Traffic (20 Oct. 2006)

Charlie and the team grapple with the concept of 'randomness' while trying to find a killer targeting drivers on the freeway.

Director:

J. Miller Tobin

Writers:

Cheryl Heuton (creator), Nicolas Falacci (creator),

Stars:

Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Rob Morrow	...	Don Eppes
David Krumholtz	...	Charlie Eppes
Judd Hirsch	...	Alan Eppes
Alimi Ballard	...	David Sinclair
Dylan Bruno	...	Colby Granger
Navi Rawat	...	Amita Ramanujan
Diane Farr	...	Megan Reeves
Peter MacNicol	...	Dr. Larry Fleinhardt
Don McManus	...	Jeff Kinkirk
Rachel York	...	Marla Kinkirk
R.E. Rodgers	...	Mitchell Mackenzie
Christopher McCann	...	Dr. Brewer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mueen Jahan Ahmad	...	Car Wash Guy
Ai Cherie	...	Street Patron (as Sheree Leana)
Nikki Crawford	...	ER Doctor

Storyline

Charlie and the team grapple with the concept of 'randomness' while trying to find a killer targeting drivers on the freeway.

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Plot Keywords:

randomness | traffic light | serial killer | car accident | analogy | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Long Beach, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Paramount Network Television, Barry Schindel Company, The, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Charlie Eppes: Lady luck, chance, randomness... Human beings, truly, have a hard time understanding it. Raindrops fall randomly. Now which of these two images best represents raindrops falling on a sidewalk? Is it image A?
[grouped pattern]
Charlie Eppes: Image B?
[even pattern - the class chooses this one]
Charlie Eppes: Okay. You're wrong. Our brains misperceive evenness as random, and wrongly assume that groupings are deliberate. Because of this people make all sorts of irrational decisions. Like, they won't work in a high rise building,...

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Crazy Credits

12 Million motor vehicles 9096 Miles of Freeway 5339 accidents 7 Freeway attacks

User Reviews

Stronger than most I've seen

This episode gripped me more than others I've seen because it seemed to get more personal. I really engaged with the family that was at the center of the storyline. The mother (played by guest star Rachel York) and the younger son were especially sympathetic. I also thought that the math came across as less academic in this episode. It hit on themes that are familiar to everyone. The show seems to be moving in a direction that reveals more of the human side of its regular characters. Don, in particular, really connected with the family, especially the mother. He seemed to want to catch the freeway attacker not just because it's his job but also to put the mother and her two sons at ease.