Rizzoli & Isles Season 6 Episode 6 Review: Face Value
Jack Ori
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We all find ways to compensate for our shortcomings.
On Rizzoli & Isles Season 6 Episode 6, material witness Elliot Dutton uses his other senses to his advantage since he can't recognize faces. Maura uses a hidden camera to compensate for her overly trusting nature.
And Frankie... well, Frankie needs to learn when not to answer his phone.
Kudos to Rizzoli & Isles for taking a little-known condition and making it interesting without creating a ridiculous character or scenario. I really enjoyed watching the detectives struggle to deal with a witness who couldn't tell them what – or more precisely, who – he had seen.
While prosopagnosia, or facial recognition blindness, is a real condition, I didn't blame the detectives for being skeptical. Elliot's claim could have been a particularly unique way to get himself out of trouble if he hadn't been able to prove it.
Facial recognition blindness... now I've heard everything.
Jane
I liked Jane's solution to check whether or not Elliot really had trouble recognizing faces. I think she was surprised to find that he really didn't recognize Vince or her when she donned a lab coat and gave him some fake mug shots. Of course, Elliot's condition made it difficult for the detectives to work with him, providing a more unusual obstacle to solving the case.
That must make it difficult to differentiate between good people and bad people.
Vince
I felt bad for Elliot once he confessed to Jane that he barely recognized his own mother and that he had to stick to the same job and same set of people because of his condition. I thought they really did a good job of making him sympathetic without making "Face Value" into a public service announcement about disability.
At least if people are gonna think I'm stupid or rude, it's the same group of people.
Elliot
To me, the most interesting part of this story was how Elliot used his other senses to his advantage, especially his hearing and smell. It probably saved his life at the end when the real killer was about to attack him.
While the cops were dealing with Elliot, everyone was trying to protect themselves from cousin Carlo. This provided some nice comic relief, although I knew Carlo was going to fall from the second Jane walked into his second visit. Maura's trust in him just made it too obvious that he was going to try to pull one over on them.
I was glad that Maura had the forethought to install a hidden camera so that Carlo could be caught in the act of faking his fall. Maura's trust in others can sometimes be a liability.
I am trusting but I am not stupid.
Maura
I was also glad that the fall didn't occur until near the end of the hour. Of course, it had to be that way in order to build Maura's trust and plant a seed of doubt in viewers' minds about whether Carlo had changed or not. But it also allowed for plenty of funny moments to break up the tension.
Socks? You let him wear socks? Do you WANT to be homeless?
Angela
As for Frankie, he got stuck on a call with Angela when he really wanted to get to know pretty new Detective Fordham. This is pretty usual for Frankie, but at least he was also investigating a case. I don't mind Frankie being the butt of some jokes if he also has a legitimate role to play in the story.
What'd you think of "Face Value"? Do you have a craving for zepoles all of a sudden or do you suddenly not take your ability to recognize faces for granted? Share your thoughts below!
If you missed an episode, you don't have to stay in the dark! Watch Rizzoli & Isles online to catch up on the latest storylines before you join the conversation.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on X.
