wknt3

Yeah it seems like they run the same seasons in a loop too so you will see Logan episodes over and over and then it will be all post-Briscoe for a couple months. And it seems like the California trilogy is always on my DVR listings. And there doesn't appear to be any logic to it other than not airing the Milena Govich episodes very often - I could understand those doing worse in the ratings or being seen as unrepresentative.

Here's an unpopular opinion. Farina/Fontana saved the show and he deserves a lot more credit than he gets. The writing was starting to decline and the legal side of the show was as weak as ever while he was there with the Rohmbot and Borgia the non-entity. And when they did try to create a character who was totally different and younger their first try was the single most unpopular character in the history of the show and viewer reaction would have been harsher if she had to follow Lennie. I think he was a good actor and a decent character and the show could very well have been cancelled with a lesser actor or character.

Well Hudson was supposed to be an amalgam of Columbia and NYU. And before I worked in banking I worked in higher ed for one of those "not quite Ivies" and yes it is possible for a school to manipulate rankings and increase prestige and applications. So I don't have a huge problem with Hudson being elite. As far as Elliott's kids that was bad writing, but it can easily be fanwanked. They might have tested well and Stabler did probably have some contacts and knows where the bodies are buried on campus. Literally.

As far as Fin is concerned I am pretty sure Ice T and his character have a lot in common. He is not interested in moving up to lead and is happy to be a steady veteran presence who can be counted on to not foul things up too badly and just wants to do the job he signed up for and get his paycheck. If anything Carisi would be the new lead, but I agree with you that if Mariska leaves the show is done. It's pretty clear that NBC is convinced (and probably has viewer research to back up the idea) that some sizable portion of the audience is watching just to see what happens to Benson. It's the only reason they would allow her to take over the show so thoroughly even when it's to the detriment of the overall quality like in this episode where instead of writing the victim as hell bent for leather initially and Barba deciding to push the envelope and try to advance the law it is St. Benson who feels her pain and is the only one who understands just how bad the perp is and everyone else just follows.

The casting on this show has always been amazing. For whatever reason ( good atmosphere, connections, wanting to work with the regular cast, liking the writing, etc.) it seems that they have no problem getting established performers to come on.

It is a real legal discussion and I thought the premise was a strong one (albeit one that a lot of the audience would have a hard time accepting). This is the sort of thing L&O always did and SVU has done in the past - create a story as a way to explore legal debates and social issues. I do have a problem with Liv being the one to make the decision, but it was an interesting issue and one that they haven't done a dozen times already. This reminds of what is probably my favorite line ever from the internet - "I graduated Sunnydale High School only to go to Hudson University."

The Good: The guest stars. Fin - "I pretended I was Melle Mel" LOL I wonder if Ice T helped them with the old school hip hop reference? They seemed to be aware that they were pushing the envelope and they even allowed for some internal debate. The chemistry between Rollins and Carisi. I still don't think it's a great idea to pursue a relationship, but I have to admit that the actors really do work well together. The Bad: More Noah drama (but offscreen! yay!) I would think given his history that if his only cognitive issue was being slightly behind in verbal skills that would be very good. Maybe you don't spend quite as much time reading to him as you think given that you are constantly in the field, are in court for every case, consult with Barba on everything, and do all the paperwork and command stuff that was a full time job for every previous CO? Just a thought. Was Barba supposed to be heavily medicated or something? This is right in his wheelhouse and he seemed to be meekly following Liv's lead, his conversation with the judge seemed really subdued, and he didn't really pithily summarize the legal issues. They really should have used another fictional college or made the school's history an explicit part of the story. We joke about it, but like a lot of you it was a problem for me this time. The ending. It was unnecessary and didn't really seem to serve any explicit story purpose. Unless this is the wakeup call for Liv that leads her to take down the crusading a notch and maybe go back to policing in which case all is forgiven! Overall I think they did about as well as they could have with a challenging concept. They might have been able to do a little better with presenting the legal issues and how this was different from the normal lying that just about everyone does, but my biggest problem with this episode is something I don't think can be solved by any single episode - Benson/MH's out of control ego.

It's probably more a matter of history than population. There has always been a tendency to resist any sort of centralization of law enforcement as tyranny, the system developed earlier so the smaller specialized agencies are more deeply rooted (just as in the UK which is far more open to consolidation and annexation than the US) etc. etc. The US and Australia are each crazy in their own special way... It should be noted that NY is particularly bad for having multiple agencies and overlapping jurisdictions in all sorts of areas of governance due to a variety of historical factors pretty much boiling down to some of John's running themes of "issues can be very important but boring, people protecting their parochial self interest put a lot of pressure on politicians while the rest of us can't be bothered to care, and fear mongering trumps rational analysis any day.

I don;t have a problem with them picking whatever version of the story works best for a character and going forward with it. I do hope that they have learned their lesson from the past and have established some sort of clear priority list so that if the reboot Wonder Woman conflicts with something in the past stories they are drawing from to create the canon for the rebooted Titans they go with Wonder Woman, handwave it away and either ignore or leave it vague when it comes up in the Titans and don't try to do endless continuity patches and rejiggering. I would also hope they realize that the best version of their characters isn't what appeals to 50 year old comics professionals, but that's a bit too much to ask.

Unfortunately they can't. Once you show a particular flair for any type of joke they will run with it and push it further and further until they are there with a truncheon and the last bits of decaying horseflesh left on the bone are spraying through the air. Just as Stuart once was more than just a sad sack and bitchiness was just one part of Christine Baranski's character Bernadette is now always mean and yelling at people. I think that the proof that Simon Helberg is probably the best actor in a very good cast is that his is the only secondary character that still regularly displays multiple character traits and has different kinds of punchlines.

No problem. As I said it's easy to miss since she still acts like a Sgt. or a detective and the whole issue of rank and unit command (provisional or otherwise) was rather muddled for a few seasons after they decided Dann Florek cost too much and was too old. What is unforgivable (of both of us) is refusing to admit that things like rank are unimportant and that what matters is she is the only one in the NYPD who really understands and fights for the victims as well as grasping the big picture issues. So of course the VP would single out St. Benson of Manhattan.

Whoa there. She's a lieutenant now, don't be calling her sergeant! I know it's easy to get confused since she's out in the field constantly arresting people, doing interviews, etc. but she is the official permanent CO of the squad now and deserves respect. She is the most perfect special snowflake in the entire NYPD after all!

I'm not so sure that the girls are automatically second class citizens. Jamie is often treated as a second class citizen when he acknowledges reality and the existence of Constitutional rights even when they are inconvenient for cops. And Frank treats Garrett the same way for the same things. It's not just Erin. And Nikki is just annoying to everyone Reagan or not.

I loved this one and don't understand why it was saved for the end either. If they were going for the traditional "10 to 1" stick the weakest sketch at the end they should have stuck the Hunch Bunch here. If they thought they were doing what they sometimes try to do where they put something strong, but non-mainstream and a bit edgy here they are just as lame and safe in their comedy taste as their critics say. If their thought process was that the prefilmed shorts are really intended for the internet anyways and they want to avoid tune out during the live show and increase flexibility a bit by putting a good filmed bit right before the good nights I would have switched it up with The Librarian. In any case it was gold.

Thanks! I really need to re-watch The Wire. I thought it looked like her, but she wasn't listed on the IMDB page and she looked a little different so I thought it was someone else inspired by her performance. You are not an old fogey. Frank was just right for a change. :-) Up until writing him a summons at least. I could see that being seen as over the top, but as far as the rest is concerned? The cop was completely out of line and I had no sympathy for him. It's another case of bad writing - they either should have toned the beat cop's behavior way down, added another cop with him who also got the book thrown at them by Frank for something minor who could be seen as merely guilty by association, or changed the resolution. I mean when you have just about all the posters here saying that Frank Reagan was not as much of a pompous ass as the other characters would have us believe you clearly have done something wrong...

One advantage of the show's current lower ratings and profile is that it's easier to do this kind of remote. But yes I watch the show on a semi-regular basis, have social media, etc. and I wouldn't necessarily recognize Roy out of context and in costume. Maybe not Jordan Klepper either. I love his work, but wasn't one of the jokes when he started that he was a fairly generic white guy? I probably would have recognized them because they were together, but I can't say that I'd expect the average person on the street to. Especially the kind of person that would react the way they wanted to and make it on air.

Random Thoughts: Interesting that the insubordinate cop is from the 27. It's always nice to see Steve Schirripa, but I do think he works better in the Danny light episodes. It's a bit too much blue collar detective taking things personally and fighting the system that won't let him get justice with a well deserved beating. It was nice to see Erin and to see Henry doing something other than talking about back in the day. They even remembered that he's a well connected former commissioner and not a retired precinct sergeant! I do wish they had dialed bit on his mom though. If she wasn't full blown Alzheimer's, but the early stages of dementia it would have been more believable that Tony hadn't stepped in long ago to help with finances. And that the bank let it happen. Of course it does make it more believable that the bank CEO would write a check to keep the regulators and the media from looking at their elder abuse program. And this would have been an especially good week to cut back on Danny since this week's story was about as by the numbers as you can get. I did like the actress who played the gang leader though. Not sure what to make of the Frank plot. It seems pretty clear that the officer was waaaaay out of line and Frank's summons was petty and a bit over the top. Yet this was some huge debate and Frank even came as close to admitting he made a mistake as he ever does? WTF?

And Barba would never just stand there politely and let Liv take over plea negotiations! The thing is I'm not so sure it's on the new showrunner - DEVIOUS455 just summed up my review of not just this espisode, but just about every episode in the second half of last season. It's like season 16 had potentital, season 17 started to deliver on that potential and then about halfway through started regressing and now we're back to good ideas that don't quite deliver despite great acting. I agree. And I have no problem with Joe Biden getting some airtime for the work he did IRL getting federal funds to help solve the problem. I wouldn't have minded a PSA for the foundation with Mariska and Biden or more time spent on the opening with Biden talking about the issue. Just give us a little nod to realism. If Fred Thompson could share the stage with a couple extras as generic VIPs at his press conference with Mayor Bloomberg so can Mariska with VP Biden.

Also not a lawyer and would not consider myself particularly knowledgeable in this are of law, but in the L&Overse it's been pretty well established that prosecutors will generally take it into account when negotiating plea bargains and judges do tend to be more lenient in these circumstances. My understanding is the same as WENDYCR72 that there is nothing specific and it is a matter of those involved using their discretion.

It wasn't the Trump supporter's fault. The microphone didn't work.

The Good: Lots of Fin, and in something more than a comic relief role. He was also looking much better than last episode. Lots of Barba goodness. Lots of courtroom scenes for that matter. It was good to see a sexually based offense front and center. Liv leading and the squad investigating, It was nice to see everyone involved (they remembered Rollins this week!) and not Liv doing everything while Carisi helps and Fin snarks. The scene questioning the parolee and trying to break the alibi really felt like classic SVU or even mothership. It's been done a million times, but sometimes all you need is the tried and true done right (see below.) Good acting especially from the kid. The Bad: Fin can't put on a tie for the Vice President? But he can for court? Hell the whole episode is about history, why not go all the way and put him in one of those sharp three piece suits? I know he's gained a few pounds since back in the day, but he could still pull it off and remind Carisi and Barba that he did it first. That whole intro was very frustrating. Mariska couldn't tolerate having a couple extras up there with her and Biden? We're really supposed to believe that there wouldn't be Deputy Commissioner or Chief up there and Liv would get all the credit? And they didn't really talk about the federal grant program for resolving the backlog. For that matter I could have sworn they've talked on the show before about how NYPD doesn't have the huge backlog problem that so many departments do. Speaking of ego we're really supposed to believe that Barba would just sit there and Liv take over plea negotiations with Buchanan? The whole plot has been done before much better. It's inevitable with a franchise that has been on for so long that you are going to repeat stories and themes. The headlines you rip these episodes from repeat themselves after all. But when you do something that's already been done you either need to put a new spin on it or you need to make sure that you do it as well or preferably better than you did before. Come up with a more realistic ID screw up from the squad or have it simply be that Buchanan picked up on the kid's crush and it's all his brilliant cross. Or go with the old standard and have the real bad guy be the fiance or the mother. I just couldn't help, but think about all the times this had been done better. Overall I didn't hate this as much as the rest of those posting here seem to. But I was disappointed again. This was another good idea (which is why the L&Overse has done it several time before) that was turned into a meh script that the cast acted the hell out of it and it's becoming a pattern. What happened to the writers room that gave us Transgender Bridge, Institutional Fail, and Community Policing?

I don't think it's just assuaging a modern conscience. There were critical voices behind the scenes as well as a growing movement in the world outside. We can criticize, but we need to be aware that it's a product of its time. I have to agree with you on both episodes. The Galileo Seven does rely on a couple overused TOS tropes - the crew member dying on an away mission and the hostile civilian administrator with command authority, but it uses them very well. And COTEOF is deservedly recognized as a classic. Leonard Nimoy's delivery of "he knows" gets me every time.

Yeah it's definitely there. I think part is the limits of what the network execs could accept (as you noted the original pilot was much more feminist), part is that progressive people often have blind spots (there was a lot of sexism within the Civil Rights Movement itself and plenty of the women who complained about that were homophobic and on and on it goes). Add Shatner's ego as well as the sexism of some of the writers and the fact that they borrowed a lot of stories and tropes from genres that weren't big on women's equality like Westerns. There's a lot of great stuff and a lot of flaws with just about everything in TOS.

I hope so too. It depends on what cable news comes up with today (it's not unusual for debate narratives to change over time) although Trump supporters not being able to agree on a single party line is a pretty good sign as far as her being more positive is concerned. I expect her take to be something along the lines of pointing out the media's reluctance to acknowledge it as a rout as well as not jumping on health and appearance when it comes to men (the sniffling got much more attention online than in the news). It also wouldn't surprise me to see her talk about how a woman in a public role is held to a higher standard and how the media is doing a bad job in that Trump does much better when he's being reported on than when he's visible with no filter for extended periods of time like the convention and debates. 30 minutes of her being happy and relieved would be a boring show after all.

It's true. Blue Bloods has always been superb on all the technical and craft aspects of the show and makeup is no exception. Len Cariou is made to appear older with a prosthetic and a few other tricks. Plus he is a very talented actor. And they use all the usual methods to make Selleck look 10-15 years younger (although that black shoe polish in his hair isn't fooling anyone and seems to be his own choice and not the stylists'.)