NJRadioGuy

This is what I always hated about episodic TV. The status quo must be maintained at all costs. I'd quite honestly like to see Frank in a relationship--a slow one--and see how it changes the family dynamic. Not to set the woman up to be a scammer or criminal, but the real deal. They had so many chances to make this happen over the years.

While there are a great number of things to fault about BB, if anything they're far too easy on perps of colour. I hate to say it, but in the real world, real homicides in urban settings (very sadly) involve black-on-black crime, and very often over dope, retaliation or settling a beef over something that a generation ago would have the two going at it with fists instead of guns. I don't think anybody compiles racial stats on violent crime, but ask any gold shield in the city and they'll tell you the same sad stories. I'm not editorializing it in any way, just sayin' that's how it really is. But what also "really is" is perps aren't always the morons they are on TV, and the ones with a brain will utter exactly one word after they're popped: "Lawyer." And unlike the horseshit world of the Reagan Police Department, when a perp lawyers up, the investigators stop the interview immediately. But unlike the world of the Reagan PD, the perps usually aren't generally interviewed until there is solid evidence against them and an arrest warrant has already been sworn out. Their statement at that point is icing on the cake if they choose to talk. If they don't, it's straight to lockup. As for that shootout in the elevator, don't even get me started. Good ghods that was awful. As is most of what Saint Danny does on a weekly basis.

Whoever's writing this garbage seriously needs to read a few good manuals on evidence and admissibility. This is the fourth or fifth time this show has seemed to press the idiotic notion that having a testifying eyewitness is more important than video evidence. The DA's office was given clear permission to install a remote surveilance camera in the guy's apartment. The camera clearly captured multiple felonies, with the doers' faces visible. That's enough to get arrest warrants and to send in the cavalry. Video evidence is second only to DNA evidence in terms of being "rock solid" in the minds of prosecutors. Jurors eat that up and ask for more. A very typical perp interview starts with the video surveilance. Two investigators go into the box with the suspect, and after a time, show him the video and say "Who's that guy right there? Instinctively, and often within seconds, the perp will say 'yeah, that's me', or 'yeah, that's <so-and-so>. Bingo. Done. See ya in 20 years. There's video evidence of the crime. The suspect puts himself there, punching his own ticket to Sing-Sing. Defense attorneys know the game. No defense att'y will *ever* let a suspect/client make a statement. None. Ever--unless it's absolutely a case of mistaken identity and the guy has an absolute airtight alibi (as in video of him with friends across town, phone GPS records putting him there, etc). Investigators don't need a confession or a statement (although it makes it easier to get a conviction). An eyewitness is great, video is better, DNA is best. Any combination of the three and it's often game over for the perp, and an almost 100% chance he takes a plea. And do you seriously expect the precinct commanders and bosses higher-up wouldn't be climbing all over each other to raid that building, for narcotics detectives to not want some high profile collars from there? Cleaning out a building like that makes careers for everybody involved. No way in hell a building would get that bad and the PD not become involved early on. Pro-tip: In real life, the action is in the stairwells, not the corridors. And a few strategic apartments in the complex. Good ghods, has nobody in the writers' room ever watched season 1 of The Wire? Wouldn't it be a hoot of David Ramsey ends up as Mayor Diggle once Ollie moves on to something else? Hey, experience and everything <G>.

Roni is a model of how not to do policing in my book. The end goal of good policing is to keep the area you're responsible for safe. That can be accomplished by locking the bad guys up and discouraging bad behaviour that leads to more serious consequences later on. If all you do your job for is to lock people up, then you're policing by fear. That rarely ends well. Carrot-vs-stick, etc. I read an interesting piece a year or so back (sorry, I forget where) that dealt with road enforcement. When you run a stop sign or pass through a radar trap and the red and blue lights come on behind you, that feeling of dread and knowing you're in deep sewage is far more of a horrible feeling than actually having to pay the (typical) $150 fine. Unless you're in deep poverty, a minor traffic fine isn't going to mean not eating for a week or affording medicine (and even then, courts will often show mercy), but it is a deterrent. So the study found that the very act of pulling drivers over and discussing what happened was as strong a deterrent as writing a ticket, albeit with less income to the towns...but with the same effect. Reduced accident rates, greater compliance. And meanwhile, the driver who gets pulled over, checked for outstanding warrants, etc, but not fined is more likely to come away from the stop with a better opinion of policing--i.e. won't see it as a cash grab but as a genuine attempt to make the roads safer. And he'll probably pay stricter attention to the speed limit or stop signs in the future.

If you ever want to see a training video of why ordinary citizens have a strong dislike for LEOs, this focus on TPD could be it. The stop for that teenage girl underage drinking made me livid. Pour out the beer threaten to run her in next time and send 'em both on their way. Now the kid gets an arrest record (even if it's juvie) and a lifelong hatred for the cops over a lousy beer on Halowe'en. Yeah, what a great use of taxpayer's resources on display. The only thing missing was that patrol officer saying the girl failed to "respect mah autoritah!" I'm all for a strong show of force over crimes of violence, weapons, narcotics dealing and so on, but for penny-ante stuff, a summons or a warning and a dirty look might often be the best long-term solution rather than whipping out the cuffs and playing the tin-plated despot.

I just kept thinking that at least Huck wasn't stupid enough to confront Eli Pope at the train-entrance end of the platform in what sure as hell looked like the Zoe Barnes Memorial Subway station. Huck is no Frank Underwood, and that's who I watch when I want a good political thriller, with Designated Survivor a runner up because, well, Kiefer Sutherland. Scandal has become a check-your-brain-at-the-door show that's entertaining if you don't even pretend to take it seriously. S1/2 were great but ever since it's just been a fun ride with some magnificent performances by Bellamy Young from time to time, thrown in for good measure. I'm with the others here re Huck: He's MostlyDead, not All Dead. And I think we're about six to eight episodes away from Charlie ending up in a landfill and Huckelberry Quinn pulling each other's teeth out in the sack.

This one worked for me on every level. Finally they show us a realistic response to a major fire and its after effects for everybody concerned. Good point about NewGirl™ being the focal point for the pearl-clutching audience members. That was about as real a scene as you can do within the confines of network television. Betcha there were a ton of CFD firehouses tuned in to catch members' cameos! My compliments on the makeup artists and VFX crews as well. And taken as a whole, this was two hours of very enjoyable television (well, 3 x 42 minutes). Welcome back Law and Order, too. How I've missed you!

I'm actually pretty well OK with it, hokiness and all. I'm just glad they stopped the audience abuse. The least few seasons made me feel like a Suits survivor, as life-altering emotional distress after distress befell every character they made us care about in the earlier seasons. It's one thing to put your good characters through the wringer to see how they'll grow and come out the other side but in earlier seasons it was unrelenting. Some happiness was overdue, and what I really hoped would happen did—Mike will now (hopefully) get the chance to practice his kind of law and have the resources to go after some real nefarious players in his quest to help the little guy. That's the story I really cared about throughout the entire run. I hope the writers can pull it off, keeping the office melodrama to a minimum with Mike, Harvey and Donna et al. Louis. I feel sorry for the guy, I really do. His character has always had so much potential and this year he was getting into a good groove. Likeable, even. I guess now we'll get to see him truly turn to the dark side, which really is his first instinct. I hope I'm wrong here, but I don't think I am. Gretchen is probably his last hope at sanity for a while. What I am truly sick and tired of is the Mike Melodrama. PLEASE let this be over and get back to interesting legal twists. I'm also really interested to see Robert Zane come more into focus here, which I think he will.

I'm with others here re the Tampa episodes. Definitely not feelin' it this season, and I think if they'd started the series off here it would never have gotten a second season. There are a zillion cop shows already, why not use Nightwatch to focus exclusively on the EMT/FD side of things. I'd much rather see stories of first responders helping people in their hour of need rather than busting someone for stealing a car or an iPhone. I enjoy First 48 for serious police investigations but I honestly don't need another "Cops" like show. Chopper footage is interesting, though, and seeing how it integrates into their patrol practices. That's something we don't do up north to any large degree. As for all the goddy-bits, I have friends near Tampa-St. Pete, and yeah, it's everywhere. Nobody in my family is religious in the slightest and I'd be pissed off if I were literally being preached at by an EMT.

You can compromise a little and have it immensely satisfying. I re-watched the entire 7 season run of Emergency! last year and the firefighting and rescue techniques they displayed were still very enjoyable to watch, even with 1970s values and absolutely horrific storytelling in the B-plots of each stand-alone episode. You never saw the blood and guts, every rescue victim just had a broken bone that could be splinted or a coronary problem, no ODs, amputations or messy trauma events, but the rescues were pretty awesome and you could tell the love and respect that the crew and the showrunner (Ron Cinader) had for the LACoFD in that era. The department was honored to have them representing them at the time. Additional crews that had no lines or worked with the *real* 51 were friends, colleagues, professionals and worked wonderfully with them. In fact, the engineer and one of the firefighters were actual LACoFD firefighters in real life (Mike Stoker and engineer Marco Lopez). To this day, people visit station 127 in Carson (where the exteriors were filmed) and the crew gives them tours of the station, which hasn't changed all that much in 46 years! So yes, it's possible to depict firefighting and the FD respectfully and still have some pretty cool drama. The idea is to care about the lives of the men and women on the job. To see them in high-risk situations, political situations, etc, while doing the job right wouldn't take that much more effort to do right. You can still ship Character A and Character B, but without making every single FF outside of the featured house to be a total incompetent, malcontent or douchecanoe.

And with Mouch as the Union rep, I'm surprised the grievances weren't flying back and forth so fast they'd need to hire off-duty controllers from Midway to handle them all. This all started with Anderson putting his and another company's men in grave peril when he was incident commander. Thus he's still in the field and not at a desk full-time (which I find laughable in and of itself, but stick with me here). Easy enough to follow him around when you're off-duty, recording every event, just waiting for him to screw up, and catch it all on video. And as I mentioned in last week's thread, I'm also handwaving away the fact the two emperiled crews haven't called him out on his actions and formally reviewed the call with the real brass.

Yeah, they did. What's not to work? Steel pipes, independent brass heads, a pump mechanism with a shutoff valve, and a connection to a water supply. Ain't rocket surgery.

Brett, please. Not that I'd trust her to treat it, but it would redirect blood flow and take my mind off the pain :) Then get me over to Med so I can talk over the psychological trauma of my Scotch-burned honker with Reese. Preferably in Mollys later, with more Scotch. As for the response, WTF, why not just hook into the FDC, pump up to 150psi and let the laws of physics take over. Or are there no sprinkler systems in UnicornLand™ Chicago?

How does the real-world CFD lend their name, uniforms and apparatus to this show any more, when they constantly disrespect the profession at every single damn turn. I was angry enough to shit live hornets after watching all the incompetents (except the super-hot Candidate, of course) depicted in the various houses. If I were on the job in Chicago I would be sickened to see how they depict the companies. If that chief's regular men didn't see that backdraft about to happen none of them belong in the fireground. From the eye-rolling department, part the first: Cruz and the other Squad guy (forget his name) going to dispatch. Right. Because they've now mastered CAD, call-prioritizing, probably call-taking and slipped past the union in an hour. Dispatchers around the country, you may now pick your jaws off the floor and put your headsets back on, K. Eye-rolling department, part the second: Remember those Haligans and axes that can pop actual steel doors in seconds? Yeah, they don't quite work so well against hollow wooden doors with simple latches, which is exactly what they were. And a ballroom that size in a major hotel without multiple fire exits, each equipped with up-to-code panic bars? What would have worked, plot-wise, would have been we find out that DDC Anderson signed off on an inspection of that hotel knowing it had no panic bars, sprinklers, alarms and smoke detectors, and it not just gets him fired, but arrested and indicted as well. And how the hell can the entire sprinkler system be out of order? It's pretty damned basic. If necessary, feed into the FDC siamese and let 'er rip; the heat would trigger the heads and all you'd need is pressurized water in the line. Part the third: The floor is solid marble, yet there's a sharp, delineated line of heavy fire sprouting all around it. Didn't the writers ever watch the Flintstones growing up? Joe Rockhead's Volunteer Fire Department: Everything's made of rock, it can't burn!. Sheesh. Part the fourth: Half a dozen ladder companies and two engines, with two hose lines on a serious working fire. And there's Otis handling a 2-1/2 on his own. Protip: Glenmorangie single malt Scotch hurts as it exits one's nasal cavities. For readers without a passing understanding of fire vehicles, the very very general rule of thumb is 2 engines (aka "pumpers" in Canada) for every truck company (aka "aerial" in Canada). At a typical big-city one alarm fire you'd see 4 or 5 engines, 2 or more likely three ladder companies, a squad and/or heavy rescue and a Battalion Chief. Subsequent alarms would likely call for an additional 4 engines, 2 trucks, more white helmets and special units. Lather, rinse, and repeat as the alarm level rises. For that hotel job, assuming Boden's the first on scene, he's calling at least a second alarm, if not a third, with smoke showing. Then with heavy fire discovered and entrapment, a fast escalation to 5 or 6 for manpower. So I would expect about 20 engine companies (with 4 or 5 firefighters on each), roughly 10 truck companies, two heavy rescues and various white helmets. Including Anderson, who--frighteningly--could wind up as the CO for that job as a deputy district chief on a multiple alarm level. I was frankly surprised he wasn't.

I was just thinking something similar. The makeup job on that crispy critter was pretty amazing when you stop and think about it. Say what you will about the cheese and cornball plots on this show, once the fecal matter strikes the rotary oscillator, I have complete willing suspension of disbelief. I don't mind mass-casualty scenes if they get the details even close to right, which TV never does. An MVA of that magnitude would have half the CFD, CPD and ISP on scene by the time patients were being extricated and treated. It would be a sea of red and blue lights. But fake cop cars, FD apparatus and ambulances cost a ton of money and add very little to the plot except to people in the know, so I get it.

Because he wants to practice in a way that directly helps people; he's not in it for the money and I believe him when he says he doesn't want to work for or with PSL. What I'd like to see happen in the Suits-iverse, over the next season, would be Mike actually becoming a lawyer, then somehow taking over the legal clinic and practicing the kind of law he's always wanted to do. How his relationship to PSL would be maintained is the part I'm not quite sure of, although I could see Mike going up against one of Harvey's corporate clients for some nefarious acts that hurt Mike's clients–of course, with Mike coming out victorious at the end. But the showrunners seem to find a new way to crush someone every year now, and I'm just trying to figure out whose life they're going to destroy next. Louis is obviously going to be hurt badly (because that's what these writers do with such a wonderful character), Rachel is likely going to bail and marry some prince or something <g> and I think the season-ending cliffhanger will be Mike's role in the stock manipulation suit will come back to bite him--hard--and then who knows. I would like to see things end on a positive note but I don't think it's going to happen.

That was the whole storyline. Both were O-neg, which I imagine is a zebra situation. Rh- blood types are only supposedly 15% of the population. With two children in urgent need there's no way it would take 10-15 hours for someone to get donations set up. I can imagine the PA announcement, too: "We have two critically-ill little boys with life threatening conditions, and we desperately need two or more units of O negative blood. due to the storm, we cannot get an outside blood supply. Please come to room X on the first floor to donate." You'd have 'em lined up out the door and halfway to O'Hare in 2 minutes because that's what real people do when kids are sick. Now that said, I don't care how bad a snowstorm is, even at 3" per hour, any decent Jeep with a skilled driver can navigate those conditions and deliver much-needed supplies. Might be delayed due to traffic, but if you know the city you can get through. I'm sure a nearby hospital could have gotten some blood over, but then what fun would that be.

And this episode is why I could never work in the E.D. I had to safeword on the burn vic. Not a bad episode overall but the squick factor was higher than I liked, and I can generally take a lot.

I dunno. I think it might put some noses out of joint from the local ranks (and maybe the union would have something to say about it), but if you know that guy you got your eye on is the Real Deal, I could see it. There are also multiple BCs in every department depending on the size of the department, number of firehouses and FFs. Springfield (in real life), has 10 Engine companies, 3 trucks, 3 rescues and 2 BCs positions. Depending on their schedules, there are probably 6 to 8 people of that rank, so Severide wouldn't become the Big Cheese, just one of several small cheeses. And you know what they say, what a friend we have in cheeses. Springfield, IL FD Website

Yup, what I was thinking. Plus you'd get more supporting characters that way--and frankly, those are what make or break a show for me. Mouch and Hermann are far more real to me than Casey or Dawson. And all the lateral moves from squad to rescue to truck would be unnecessary. Notice how nobody's moved to Engine yet. Funny that.

Duplicate post; sorry.

What the actual f@#k did I just watch? The first words out of Anderson's mouth should have been "Boden, I owe you my life, brother, and the lives of my men." Boden had a perspective Anderson did not. It happens. You stop work and rectify the danger. If you don't recognize that you have no business being on the job at all, let alone in a white helmet. 128's incident reports should have put paid to any field command aspirations by Anderson, and relegated him to desk duty forthwith. How the hell would any firefighter willingly serve under a jackass like that knowing the next time that tones drop it may be their ass in a sling—on in the morgue. Here is where Emergency! excelled and CF is a fourth alarm pile of flaming dung—and what the writers refuse to show. Firefighters are a brotherhood. Doesn't matter what department, what rank, what assignment—engineman, truck, rescue squad, whatever. There's an overarching responsibility: at the end of shift you go home safe to your family and make damn sure your brothers (and sisters) goes home to theirs. Naturally rivalries exist between companies and departments but when the bells go off you're all on the same team. You against the Beast. Every time. And that's what's so frustrating about this show. They reach for the low-hanging fruit every time. The bullshit drama that just couldn't exist naturally on the job, when there are a million good rescues and fires that could steal the show, and form the basis for the crews to bond, and yes, maybe fall in love. I'd rather see that MVA call run longer, Boden catches Anderson's fuckup, saves 128's crew and the victims and show how a friendship evolves rather than how enmity breaks out that will undoubtedly be resolved next week or the week after (in Boden's favor, naturally). I like the interactions with PD and Med as well. Tell better stories and incorporate all aspects of first response more often. I'd watch the hell out of that.

Well, for once Danny and his partner acted like actual murder police in their investigation. What a pleasant surprise. Usually they're hauling the suspect into the box before they have anything, beating suspects and all sorts of other ridiculous horseshit. This week they did it mostly right. Pull his cell records first, gather video evidence, etc. Paint the picture ahead of time then haul him in and charge him. My biggest beef was the security camera at the crime scene....that was actually a motion sensor for the floodlights. Meanwhile, if you look at a long shot of the alley where they found the vic, there was an actual real-life security camera! Yes, I look for those in TV crime scenes! But don't get me started on that moron TARU video tech. You cannot "enhance" security video that clearly. When will Hollywood ever stop with that ridiculous trope? Even a HD surveillance camera won't give you a tag on a moving car or much in the way of facial features unless everything lines up just so. Protip: Unless the video is near perfect, most of the time video surveillance images are used to try and trick the suspect into making a confession or giving a statement where he might otherwise lawyer up. Any competent defense attorney could pick apart a run of the mill video, especially if it's SD. As for Jamie, I found his story plausible, for the reasons others have said; namely having a patrol officer in the story. I do hope he gets his gold shield soon, though. Or failing that, some position that might let him FINALLY have an excuse to boff Eddie. Yes, I like her and she'd be good for him, but just stop playing are they/aren't they on the show. Break them up once and for all, or put them together and get her to the dinner table on S.I.

That would make too much sense. Remember, this is the same show that rolls up on a 10 story multiple dwelling, fully involved, with one engine, one ladder and one squad company and single-handedly knocks down the fire in 10 minutes. And whose engine crew apparently has constant difficulty putting the wet stuff on the red stuff (and has to be told by the chief every single time). And why isn't Truck up on every damned roof venting, first and foremost? Because: Fire physics. First- and second-due engines going in with hand lines and doing the primaries? (OK, I'll stop now). Loved the Chekov's Handtools line. Heh. And if that rabbit is leaking hydraulic fluid shouldn't that have shown up in drilling, and wouldn't they have another one on a different apparatus? But it was a pretty cool move. So damned sick of St. Gabby, and even sicker of the whole bayyyybeeeeeeeee storyline. Ye flippin' ghods; enough. Maybe if Truck had opened up the damned roof like they should have, Engine had brought down a couple of charged handlines into the basement with Squad (and Boden struck a third or fourth alarm) they could have easily gotten the Nutjob out.

I just have one big continuity problem. How did Dorothy get her old clothes back? Last we see her in E3, she's heading for the road in full East costume, and a giant hole blown through the East castle when the tornado evaporated. Dorothy didn't look like she was heading back for her old stuff. That needed to be explained story-wise.