[S07.E02: Assets]

2 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

So the new addition to the squad is going to be booking up with Kevin. What could go wrong with another couple on Intelligence?

How many times are they going to repeat the same plot?

Remember when there were main cast members who weren't on the Intelligence unit and were part of a different story?

I remember.

Hell, I miss Chicago Code.  At least those people acted like real cops more or less.

[S10.E02: Kuipeia e ka makani apaa (Knocked Flat by the Wind; Sudden Disaster)]

Can Quinn just walk off her post to moonlight with 5-0?  Did she just fake an illness or something?  And she's an enlisted soldier, not an officer, so why did the soldier she pulled over call her sir?  Just show her getting off of duty instead of in the middle of it and problem solved.

First alerting on explosives and then acting as a pro search and rescue dog?  And then he changes hats to be a tracking dog.  Eddie is quite the Renaissance Pup.  The writers know that these are two separate jobs for dogs and require entirely different training sets, right?

Still, he's a very good boy.  I hope the dog(s) who portrayed him got lots of pets, since wearing all that gear was probably pretty tough.

Quinn and Danny's snark was pretty great, actually.  

Steve telling the S&R crew to "work faster" and then grabbing a shovel when caution is the primary concern is Very Helpful.

The final shootout wasn't very interesting.  Guess they're saving their budget or good action directors for later in the season.

[S10.E02: Kuipeia e ka makani apaa (Knocked Flat by the Wind; Sudden Disaster)]

I know they have to get Junior and Tani in the tunnel somehow but their decision to go into the unstable tunnel with nothing but the clothes on their back and no lines of communication to first responders was just the dumbest thing ever.  They weren't providing anything to those caught in the tunnel collapse besides moral support.  Just put them further along in the traffic so they're in the tunnel and blocked in by vehicles behind them and problem solved.

[S01.E02: Missed Connections]

2 hours ago, martha21 said:

Thank goodness for this forum. I thought the dead guy at the end was the rich guy and that the conwoman ended up killing him and leaving town. Thanks everyone for clarifying that it was Grey's old friend. I really enjoyed this episode and am loving the show. I also wonder whether Ansel got his phone back. I liked the comic-style images they used this week and hope they keep it up.

They take care to show the guy’s gold tooth so it’s pretty clear that it’s Grey’s partner in crime and not the rich guy (who looks nothing like him).

[S01.E02: Missed Connections]

23 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I guess I need to pay better attention to this show, but it just doesn't hold me in and I keep doing other things. I can't tell the bartender apart from the guy she slept with, I thought they were the same.

I didn't have a clue who the dead person was at the end.

Dex spent 90 percent of this episode beating people up, yet never a bruise or scar. I want to know how she does that. Maybe being a comic character helps.

The car being back with its funky tape player is a plus. It's my favorite character.

Since I was mostly listening instead of watching, I was pretty shocked when Dex told someone to "take care of Asshole."

Axel isn't an easy word to pronounce, I guess.

Welp.

Ansel's name is Ansel.  It's pronounced like it's spelled.

50 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

He said that she was his dead partner's wife.

Seems like it was intended to fake the audience (and Dex) out because I was expecting her to be an ex-girlfriend or something.

[S01.E02: Missed Connections]

34 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

Somehow I missed that the guy was killed. I thought he killed himself. This means Gray is probably on the hook for the full million?

I don’t think people typically kill themselves under freeways.  Anyways it’s not explicitly stated, but given that his last words were that he was fleeing a dangerous criminal with his portion of the million bucks stolen from said criminal and then he ends up dead the implication is clear.

[S07.E02: Assets]

18 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I don't know how police departments work, but is it common for two different groups being undercover without either group knowing?  Shouldn't there be some jurisdiction here?  Shouldn't the superintendent know what everybody is doing?  Or would that just be too convenient and sensible?

In big cities, there’s way too much going on for the boss to know every little thing happening in every department, especially short term undercover operations.

Anyways there have been occasions in where one band of undercover cops have attempted to arrest another band of undercover cops. 

[S03.E01: Fire in the Sky]

Why would SWAT abandon a planned raid on a high threat individual to serve as first responders to an emergent incident in a completely different place?  Especially when they have reason to believe their presence has been compromised, tipping off the target of their raid and allowing him to potentially escape.

One of the things about the SRU in Flashpoint was that they were the cavalry, not the first responders.  There were always patrol cops around to establish a cordon and detectives to interview witnesses.

Not sure why they’d bring in a Hollywood Division Lieutenant to advise a SWAT team on tactical matters.  If Farrington were another senior Metro Division cop that would be another matter, but SWAT team leaders specialize in dynamic tactical situations rather than having a job description similar to that of a detective.

Again, the SRU doubled as a hostage negotiation unit and so could be expected to investigate subjects and interview witnesses, but SWAT is purely tactical.

That scene where Molly Hicks is talking to Street about her problems at the beginning had some very bad acting on her part.  Apparently the actress is more of a model, which kinda shows.

This is a very dumb show.

Now I just want to watch the early seasons of Flashpoint again.

[FBI - General Discussion]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

Maggie and OA,  for some unfathomable reason, respond, guns drawn, to report of a fight at the dorm.  Things spiral out of control as the reason becomes apparent.  Change scene to the war room where Jubal shouts "Okay, everyone, listen up!  We need every bit of detail on these moms!  Dig deep!  Let's move, people!"  A collective 'woo hoo' roars up from the room as each of the techs logs on to various celebrity gossip sites.

I feel like we need more stakes.  Turns out there's a Russian mob connection behind the SAT coach character, to supply the necessary bodies for a shootout.  TV audiences love shootouts.  And the main characters need to have their Thoughts Heard about this case that's ripped from the headlines with a long winded moralizing speech.

(Who am I kidding, I'm a sucker for a good old shootout as well.)

[SEAL Team - General Discussion]

Watching this show is kinda weird knowing that the real life Navy SEALs are the hot mess, unprofessional prima donnas of the US special operations world, committing war crimes, murdering other US special forces, sexually assaulting female personnel, and all that jazz.  Not to mention constantly writing books about their service. 

I guess a Delta Force show wouldn't work (again, RIP The Unit and kinda sorta The Brave) since those guys are the quiet professionals of USSOCOM.

[S01.E02: Missed Connections]

1 minute ago, Amethyst said:

Even if it was $1000, the whole plan with tracking down Katrina was skeevy.   The whole plot felt ham-fisted.  And Katrina still could’ve been duping Allen in the end.  

That's why the A plot was so good, though.  How many procedurals allow that much ambiguity into their case of the week?  Is this a happily ever after or is Katrina just going to milk Allen for all he's worth and disappear into the wind?  That we don't have a concrete answer is a good thing IMO.

[Weapons and Tactics: Real world versus TV world procedures]

This show really doesn't hold a candle to Flashpoint, even in that show's later seasons where it was the most Hollywood.  Season 1 Flashpoint was so, good, though.  SWAT on the other hand has all the verisimilitude of a Michael Bay movie.

[S01.E02: Missed Connections]

Man the changes to Grey are so good.  Cut out the UST by having it been resolved in the far past.  Introduce his ex-con past with its own plot arc that will need to be tackled down the road.  Grey in the comics was a sad sap hopelessly in love with Dex who she consciously strings along for favors and Ansel-care.  This dynamic where Dex and Grey hooked up back when they first met, but then made the conscious decision to roll back into a friendship because Dex is shit at relationships is so much better, especially since it doesn’t make her an asshole if she doesn’t notice that Grey might be blurring the line into romantic attraction on his end.

I also really like that this is the kind of cop/crime procedural that allows for some degree of ambiguity instead of an unambiguous happy ending.  Is Katrina really in love or is she still conning her mark?  That coin is still up in the air.

[FBI - General Discussion]

22 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Can we just have one episode that deals with the gripping drama of a celebrity or two who maybe bribed consulted with a fixer to get their kids into a prestigious university?  There's certainly potential for cameos.

The writers would have to shoehorn some kind of violent crime, because it’s not an episode of a cop procedural if guns aren’t being drawn.

17 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Is that illegal? I want my kid in your school and I pay you to make that happen -- seems like a good idea to me.

It’s super illegal if you’re dumb about it.  If your parents donate a ton of money to the university you can get put in the “dean’s interest” list and get a second and third look even if there are more qualified applicants.  If your parents pay money to fraudulently inflate your experiences and test scores than they can go to prison for a few weeks because they are white and wealthy.

[Magnum P.I. (2018) - General Discussion]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Not bad.  I've resigned myself to the fact that the show leans a bit too much on the camp and unbelievably bad stunts.

It's a pleasant diversion, nothing more. 

I don’t mind the bad stunts when they’re something out of a Masters book, but the fact that they also happen in the real life of the show suggests the writers aren’t that self aware.

On 9/30/2019 at 7:34 AM, Raja said:

I think this might be a case of the Sleepy Hollow variation. Where the plan was, "we are just going to have platonic partners" but the actors came off so well together the shippers wishes became known but they still held back the relationship to try to go with the plan.

I dunno, I feel like it was clear from the getgo that Higgins and Magnum were being set up for a will they or won’t they romantic arc.  I don’t understand why they’re having Higgins drag out becoming Magnum’s PI partner for so long when she clearly enjoys the work and jumps to participate in it at the first chance she gets.  Save the tedious back and forth for the romantic “will they/won’t they”, not the professional one.

[S10.E01: Ua ʻeha ka ʻili i ka maka o ka ihe (The Skin Has Been Hurt by the Point of the Spear)]

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

What is QAnon?

Insane far right conspiracy theory.  Remember that thing about Hillary Clinton and other Democrats running a child sex trafficking ring out of the nonexistent basement of a DC pizzeria, that resulted in a nut job taking an AR15 there to “rescue the children”?  That was QAnon.  These days it’s all about the “deep state” and how Donald Trump’s enemies will all be rounded up any day now.

I’m sure the writers didn’t intentionally make an allusion to QAnon, but still it’s not a great look.

[S07.E01: Doubt]

27 minutes ago, SG11 said:

“Paleoconservative.” Boo hoo.

Not much else to debate there. 

Because we all know cops indiscriminately shoot unarmed civilians, not criminals who resist and threaten cops and citizens’ safety and all. When I was in the IL State Police Academy, we had extra classes on shooting unarmed citizens who were minding their own business, getting ready to turn their lives around. It’s a conspiracy, you see.

But the suggestion that Voight be murdered is the voice of reason. Ah yes, killing cops isn’t remotely offensive to some.

I do love the advent of body cams though. The cop haters actually believe they would further their false accusations and in reality have been the cops best friend these days. 

What’s really telling is you considering Voight to be an archetypal cop.  Objectively speaking he’s the worst of the bad apples who spoils good cops he is placed in command of.  But to a certain brand of cops he’s just one of the boys.

[S07.E01: Doubt]

On 9/30/2019 at 1:33 AM, SG11 said:

Calling Voight “corrupt” while advocating his murder by a subordinate is an odd juxtaposition to say the least.

Id also say real life reflects far more guilty suspects than the rare ones that aren’t.

A few more Voights wouldn’t be a terrible development.  Especially in today’s cop hating and law enforcement restricting environment.

Ah yes, "cop hating" and "law enforcement restricting", because what is really needed is more Chicago Police Department torture chambers and black sites and boo hoo, the poor cops can't indiscriminately shoot unarmed civilians without scrutiny any more.

Chicago PD has always been a paleoconservative's fantasy land.  In the real world, which is by no means just, a cop like Voight was fired and saw some kind of jail time related to his crimes (just not the torture, because apparently there's a statute of limitations on beating confessions out of innocent, predominately black men).  But in Dick Wolf's twisted mind Voight survives because he's less bad than those who would bring him down.

[S10.E01: Ua ʻeha ka ʻili i ka maka o ka ihe (The Skin Has Been Hurt by the Point of the Spear)]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

You mean Lieutenant Commander McGarrett or Sergeant Liu?

I may be explaining the joke but I'm pretty sure they meant she was overqualified compared to the lady who was kind of a cop or the quasi-retired Yakuza gangster.

1 hour ago, Magnumfangirl said:

Why did they give new girl the name Liu?  They already have a Lou Grover!  

It's a pretty common Chinese family name.  And if they're calling each other by last names Grover would be Grover.  And "Liu" and "Lou" don't sound that alike at all.  One is pronounced "Leeuw" and the other "Luu" after all.

[S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown]

1 hour ago, Emily Thrace said:

The knitting bothered me a bit because it not as likely a hobby for a Native woman. There are several traditional handicrafts that are similar like beading or quilting that would serve the same purpose but be much more in keeping with the culture Sue-lynn is supposed to represent. To me it just makes it clear that while the show has Native characters TPTB are not native. Which is disappointing since it was Tatoo Cardinal who made me watch in the first place. Its a small nitpick and really there is nothing to say Sue-lynn couldn't knit but I can't actually think of a Native woman who does. 

It’s kind of weird projecting your own experiences and making blanket statements about what is “believable” for similar people in media to do.  I don’t know many middle aged East Asian people who drink lots of alcohol, but that doesn’t mean I’d nitpick one in fiction who is a party animal or whatever.

Sue-Lynn was knitting in that scene because she was knitting in the corresponding scene in the comics.

As for Ansel, the pilot showed however briefly that he does have a personality of his own.  It’s too early to write him off as a “prop”.  

[S07.E01: Doubt]

7 hours ago, SG11 said:

I couldn’t possibly disagree more.

After all the confrontations Halstead and Voight had, and as long as he’s worked for him, Halstead STILL had to insist on running into the apartment and interfere. Directly against Voights orders. When he was going in I was literally yelling at the TV set at him. I expected that from Goody 2 Shoes Blondie, but Halstead was just told to back off.

Voight gave her a chance to deal with it her way and she deserved that much. Voight handled it perfectly and Halstead, refusing to follow orders or trust his boss, had to step over the line again. She had an opportunity to take the shot but hesitated, but she shouldn’t have had that decision taken away from her, especially after Voight gave her that window.

Voight needs to remove Halstead from the Intelligence group immediately. He proved without a shadow of a doubt that he doesn’t trust his boss no matter how many times he oversteps and he needs to go work for IA or some other rat squad.

What an absolute jerk.

Voight is a corrupt cop who tortures confessions out of suspects.  This is a fact.  What’s unrealistic about this show is that the suspects in question are actually guilty.  Those tortured by Voight’s real life counterpart, Chicago Police Lieutenant Jon Burge, were not.  And in this fantasy universe where the crooked cop thugs are the good guys everyone who could threaten the corrupt thug hero is even more corrupt.

Really, Halstead would be saving the city a hundred million dollars in restitution if he put a bullet in Voight’s head and everyone looked the other way. 

[S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown]

5 hours ago, BooBear said:

Yup. I had hoped it was going to be more like Veronica Mars. Who had her tortures but was too smart to be brought down by them or to bring down others with them. Veronica always outsmarted the baddies rather than having me have to balk at a 90 lbs teenager taking on two much larger men. 

Veronica never would have been hired to find someone and not looked to make sure no one was following her first. And she was 16 and had to go to school every day. Once you see a female PI like that you just can't go back to the bad old days... you know?

Given that the boyfriend was in cahoots with the thugs it’s pretty clear that they weren’t following her to the motel room.  Not to mention when you’re told to expect a runaway teen kidnappers are a pretty outside context problem.

[S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown]

7 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Especially since he was married and had a kid, he really should have moved on by now.

Given that she was military intelligence it could have been work related.

[S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown]

5 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

That's fair. It was my very least favorite part of the show (beating out the violence, even). I hated, absolutely hated, the ending of the series because of that (and a couple of other things, but that's not relevant). I tried reading the books, but they didn't grab me.

So I focused on the Native American stories in the show, for the most part.

As for the violence, if the comics are any indication Dex should solve most of her problems with her mind rather than her fists (although there are only three comic arcs and this is network TV).  She’s not really the type to go all John Wick on baddies, no matter how much I’d like to see Cobie Smulders mow through a pack of bad guys like a scythe through wheat.  At least, not unless you really piss her off.

Speaking of which, I wonder if the show is going to get into the football culture of the city because that’s a huge part of the third comic arc as well as Ansel’s interests.

[S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown]

33 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

Other than Tantoo, the show doesn't remind me of Longmire at all - but we all key on different things. If it means we get guest and recurring appearances by the Native American actors who appeared in Longmire, I am all for it. They were my favorite part of Longmire.

I'd like to say that since this is a network show that we won't see quite the nightmarish violence we saw on Longmire (which was AMC, I believe, at least at first), but I think the networks are probably increasing the violence as well.

Most of what I remember about Longmire is the impending dread that I felt after I went “hey this show is pretty good, maybe I’ll check out the books” and realized that this was one of those wish fulfillment power fantasies where the fat 60 year old male protagonist hooks up with a woman half his age.

I do vaguely recall that it was one of the few shows that portrayed Native Americans not as a vaguely sinister and amorphous group involved in organized crime/at odds with the white protagonists, though.