| The collaborator of a world-famous, wheelchair bound mathematical physicist is murdered. When the detectives investigate, suspicion falls on the mathematician's wife/nurse who appears to be abusing him.
Like most episodes of this show, it is obvious that it is based upon real people and current events. In this case, the mathematical genius is clearly supposed to be Stephen Hawking. (In case that is not already clear, Detective Goren at one point tells us that, "like everyone else", he "tried" to read the man's book.) And, the event which inspired it is this true story which was in the news at the time. Consequently, despite a disclaimer assuring the viewer it is entirely fictional, I consider this script to be slanderous and unfair to Hawking. (To see why, either watch the episode, or spare yourself and just read my 'spoiler' below.)
Spoiler Alert: It turns out that the Hawking-like character murdered his own partner in order to cover up the flaws in their "Theory of Everything". He also faked his own injuries so as to frame his second wife for the murder and generate enough pity to win back his first wife and daughter. Not only that, we learn that he isn't even as disabled as he pretends to be. (Detectives Eames and Goren trick him into revealing that he can stand up to reach an incriminating notebook they left on the top shelf of a bookcase.)
In a closing remark, Eames says something like "My mother always told me to be glad I'm not a genius...it makes for a very lonely life." |
