the academy with Dunn (Shane McRae) – instead of having to put all this down to coincidence!
Fate also plays a part in Abe’s storyline in the episode, though I think we’re going to see this play out in subsequent episodes. It’s pretty funny that Abe is up in arms about someone stealing an antique Tang dynasty horse, which everyone agrees had an “unbearable patina” and was a fake, and tries to enlist both Henry and Jo to help him track down the culprit. It’s also a nice echo of the diamond heist. Abe doesn’t have a surveillance camera and Dunn’s plan involves framing Aaron using the surveillance camera there. It’s Abe’s musing about insurance that twigs Jo and Henry to the insurance scam with the diamonds.
Abe is very disappointed in Henry’s “sherlocking” about the case, and Henry is shocked that Abe “profiles” an Asian kid (Jacob Goodhart) who was in the store, telling Abe that he’s making assumptions not observations. In the end, Abe has correctly identified the kid as the one responsible for the missing horse, but that’s all he’s right about. It turns out that the kid’s mother was an art dealer in Hong Kong who died. He now lives in New York with his uncle, but misses being around beautiful objects with a history. He didn’t take the horse, he simply put it inside a cabinet because it was too ugly to look at! I think he could be a really interesting addition to the cast – as help for Abe around the store and as someone else to potentially learn Henry’s secret - he's a lover of things with history after all.
Henry and Jo definitely become closer in this episode. He asks her to trust him with her life when Henry asks Jo to drive the car into the barricade – again, the sort of precise knowledge about death that only Henry would have. There’s a lovely moment when he sees her on the scene and takes her hand, relieved to see her with only a bump on her head. And go Jo for unbuckling Dunn just before the crash!
The final scene of them on the stoop of Jo’s house, sharing coffee is a terrific one. I really like how slowly these two are coming together. I have to give a shout out to De La Garza and Gruffudd. Both have kept the chemistry between them to a bare minimum as their characters began the series cut off in their own way – both afraid of opening themselves up to either the pain or joy of human connection. In this final scene, it’s great to see Jo open up about her final fight with Sean and Henry assure her that he knew she loved him. I’m waiting now even more eagerly for what happened between Henry and Abigail! It was very satisfying, however, to end the episode with Henry’s arm supportively around Jo as we faded to black.
And of course, the episode was fun to watch to see how Henry solved the case – with faithful Lucas (Joel David Moore) at his side. I loved them going out in the field on their own to try to identify the source of the red paint. Lucas is so excited to have identified the holly, that he completely misses the more obvious clue. There’s a terrific long shot of Henry, trying not to really rub it in, but leading Lucas to the door.
I also loved Dunn being completely baffled by Henry’s “process.” It’s also fun to watch Henry use every one of his senses to solve the crime – including smell to find the real robber – who knew diabetes could make you smell like pancakes?!
What did you think of the episode? Do you think Henry is any closer to opening up to Jo? Were you satisfied with how far they’ve come? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
