Cause and Effect (Numbers)

Last updated
"Cause and Effect"
Numbers episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 16
Directed by Nicolas Falacci
Written by Cheryl Heuton, Nicolas Falacci
Original air dateMarch 12, 2010 (2010-03-12)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Cause and Effect" is the series finale of the American crime drama television series Numbers . It is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season, and the 118th episode overall. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempt to find one agent's gun before it is used in a violent crime. When series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci learned that the number of episodes airing during the season was reduced, they felt that they needed to finish storylines in case the series was cancelled. To do so, they wrote an open-ended story to serve as either a season finale or a series finale.

Contents

Originally set to air in May, and February, "Cause and Effect" first aired in the United States on March 12, 2010. Critics mostly focused on the potential cancellation of the series, but two reviewers gave the episode reviews. "Cause and Effect" became the Numb3rs series finale after CBS's cancellation of the series on May 18, 2010.

Plot summary

Drs. Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) and Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat) are married at CalSci. Charlie's father Alan Eppes (Judd Hirsch), Charlie's older brother FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow), and friends FBI Special Agents David Sinclair (Alimi Ballard), Colby Granger (Dylan Bruno), Nikki Betancourt (Sophina Brown), and Assistant United States Attorney Robin Brooks (Michelle Nolden) attend the ceremony. Charlie and Amita's friend and colleague Dr. Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol) officiates. After receiving a call from FBI Special Agent Liz Warner (Aya Sumika), Don and David leave the reception to arrest Ted Dacosta (Luke Rosen), a man wanted on fraud charges. During the arrest, a man who has just learned that Decosta had swindled him tackles Don and David. The tackle knocks Don's gun away from him. Someone picks the gun up and walks away from the scene. A member of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) questions Don about the incident, and Don completes the required paperwork. Nikki contacts her former colleagues at the LAPD for assistance.

At Charlie's house, Alan and Charlie notice that Don is upset about losing his gun. Charlie offers to help his brother locate the gun, but Don refuses, citing Charlie and Amita's upcoming visiting professorships at Cambridge. [1] Don receives a call about two drug dealers who were fatally shot with Don's gun. None of the neighbors appear upset about the dealers' deaths. A tip from LAPD leads the FBI team to the leader of the community crime watch. He insists that he did not have the gun but later confesses to possessing it when presented with contradictory evidence. Don confesses to Robin that he feels that the search for his gun could determine his future with the FBI. Robin replies that the current case should not influence his decision. Meanwhile, FBI technician Matt Li (Matthew Yang King) discovers many references to Don's gun as a vigilante gun on several social networking sites. Charlie, Amita, Larry, and Otto Bahnoff (John Cariani), a plasma physicist who has assisted the FBI on two previous cases, [2] [3] use the small world network to track the gun. While discussing the math, Don and Charlie agree that, although they had spent their lives apart from each other, they want to keep the relationship they have with each other. The team receives another call, this time leading them to the body of a woman who planned to drink and drive without a driver's license.

Amita, Charlie, Larry, and Otto find a woman who used her real personal information on a web site which referenced Don's gun. The woman tells the agents that she passed the gun to someone named Jim. Don and David question Jim Mazzolla (David Burke), who claims that his neighbor Michael Hiller (Vyto Ruginis) had been bullying Mazzolla and his family. Both Mazzolla and Hiller deny being in possession of Don's gun. With Charlie's analysis and further investigation, the agents discover that Mazzolla, a criminal, was in the area where Don lost his gun the day of the incident. Don and David return to Mazzolla's house, where they discover Mazzolla's son, Jim Jr., (Bridger Zadina) holding Hiller at gunpoint. Don wrestles the gun from Jim Jr. and arrests Hiller on unspecified charges. FBI Special Agent Ian Edgerton (Lou Diamond Phillips) suddenly appears to escort Hiller. Ian informs Don and David that the team's earlier background check on Hiller, an escaped prisoner from Florida, alerted Ian to Hiller's location. Ian also expresses disappointment about not being able to attend Charlie and Amita's wedding. At the FBI office, Colby, Liz, and Nikki discuss David's new promotion to team leader of an anti-corruption team based from the Washington, DC FBI field office. Don, who recommended him for the position, tells David that David will do well in his new position. At Charlie's house, the Eppes family and the team celebrate Charlie and Amita's wedding. Charlie and Amita inform the group that they will be converting the garage into a guesthouse for Alan so that Alan, who had decided to find an apartment since Charlie and Amita have married, can have space and that they can have him live near them. Charlie wants to provide for Alan, and Amita is willing due to her Indian heritage. Confident about his work with the FBI, Don tells Robin that he will accept a promotion to become a special agent in charge. Don proposes to Robin, and she accepts. As Alan designs the new guesthouse, he, Don, and Charlie discuss the changes and the constants in their lives.

Production

Writing

Citing a decrease in ratings, CBS reduced Numb3rs' episode order, the number of episodes airing per season, from 22 to 16 on November 4, 2009. [4] Although the series had high ratings for the night, the 18-49 demographic was not as strong. [5] CBS also wanted to air a series during the middle of the season. [4] [6] [7]

For the cast and crew, the announcement about the reduction in the episode order came during the production of the eleventh episode of the sixth season. [5] Series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, who wrote "Cause and Effect", developed the episode to be a season finale that could also serve as a series finale in case the show was cancelled. [8] They decided to write the episode in a way in which fans would see some kind of resolution of storylines in the event that the series was cancelled. [5] They included some closure to several storylines, especially David's storyline [9] and to one of Don's storylines. [10]

To finish the season's storyline, [11] several plot lines had to be modified by removing some individual stories within the season's main storyline [11] or by revising some stories. For example, writers had planned for Charlie and Amita's wedding to be ornate with 200 people [9] and with Amita's parents in attendance. [10] Heuton and Falacci changed it to a small wedding at CalSci [9] with Larry officiating the ceremony. [10]

Reception

Although network executives originally scheduled the episode to air in May [5] and then in February, [12] they scheduled "Cause and Effect" to air on March 12, 2010. [5] Over 8.34 million people in the United States watched "Cause and Effect", making it the 101st most watched series finale of all time. [13] Critically, the television critics focused on the idea of the episode being a series finale, but several critics commented on the episode. Rob Owen, a television critic with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , stated, "Kudos to them [the producers of Numb3rs] for rewarding long-time fans by crafting the season finale to also function as a series finale." [14] Matt Roush of TV Guide Magazine's web site was surprised by the amount of closure in the episode. [15] David Johnson, a reviewer for DVD Verdict, felt that the episode was excellent. [16]

Cancellation of the series

When CBS executives made the announcement about the order cut, CBS executives cautioned that it was too early to know whether Numb3rs would be cancelled. [7] When asked about the fate of Numb3rs, CBS executive Nina Tassler stated that executives cut the order for Numb3rs to air Miami Medical , which was scheduled to air midseason. [17] [18] Television critics expected Numb3rs to end at the end of the 2009-2010 television season. [19] [20] Citing a decline in ratings [21] and a need to debut new series, [22] CBS announced on May 18, 2010, that Numb3rs was cancelled, [21] [23] making "Cause and Effect" the series finale.

Related Research Articles

<i>Numbers</i> (TV series) American crime drama television series (2005–2010)

Numbers is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, with a total of six seasons consisting of 118 episodes. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his brother Charlie Eppes, a college mathematics professor and prodigy, who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI. Brothers Ridley and Tony Scott produced Numbers; its production companies are the Scott brothers' Scott Free Productions and CBS Television Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amita Ramanujan</span> Fictional character

Amita Ramanujan, Ph.D., is a fictional character from the CBS crime drama Numb3rs, played by Navi Rawat. Over the course of the series, she has become a professor at CalSci and has since become romantically involved with her former thesis advisor, Dr. Charlie Eppes. She was first introduced in "Pilot". She also works as an FBI consultant with Charlie and Larry.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television show Numbers. Based on a real-life serial rape case, "Pilot" features two brothers, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a mathematics professor at a Southern California university, using their individual skills to capture a serial rapist who has begun to kill his victims. "Pilot" also introduces the theme of mathematics being used to solve crimes.

"Guns and Roses" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American television series Numbers. Written by Robert Port and filmed around the Los Angeles Center Studios, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent investigating the apparent suicide of a former girlfriend while beginning a new relationship. Port based his story on real-life instances. He also was inspired to include acoustic testing and genomic research in the script.

"Uncertainty Principle" is the second episode of the first season of the American television series Numbers. Based on a real bank robbery case, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) math consultant's prediction being incomplete after FBI agents find themselves in an unexpected shootout with suspected bank robbers. Series writers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci wanted to explore the emotional effects of the case on Dr. Charlie Eppes. For the mathematics used in the case, they included several mathematical and physics concepts, such as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, P versus NP problem, and Minesweeper game.

"Provenance" is the third episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. Inspired by real-life instances, the episode features a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into a stolen painting which may have a tainted provenance. Gena Rowlands, who works as an advocate for Holocaust survivors, portrayed a Holocaust survivor who claimed that the painting was originally her family's painting. Within the series, the episode also depicts the Eppes family as Jewish.

"Scorched" is the 11th episode of the second season of the American television series Numbers. Marking the first produced script for series writer Sean Crouch, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians investigating a series of arsons that may have been started by an ecoterrorist group. Bill Nye "The Science Guy", who is a fan of the show, guest stars as a colleague of scientists Dr. Charlie Eppes and Dr. Larry Fleinhardt.

"Two Daughters" is the second episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. The second half of a two-episode storyline, the episode features the aftermath of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent's abduction, which results in the search for not only the agent and her kidnapper but also for the true motive of the spree killings in the previous episode. As a character development, one FBI Special Agent's actions during the case created a story arc for that character for season three. Series writer Ken Sanzel used the trawler problem, a real-life application used to find traveling boats, as inspiration for the mathematics included in the episode.

"Nine Wives" is the 12th episode of the 3rd season of the American television show Numbers. Paralleling the Warren Jeffs and David Koresh cases, the episode features Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempting to locate and arrest the leader of a polygamist cult in which members marry young girls. Julie Hébert, a series writer, incorporated slave quilts and Levy flight into her script. She also included two explosions in the script.

"The Art of Reckoning" is the 21st episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents investigate the confessions of a mob hit man before his execution. Written by Julie Hébert, the episode also highlighted the return of series regular Peter MacNicol as his character, Dr. Larry Fleinhardt, returned from space.

"The Janus List" is the 24th episode and the season finale of the third season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team investigate a former triple agent's claims of someone poisoning him.

"Trust Metric" is the season premiere of the fourth season of the American television show Numbers. Written by series writer Ken Sanzel, "Trust Metric" is set five weeks after the events in "The Janus List". In "Trust Metric"'s story, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) team attempts to find a pair of double agents, one of them a former teammate, who have escaped from prison. The story continues the events that began in "The Janus List".

"When Worlds Collide" is the 18th episode and the season finale of the fourth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, two brothers, one a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent and the other a mathematician, disagree with each other on the issue of academic freedom after one of the mathematician's friends is arrested on terrorism charges. Series creators Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, who wrote the episode, first mentioned the idea for the brothers' conflict during a season two commentary. When Heuton and Falacci wrote the episode for season four, their episode launched a story arc that was later resolved during season five.

"The Fifth Man" is the 20th episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents and mathematicians attempt to find a group of home invaders while dealing with the injury of the agents' boss. For FBI Special Agent David Sinclair, the case is his first as team leader. The art department built a new office for Dr. Charlie Eppes, which reflected his own professional growth within academia. Brought in several times before to audition for various guest appearances, Debbon Ayer, Rob Morrow's real-life wife, guest-starred as the victim of a home invasion.

"Disturbed" is the 21st episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode written by series creators/executive producers Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, skeptical Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents track an undetected serial killer while their math consultant copes with his brother's recent injury. After FBI Special Agent Don Eppes's injury, FBI Special Agent David Sinclair, who was the newest member of the team at the beginning of the series, served as team leader. Falacci and Heuton also included Easter eggs from the "Pilot" and from some of the previous 99 episodes.

"Angels and Devils" is the 23rd episode and the fifth season finale of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents search for a mathematician who has been kidnapped by a cult leader. The episode ended with a character's priorities changed and a marriage proposal left unanswered. James Callis guest-starred as the cult leader, Mason Dureya.

"Democracy" is the 18th episode of the third season of the American television show Numbers. Written by Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, the episode highlights a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation into the murder of one of their math consultant's friends while an agent learns that she has been selected for a United States Department of Justice (DOJ) assignment. Heuton and Falacci also brought back fan favorite Oswald Kittner, portrayed by Jay Baruchel.

"Thirty-Six Hours" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and mathematicians attempt to determine the cause of a fatal train accident while several agents attempt to rescue survivors. When it was originally scheduled to air as the fourth episode of the season, "Thirty-Six Hours" occurred in the middle of a story arc launched by the season four season finale. When the real-life Chatsworth train derailment occurred two weeks after filming the episode, the accident forced a revision of the script to include episodic events that occurred after the end of the story arc.

"Arrow of Time" is the 11th episode of the fifth season of the American television show Numbers. In the episode, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents track an escaped prisoner who is seeking revenge against one of their own. Written by series writer/executive producer Ken Sanzel, the episode continued two storylines. The first storyline continued one that began with two episodes shown very early in season three. The other was originally launched in the season four season finale "When Worlds Collide".

References

  1. ↑ "Growin' Up". Numb3rs. Season 6. Episode 15. March 5, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Dreamland". Numb3rs. Season 6. Episode 6. October 30, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Arm in Arms". Numb3rs. Season 6. Episode 12. January 15, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (November 4, 2009). "CBS cuts "Numbers" order". Reuters . Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Rudolph, Ileane (February 23, 2010). "David Krumholtz Crunches Numb3rs". TVGuideMagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ The Futon Critic Staff (November 4, 2009). "CBS Docks "Numb3rs," Extends 11 Others". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (November 4, 2009). "CBS cuts 'Numbers' to 16 episodes". Variety.com. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  8. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (November 6, 2009). "Exclusive: 'Numb3rs' fans can count on closure". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 Bryant, Adam (March 12, 2010). "Numb3rs: Will Charlie and Amita's Happy Ending Also Be the Show's?". Today's News: Our Take. TVGuide.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 Rudolph, Ileane (February 23, 2010). "David Krumholtz Crunches Numb3rs (Continued)". TVGuideMagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  11. 1 2 Rudolph, Ileane (November 13, 2009). "Is Numb3rs' Number Up?". TVGuideMagazine.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  12. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (November 4, 2009). "This just in: CBS trims 'Numb3rs,' orders more 'NCIS' and 'Mother'". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-07. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ CBS (Press Release) (March 16, 2010). "CBS Wins the Week in Viewers". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  14. ↑ Owen, Rob (March 19, 2010). "TV Q&A with Rob Owen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  15. ↑ Roush, Matt (March 22, 2010). "Ask Matt: Bang's Boom Times". TVGuideMagazine.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  16. ↑ Johnson, David (August 12, 2010). "Numb3rs: The Sixth Season". DVD Verdict.com. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  17. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (January 9, 2010). "Press Tour Scoop: 'Three Rivers' axed, 'Numb3rs' not dead". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  18. ↑ Sullivan, Brian Ford (January 9, 2010). "CBS Declares "Three Rivers" Dead". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  19. ↑ Eng, Joyce (May 18, 2010). "CBS Cancels Seven Series, Including Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs and Cold Case". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  20. ↑ Levin, Gary (May 19, 2010). "CBS adds six new shows, hangs on to Charlie Sheen". USA Today . Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  21. 1 2 Schneider, Michael (May 19, 2010). "CBS unveils primetime schedule". Variety.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  22. ↑ CBS (May 18, 2010). "CBS Cuts "Ghost Whisperer" and 6 Other Series". CBS News . Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  23. ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (May 19, 2010). "Upfronts 2010: CBS Unveils Fall Primetime Schedule". Broadcasting and Cable . Retrieved May 19, 2010.
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