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Cold Case S 3 E 4 Colors - TV Tropes

️Sat Apr 11 2020

Jeffries is guilted by his nephew into solving the murder of Clyde Taylor, a Negro League baseball player who was murdered after helping win an exhibition game against major league players.

Tropes:

Armor-Piercing Question: Jeffries' nephew Leonard asks him if the cops would have let the case go cold if Babe Ruth had been the one murdered. This motivates Jeffries to reopen the investigation into Clyde Taylor's murder.
The Atoner: Crumbs has dedicated his entire life to keeping alive the legend of the man he killed.
Bait-and-Switch: Troy, the bratty son of the opposing pitcher Tyler, was previously confronted by Clyde for a racist prank. He later brings his father, who was known to use racist smack-talk on field, to the locker room and points to Clyde, but instead of resulting in a confrontation, Tyler apologizes to Clyde and compliments him on his skills, while berating his own son for his racism.
Baseball Episode: Clyde was a promising baseball player at the height of his career in 1945. Crumbs insists that had he lived longer, he would have become the first black Major League player instead of Jackie Robinson.
Batter Up!: Clyde was killed with his own bat, the same one he'd just used to win the big exhibition game.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Crumbs would have given anything for one good swing of the baseball bat. Well, he got one good swing… at his best friend’s head, killing him.
Been There, Shaped History: Clyde was almost the first man to break the race barrier in Major League Baseball. But he was killed before he made it, and the honor, as per history, went to Jackie Robinson instead.
Blackmail: Willie Dandridge threatened to reveal that Clyde was dating a white woman and get him lynched if he tried to leave the team for the Major Leagues.
Bottle Episode: The flashbacks occur immediately before, during, and after the exhibition game.
Chronic Evidence Retention Syndrome: Crumbs kept the bat he killed Clyde with for 60 years.
Cigar Chomper: Moody Brown. Appropriate, for the owner of a tobacco shop.
Cool Old Guy: Crumbs. It makes it even sadder when it turns out he's the killer.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Willie Dandridge, the owner of the team, is a black millionaire in the 1940s, and did not climb to his position by playing nice. Dandridge fears that Clyde leaving the team for the Major Leagues could damage his fortune, and threatens to blackmail Clyde over his affair with a white woman.
Defeat Means Respect: Despite shouting racial slurs at Clyde during the game, Tyler Cage became so impressed with his playing skills afterwards that, not only did he apologize to Clyde, but he also told him he'd earned his respect as a fellow player and shook his hand, and even made his son apologize for the autograph prank he played on Clyde.
Deliberately Monochrome: The flashbacks are in black and white.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: As the flashbacks were set in the 1940s, the term "negro" was the accepted term to describe African-Americans then. Nowadays, it is considered an antiquated and potentially offensive term.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: Immediately after Crumbs clubbed Clyde with the bat, he held Clyde in his arms as he lay dying.
Extremely Cold Case: 60 years old. Most of the witnesses are still alive, but the stadium where the murder took place has long since been torn down.
Friendly Enemy: The pitcher from the opposing team, Tyler Cage, was much nicer to Clyde than would be expected from the guy who got creamed by a black guy in 1945. He was even more open-minded than his young son, whom he scolds for mistreating and racially abusing Clyde.
The Ghost: Esther's gangster boyfriend Eddie Mason.
Hiding Your Heritage: Esther (played by Christina Hendricks) is actually a black woman who could pass for white. Her mother encouraged this so Esther could have a better life in the '40s than she would have had as a black woman.
Hidden Depths: Tyler Cage initially seems like a racist jerk, but when he meets Clyde, he compliments his skill, shakes his hand, and forces his son to apologize for being a bigoted brat. He also kept Esther's secret for years.
Historical Domain Character: Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige appear in the Cold Open and in Moody Brown's flashback.
I Coulda Been a Contender!: Moody Brown was desperate to go to the majors. He gets passed over for the likes of Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige instead.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Clyde was willing to give up his shot at becoming the first black Major League player to be with Esther, so Crumbs pressured her to leave Clyde. She reluctantly agreed, not wanting to hold him back. However, Crumbs did this without Clyde's consent, leading to tragedy.
Ignored Epiphany: Troy Cage completely failed to heed his dad's Prejudice Aesop.
Irony: Clyde risked his career by dating a white woman at the height of Jim Crow. Turns out, she was actually a black woman who was passing for white.
Jerkass: Troy Cage; even as an adult, he's utterly unpleasant.
Kids Are Cruel: Troy Cage, the opposing pitcher's Bratty Half-Pint son, who was younger than 10 when he made fun of Clyde, tricking him into giving his autograph and then telling Clyde he would use it as toilet paper. He then made various racial epithets towards Clyde when caught. His father, who used racist smack-talk on field, is visibly embarrassed by his son's behavior and made him apologize to Clyde.
My God, What Have I Done?: Crumbs instantly regretted killing Clyde after it was done.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Crumbs insisted that if Clyde hadn't been murdered at the time he was, he would have made history as the first black player in the Major Leagues instead of Jackie Robinson. But the writers made sure to place his murder right before he hit it big, to stay in line with history.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Jake Crumbly is best known as "Crumbs".
Pass Fail: Downplayed. The only one who knew Esther was passing was Tyler Cage, and he kept the secret.
Racist Grandpa: Troy Cage was a racist when he was a kid and he's racist 60 years later, too.
Recognition Failure: Lilly doesn't recognize Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, and Josh Gibson in a photograph with Clyde and Crumbs.
Scary Black Man: Moody Brown, the player that Clyde replaced on the day of the game. He has a large scar on his face and isn't above intimidating his own teammates. Even the racist brat Troy trembles at his presence.
Secret-Keeper: Tyler Cage knew that Esther was actually black but kept it a secret.
Subpar Supremacist: Troy boasts that he's still racist but grew up to be a fat old man who is last seen eating alone in an empty bar.
Token White: Crumbs, the clubhouse manager, was the only white man employed by Dandridge's team.
A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Crumbs killed Clyde with a single swing of the bat in the heat of the moment, and spent the next 60 years regretting it.
Where da White Women At?: Clyde was in love with a white showgirl, Esther. Subverted by the fact she is a black woman who could pass for white.