615 Growin’ Up

Winslow had to pick you …


Summary: The investigation of two deaths leads Don’s team back to a crime which happened when the men were children

Original air date: March 5, 2010 (USA)

Written by: Robert Port

Directed by: Rob Morrow

Opening numbers:

1985
4: Children
23: Years later
30: FPS


Family Concepts: (character development)

  • Charlie is offered a visiting professorship at Cambridge University for the next term.  He is able to bring Amita, also for a professorship.
  • Larry has been nicknamed “The Rocket Man” by the blog-sphere
  • Alan and Margaret almost named Charlie Issac
  • During a polygraph test for the FBI Charlie admits:
    • Stealing a 1981 TOPS baseball card of Reggie Jackson from Mark Carol
    • killing Don’s class pet, a gerbil, over a Christmas holiday when Charlie was six and Don was ten
  • Colby collects Army dolls
  • Larry offers to help Don and the FBI while Charlie and Amita are in England
  • Charlie and Amita move up their wedding date to the following day

Episode Quotes

    • Nikki: How long before you can get us some results?
      Charlie: Well, really that falls under the auspices of the FBI lab.  With me and Amita leaving, they should get used to solving crimes by themselves again.
    • Nikki [about David and Colby]: I hate it when Mom and Dad fight.
    • David: Dolls?

Colby: Army dolls.
David: I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Nikki: I’m gonna laugh.


Episode Synopsis:

Mary Paulson an investigative reported is doing a story on the victims of a crime from 1985: three boys were raped by Arnold Winslow their shop teacher.  Paulson has set up a meeting between the surviving two boys, now men: Sean Westmark and Devin Shepard, along with a representative from the FBI in the form of Colby and Nikki.  As Sean and Devin arrive for the meeting, a shooter on a nearby roof top opens fire, killing Devin and wounding Paulson’s cameraman.

Paulson hands over the recording from the meeting to Don for analysis to see if the shooter can be identified.  Paulson also states the third victim of Winslow’s was her brother, Matt Burrows.  Matt however committed suicide a few months ago. Charlie is able to use the footage from Paulson’s interview along with footage from surrounding surveillance cameras to discover the shooter: Michael Nash, Sean Weskmark’s chief-of-staff.  Sean and Michael grew up together and once arrested for shooting Devin, Nash admits he was also a victim of Winslow’s.  The other boys knew but kept Michael’s secret until Devin decided to sell their story to make a movie. Feeling Devin was betraying all of Winslow’s victims, Nash killed him.

Mary also wonders if Matt really committed suicide after all and Nikki offers to look into his death some more.  Charlie suggests a way to look for fingerprints left at Matt’s apartment even though the scene was wiped clean. The FBI lab comes back with a match: Arnold Winslow.  The match is a surprise as Winslow supposedly died in 1991. Nikki also runs the phone records for Sean, Michael, Devin and Matt and find one number that all four received calls from and again Winslow’s name comes up as the person making the calls. Sean admits Winslow called him; according to Sean, Winslow was asking for money and Matt apparently gave Winslow $500 to go away.  Winslow is arrested and brought in for questioning regarding Matt’s death.

Mary Paulson has another idea of why Winslow may have been calling.  She has a video of Arnold Paulson being raped with a baseball bat recorded the night he supposedly died.  Charlie is able to analyze the footage and figures out the three people involved in Winslow’s assault are Matt, who recorded it, Michael and Sean. Devin apparently wasn’t there. Winslow states he didn’t see Devin in 1991, and of the three, Matt was the only one to come back and try to help after the assault.  Winslow states Matt saved his life and Matt was the one to suggest Winslow disappear.

Winslow also thinks Michael acted on orders from Sean to kill Devin.  Devin was planning to go to the police and make a deal to turn in Michael and Sean for Winslow’s rape in 1991.  Winslow also thinks Michael only acted because Sean told him what to do.  Nikki and Liz go to arrest Sean for Devin’s murder, however Sean commits suicide.