Photo Courtesy Of ABC
Warning: Spoiler Alert
There are moments, events, in all of our lives, that haunt us all our lives, the pain doesn’t fade with time, or how successful we become, even the number of toys we acquire in our existence. In the middle of the night, when we’re alone with just our thoughts, those memories return, just as sharp and bright as the moment they occurred. For most of us, those moments involve minor transgressions, that we’ve never forgiven ourselves for. However there are some folks that we interact with daily, that hide heinous and unspeakable acts and eventually the guilt and weight of bearing that secret, overcomes them.
This week’s episode of the ABC series “Forever,” deals with that subject on a number of levels, involving the crime Detective Jo Martinez and New York City Medical Examiner Henry Morgan, attempted to solve, as well as secrets that Morgan and his companion Abe, keep from others. Henry, of course is used to carrying secrets, as he’s hidden the fact that he’s over 200-years-old from the world, except Abe.
The episode opens at a gala banquet, honoring a young selfless doctor, named Tyler Forester, awarding for his efforts in his free clinic, in the inner city and throughout the community. He’s introduced to the audience, by his best friend since they were nine-years-old, Carter Pilson, however Forester sitting at his table, looks more agitated than proud sitting at his table waiting to approach the dais. When Pilson introduces the doctor, he whispers in his ear to do the right thing, as he always does. The applause starts and Dr. Forester’s face fills the screen.
The next scene’s in a skid-row apartment in Harlem, the award-winning doctor’s apartment, who got killed shortly after the ceremony in his apartment, by a blow to the back of his head from the trophy he received. Detective Martinez and Doctor Morgan, investigate the scene, as Henry tells the detective that the apartment lock’s broken from the inside, so Forester likely knew his murderer and let him in his apartment. Martinez questions why Forester lived there, as his father’s a famous Wall Street Billionaire?
When they get the body back to Morgan’s office and examine Forester’s corpse, they’re shocked to see large Roman Numerals tattooed across his chest. They meet with Forester’s father, whose clueless about the tattoo, then tells the officers that his son distanced himself from he and Tyler’s mother, since he graduated high school. He wouldn’t accept their money, he got completely wrapped up in his work, even donated his meager salary to charities, some the Corporate Titan, never heard of. He then tells them to join him the next morning at his son’s memorial service, and possibly speak with others that knew Tyler better.
Morgan and Martinez arrive at the service and notice three young people, about Tyler’s age with the same class ring as Tyler wore. One, is Carter Pilson, who introduced Forester at his banquet, the other young man’s named Paul Gould, (whom Martinez believes looks high) and the young woman’s an attorney named Cassandra Mueller. All three were best friends with Forester in high-school and there’s a framed picture of the four of them at the memorial, dated June 10, 2005. Martinez and Morgan, start questioning Gould, after Jo identifies herself as a detective, but Gould’s pretty sketchy with details, to their questions. Mueller then approaches and asks if she can help them, and Martinez identifies herself, the attorney says she doesn’t think Mr. and Mrs. Forester would appreciate their presence and Morgan tells her, that Mr. Forester invited them to try to get answers. Cassandra then says she’s a lawyer and Martinez asks if Gould needs an attorney, but Henry spirits them out of there.
Back in the chapel, Pilson approaches them and apologizes for his friends behavior, and says they’re still shaken by Tyler’s death. Henry asks Carter if the date June 10, 2005, has any significance and Pilson turns ashen, says no and excuses himself. Henry realizes that the date on the picture’s the mirror opposite of the tattoo on Forester’s chest.
Mr. and Mrs. Forester got divorced five-years earlier, so she wasn’t present during the interview with Tyler’s father. She told Martinez and Morgan that her son changed irrevocably, after the summer of 2005, Tyler seemed haunted and always sad. He got accepted to Harvard and planned to go there, but after the summer went to State University and paid his own way.
Henry heads to Abe’s shop and asks him his deepest secret. Abe admits when he first opened the shop, he sold a fake antique for the price of a real one. He’s ashamed to this day, but without that sale, he’d gone out of business.
Back at the station, Jo and Henry find out, that they’ve recovered data from Tyler’s cellphone, specifically a rather cryptic video. The pair watch, as Forester apologizes to the parents of a Robert Meachem, for what “we,” did to their son, but stops talking when Paul Gould enters the frame. They put out an all points bulletin on Meachem and reported missing on June 12, 2005 and was never found.
Martinez and Morgan lead a search near where Meachem lived for his remains and Henry finds the spot, due to a particularly lush, young, tree. They find the bones and a DNA match confirms the bones are Meachem’s. Confronted with the evidence, all of Forester’s classmates admit to running over Meachem and burying him, but all three deny killing Tyler.
Henry and Jo meet with Meachem’s parents, who bring a photo of their son wearing a cap from the local service station, where they said he worked part-time and walked to the night he went missing. Morgan realizes that the owner of the gas station, witnessed the accident, had received payoff checks by Forester, (one of the unknown charities) and since Forester was going public the hush-money train, would stop running. He tried to convince to stay quiet and keep paying, but they argued and the station owner killed the doctor.
The pair head to the gas station, ask about Meachem and then ask to look at the owner’s bank records. He pulls out a drawer from his filing cabinet, but pulls out a pistol, shooting Morgan in the arm. Henry tells Martinez he’s fine and she chases the owner down but freezes with her gun and the two hold each other at gunpoint. Morgan tells the guy to shoot him instead and when he aims at Henry, Martinez shoots him and arrests him.
The Meachem’s are finally at peace knowing the fate of their son and Forester’s classmates will all serve time for their crimes.
The Story Continues Next Tuesday Night at 10:00 pm on ABC.
