Just Here

Yes, California law is very restrictive when it comes to non-compete clauses. The statutory rules are laid out in Business and Professions Code Sections 16600 to 16607. The only way I see a true non-compete in this situation being enforceable is if the agents who jumped shipped were actually equity partners in CAA, but given the reasons for these agents leaving (CAA being partially sold to an equity firm, without the junior agents benefiting), that doesn't seem to be the case. Also, a few of the agents who jumped ship were still apparently under a term employment contract with CAA (LA Times article) that did not expire until, in one case, June 2016. There might be a way for CAA to enforce a de facto non-compete by forcing these agents to be on administrative leave (e.g., still technically employed by CAA and receiving their minimum salary, et cetera), until their contract expires, and thus unable to work for another agency. (This is just quick speculation. I haven't found any specific authorities that would imply this to be valid in California.)

(I guess this is new information: Article was just posted today. But, it's hard to keep track of all the Marvel-related TV developments.) From James Hibberd @ EW.com: Marvel developing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff for ABC -- exclusive The article also lists Agent Carter's chance at a second season at "roughly 60 percent."

Thanks. On the consultant angle, they could could let Rossi retire from the FBI and then have the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service designate him a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal (under 28 USC 566(d)) which would give him a badge and much more legal authority than just a civilian consultant.

Traditional spinoffs are primarily an artifact of (1) networks being cheap, (2) networks playing it safe, and (3) networks rewarding successful producers and/or showrunners. On point #1, a backdoor pilot that is just an episode (or two) of another series is much cheaper than commissioning an entire separate pilot. Plus, by airing the pilot, they can get much broader feedback without having to conduct many screenings and focus groups. For point #2, most spinoffs, especially under the CBS model, tend to be clones of their motherships, thus following the "same yet different" or "like x, yet different" derivative nature of almost all TV series. And, with point #3, spinoffs are a way for the network to reward and retain showrunners, producers, et cetera, that are profitable for the network, so they don't jump ship to a competing network. But, one of the main problems with spinoffs is that they continue to be afterthoughts and not something that is a part of the creative process from the beginning of a series. Too many TV series, especially procedurals, are overly focused on a small world or a small group of characters (it's all about them), that the show's universe and mythology does not allow for a spinoff to exist and grow organically. Plus, showrunners and networks, apparently still have yet to learn the lesson of not annoying a series' regular viewers by continuing to use the "shove the regulars to supporting roles" backdoor pilots, instead of at least introducing the spinoff's main characters over a few episodes in the current season (which, given the economic realities of casting and securing actors, would at least be a realistic option), if not over a whole season or two.

In 2003, there were about 120 FBI special agents in 46 legal attaché offices. The offices are based at a particular embassy and may cover just one foreign nation (e.g., only Mexico) up to a whole region (e.g., Southern Africa). (And, these offices may have satellite offices at consulates in major cities, similar to how FBI Field Offices have resident agents at small satellite offices.) But, for anyone who wants a very detailed look at the FBI's legal attaché program, here is a 127-paged 2004 DOJ audit report (PDF file). Things I learned by watching (the first episode of) The Sandbaggers.

Question for the regulars: Has Rossi's age ever come up as an issue, regarding retirement? The CM Wikia entry for Rossi lists his birthday as 1956, which would make him turn 60 this year. Though, Mantegna is actually several years older, being born in 1947. The default FBI maximum retirement age is 57 (which is based on being 20 years after the maximum entry age of 37), but there is authority for that to be extended to 60, and even beyond. (See this DOJ web page for a summary.) So, exceptions can be made, which makes this a relatively minor plot issue. (The reason why I'm asking is that Gary Sinise, who is the lead of the potential spinoff, just turned 60, and depending how they set his character's age, the retirement issue could be an exploitable plot point.)

This is my first Criminal Minds episode in a long while, so I'll concentrate on the pilot-y stuff and nitpicks... Starting with the biggest nitpick... (I'm not an expert, I just know where to look...) HOLY DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT, BATMAN! (Maybe): The FBI raiding a foreign-flagged* vessel on the high seas, apparently without asking permission of the vessel's home nation. This appears to be a big diplomatic faux pas, and I was all set for a big rant... But, after doing some digging, the FBI might be able to get away with just a little scolding: The FBI could probably justify the raid, if the UnSub's vessel could be considered a "pirate ship," due to how he is using the ship and how broad the definition of piracy is. (E.g., from the 1958 Convention on the High Seas, which the USA is a signatory, "piracy" is defined as "[a]ny illegal acts of violence... committed for private ends by the crew... or the passengers of a private ship... and directed... [o]n the high seas,...against persons or property on board such ship.") And, if the piracy exception did not apply, then international maritime law may have an emergency or exigent circumstances exception, but this was a planned raid and not a U.S. Navy vessel just coming upon a hostage situation. In any case, not following the diplomatic norms, when they could have been easily followed, does this make this a notable faux pas. *I'm assuming that this is the case, based on Anna Gunn's dialogue, but I don't remember seeing a specific flag. And, if there was no flag flying, then any nation could have boarded the ship without any additional requirements. Gunn's character said "The law of the ship is the law of the flag he's flying," (which could be considered more or less accurate, see, e.g. Article 6 of the Convention on the High Seas) followed by the bit of being in international waters you mentioned. But, the untouchable part was definitely inaccurate, as all the USA would have to do is get permission from the vessel's home nation to board, or if there was a U.S. Navy ship or U.S. Coast Guard vessel nearby, they probably could have done a "papers, please" boarding. Plus, there are exceptions for piracy, which is very broadly defined (see above) and unflagged vessels, among others. (For a general discussion of boarding authority on the high seas, see this Naval War College student essay.) Exactly. This new team should have been a floating group of FBI legal attachés ("legats" is the semi-official abbreviation) who consult with the local government's law enforcement on major cases that are too big for the resident legat(s) to handle alone. Following that premise, I would have made Anna Gunn's character the (unofficial) diplomat of the group, being the main one to liaise with the local law enforcement. And, if they went with the consulting angle, then they would not have to bother with the pesky long-arm jurisdiction issue every episode. For example not every homicide of a U.S. National overseas is covered. E.g., covered situations include when the perpetrator is also a U.S. Citizen (18 USC 1119), and when the victim is an employee of the federal government and is essentially killed because of that fact (18 USC 1114). Also, with the legat angle, that could have reduced the number of regulars needed, allowing for more variety of guest stars, and potentially with less salary overhead. Perhaps, this could be reduced to Leader Guy (e.g. Sinise) and Liaison Expert (e.g. Gunn), while having a Tech Person back in D.C., along with a B-Team of two Junior Profilers who execute search warrants and interview people back in the USA. But, in this particular episode, when the teams arrived at the embassy, they used this throwaway dialogue to explain the reason why no local law enforcement was involved: The embassy could have notified the host country, but it seems as if they didn't. And, this could have been kept on down low, even with notification, if they used whatever unofficial or official liaising channels between the two countries. And, nothing pisses a host government more than rogue foreign nationals, especially if they are not properly registered as foreign agents (e.g. see this Wikipedia page for the USA's law on foreign agents), covertly acting like cowboys on their soil. In this episode, the police could have arrested Hotch for trespassing (running through the restaurant) and battery (searching the guy running with drugs). And, looking through the guy's bag, which had drugs? That could have easily been a trip down to the station. Pilot-y Stuff & Other Nitpicks: This was way too weighted to the "same" side of the "same yet different" spinoff formula. Anna Gunn's character: They forced her backstory's exposition the most, first with the scene in her office, and then Hotch asking about her brother. Also, in Gunn's office scene, there was the "It's Lily" -- Call me by my first name, because I'm cool (and maybe maternal) and not some heartless bitch in a pants suit. Black Tech Guy over-promised the elderly parents ("I know we'll find...[the perp.]") Reid (I think) mentioning that one of the victims of having a "combination" of salt and fresh water in his lungs: IT'S CALLED "BRACKISH!" I'm not a fan of these backdoor pilots that take over their parent series' episode(s), though I understand why they're done for economic and contractual reasons. That said, I would have preferred a more graduated introduction, say having Sinise and Gunn showing up earlier in the season, just helping a little on a case, or even some passing in the hallway scene. Also, I think the better angle would have been to either (1) Have this episode's case be an unsolved case from earlier in the season, thus giving the Mothership BAU team a clear reason to consult on this case, or (2) Have this episode's case start overseas and move to the USA, so that the new team would be consulting with Mothership team, which would have kept the focus on the main team, and given the new series (if picked up) more time to figure out its plot logistics, such as foreign legal jurisdiction matters.

Music factoid: The instrumental piece used right after the half-hour mark, apparently for the "Pyramus and Thisbe" ballet practice, is Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 (or Heroic Polonaise) (Wikipedia), which was also used for Monty Python's "Oliver Cromwell" song.* *The lyrics also include a mention of an amputation (of sorts): King Charles I was executed in a public beheading.

Upfront news: WWE SmackDown moves to sister network USA in 2016 (Variety). So, on the one hand, that opens up two hours of (Thursday) prime time for more science fiction, or more likely, reality series, but also removes a major revenue source.

I think Martinez may be my favorite TV police detective currently on television and within at least the past few TV seasons. She seems to fit in a "Goldilocks zone" of characterizations: She's... Realistically old enough to be a homicide detective in a major city's police department (AdlG was 38 when the series premiered) Not too quirky (cf. early Bishop or Abby on NCIS, or Beale on NCIS:LA) Not holier than thou (cf. "Saint Olivia" on Law & Order: SVU) Not burdened by a heavy back story (e.g., no murdered parents or siblings, nor a rape or abuse victim) No constant family drama dragging her character down (cf. Castle, with his mother and daughter, on Castle; or the Rizzoli family on Rizzoli & Isles) Seems to come from a normal-ish background (e.g., not overly privileged) Not a damsel Neither incompetent nor unrealistically hyper-competent* Not overtly presented as an object of the male gaze** *I haven't followed the episodes that closely, but it seems that Henry is the one who has essentially solved all the cases, which given his Sherlock-like characterization, is almost to be expected. But, it would be nice to see Jo break some cases (e.g., using some odd knowledge, which would help develop her back story), and even let Hanson and Lucas have a day in the limelight once in a while. **Jo's looks were discussed in an early episode (see the series' TV Tropes entry), but otherwise, her physical appearance does not seem to be overly emphasized. To expand, Alana de la Garza is an attractive woman (and even a former local teen beauty pageant "Miss Photogenic" winner), but I don't remember any "she cleans up nicely" scenes or "look at her in that dress" camera shots. Nor, has there been any "have the female detective dress up in something sexy and go undercover" episodes (yet). Also, the character's wardrobe tends to be both (1) masculine, with mostly dark colors, and (2) not overtly fashion-conscious (cf. Beckett's wardrobe on Castle).

I'm still in shock that this got renewed... Maybe *** TVLine.com has the season premiere as Wednesday, July 1st @ 10pm Eastern (9pm Central). In the same article, they mentioned that Melina Kanakaredes (IMDb) of CSI:NY and Providence, will have a guest starring role. (A few more details are in the article).

From the media thread: Although the show is only hover at just above the 1.0 demo rating, I would not be surprised (though not holding out hope) if the series gets at least a half-season order as a mid-season replacement for the next TV year, similar to what ABC did with Body of Proof. Also, the season finale is scheduled for May 5th, per EW.com (somewhat spoilerly article). So, after the new episode on April 7th, and with only two episodes left, it looks like the next new episode will be on April 28th.

It's definitely worth following that article's source link to the original EW article, which gives a quick spoilery synopsis of the season finale's main plot. (Though, there's no details that one would not expect in a normal press release about the episode.)

Is Monroe (Cuba Gooding Jr) an immortal? What's the deal with Abigail? Is it a kind of magic? *** For official episode descriptions and set photos, here's ABC's press page for Forever. *** Regarding, Abigail... Here's a wild theory that I've had for a while: Abigail will show up in the present day, as a young woman, due to reincarnation, though she may not have (all) the memories of Henry's Abigail. With Abigail disappearing in the mid-1980s, the new Abigail's birth year would be close enough to her original actress' (MacKenzie Mauzy) birth year, which IMDb and Wikipedia both list as 1988. *** The link in the media thread about John Noble being cast as a guest star in the series finale, as an antiquities/archaeologist, eventually leads to this EW article:

The end credits listed the "Trivia Genie" as Carrie Anne Fleming (IMDb profile), who has had a scattering of minor roles since the mid-1990s.

From the show's Facebook page: I haven't seen any word about the season premiere date on Syfy. (This NBCU MediaVillage micro-site would be the place to watch for official news.) Also, filming for the season started on March 26th (Twitter).

When I first heard about Chaos, I thought "Awesome! Another espionage series. Though, Ratner is involved, hmm..." And, when I actually saw the pilot and it's weird humor (memory is fuzzy), I was "Uh, pass." I think the series was also mismatched regarding networks: It probably would have worked a lot better, say on USA, with its "Characters Welcomed" mantra, than on the CBS, home of procedurals. Guilty. And, She Spies could fit into the "never had a chance" category, due to it being syndicated.

Saw this on another forum: Principal filming for the pilot wrapped on Sunday morning (via KryptonSite.com).

Language nerdery ahead: Pulled out my Japanese-English dictionary and looked up the episode title. "Shōnin"* is the romanization of a few Japanese words with different meanings, including one that means "witness" -- which given the plot arcs so far, is probably what they were primarily going for -- and others that mean respectively (1) shopkeeper or merchant, and (2) approval, recognition, or sanction. *Also, the o with a solid line (a "macron") is not in the standard ANSI Latin character set, so that missing is to be expected.

May sweeps run April 23rd to May 20th this year (PDF file), so an extra repeat would allow two new episodes during the sweeps period. But, if it's any consolation, it looks like NCIS and NCIS:NO are alse repeats on April 21st (based on TheFutonCritic's schedule).

SuperheroHype.com has a few wire photos of Benoist as Kara during the filming of an outdoor scene. Here's the full screen slideshow. (Tip: Use your browser's right-click menu to view the image by itself at full resolution. For example, slide #2 is over 1600 x 2400).

That publicity photo does look underexposed. Adjusting the image's eV value by 100% produces much more 'normal' looking colors and skin tones, so I wouldn't be too worried about the costume being too dark. And, we'll probably get a better look at the costume once some photos from outdoor on-location filming pop up on the Interwebs. Here's the same image, adjusted by a full eV (spoiler'ed only to reduce scrolling): And, with the image adjustment, you can actually see a thin red stripe going down the center of each of the arm sleeves, along with some similar red loops perpendicular to the long red stripes. (edited: To correct grammar and add missing punctuation.)

This was available Saturday on Time-Warner's On-Demand... To answer the big question: Ramse lives. And, so does Jones. Episode Summary: The episode opens in 2015, with Cole and Railly. Railly is working on trying to locate the Night Room. Then, Cole gets intentionally splintered-back to 2043 early -- on a "Wednesday" -- due to Deacon's attempt at raiding the splinter compound. There are also flashbacks to sometime in the 2030s, filling in back story on how Cole and Ramse came to join up and eventually leave Deacon's group. Deacon's group does breach the compound and things look dire. Jones tries to send Cole back to 2015 "permanently," but part of Deacon's crew breaches the Splinter room, and there is some gunfire just as Cole splinters back to... "Monday," just before Deacon's raid. And, to make matters worse, Deacon and his crew happen upon Cole just after he appears. So, with the short time jump, Cole is eventually able to stop Deacon from successfully raiding the compound, thanks to the help of Max (the female scavenger Ramse ran into during the previous episode). All of the events before Cole's jump still happen. After the raid fails, Deacon conveniently escapes. And, (I'm fairly sure that) he saw Cole splinter, so Deacon is now probably at least intrigued about what is going on at the compound. Max is allowed to stay at the compound. Also, Max has a little romantic history with Cole, so there is a potential for a temporal love triangle. Though, Cole doesn't really seem interested in Max nowadays. Jones states that the short splinter jump was due to the splinter device being damaged by gunfire. So, the short jump was apparently luck and probably could not be repeated. At the end, Cole splinters back to 2015, apparently a few hours after the opening scene. As a hook for the next episode, Cassandra tells Cole that she has found the Night Room. Other Notes: The "Atari" title refers to a situation in the ancient Chinese game of "Go" (Wikipedia). This is discussed during the episode between Ramse and Cole. Except for a Splinter-related hallucination scene, Cassandra only appears in the cold open and the last scene. I don't think Noah Bean's character appeared at all in this episode.

Network and timeslot (USA): The CW; Tuesdays @ 8:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. The series premieres on Tuesday, October 7th. Regarding the premiere episode, the CW now has it scheduled to run three minutes over. So, those who will manually recording the episode, or will be watching another show on a different network immediately following this episode, should plan according. From a CW press released on Friday (via TheFutonCritic.com): And, yes, they're even specifying the seconds (:54).

Nielsen ratings for the first two episodes, via TV By The Numbers: Monday finals: 8.59 million viewers / 1.7 in the 18-49 demo -- Forver retained 77% of Dancing with the Star's demo (2.2) and 67% of its totall viewers (12.76 million). Tuesday finals: 6.85 million viewers / 1.8 in the 18-49 demo -- Forever beat Person of Interest by 0.1 in the demo and retained 85% of Agents of Shield's demo (2,1), while increasing viewers by ~800,000. (These numbers differ slightly from the "Overnight" numbers used in the ABC press release, below.) {Overall, not bad, but not necessarily that good, either.} Official spin from ABC on Tuesday's numbers (viaTheFutoncritic.com): For those curious, the series that premiered in 2010 was Detroit 1-8-7 (Wikipedia).