dovegrey

I don't think this needs a spoiler tag...? She was billed as "starring" and not as "guest star," since she was hired on as a series regular. Pretty sure she's main cast, like Oscar and Jan were last season. It looks like only the main three now have spots in the opening credits. Some shows do that. :)

I'm stuck on the woman model looking like Jan. I know it can't be Jan, but the resemblance is uncanny to me. I'm kind of hoping the Rose Cooper plot doesn't become further intertwined in the parents of the current crop of Arconia characters, like Charles' father was having an affair with Jan's mother or something.

Last season, dialogue suggested that Sazz was stopped by Lester, who phoned up to Charles that Sazz was there for him. Charles had to approve her coming up to his apartment. So, it doesn't seem like non-residents can officially get past the lobby without permission from a specific resident. IIRC, Oscar/Tie Dye Guy was living with his dad at the Arconia when Tim was killed; so he didn't need to sneak in. Right, the ground level door for Bunny's elevator was not shown to have an exterior handle. The trio were locked out from the elevator when Charles let it shut behind him. Edited to Add: @SnazzyDaisy and I posted at nearly the same time...that looked more like a flat deadbolt filler plate to me when I was watching, but I haven't rewatched any of the episodes. I don't remember any of the characters trying a handle when they got locked out. Right now, it seems like the killer was familiar enough with the Arconia to know where to find Mabel's apartment, as Bunny had a knitting needle in the knife wound; it looks like the killer forced Bunny across the hall to Mabel's apartment...and then knew where to direct the police. It'd be nice if the Comic Relief Trio (or their lawyers) would think to request a copy of the 911 call that triggered the immediate police response to the Arconia that night. And there's still the "get out of the building" text that Charles and Oliver received. The trio think the detective sent it, but I'm not so sure. Was it the killer trying to frame them by having them flee the building as the police arrived? If so, that points to someone with an altogether good deal of inside knowledge. (A part of me wonders if Bunny could have possibly sent it, but I feel sure that at least Oliver would have her as a contact in his phone.)

I don’t think any of the characters have yet to speculate about why Bunny was in Mabel’s apartment and/or why Bunny was wearing the tie dye sweatshirt. At the end of last season, I was convinced that Bunny had been mistaken for Oscar (wearing a tie dye sweatshirt, hood up, in the dark, from behind, in Mabel’s apartment…), but now it’s hard to square that with Bunny’s dying words being “14 Savage” and then the Savage painting being hung in Charles’ apartment. My only thought is that, since the painting plot was put out there super early in the season, it could end up being similar to the season-long Dimas/Angel/Cutter jewelry plot being just slightly related to the murder. As I write this, I wonder if the Dimases are out of jail and looking to revenge frame the podcast trio. Edited to add: Or, heck, Bunny gifted the painting to Charles as a mea culpa for trying to kick them out and had it hung (or had it scheduled to be moved between apartments, with her powers as building president), went to find him and the others in Mabel's apartment that night (wearing her podcast gear to show that she was a fan), and ended up killed. The painting had nothing to do with it. I can't remember if Charles went back to his apartment between the police station scenes and discovering the painting.

Oscar was getting his conviction overthrown/vacated. It would have been a better line to say that he couldn’t be around them without jeopardizing his case. 100% would have bought it. ETA: sorry for the double post. I thought this would nestle with the other post. I suck at mobile posting LOL.

No, and that’s why I didn’t name them. The ones I named don’t/didn’t add value to the show, IMO (we’ll see how the current crop of stunt cast vehicle plots turn out), and the ones you named were integral to the main story. IMO, Sting and Lynch added nothing but filler and weird jokes, similar to Schumer so far. I think the Delevingne love interest role reeks of typical Hollywood cronyism at what currently appears to be the expense of another actor, and I’d be pleased to be wrong. YMMV and that’s what’s great about TV forums. What in the world does a person’s body size have to do with kissing?

It doesn't sound like it was his choice, but I haven't seen any articles that confirm it. Aaron Dominguez/Oscar hasn't apparently said anything. The linked article isn't spoilery (IMO), unless some of the early season 2 storyboarding for Oscar actually ends up happening and he turns up later. Currently, I'm a little cranky about it, with all the tee-hee Selena+Cara BFF articles popping up on my newsfeed about their "hysterical" kiss. With what you said about their backstory - yeah. It devalues a core piece of the first season, in addition to the apparent undercurrent that, if they're not sleeping together, then he's not even going to be around to support her as a friend. I hope he turns up again, though.

I don't have any behind the scenes info, but, unless the actor decided to quit, it kinda sorta reads to me as if Oscar got written out so Selena Gomez could have one of her very close friends (Delevigne) as an apparent love interest instead. To me, it makes absolutely no sense that, what, 1-2 days after the season 1 finale (when Oscar and Mabel were shown as being intimately close) and immediately after Mabel's life is upended by being implicated in a major murder, she and Oscar tacitly agree to just be friends, and Oscar is nowhere to be found. Like, what? Really? Did Oscar kill Bunny and make a run for it? As a general comment, this sort of vibe is also why I'm not thrilled with Amy Schumer, Delevigne, and some of the other stunt-like casting. These elements, like Sting and Jane Lynch last season, veers into the show being a vehicle for a bunch of Hollywood people having a good time for the hell of it, rather than the show being a vehicle for storytelling (yes, even as a comedy). But then, I like dramedies and murder mysteries, and I'm not here for anyone in the cast, so my mileage probably varies. Right. I also doubt the bird is talking about Bunny's murder, and I think it would be terribly contrived writing if it turns out that way. IIRC, the end of season 1 established that Bunny (and Uma, I think) was a secret fan of the podcast, so, when the bird said "I know who did it," I figured the bird picked it up from Bunny talking about Tim's murder. It'd be funny if even the bird (through Bunny) knew it was Jan before the trio did.

I'm absolutely terrible when it comes to floorplans and visualizing things (this is an understatement). But I'm wondering if the secret elevator would even be accessible to Mabel's apartment for the killer to use as an escape route? We know Mabel's and Bunny's apartments are adjacent because of the HVAC crawling shenanigans, so I guess the question would be... is Bunny's closet (where the elevator shaft runs) adjacent to Mabel's apartment or to someone else's apartment - and was the elevator built to open to two apartments per floor (each side of the shaft) or just one? And that leads into the question as to why or how Bunny was in Mabel's apartment to begin with. As a general aside, I said this at the end of last season and I'm still bemused that cameras don't appear to exist in common areas/hallways/stairwells/regular elevators, despite modern technology and two murders (now three).

I think how they handled it by talking up Maverick as a last-leg pariah who never made anything of himself was too confusing for the average viewer. I've had friends and even coworkers talking about how sad it was he never made it past captain - as in, they think he promoted one time since 1986. 😆 But how the writers handled his self-inflicted career stall and refusal to move up and stop flying broke the entire premise for me, far more than him getting in Rooster's way at the academy (yet the movie was still so damn fun). As it is, I think it would have actually been more compelling and less confusing for Mav to have retired as a decorated Navy captain now working as a civilian test pilot who is gloriously pulled out of retirement to fly his beloved jets one last time. Stargate SG-1 (which sounds silly but actually portrayed USAF protocol pretty well for a few years) was rooted in a similar premise nearly 30 years ago with retired Col. Jack O'Neill; viewers followed it just fine.

That, plus I figure it was also done to create a source of conflict between them, which I found to be better than Rooster stewing in a lifetime of resentment against Maverick because of Goose's death. They probably could have found a stronger way to create that tension, but, of all the things this movie did that ranged from improbable to impossible, Rooster going the academy route and/or a Navy captain pulling strings to flatline someone's career doesn't even make the list. If anything, I more questioned how Maverick hadn't been forcibly retired after apparently turning down promotion(s?) to admiral, if I correctly remember the rapid-fire list of grievances against him; not even Iceman could pull that string.

I feel like a Bad Place jerk for quoting something from 2019 but I'll chalk it up to being somewhere in Jeremy Bearimy time... Just now watching this series on Netflix and am enjoying catching up on the old discussion on the threads here. With Chidi and this episode, I don't know if it was necessarily him giving up motivation to do good/moral things because the Good Place was taken away from him, so much as Chidi accepting that everything he has ever believed, taught, researched, studied, and committed himself to is absolutely meaningless. I didn't see it as him wondering what the point was for him - but what's the point of morals and ethics for anyone? Which is exactly what I struggle with the most on the show. This next paragraph or two is just a general thought I've had since pretty much the end of the season 1 and not a response to anyone. What the show, up until this point, tells me is that people are sent to the Bad Place regardless of circumstances, abilities, and differences, and so nothing I have professionally studied, researched, and practiced in a career of helping people matters. I understand why Chidi was absolutely done with his life in this episode, as it's kind of why I've checked out of the premise and am along for the constant resets and usually funny jokes. Jason is almost certainly intellectually disabled and does not have the mental capacity to problem solve or adaptively respond to most situations; he is mentally a very young child with very limited resources as a chronological adult and was sent to hell for it. Chidi was sent to hell due to what appears to be a crippling anxiety disorder with compulsive tendencies who "selfishly" adversely affected people in his life (that's what Michael said in season 1 and JFC AYFKM). Eleanor was sent to hell for not being born with enough resilience to, completely on her own, overcome what appears to be a significant lack of attachment to and from her neglectful parents and then be a selfless, trusting person who is able to be vulnerable long enough to give herself freely to people (which is near impossible to do when your brain didn't wire to do that in early childhood via a secure parental/maternal attachment). Tahani was sent to the Bad Place for effectively being Rich Eleanor with similarly distant/emotionally neglectful but wealthy parents and a different kind of built-in response to being judged by people (Tahani over-pleases, while Eleanor lashes out). I really enjoy this show. It often has me internally debating whether it's the characters' faults for not being self-aware enough to seek improvement as adults (except for Jason - seriously, just leave Jason alone), or if the entire in-show premise was 100% hijacked by the Bad Place (because I'm hoping the writers see the injustice). But I totally understood Chidi just going "fork it all" in this episode (also, like, Finals Week...). Because what's the point when absolutely nothing matters and pretty much everyone ever is going to hell no matter what? Thanks for coming to my less-than-three-hour TED talk.

I read it more as their relationship is working great, only Brett just realized that Casey has happily rooted himself in Portland and isn't ever moving back to Chicago, which isn't at all what he originally intended in 10x5 and isn't at all what Brett originally agreed to for the long-distance relationship. It's essentially looking like a near-total retread of Dawsey, with possibly more respect and communication. My only hope there is that Casey twice told Gabby that he would never, ever leave Chicago to be with her, and then he left Chicago for some kids he hadn't talked to in eight years - so Brett can say whatever she wants but the writers will retcon/forget/handwave the second they need to (like if Kara Kilmer decides eight years of this show is enough).

In the US Navy, the rank of captain (O-6) is equivalent to an Air Force/Army/Marine rank of colonel (O-6). The USN rank of captain is one rank below admiral. They made Pete sound like a career screw up, but he actually had taken multiple promotions since being a USN lieutenant in 1986 and rose up the ranks fairly well; it sounds like he stalled his own career at a certain point, refused to get out or move up, and kept being a PITA to anyone who had to deal with him. But I didn't question a well-known O-6 being able to quash a naval academy candidacy (especially when that person is known to be friends with the US Pacific Fleet commander and especially considering it would have been about 7-9 years before the events of the movie, depending on when Rooster graduated flight school and how long he'd been flying since then). I liked the movie just fine. We rewatched Top Gun the other night, and watching this one today honestly felt like watching Tom Cruise play Tom Cruise playing Maverick. Nevertheless, the movie 100% had me, all in, until it became a Mission Impossible spoof with Maverick and Rooster getting shot down in enemy territory for 30 seconds. Edited to add: I forgot to say here that I genuinely expected there to be losses on this Hail Mary Quadruple Miracle Death Mission, but they ended up playing it for laughs. Meh. All said, anything with fighter pilot action that well filmed is going to have my applause. That took me back a few decades. And this is the first movie we've seen in theaters since right before COVID; it was a great pay off.

I also don’t remember Casey having a special haligan with a special name. That was totally retconned. He always used a regular, very beat up haligan. And it’s kind of annoying how the show almost acts as if Portland doesn’t have regular fires/rescues - only wildfires! (BTW - Tuesday is the firehouse dog.) With Severide - I had the same exact thought as I watched it. Killing a person, regardless of the circumstance, is typically a life-altering event, and he just kind of blankly went "eh." Then again, Casey killed a dude with a hammer in season 4, and he got over it within an episode or two. In general: I get that the superficial Emma, Inspector Severide, and Stealing Someone Else’s Wedding Venue drama is what defines this show, and I get that they wanted Casey’s return to be sorta kinda special, but the wedding struck me as a missed opportunity to bring back former characters for the milestone season 10 finale. Mills? Foster? Even Gabby (sorry)? The Darden boys? Something to remember Severide’s best bud Shay? They couldn’t even get Donna and Trudy to show up - yikes. Overall, it would have been nice and nostalgic for it to have been a wedding episode that celebrated Fire's 10 years, rather than the wedding being something that happened in the chaos of a bunch of thrill-frill plots. I was disappointed that Brett’s story/character didn’t get more mileage out of Casey coming back, just like I was disappointed when Casey’s story got absolutely nothing out of Gabby’s one and only return in season 8. It underscores how sidelined Brett is and will continue to be, as the writers will only consistently and seriously write for characters who have an on-screen love interest. I kept looking at the clock and couldn’t believe Brett didn’t have reciprocal dialogue with him until 9:56. It doesn't feel like Casey's coming back, and Jesse Spencer has a new show again, so this may well have been their last scene (unless the show just keeps on going...). The only part of this episode that kinda got me emotionally was when Casey handed off to Old Guard Gallo and then wistfully watched Truck 81 pull out. It reminded me of “set the tone” from ER. That being said, and while I understand that Gallo was Casey’s protege project, I really feel like Casey and Kidd should have had a moment about her taking over Truck 81. I don't even remember if they interacted at all.

When I play pick up basketball games, I know I’m not playing for the NBA, and so we adjust the rules and gameplay to make do. That’s cool and expected. We don’t throw out all of the rules and consistency of the game, because then it’s not the same game, no one knows what’s going on, and it’s simply no longer fun. Chicago Fire is playing different barnyard rules every other week and is rarely consistent with its own in-universe rules and canon. It takes away the fun. Everyone’s expectations and mileage are different and that’s cool. (For me, I miss the old seasons where writers were playing a good game with rules and consistency and I know that’s not coming back.) Severide’s arson training was being born to Benny. Seriously. I think someone even said that to him once. The only other training he ever went to (that I recall) was remedial officer training after he was demoted.

I dunno, I see a lot of people around different forums (not necessarily here) who have no idea what Squad, Engine, and Truck means, often think they're all just Firehouse 51, didn't understand why Kidd couldn't just become a lieutenant of Something at 51 last season, and still don't know that Herrmann is the Lieutenant of Engine 51. Even here last season, someone was mad at Casey for yelling at Gallo, because they thought Gallo was on Squad and Casey was overstepping Severide. I'm even thinking of season 7, when Squad went to put out a basic car fire by themselves (would have been an Engine call and Squad got it only because it served Severide's arson investigation plot), and season 8, when Truck went to rescue a person who was climbing a skyscraper (should have been a Squad call, but Truck got it only because it was the only call the writers could think of to get Casey away from Gabby for 30 minutes). In the earlier seasons, the separation between Truck and Squad was definitely more clear (and Engine wasn't a visible part of the show), and the tension between them was part of the show's overall tone. Now they're One Big Happy Family, and the lines are more than blurred, so it doesn't really make sense when Kidd is suddenly lighting up Severide about crossing into her rig's territory. Your last sentence there illustrates how the confusion happens, IMO. Engine doesn't do anything they're supposed to be doing, if they're doing anything at all. Squad usually goes on the same calls as everyone else, despite being one of four elite Squad companies serving the entire Chicago area. Truck rarely ever uses the aerial the big stick on the back (🤣). And the emphasis of the show is on the soap opera and silly plots at 51 versus fires, accidents, overdoses, etc. I can see how viewers who don't necessarily have a lot of interest in CFD organization don't pick up on the details and kind of go, "Huh. Nothing makes sense."

The show doesn’t depict this well (anymore) but the different companies have different functions and specialties. Engine does different stuff than Truck, and Squad are elite specialists for particularly difficult and dangerous rescues. They’re not the same, but the show is terrible at depicting it (like Severide sending Gallo up in this episode….NOPE). It would be like eliminating different departments in a regular company and saying everyone has the same job because they work in the same building, from HR to developers to marketing to retail to custodial, etc (maybe a bad analogy but hopefully it helps).

I actually watched this one. For a long while, the writing has made supporting character stories all about the Main 2 (Casey, Severide) and their girlfriends. Gallo’s story being about Kidd was no surprise. Kidd is the new #2. I’m waiting for Kara Killmer to leave so Kidd’s actress can take her #2 billing. Gallo isn’t Squad certified and so Gallo doing that rescue was all kinds of wrong. He doesn’t join Squad just because Severide says so. If that had gone sideways…. Cruz, Capp, and Tony shouldn’t be so happy about Gallo being assigned their elite, highly specialized job on a whim like that. Back in the good days of the show, that would have triggered a firehouse meltdown between all the different companies. Edited to add: in the first three years, Casey and Severide often butted heads about Severide stealing all the people Casey had trained up on Truck. There was a lot more territoriality. But I don’t recall Casey refusing a Squad transfer and in fact pushed through at least three. Run, Stella Kidd, run. Why are you marrying an emotionally stunted person who makes you feel like a pile of shit at least once a year?

Anyone in this thread has seen the whole series or is expecting to be spoiled. :) I think the point is that grandma thinks Ingrid is voluntarily dead and uploaded, which would probably be a big point of scandalized conversation between grandma and living relatives…and the living relatives would tell grandma that Ingrid is actually alive and well and likely ask what grandma is talking about. Busted.

Very late to the party, but I recently ran out of shows and figured I’d give this one a shot. I liked the early premise, which seemed like a soapy small town medical drama with great views (and I liked Mel’s personality compared to Jack’s blank milquetoast disposition), but then realized in mid season 1 that Mel barely did medicine or interacted with Doc. The nonstop, incoherent Charmaine/Jack/Mel drama, coupled with the weird teenager angst, in season 2 was boring and wrecked the show. Then season 3 happened. Hoo boy. Lillie’s newborn from early season 1 is still a non-walking, non-talking infant, which means only a small handful of months have passed, but Mel and Jack are genuinely talking about being soooo in love and having a baby together?? I couldn't buy into their story, even if I still wanted to. I just don't understand the slow passage of time mixed with breakneck-speed relationship drama. The only positive thing I can say about season 3 is that the show is far better without Hope's negativity and mind games. Was there ever anything explained about why Michael Shanks was apparently (?) playing Paige’s husband in season 1 but was quickly replaced…and then Shanks’ real-life wife (Lexa Doig/Paige) was immediately written off and never to be seen again? I thought that was weird. And it's weird that Paige sent her kid to live with Preacher and no one really questioned it.

I haven't seen the older Dateline episodes, but it seems like the TV show portrayed the real events pretty closely. I wouldn't say I'm bored with the current Dateline episode, but I'm surprised it's so consistent with the show. But Leah Askey's interviews are new (as I understand it?) and wow. Her heels are dug in deep on rationalizing and sticking by her victimization of Russ Faria. As I listen to her, I keep thinking that she needs to be disbarred and kept far, far away from clients and courtrooms. She's scary in her righteous incompetence.

I remember Derek Haas bragging on Twitter that he wrote that scene and storyline to pay homage to himself and his old 2 Fast 2 Furious script. I wish I was kidding or exaggerating. (It was the episode where some guys stole the K12 saw from Truck 81, right?) IMO, Fire went downhill when Matt Olmstead left after season 3, and then nosedived when Michael Brandt stopped being actively involved, which left Derek Haas all by himself around mid-season 5 (I tend to use the Boden Pisses Off a Chief Who Reassigns Everyone to Silly Posts arc as the clear marker for when the last semblance of Fire as a quality show was taken out back and shot). The old season 4 discussion here tracks with that. IIRC, Eid was never involved with Fire, but Haas had his hand in the early seasons of the other shows.

All of that was absolutely sloppy and nonsensical (for real, if this wasn't rooted in real events, I'd be calling shenanigans and saying the writers jumped the shark). For me, the real kicker was Pam casually making a sandwich and not appearing at all affected by the incident she described to the detective. At least she tried to fake a reaction to Betsy's murder. With Louis, it was just, "Yeah, I just killed a guy and stuff. But, hey, I get two pumps of cherry in my drink, every morning! Even get my ticket punched." WTF. Does anyone know if the sandwich part is real? I just can't with that.

They ended up dating, right? I’d be mortified if the person I ended up dating (nearly?) lost her job and her housing for a business trip I was on and incurred costs on. Rachel paid for his work. Did he do anything to try to get paid by Anna after the fact, or was the trip his payment and he just let Rachel eat it while he asked her out and agreed that it was sorta kinda her fault? It’s super skeevy and the show treated it like Rachel was just dumb and greedy and it was all her fault anyway so there. That’s the producers for you. Even if she had managed to recoup $13k-$14k from Kacy, Cameraguy, and Anna altogether, that would still be nearly a quarter of what she owed, so…? 🤑