"Mode of Death" begins with a famous TV evangelist being found dead in a hotel room--the apparent victim of an overdose of pills and liquor. However, when Quincy does the autopsy, why he took this combination is not clear--it MIGHT have been a deliberate suicide or it MIGHT have just been a mistake. The dead man's having mixed drugs and alcohol could have been the result of his intense congenital pain--in a misguided attempt to quell the pain. Or, the guy just wanted to die and took the lethal combination. So, Quincy suggests that they do a so-called 'psychological autopsy' on the man--have a consulting psychologist and his team determine which was the case. However, one word of caution, such 'autopsies' are NOT certainties--it is just a best guess.
This was an unusual show in that it is less a Quincy episode and more about Dr. Chase (Stephen Elliott). It makes you wonder if perhaps this particular show was meant as a possible spin off from "Quincy". I can't say. But I did appreciate two big things--first, that the psychological autopsy did NOT offer clear answers and second, that it introduced the concept of a psychological autopsy.
So is this show worth seeing? Yes. It's pretty good. I liked how it dealt with a tough subject without coming off as vindictive or insulting. Sure, one of the folks in the show ended up being a phony but the show was NOT some cheap attack against organized religion. Overall, a nice change of pace for the show BUT you wonder why Quincy wasn't very thorough when he did the autopsy for the first time--this was VERY atypical for this character.
This was an unusual show in that it is less a Quincy episode and more about Dr. Chase (Stephen Elliott). It makes you wonder if perhaps this particular show was meant as a possible spin off from "Quincy". I can't say. But I did appreciate two big things--first, that the psychological autopsy did NOT offer clear answers and second, that it introduced the concept of a psychological autopsy.
So is this show worth seeing? Yes. It's pretty good. I liked how it dealt with a tough subject without coming off as vindictive or insulting. Sure, one of the folks in the show ended up being a phony but the show was NOT some cheap attack against organized religion. Overall, a nice change of pace for the show BUT you wonder why Quincy wasn't very thorough when he did the autopsy for the first time--this was VERY atypical for this character.