SAS

@shapeshifter Yeah i think that's definitely a factor, meta-wise. And I agree with one of the above comments that Nick's "People like you" speech (what, people who value human rights? people who believe bypassing human rights to 'get results' makes you the same as the people who kill for any other ideology?) was almost startling in how it seemed targeted at Nolan as a person rather than at a belief system, but also Nolan's face did not look impressed by it, and I do like the conflict coming from "this is the practical view based on the political reality" of Nick vs "this is the law and this is the justice the victim deserved and that should be honoured regardless" of Nolan they have going on since Nick arrived. In 24x02, when Olivia says "Who benefits from this girl sitting in prison?" like the idea was absurd and Nolan, without hesitating, goes "The family of the dead man? Let's start there?" I think the writers are finally figuring out Nolan's place in the show's philosophy and finally really letting Hugh Dancy go to work.

It's true but I think the way Baxter ends up knowing or doing things and not sharing them with the ADAs conducting the trial until they find out on their own makes him FEEL shady. Not necessarily that he's outright being corrupt; I don't think Nolan believes he is on the take or something but I think Nolan believes he is about his own political self-interest above all else and will be about justice for the victims when it won't impact that or the optics make it look good on him. He does believe Nick is a good lawyer but he does not trust that he will act in the best interest of the case. While he disagreed with Jack sometimes and Jack did order him to do things he didn't want to do or in a way he didn't want to do, he did always trust that Jack had the best interest of the case in mind. He's always had to wear the backlash for things he was ordered to do, even when he was the only person in the room protesting them, but it tastes kind of bitter when Nick is doing the ordering because he doesn't trust his motives. Like with the judge and he was ordered to cut a deal so she didn't have to testify and the victim's brother goes "You're a sell out, Price" he was startled for a second but then just looked over at Nick like yeah we fricking are. I do also think this will come to a head at some point. Nolan has gotten bolder in his condemnation.

The more Nick turns out to be JUST slightly shady and also keeps stuff from Nolan (he could have told him he wrote the guidelines for that program back when Nolan said the guy went too far but kept it quiet, for example), the more he builds Nolan's distrust of him and I'm here for it. Honestly let Nolan read him for filth at least once a month pls. I love what they're doing with these two characters.

Get 'im, Nolan! XD

Nolan doesn't seem to talk much about his personal life at work. He's all business. He talks about his feelings about this or that triggery issue, but while he clearly genuinely cares about Sam as a person and they grab a drink after work now and then, he seems to play his personal life close to the vest. At this point, his character and Sam's have been on the reboot the longest and we know probably the least about him out of everyone.

Legit. Even just for Price. The cops attacked him when he didn't go for a first degree murder charge against a cop-killing defendant even though the evidence wasn't there and I'm sure once he found out about Jalen's IA case, he also found out how it ended. Then the whole team of the current dead guy being also the team of the defendant and they wouldn't cooperate with THAT trial. He doesn't need anyone to tell him how cops roll.

He's played American characters in his last two TV series before this one. His performance as Will Graham in Hannibal is more well-known but if you doubt his ability to play a character with a natural gift for (American-accented) gab, watch The Path on Hulu. His performance as Cal is probably one of the best of his career, in turns creepy, pathetic, sympathetic and wrenching. Nolan is very different from either of those characters and I would describe his general demeanour as "tired" XD But I quite enjoy him in the role. I think his general low-key nature makes it more effective when he does get snappish or fed up or firm with someone. Nothing is ever going to be everyone's cup of tea and this show has had so many characters over the years. At some point in its run, there's something for everyone.

I don't think it was stupid for them to expect him to testify. The accused may have been a cop, but he also KILLED a cop. And then tried to frame that cop murder on HIM, breaking the blue line of protecting fellow cops. So I think it was reasonable to expect the blue line that requires the punishment of cop killers and cops that break the code would be stronger than the blue line that requires the protection of other cops. These are the sorts of guys who called Price a coward for charging manslaughter in the shooting death of the cop at the end of S21, even though murder would have been impossible to prove and would have resulted in acquittal. That's even more reinforcement to him that a cop killer has to pay, no matter what.

Baxter shouldn't have been so indignant that Price had concerns about his integrity. He's the one who almost lost the election because it came out that he once used his position to get his daughter out of drunk driving charges. He said Price had a conflict of interest last season purely because he prosecuted a repeat offender for his previous offence. So how does it look when he calls him in and is like "Are you SERIOUSLY calling my BUDDY to testify?" He didn't back off until Price questioned his objectivity regarding the school. He was the one preaching that the office had to be BEYOND REPROACH in ALL THINGS a couple weeks ago. He should have been thanking Price for holding him accountable to the standard that HE set. And now this week he waltzes in and tells him to make a deal so the judge doesn't have to testify with vague handwaving. He could have explained WHY it was for the good of the city; he's not giving his people a reason to trust him. Which, as a viewer, I kind of like. It makes you question whether he's really such a straight arrow. I like the direction the conflict between him and Price has gone. But honestly, I hope he isn't ACTUALLY surprised that Price finds his integrity a little questionable.

After episode 7, where Price once again has to comply with a strategy he argued vehemently against but is ordered to follow and then has to take ALL of the flack for it, I kind of want an episode where some nutter goes after Price for a thing he was forced to do but never wanted to in the first place so it comes OUT that it was never his idea. Though I guess that's the chief burden of being the EADA. People think you make all the calls on your cases and you actually don't. I did like Price calling Olivia out at every turn in this ep, though. Get 'er. She was WAY out of line. Also...... she was talking about how the police never even took a statement or filed charges........... SHE is the police. If the other precinct or whatever dropped the ball and then she found out about the case... couldn't SHE take a statement and open an investigation? Isn't that what her unit DOES? Maybe I'm missing something because I don't watch SVU but. What would stop her from investigating this girl's rape back when she got involved?

Price has to do a lot of things he doesn't want to do in that office XD