Danielg342

Good point. My guess is that if the writers went in that route- even though a scenario where an overworked, overstressed (and likely underpaid) Nichelle one time hurriedly signed a contract with only a cursory look at it is an entirely believable scenario- they thought it would make Nichelle look bad at her job. Maybe, too, they were worried that if Nichelle had actually signed that contract there would be no way out from a legal standpoint from being connected to the kickbacks. Or, there wouldn't have been an easy way out for Nichelle because I doubt the writers were committed to fleshing out that story.

We'll see the wedding, only for it to be revealed it was just Gabriella dreaming of that day. Then, the day before the wedding, there's a call. Diego heroically dies in the fire and we get several shots of Stephanie Arcilla trying to cry. Then Bode comforts her and Gabby and Bode have a date in her wedding dress. -End season- I know, but then Bode would have had something to do in this episode, and the writers this year seem to think Bode doing things is bad.

I should be all over this, because I've said many times that Sharon and Vince are my two favourites. ...but, this episode is peak Fire Country. We have an awkward episode where a character appears out of the blue just so the show can claim that Sharon had an off-screen incident with this character to create some drama where Vince questions her loyalty to him, Sharon questions his love for her and said character can have awkward tension (and a fistfight) with Vince all to have a story where we see that Sharon really, really, really NEEDS Vince or else she's just an overgrown, whiny, insufferable, baby. I bet when the writer came up with this story, they thought it was a cute story...and it could have been if the writer and the writing staff bothered to actually put in the work necessary to make it work. I'll give Jason O'Mara (working with his native Irish accent for a change) played the heck out of the role and the joke about Snake Shelton and Hissy Elliott was quite amusing (if a bit dated). ...but it's yet another example of this show manufacturing stories and trying to fit their characters into them instead of taking what the characters give them and letting the characters guide their stories. Exploring how Sharon decides to go back to the front line and work under her husband- instead of the other way around last season- should be enough of a concept to really make some interesting dynamics. We saw this last week, when we saw Sharon's pride get hurt when Vince- rightly, I think- sent her home early. That's something the show could have developed and showed how Vince and Sharon really navigate that new part of their dynamic. They didn't need an awkward love triangle to make things interesting between the two, even if Vince's joke about a "betrayal scorecard" was as poignant as it was funny. Like the rest of the characters, Vince and Sharon have plenty to explore if the show would just bother trying to explore it. No need to manufacture anything.

OK, so the positives: Ken Narasaki, who played the grizzled Japanese mob enforcer turned gardener, was pretty good. I especially liked his poetic style of delivery The whole Yakuza plot was an interesting concept Seeing Nichelle getting one up on her scheming co-worker was fun, even if Hondo did all the real work. That's it. I could complain about many things about this episode (including that horrendous storyline about SWAT Pasta Night. That sounds like a plot a kid's show wouldn't use) but I'll instead take a longer view, which I think is appropriate since this season is all about wrapping up S.W.A.T. The main issue S.W.A.T. seems to have is that the show is caught somewhere between wanting to be a story about Hondo and being a true ensemble, and it's clear it really only gets the mixture right some of the time. In the earlier seasons, when the main characters were consistent, it was easier to develop the characters and their association with Hondo. Over three or four seasons, we really got to know not just Hondo, but Deacon, Luca, Tan, Street, Alonso, Hicks, Cortez and even people like Mumford, Buck and Nate. Even Nichelle had a hint of a personality and undeniable chemistry with Hondo, despite the fact Nichelle was- and still is- barely little more than a walking and talking plot device. Then the show killed off Erika and everything started to change. Hollywood ensembles have always been volatile, but this show has largely avoided that until that very moment. Perhaps the writers didn't intend for it, but Erika's death served as a reminder that, in Hollywood, ensembles are almost always seen as interchangeable, simply parts of "the machine" that can be replaced at a moment's notice. That's where I think the show started going off the rails. The tone shifted from really developing characters to having interchangeable robots whose development is token and do little more than recite lines like "if we don't hurry, they'll get away." In short, this show has gone from having characters I care about to having characters that I don't, and that makes the episodes quite the slog. Granted, with just 13 episodes left, there's not a lot of room to develop really long storylines, and I get that this show still wants to have an "episode of the week" format to keep these episodes suitable for syndication. It's just that I had hoped the writers would have done more this season than simply hash out robotic plots. We should have some longer form stories where we can get to say goodbye to our heroes. Because, at this stage in the show's run, we care more about Hondo et all than some effectively nameless and faceless Yakuza crime lords.

Well Vince, this episode was definitely not Scorsese either. This show is incredibly stupid. I don't need to spill too much ink on that one. ...but, if there is one redeeming factor, one thing that makes this show at least somewhat watchable, is the fact that at least there's a humanity to it and the characters, no matter how dumb they act, at least feel real. There's nothing like watching a show and feeling like you're watching a bunch of robots work out the plot. At least this show can say they're not robotic. One other thing this episode reminded me of are the show's unsung heroes in Billy Burke and Diane Farr. I keep on thinking about how much better this show would be if the story focused on the Leone parents instead of the Leone kid this show is designed around. It dawned on me about the reason why. The key difference is that the elder Leones- at least now, just Vince- are people who actually do things within the story. Vince goes out there, he makes decisions and hopes they work. He actually gets to influence what goes on in the story and has actual reactions to it. We can quibble about whether or not those choices and reactions actually make sense, but there's no question that Vince actually does things. Bode? He feels like merely a spectator. Sure, he plays "hero ball" from time to time and does so a bit too often, but, more often than not, all we see him do is take orders, brood over his life, and largely, just do as he's told. I can't really think of any episode where Bode truly drove the plot and influenced the events in the episode. He's just a guy for whom "things happen to him" and all he does in response is put on that sad looking puppy face that Max Thieirot calls "an expression". There's a reason why Bode drags this show down and- apart from Thieirot's limited acting ability- it's because we're forced to spend a lot of time with a character who literally does nothing. Simply put, that's just not interesting. It really reinforces the idea that this show lost a lot of its focus and a lot of its real uniqueness when the writers shifted the focus away from Three Rock. Maybe the writers had their reasons. Maybe they were worried that centering the show around Three Rock would make this show little more than "Orange Is The New Black-" or "Prison Break in the country". Maybe they felt they didn't have the material to really make a series out of it. ...and, truth be told, this show works better as an ensemble so we don't spend too much time with an actor who's in way over his head. ...but, aside from getting a better actor to play Bode, the show accomplishes very little trying to shoehorn a character as its lead when said character does very little to affect the plots. Which really only reinforces the idea that sending Bode back to prison to close S1 was as terrible a decision as the show could have made. If Bode had gotten back out on parole, he could have returned to Three Rock as a volunteer and we could have seen his life and how he navigates being free once again. Helping the other inmates and acting as a somewhat surrogate captain could have given Bode some real purpose, and having him be a free man allows him to actually interact with the townspeople and actually do things with them. Like having an actual episode where Bode actually gets to interact with his (supposed) daughter and actually watch them both spend time with each other and go through the emotions of a father meeting his daughter for the first time. Instead of this where all we saw was Bode watch his daughter from afar and do nothing but brood. Like he always does.

I'll give the show this much credit: -Deacon vs. Rocker was kind of fun, especially with Deacon pulling the veteran move of faking an injury -At least this time in a foreign country, Hondo respected protocol a bit more and the show actually recognized that Hondo and Hicks didn't have jurisdiction in Mexico City. That's it, though. I could go on about all the inanities that were on this show (including yet another edition of "That's Not How A Bomb Works! (TM)"), but I'd be here all day. I've also wasted too much ink on how badly this show treats Latino characters, something this episode merely added to. The reality is I just feel like this show is just coasting towards the end. The effort, the passion, the purpose...most importantly, the soul...it's just gone from the show. The writers seem like they're just treating this season as a chore, as merely episodes they need to "get through". It almost feels like, though they got a reprieve, that last season's abrupt cancellation sucked the energy out of this show. Not that it had much to begin with because S6 and S5 were slogs anyway. Last year, though, it still at least felt that the writers were still trying to make the episodes somewhat interesting, even if they, more often than not, fell flat on their faces. Now it just feels like these writers would want nothing more than to complete their assignments and go home. I still hope this show can go out with a metaphorical bang ('cause you know it'll go out with a literal one)...I just don't want it to be a chore to get to that.

I guess this means Luca won't die. We'll see.

I believe the police in the episode said they wanted to make a public spectacle about it so that the public knew they had apprehended the criminal, though I don't know if it would make that much of a difference.

Maybe this show isn't a train wreck...and maybe I write this knowing that, just like last season, it'll go off the rails because these writers really don't know what they're doing. Oh, and this episode made it quite clear that the rest of the cast runs acting circles around Max Thieriot...Bode feels like he weighs this show down, not lifts it up. ...but, despite all the inanity that goes on in this show, I'll give it this much- there is, at least some semblance of humanity. The characters might act all weird and do weird things to satisfy the plot, but they're at least not robots. Well, except maybe BroodyBot 3000, otherwise known as Bode...but, even he can have his moments. I'll also give this episode credit that it didn't follow all the predictable beats that I thought it would from last season, in that we didn't spend an entire episode where Bode has to clear his name and that his Edgewater townmates are still firmly behind him. I'll also give the show credit in that they found some humanity in Sleeper. I'm still not sure if this is a show that I'll go out of my way to watch...there's still too much nonsense going on that holds it back from being a great show. ...but, it's at least good enough that it passes the time. Since S.W.A.T. (which I also watch) is on before this show and has only one season left (this one), Fire Country will at least get one more ride out of me.

I have to start with a rant about how this show treats Latino characters. I cannot think of one instance where the show has had a well developed Latino character, and I can only think of very few instances (if that) where the show has had Latino characters who were not portrayed as "bad guys" or bad in some way. Christina Alonso was a main cast member for five seasons and her character went everywhere and got nowhere. The best Alexis Cabrera is known for is getting confused for the show's newest (?) permanent cast member, Zoe Powell. Marcos was interesting as the gang member who had a sense of morals and responsibility, but he also had a real heel turn last season. Then there was Rigoberto Sanchez, who was absolutely shady and was only there so we could hate him so Hondo could get his comeuppance. Which leaves the rest of the characters who have all been, literally, criminals. I suppose there's that Mexican captain, but I doubt she'll be developed much, if at all. So when the Mexican police officer- whose name escapes me right now, but not that it really matters- wound up turning on Powell and choked her (maybe?) to death, I could do nothing except roll my eyes. Yet another Latino bad guy. Sigh. S.W.A.T. deserves a lot of plaudits for how they've navigated issues pertaining to African Americans and has been incredibly trailblazing for African American TV shows, this being the first "mainstream" TV show with an African American lead that was actually aimed at everyone. ...but, just because the show has been great at race relations and race issues on one end doesn't mean it can't be criticized for how it handles race on another end, and how it consistently treats Latino characters leaves a lot to be desired. To be fair, the Mexican officer's heel turn wasn't all that's wrong with this episode. However, the episode's many other problems- its predictability, its usage of a quick pace to feign urgency, the plot holes, among others- have been there before in many other episodes, so they're not worth expanding upon too much. (I mean, did you really think, on a show where the cops are always presented as "the good guys" that Pia's vigilante tendencies wouldn't be shown as anything but stupid? I really got "Saint Hondo" vibes when Pia was dealing with Hondo in this episode) ...but, in an already terrible episode, the Mexican officer's heel turn, a predictable and cringe worthy moment, just put the proverbial icing on the cake of this turd.

Don't know why we're not going to see Hondo's and Nichelle's wedding. I would have thought that's how the series would have ended. I'm sad that Street and Luca have been demoted, but the truth is I feel like everyone other than Hondo, really, have been "demoted" for the past few seasons. As long as they're not disfigured or dead and their lives move in a positive direction, I'm OK with how their stories end.

I might still watch...it's on after S.W.A.T., so it's not like I have to go out of my way to watch the show...but, the events of the finale left a bad taste in my mouth. Once S.W.A.T. ends, Fire Country will need to improve because I doubt I'll give it a third chance.

That's a great story. :) I don't really recall any controversy surrounding "As Good As I Once Was" but I'll agree it was very funny (Toby had a lot of those videos). In the days before YouTube, my ex's dad would tape music videos he liked, and "As Good As I Once Was" was one of them (another was Lonestar's "Mr. Mom", and I'm sure there were others). There's so many favourites that I can't just pick one, but if I had to highlight one, it'd be one of his lesser known funny songs, "Big Blue Note". It's one of my favourite stories to follow along to.

He went the Chadwick Boseman/Norm MacDonald route of not sharing much publicly about his diagnosis. I knew about his diagnosis when the story first broke, but I had thought he'd gotten better. Sure, he lost a lot of weight (Toby Keith made an appearance at the People's Choice Awards in September and joked about being able to fit into skinny jeans), but he was talking about touring this year. Unfortunately, abdominal cancers can be tricky (my own mother died when her cancer spread to her pancreas), so while I'm sad I'm not surprised. He'll at least get to reunite with his dad (a former veteran who died in March 2001).

Toby Keith has passed away at 62. This is from his official Facebook account, which I doubt would make the story up. No details yet, but he was battling stomach cancer for the last few years. He was a polarizing figure for sure, but a big one, and not just because he was a very big man (before his cancer battle, unfortunately). Whether you liked his stuff or not (he was one of my favourites, I must admit), his songs always had a lot of heart, and no one could quite pivot between "serious" and "funny" quite like he could. I'll miss him anyway.

Good for her. I guess S.W.A.T. opted for familiarity for its final season, so they opted to keep Zoe Powell. It's a safe choice, even if it's not ideal.

I feel that Will's imminent departure is to do nothing except give JJ "womanpain". The writing for the past several seasons has leaned on JJ having angst for quite some time, but we've never really had a moment where JJ had to really lose herself and let out her emotions. Kind of like how the writers seem to give Joe Mantegna multiple excuses to raise his voice in a bid to give Rossi a "strong, emotional presence", we seem due for an Emmy-baiting, bawl-her-eyes-out moment from JJ. Which...I don't know. I think JJ as a character has done far better since the writers gave up the whole "Mary Sue" thing in S10 and made her someone for whom the job takes an incredible toll, but a crying scene is no joke. I mean, since AJ Cook got to Hollywood she has to have some skills, but I find those moments of pure, unbridled sadness are difficult to pull off, even for the best of actors, and I'm not sure I would say AJ is up there in calibre. So I'm fearing the trainwreck that is coming.

Evolution hinted at marital problems between JJ and Will, and that is my preferred route as opposed to killing off Will. The "LEO married to the job who loses their romantic marriage" hasn't really been done from a female perspective, so that would be a nice storyline to explore. Plus, AJ Cook is hot and does the whole "deer in the headlight" thing so well...seeing JJ have to go back to dating could be a fun storyline to watch.

Definitely agree that Sharon and Vince deserve the title of "best couple". I haven't seen a couple like theirs that has the chemistry that they do as well as all the layers the two actors- Diane Farr and Billy Burke- bring to their portrayal. They display so much without having to say or do a lot, and that's rare. Sharon and Vince are the real MVPs of the series, and they're a better centre for the series than the one-note "Broody Sue" this series thinks is their star. One other note: Kane Brown's turn as the drifter in "Off The Rails" managed to "win" TVLine's title for "Lamest Cameo", which is another decision I can agree with. I'm still puzzled about why anyone thought that was a great idea. Sad TVLine didn't award "worst decision by a character this season" because it should have gone to Bode in the season finale. Never seen a series shoot itself in the foot quite like this one did with Bode in the finale.

So CBS is going to do with Edgewater what NBC did with Chicago. Interesting...I'll leave it at that.

I don't ever really recall a time on Criminal Minds where the show justified the use of a private jet. I can only recall two instances where it actually was useful- in Season 8, when they were hunting an active killer, since it was faster to use the plane (and even then, the killer got away) and in Season 15, in the original series finale, when the team literally blew up the plane with the serial killer they were chasing inside of it. That last moment the team justified the move because one of their teammates, David Rossi, said he could afford to buy the team a new one (and this serial killer was "personal" for Rossi, so he justified the expense from an emotional standpoint). Which I guess makes sense...but I'm still not sure the FBI would sanction the destruction of something that surely cost them tens of millions of dollars to acquire (if not a lot more) even if Rossi promised to pay them back (never mind his own ability to afford such a purchase). Meanwhile, The Mentalist poked fun at CM for having a jet. When Patrick Jane joined the FBI, the first time he flew to a crime scene, they had to fly via conventional commercial airline. He remarked with surprise, saying "I thought we would have a jet."

I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to criticize you. Posting about it is important for anyone that wants to keep up with the trial. I was critical of USA Today of writing a news piece treating the motion like it's some kind of monumental event in the trial when it isn't. They didn't mention at all that the motion to dismiss is pretty standard for trials and that filing the motion likely doesn't change the legal course of the case. The USA Today piece feels like a very pro-Lizzo piece, if I'm being completely honest. They treat the motion like it was some act of defiance (when it's not) and spent a lot of time talking about how thankful Lizzo was for receiving positive news (getting an award) in her time of crisis. Barely any mention was made of the mere fact allegations were brought against her. I grant that the allegations were not proven, but I've seen other writers in other cases who seem to love re-hashing, in detail, the allegations that the court will eventually decide on. The USA Today writer treats the Lizzo allegations very vaguely, as if they almost don't exist.

First, the article I linked to wrote that motions to dismiss are based on "technical grounds", and the article was written by a U.S. federal lawyer. So I'm assuming the lawyer knows what he's talking about and, besides, they're not exactly my words. In any case, it's semantics really. No matter what we call the cornucopia of terms that cover the many ways something could be informally described as a "legal technicality", the truth is, "off on a technicality" is a Hollywood myth. Most of the time, if a case stalls because of an error made by a lawyer, the worst that happens is that the case simply gets re-filed and is heard at a later date. You'll never see, as Hollywood paints it, such a strong case fall apart simply because, say, a lawyer literally forgot to dot his "i's" in the briefing. As it pertains to Lizzo's case, USA Today (and I'm sure other outlets) deeming the motion to dismiss as an important news story is a huge stretch. The motion is common, the motion almost always fails, and, even if it did succeed, the Lizzo case would be (likely) far from over- it would just have to get re-filed with the error corrected. The extent that it is "news" should simply be that it's something that happened during the trial and that's it- the motion itself is not monumental and shouldn't be treated as such.

Standard procedure, really. Every defence team- whether it's a civil trial or a criminal trial- makes a motion before the trial begins to dismiss the case, usually, but not always, on technical grounds. The motion almost always fails, but sometimes it works- which is why the defence tries it. So Lizzo's lawyers filing the motion isn't that significant. What would be significant is if the judge grants the motion. It doesn't mean the legal action is necessarily over- the other side has the ability to address the technicality and correct the mistake. This is what is happening in the Romeo and Juliet trial- the case was initially dismissed because the plaintiffs didn't file the lawsuit in time for the temporary suspension of California's statute of limitations to still apply to their case. In response, they will try the case in federal court.

Sad to see what happened on the sets of the classics, especially the older ones when times (and standards) were different. The story of the people who played Romeo and Juliet, though, sounds more depressing than the Shakespearean play itself. They've been taken advantage of their entire lives, and it seems like they're being taken advantage of again. I do hope one day there's justice for Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, because their lives don't deserve to be a tragedy.