butterfly | Burning Down the House (Reply)

We open in the Northwest Territories, Canada, the text helpfully informs us. Pretty trees.

A man is running through the forest, obviously being chased by someone/something.

Cut to a gold spyglass being used. We pan back and see Constable Benton Fraser, out of uniform but wearing the Stetson. He orders Dief after the probable criminal, also engaging in pursuit himself.

We cut several times between the three parties running as tense music plays.

The man reaches a creek/river thing and finds a boat, apparently called a punt. He starts paddling away and we see Fraser above him on a hill.

Fraser leaps from the top of a cliff down into the punt. We can see that his feet go through the boat, hitting the bottom of the creek/river thing. The criminal is… understandably pissed and doesn't seem to understand that Fraser punctured the craft as he pulls out a gun and tells Fraser to pick his feet up. Fraser does so and not only is there now water in the punt but, as Fraser so helpfully points out, they're headed toward a waterfall.

They go over in a beautiful shot, where we can see Fraser's hat flying up. Hee!

Cut to Dief sitting on a rock by the side of the river. Fraser's hat pops up, followed by Fraser who has a strong hold on the criminal.

We see Fraser all wet and a little out of breath. It's very sexy. With the wetness and the panting.

Cut to an office, where Fraser is reporting in to his superior officer. No description can truly capture the brilliance of this scene and how it echoes the similar one in the Pilot Movie, but I'll do my best.

Once again, in his report, Fraser downplays what the criminal did (he describes it as 'littering', when it involves the dumping of a banned chemical) until his superior asks him about the specifics. Sometimes, I wonder why he does that. It's like he wants them to call him in so that he can railroad them in submission by getting them to think that he went overboard and then finding out that they're wrong. Hmm. Fraser's the good kind of manipulator because you never realize it's happening to you. Good in the 'talented' sense, not the 'on the side of right' sense. Not that he's not on the side of right.

Just as Fraser finishes up by telling his superior that the people of the local village that the criminal was endangering plan to honor him (the superior, not Fraser), they get interrupted with the news that Fraser has a call from Chicago.

Cut to Dief at the bottom of a telephone pole, and then we tilt up to see Fraser at the top. Another really nice shot.

Detective Ray Vecchio is the guy on the phone, and as they talk, we can see him packing up his desk. He tells Fraser that he won't be there to pick Fraser up from the train and he tells Fraser not to worry. Only Ray calls Fraser 'Benny'.

Vecchio does have pretty eyes.

Mmm. Fraser has facial hair.

Anyway, they end the conversation:

"You understand that I will be in touch?"
"As a friend?"
"Yeah, Benny. As a friend."

Fraser looks at the phone, puzzled.

Vecchio leaves the police station as Lieutenant Welsh watches from his office and sad music plays.