madmaverick

I didn't find her latest instagram post problematic. She is entitled to express her feelings and reference her faith as she wishes. If it were a victim impact statement in court, it's a perfectly valid one. But again, we know no details of the allegations involved, so I'm not drawing conclusions about the guilt or innocence of any party.

I read it in this THR article. Maybe she felt they weren't representing her pov or her best interests. Yes, as a lawyer I understand that. Sexual assault (at least in my jurisdiction) is when a person intentionally touches another person in a sexual way without the other's consent, and the person touching does not reasonably believe the other consents. Yes, the criminal justice system has many shortcomings when it comes to dealing with sexual offences. But I believe it is important to report if you do believe you have been the victim of one. I just feel serious allegations need to be properly investigated for there to be due process. It sounds like eOne appointed an independent third party to investigate. Better late than never, I guess. But I am confused as to how it seems the hairdresser accused of sexual assault/racial discrimination was fired even before the investigation is complete? Also, I note that the hair department head seems to be a woman, though of course you can also have same sex sexual assault. Or even without the sexual component, something can be simply assault. If it allegedly took place at a wrap party (and the other stuff in the hair trailer), you would think there would be witnesses and it would not be just a case of (s)he said, she said. I don't know why Hawley failed to report to HR per procedure. Maybe he thought he could take action to mediate or resolve it himself as showrunner (did he do anything?), maybe he feared any allegations would affect the show's renewal, maybe he thought it wasn't important and just tried to placate Afton. Who knows. But in any case, he seems to have handled the issue poorly.

This is very unfortunate. I thought Afton and Bishop was one of the strongest actors/characters on the show. I enjoyed her relationship with Nolan the most. A big loss for the show. And of course it is very wrong if Afton was subjected to inappropriate/unlawful behaviour in a work environment. However, if something as serious as sexual assault really happened (her words), I think it is something that should be taken to the police or any other authority where there can be a proper investigation rather than trial by instagram. The internet playing judge, jury and executioner isn't fair to all parties concerned imo, when we don't actually know anything beyond a general allegation from one party. We don't know anything about any actual incidents, actual words and behavior, the context, any witnesses (surely there would be others in the hair and makeup trailer and at the wrap party) etc. etc. I personally am not comfortable with throwing people under the bus as we do in this internet age when we don't know any of that. It does sound like Hawley handled the complaint very poorly when he didn't refer it to HR. Whether (he thought) the allegation had merit or not would be for HR to determine but he at least had the obligation to report. Could Afton herself have gone straight to HR to get it addressed? And FWIW, I do remember Nathan's Firefly colleagues sharing a story of how he stepped in when a male guest star was inappropriate with a female cast member. Before people cast stones, remember we don't know what anyone knew what when and what actually occurred.

I thought it was more likely than not TR would get another season, but you never know with these things. And I see many network pilots with name actors not even ordered to series. I don't expect TR to last for more than another season or two, frankly, in this day and age. Unfortunately, I have no real expectations that it'll become a show with great writing in S2 either. It's a serviceable network procedural with a likable cast of characters and good cast, but the writing/type of show it is makes it unlikely to excel. Hopefully it will improve in S2 though and agreed that Nolan definitely needs more development/sharper writing.

I had not heard Titus' music before. Video is cheesy but music is catchy. More my kind of jam than what Dever/Huertas had going on, I have to say.

Just a meh finale to me. Not as strong as the previous episode. I find the big terror plots, usually in season finales, quite tedious and this was no exception. I would have been happy if this episode was just about the rookie exam and say interspersed with flashbacks to their first 6 months on the job and the challenges and dilemmas they faced as they answered the questions. This kind of cliffhanger is pointless to me because it's highly doubtful they'll kill off Tim. Nolan & Jessica's relationship has been blah to me from a romantic pov because there was barely any buildup to becoming an established couple and I don't feel any particular chemistry. The work/relationship dilemmas here could be interesting if handled with nuance, but I don't think that's going to happen. It'll just be they are incompatible from a moral pov and so they'll part ways and we'll be left wondering what was the point of the relationship in the first place. And I guess the resolution may also depend on whether the actress is coming back. Lopez & the lawyer's relationship is also blah to me because it seems like they are all about making eyes at each other and being forcibly hot and steamy without much deeper development. At least he got off his high horse for once. Lopez suggesting West might need a new T.O. was more interesting to me than the relationship stuff. West and his Dad making up just like felt a bit too easy and with questions unanswered. Bishop & I.A. drama resolution also felt a bit too easy but I'm glad they didn't make Bishop do I.A.'s work for them. Bradford & Chen, meh. I hope they're not taking them in any non platonic direction. It feels like this show has the ingredients for it to be good; definitely has them to be better, but it's not quite there imo and more often than not is just another mediocre procedural. Stick to the slice of life of rookies, inject a lot of heart and some dramedy, but stay away from romantic melodrama and big action plots. Police work should be interesting enough without all that. It's got a decent cast of characters. Grow them.

I could be wrong but I went and re-watched and I don't think they used a body double in those scenes. The shots where I thought Nathan looked pretty good were the full body shots. Maybe it was the side angle. The arms were decent without being full on muscular and sculpted which made me think they were Nathan's arms, as his biceps have looked okay even when his body was heavier. I also don't think the boxing scene was strenuous much so wouldn't have thought they needed a body double for that, but who knows. I do think he looks believable enough to me compared to a real life cop. But could he get even fitter? For sure. I agree with those who say he looks thinner on social media so maybe how the camera films him makes a difference. He looks more energetic here than in the later seasons of Castle for sure.

Best episode in a while. It had more heart and a good mix of character drama without trying to use overblown action scenes to maintain interest. The dialogue was better too. I liked Nolan's speech to the Chief, Lopez shutting down West and the conversations between Nolan & Ben. I'm glad they didn't sweep the trauma from such a traumatic event (ouch, that was a good make up job!) under the table (like I kind of felt they did with the Capt's death) and it added to the characterisation of Nolan & Ben's friendship too. What they're doing with West could be interesting too with him feeling kind of lost, although I'm not sure he's giving his Dad a fair shake given the limited info about what he actually did/didn't do. Nolan & Bishop's relationship has been one of my favourites throughout and his speech to the Chief kind of encapsulated what that has been about so far. Smart move that she made him primary from the start but I don't know why her practice differed from the others. Not a fan of IA making an unethical offer, but I guess they want to set something up for the finale. Surprised the Chief personally administers the oral exam to the rookies....he has that kind of time? Ha, I did think the guy in the coffin looked a bit too alive. I thought maybe it was a bad makeup/acting job. Little did I know that was the point lol. I thought Nathan's running was perfectly acceptable here and he may have looked the best he has all series during that boxing scene. Would not object to a repeat of that.

Just an average episode. I thought the show had some episodes which showed promise a while back but it's sunk back into mediocrity. Talia's storyline was the only one that held my interest. We'll see but the problem with these storylines is you don't really expect any serious repercussions in a procedural show. So she's confessed to the Watch Commander, now what? I mean, they've already done their shock and awe erm budget cutting by killing the Captain so.... which, as I expected, doesn't seem to have any lasting repercussions on the characters either. What a waste and what a shame. Nolan being sued could have been a more interesting storyline but they played it for laughs and made the judge too unprofessional from the get go. I did like the young lawyer character as another reminder not to judge anyone's ability by their age. He's more interesting to me than that defense lawyer getting it on with Lopez. Yawn. What a pointless, cliche and unprofessional scene. I wish they'd shown Lopez to be more professional than that and I hope this show isn't turning into a soap. So far they are not winning me over with any of their romantic storylines. And yikes, really hope they are not going there with Bradford and Chen. I actually thought West showed too little faith in his Dad to easily believe the word of a criminal just like that. Fair to have doubts but he's already ready not to believe his Dad. Nathan/Nolan needs to never tuck in his uniform jacket into his belt if that's what he was doing. Just No. Why make yourself look bigger than you actually are? Should have left it out like Bishop.

OK episode. My main problem with it is I didn't feel it dealt with the impact of the Captain's death in a powerful way or used it to drive storytelling forward in any meaningful sense (which was supposedly the rationale by Hawley for the death). Yes, it was on Nolan's mind and yes, "life goes on", but I didn't get a heavy sense of sadness from the characters or that the Capt's death impacted them much at all. It felt like it was all too tidy and easily put away. More heavy gunfights. I think the writers think we will be bored if they don't throw one or two into every episode. I check a lot of reality at the door for TV but how many times are 2 cops going to go it alone against heavy gunfire without backup? Especially after one of their own was killed previously! Not really feeling the chemistry between NF and SS, tbh. I think the problem for me is when there isn't much slow burn, sexual tension, and even though they are both likable characters to me, it's like bam, now they are dating and I don't feel the romance. Also really was not keen on the anvil in the scene at the end hinting at Nolan's insecurities as a rookie dating an impressive woman. Nolan's always appeared as a confident man who had the balls to join the police academy and become a rookie in middle age, so it doesn't make sense to me for his character to be insecure suddenly just because she dated a SEAL. And insecurity like this is never an attractive trait in a man. They don't need to make this Nolan's. And does Nolan have any other casual clothes than this plaid shirt? It's not a flattering look on him either. Chen and West's personal storylines were kind of meh. As was the earthquake and the new Captain shenanigans. Not that interesting. Michael Trucco was playing a typical MT role here, straight and narrow law enforcement. Joel McHale had the funner role with more to do.

That's pure conjecture about the motivations of the writers re ageism and an example of what I meant. But hey, it's a free for all on the internet, so believe what you want whether supported by evidence or not. Goodness, I never knew there was so much judgment out there if I were to date an older (or younger) person. To me, good writers can craft a strong relationship regardless of age or whatever differences. If it didn't happen here, it's because the writing was not strong enough. In real life, people of all ages can fall in love and I don't judge.

It's not about not being able to be critical as a fan. That's not the point at all. There's plenty of robust criticism on PTV. It's about criticism being rooted in facts and in logic, rather than pure supposition and fact free conjecture and the leap to apportion blame when facts aren't at hand. And for goodness' sake, please leave Stana out of the discussion here. Let. It. Go. I don't think the decision to kill off the Captain was wise, but no, I'm not about to make it a gender issue when there's no indication that was a factor in the decision at all.

Nathan's said time and again that he leaves the writing to the professionals, aka the writers, and it's not his place to interfere. Yes, he's EP alongside others, but we don't know what input he and others and the network had on this decision or what all the considerations were. Hawley has said they went back and forth about it in the writers' room. Unless you were an actual fly on the wall when the decision to kill off the Captain was made, I don't think it's fair to blame people when you don't know anything about the decision making process beyond what Hawley has said. If a show or an actor is not making you happy, the quickest way to happiness is to stop watching. What's weird to me is when people who clearly don't like a show or an actor keep watching it. And I would argue that there are many strong female characters on the show.

Not keen on the earthquake or the episode description for the finale. Bigger does not always mean better. When will writers get that? Is the show veering into melodrama? It's been so long since a network show especially a procedural grabbed me. And usually that is due to actors' chemistry rather than compelling writing. Not every non network show is good and there are plenty of duds too, but at least they feel more ambitious whereas a lot of network just feels tired to me. It's no wonder to me they keep on losing ground to streaming and cable. That's my problem with Nolan too. He's likable but I feel the character coasts on Nathan's charisma rather than solid writing. He's an everyman but a bland one at that. This is a guy who could be more sharply defined, having made such a massive mid life life change, but I feel the writers have barely created any depth from that. And the love interest angles have never done much for the character. What this show has going for it to me more than anything is a solid cast. Missing the Captain's actress though.

Worst episode ever. Was it written by Hawley? Even if it wasn't, killing the Capt. wouldn't have happened if he hadn't conceived or okayed it. Unfortunately, I was spoiled. Argh, social media. I've commented before that this isn't the kind of show that goes dark, that has cops being bad etc., so count me surprised that it would kill off a series regular (at this early stage). Bad call imo. First of all I thought the storytelling was a melodramatic mess this episode and it was a cheap death with too much stupidity that neither the character of the Captain nor the actress deserved. I thought the climatic scenes were incredulous more than compelling myself. I'm never a fan when they turn the volume up to melodrama and that's what they did here. The show does better when it's slice of life rather than high action shootouts. I am sorry, but this episode wasn't well written enough to generate any pathos for me from the Capt's death. It was just like one minute she was here and the next she was dead and oh now life goes on except we'll wear black ribbons on our badges. It all felt like surface emotion rather than anything moving that good writing does. Just the idea that it was the 2 of them out on patrol(which I would have loved to see more in any other circumstances, alas) with a target on Nolan's back without additional backup seemed the height of foolishness to me. I'm not sure the Captain egging on a killer with a fragile ego was the smartest idea ever either. And the idea that cops only turned on the pressure on gangs when one of their own was a target didn't sit well with me. The end scene of Nolan arresting the idiot didn't do anything for me. The sentiments delivered by the cops re dead Capt were well said but those lines were so heavy handed. No nuance, no subtlety, no messy emotions that come with a shocking death like this. So basically this episode did not work for me and not just because they killed off the Capt. I also think they made the wrong move to kill the Capt because A) we'll see, but I'm not convinced that it's going to drive the storytelling forward in a big way and I'm not convinced that failing to save someone/one of them getting shot (which already happened) couldn't have driven storytelling in those directions. B) This is the first time I've watched Mercedes Mason in anything but I thought she had a really likable screen presence here which was an asset to the show, and she had good chemistry with NF as well as others. It's a shame to see her go. C) The Capt. character was definitely underutilized and as I've said before, kind of a thankless role in these shows because the writers never seem to know what to do with her. But the tidbits they dropped about the Capt being ex-Marine and being divorced could have been explored further. As was the idea that she chose Nolan to come to her precinct because she saw the value in his experience. It all just felt like an unnecessary death of a character and a cheap kill to shock, cheap way to shake things up for an episode or two. Finally, I also don't think showing a white supremacist gang with military grade weapons was the most sensitive move this week in light of the white supermacist killing in NZ. But hey, if a fictional killing of a TV character by a white surpremacist with military grade weapons can actually make the U.S. do something about gun control for once, I'm all for it. But doubtful. To summarize, this was the worst episode by far for me. It amplified all the weaknesses in the writing, especially when it descended into melodrama but even before that. The writing on this show has been mediocre at best, but there were moments when I thought it might get better. Not here.

Just for aesthetic reasons so there's not much of a height difference, though it's not that important to me. Chemistry and acting skills are far more important. It's just nice if actors can look at each other at eye level without stooping or looking down/up too much.

Lol. There are weirdos who will send you an actual photo of their eggplant when you barely know them, which just NO. If Nolan were to send this pic text, I would give him points for creativity but TMI? Where's the mystery? I do like text messages especially for group chats, but some people do text waaay too much, like who has the time to read a gazillion messages? Sometimes some things are easier said by text than in person; sometimes text makes you think more before typing (saying) something. Some people like to just record voice messages if they aren't great typers so that can approximate more of a real phone conversation, I guess. Young people these days will record a million IG or Snapchat stories but you won't find them trying to call someone on the phone. Video chat, maybe. But texting is definitely here to stay. I even know people whose bio line is "too busy to talk, please text". Make of that what you will. I miss old fashioned letter writing too but that's mostly gone. Except postcards, maybe. But whatever the format, I think people are still seeking that connection via communication. Talia's line was really one of the best so far.

OK maybe she did write down a "call me" though I was guessing it was more likely a signature followed by a number scribbled down, which he could do with whatever he liked. Maybe it's an age group thing, but I've had lots of friends asked out by text for first coffee dates and such. Even broken up by text (which was not cool, imo). People rarely call. Everything's done by text messaging these days. Even amongst friends. And the prevalence of dating apps means there is a lot of text messaging going on. In a way text is preferred to a phone call when you just meet someone because you can better control the parameters.

Back to the episode itself, didn't like it as much as last week's. Thought Nolan would have texted Sarah Shahi's character after she gave him her number but I guess he's old school? I.e. showing his age lol or he's ballsy in going straight for the (too soon heh) phone call than the text. Why do I think that the "lying ruins rapport" line is going to be worked into their relationship down the line? I hope they do something fun with this relationship rather than go for any cliches. I like SS but between her and the actress playing Chen, I kind of wish Nathan would be paired with a taller actress sometimes. It would have been better if they'd given us more insight into how she and Gray knew each other, and why Nolan would have been such a fan of her book. Because of his longstanding interest in law enforcement? He wanted to join the FBI? He has a thing for hostage negotiations? The gang felon storyline wasn't that interesting and I found it a bit unbelievable that Bradford and Chen would be out in gang territory without backup against the world. Unbelievable that Nolan would wander into the woods alone to search for felons or that he and Bishop would go into that house without backup either. Good to see Sean Maher but why on earth did his character not just tie up the old lady and tape her mouth instead of going to all the trouble of setting up the gun? The Beth storyline didn't really work for me either because I kept on thinking something was up with the deputy to do with the escape. So I guess something may be up with West's Dad? Otherwise what was the point of that storyline other than to sow doubt. I don't think they'll make anyone a dirty cop on this show but maybe West will understand better the kind of cop his Dad is in real life as opposed to his image of him. Bradford going for the Sergeant's exam, Gray possibly moving on from the force... I guess they are setting things up for the finale? I miss the Captain, where is the Captain? That role always gets the short end of the stick in these precinct shows.

I think Nathan's looking perfectly OK as a TV cop, and even as a real cop, comparable to many I see on the streets. Not every cop in the real world is rocking a six pack, not by a long shot. Nathan's already lost sizable weight for this role and it would be nice if people would give him a thumbs up for that because losing weight is never easy, instead of piling on with the body shaming, like too many actresses are subjected to. He looks perfectly OK too in real life from his recent social media. I used to watch The Closer and the cops there were definitely all shapes and sizes and ages too and how they looked was never an issue in the realm of show discussion. Don't get me started on British or European cop shows where the police officers definitely come in all shapes and sizes (being more reality based). It would be strange if they all looked like models on a Brit show. I mean, unless you have expectations of The Rookie being a soap or a CW show (sorry soaps and CW shows, I actually haven't watched either in years so I could be wrong about the shallow factor) or you have expectations of Nathan looking like he did back in his Firefly days, I really don't see any issues here either. Maybe this is more about the lens of the viewer rather than the show itself.

Found this BTS clip from Afton's social media quite interesting. Sometimes I do forget how many times a scene has to be shot and how many people have to be involved to make a scene look real on TV. Nathan's running doesn't look too bad here either. He probably had to do it quite a few times too. Maybe it's just uphill that gives him issues.

This was one of my favourite episodes. I guess I like it when the rookies don't always succeed and Lessons Are Learnt TM. The writer was one of my favourite writers on Castle, Terence Winter, and I didn't realize when I was watching so I guess his writing still works for me on another show. The dialogue seemed just a little sharper and everything just gelled together more for me. The scene at the end with Bishop/Nolan was one of my faves of the series to date. I like their snark and I like their heartfelt convos and of all the T.O.s, I think I like Bishop's teaching style and model of policing best. T heir partnership has really grown on me and is probably my favourite duo on the show. The actors have more chemistry than other romantic pairings imo. Fast forward to the end of the series, and bring on the dream team, Detective Bishop & Detective Nolan heh. Actually I guess the predictable end scene would be the rookies becoming T.O.s... 100 shifts? Anyone have any idea how far that is into the rookie probation period? Just trying to get an idea of where they are in their training. Nolan really would be great at the Front Desk lol. I thought his brushing off the woman was a bit out of character for affable him but clearly there were Lessons to be Learnt. I do like that he has ambition in his second police career with detective dreams. It's good to have goals and I do think it's in character given all he put into making it through the academy etc in the first place. Nathan wasn't that convincing as a runner last week, but I do find him convincing in the otherwise Man of Action TM Cop scenes this week. Cop shows sure seem to like to use trucks as sets. Inexpensive? Don't care (if slightly intrigued) for Bishop being with a married man, but I don't want to see her with this other cop either. West clearly has Daddy issues but good to see he's beginning to get over them. Good job by the actor showing how awful it was at first to not be able to help the lady. I thought Lucy's "threat" wasn't so threatening either compared to what the man said to her, but perhaps it's best not to use intimidation of any sort in policing. You don't want to sink to perp level. Does anyone even film video with a handheld and not a phone anymore? Especially if you want to watch, upload and share and I guess also look more inconspicuous when filming something you shouldn't be. Though there are loads of hidden cameras far more inconspicuous than phones. Unfortunately for us women. Do people even read print magazines anymore instead of being reading whatever on their phones? Those two things stuck out to me.

My buttocks thank you for that info, Loandbehold. Though the The Daily Mirror are not a trustworthy paper. They have no problems with plagiarism or with making up things entirely. And yes, chocolate mousse for the win over creme brulee. I'm going to have to say No to hospital pudding though.

This episode reminded me a bit of that Castle episode where they discussed if winning a lottery would change you and what you would do with the money. But that conversation amongst the rookies about what they would do with a lot of money was not all that interesting or illuminating. I did like the entitlements theme, the letter vs the spirit of the law, and the whole creme brulee saga lol, but this is also not a show that's going to show cops really sliding down the slippery slope. There were a few funny lines in the polygraph scene. Buttock clenching a real thing, I guess? I guess the Captain knows that cops lie to protect each other, hence she knew to make it only about the missing money. I actually thought the cops who came in to count the money might be suspect since they just walked into that room, didn't show ID and just had a tape recorder and what looked like video and that got the rookies out of the room as they took it from there. I wonder if it's a more secure process than that in real life. Incidentally, I was just rereading about the US Govt flying over $12bn in cash (!!) to Iraq after the invasion and then basically dispersed it without any accounting or accountability. Which is shocking. People were literally getting duffel bags of millions of dollars in cash. Even more shocking, the US officials in charge of this admitted they had no idea where the money went but said it didn't matter because it was Iraqi money (from their oil) and not US taxpayers' money. How extremely irresponsible imo and no one really had to bear any responsibility. Anyway, back to the show. I thought the West/Lopez storyline was particularly done well and their final scene was a good one. Good thing Lopez called West out on his hypocrisy when she lied to protect him/give him another chance on his first (?) or first few days on the job when she didn't even know him well. And good thing West was open to learning about different ways to be a good cop, not just following his Dad in everything. Oh and yes, I too noticed that Nolan/Nathan's uphill running form was not exactly stellar lol. Especially in an emergency situation. Honestly, I think Nathan's never been that athletic even in his younger days, despite his physique, and I get the sense he's not keen on running because of his knees etc. His running in the pilot was also not the best. It was just more noticeable here. But as someone who's started taking running more seriously lately, I can tell you uphill sprints are a bitch. I would not enjoy doing many takes of that either! Nolan/Nathan is believable to me as a cop with the other physical stuff so maybe I can excuse the running if they don't show too much of him doing it. The whole shootout in the hills with super cop Lucy was a bit unrealistic to me but I guess a big shootout is par for the course for this show. Did not know Nolan was a Jonathan not a John.

Ditto. He's got a nice rapport with Kimmel by now and seemed perfectly comfortable. He knows how to charm that demo.