S01.E05: Bad Alibis

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Despite being ordered by Lieutenant Cosgrove to take time off, Hoffman enlists Dex’s help to investigate a case; Tookie’s culinary skills come in handy at Bad Alibi; Dex stresses over an interview to become a certified  private investigator.

Airing Wednesday, October 30, 2019.

 

[janeta]

...so who's watching the bar while Dex is rummaging through Gray's apartment and Ansel's getting himself unkidnapped?

[Bulldog]

43 minutes ago, janeta said:

...so who's watching the bar while Dex is rummaging through Gray's apartment and Ansel's getting himself unkidnapped?

I wondered this myself, but I presume food truck guy was running it.

[phalange]

Dex is officially a licensed P.I. Good thing, since she’d make a terrible bartender. 

I love Ansel. He knew just what to do to alert Dex to where he was. And I love that his birthday is the combo to Grey’s safe and that Dex knew to try it.

I don’t blame Dex for being mad enough to punch Grey, but I believe him that he thought he was doing the right thing to keep them safe. Also curious about the ring Dex found in Grey’s apartment. I’m sure we’ll be coming back to that at some point. 

Tookie is the real MVP for keeping the bar functioning throughout all of this. 

[shapeshifter]

So the bad guy/H!ITG! was Colin Cunningham, who I recalled as the bad guy on Falling Skies.

+++++++++++

Is Grey now officially Hoffman's CI?

+++++++++++

Aren't "priceless" artifacts not worth stealing because they can't be fenced? Pretty sure that's L&O 101.

[Mars477]

51 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

So the bad guy/H!ITG! was Colin Cunningham, who I recalled as the bad guy on Falling Skies.

+++++++++++

Is Grey now officially Hoffman's CI?

+++++++++++

Aren't "priceless" artifacts not worth stealing because they can't be fenced? Pretty sure that's L&O 101.

Unless you're selling to shady collectors who just want to have them.

[mommalib]

Nice to see Hoffman save Grey's ass.

[UnknownK]

Some people buy priceless artifacts to show off to others, some just want them locked away only for their eyes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love Janeane Garofalo so I was excited to see her because I assumed they wouldn't hire her to be a glorified extra, but nope. Just a few lines and buh bye.

5 hours ago, janeta said:

...so who's watching the bar while Dex is rummaging through Gray's apartment and Ansel's getting himself unkidnapped?

Aside from Tookie and his assistant, there was also someone named Sharkie working at the bar. When the delivery guy arrived (just after Frank entered), she told Sharkie to put what was being delivered "wherever it's supposed to go."

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Mars477 said:

Unless you're selling to shady collectors who just want to have them.

2 hours ago, UnknownK said:

Some people buy priceless artifacts to show off to others, some just want them locked away only for their eyes.

I guess the bad guy had a buyer lined up. Maybe they cut a couple of lines explaining that.  

[EtheltoTillie]

I wondered about Janeane Garafolo too. Maybe she will be a recurring character. 

Ditto on Ansel’s bathroom trick. Nice. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, GussieK said:

Ditto on Ansel’s bathroom trick. Nice. 

It made me think I should get some cards like that printed in case I get kidnapped! (yes, I am super paranoid)

Edited October 31, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I love Janeane Garofalo so I was excited to see her because I assumed they wouldn't hire her to be a glorified extra, but nope. Just a few lines and buh bye.

I thought it was her, but wasn't sure.

I'm enjoying the food truck chef/Dex's occasional assistant.

Very minor thing, but I liked that they showed Dex using wipes to clean her hands after getting them bloody. TV so rarely shows people cleaning up after blood baths, and it seems to me the first thing I would do once the situation is in other people's hands, is clean up as best as I can rather than walk around with blood all over my skin.

Edited October 31, 2019 by Clanstarling

[Lady Calypso]

I'm surprised that Dex actually passed her PI certification this quickly. She only JUST started doing it a few weeks prior so I was hoping that this would have been a season long arc for her. It would have been fun to see her actually put the time and effort in to become a PI. Ah, well. Too late now!

Ansel is such a great character. He's smart as a whip but knows his limits. I love that he silently handed the employee the card to call Dex and walked back out to the guy holding him hostage. I love that he never bought the bullshit that the guy was trying to sell him.

Grey got punched by Dex, and rightfully so. She has every right to be pissed right now. I didn't take it as a moment where their friendship would be in trouble, but more that she's really, really mad at him for lying and endangering Ansel's life. And she has every right to feel that way, so Grey's going to need to be a bit patient with her. 

As for Grey, I'm liking his arc. It's been a while since I've seen a character like him on TV, and his backstory interests me. The reveal that he was an explosives expert did surprise me. That definitely adds to him as a character.

I loved the use of Hoffman in this episode. I love that we've gotten more backstory on him and he's just as layered as Dex and Grey. What this show has done right is give good material to their leads so far. Now, next, can we PLEASE give something for Cosgrove, whose name I just had to look up because that's how little Camryn Manheim's gotten so far? 

[dreamer]

7 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I'm surprised that Dex actually passed her PI certification this quickly. She only JUST started doing it a few weeks prior so I was hoping that this would have been a season long arc for her. It would have been fun to see her actually put the time and effort in to become a PI. Ah, well. Too late now!

I had the same thought! I would have loved to see that, too

At the beginning of the episode, I thought that she was dressed up to meet up with a client for a new case, but then remembered that Banks signed off on all the required hours.

Maybe they thought it would be better to explore that, after the character became a PI.

One more thing I liked about this episode, it felt like they were becoming a family.

[AnimeMania]

17 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Grey got punched by Dex, and rightfully so. She has every right to be pissed right now. I didn't take it as a moment where their friendship would be in trouble, but more that she's really, really mad at him for lying and endangering Ansel's life. And she has every right to feel that way, so Grey's going to need to be a bit patient with her. 

I thought for sure that Ansel was going to tell Dex that Grey gave him a few days off. I thought Dex was going to force Ansel back to work because she didn't have a clue how to run the bar. That might have softened the blow that Grey had put Ansel in danger.

[chaifan]

I don't think Grey did anything wrong, at least in respect to Dex and Ansel.   It's not like he gave the bad guys a list titled "people who mean the most to me and who'll I'll do illegal things to protect".  The bad guys were already at the bar and knew who Ansel was.  Not sure how they knew who Dex was, but I'm pretty sure that was covered in a previous episode.  So what was Grey supposed to do in this situation?

[Lady Calypso]

11 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I don't think Grey did anything wrong, at least in respect to Dex and Ansel.   It's not like he gave the bad guys a list titled "people who mean the most to me and who'll I'll do illegal things to protect".  The bad guys were already at the bar and knew who Ansel was.  Not sure how they knew who Dex was, but I'm pretty sure that was covered in a previous episode.  So what was Grey supposed to do in this situation?

I think it was more about how he lied to Dex about knowing Kane and withholding information about his past. I know he did try to keep Ansel away from the bar (as it turns out, if Ansel stayed away from the bar, he wouldn't have gotten kidnapped) and I think Grey did the best that he could. And we know that if they had tried to kidnap Dex, it wouldn't have gone well. But because he wasn't honest with Dex earlier, it did end up affecting the events in a way. And, for sure, I think that's why Dex and Grey will be just fine. Grey technically didn't owe Dex all of the information, but if he had provided it (such as not lying to her about knowing Kane and knowing Jack, his buddy who got killed), there could have been a different outcome (such as Dex convincing Ansel to not go to work that day once she knew Kane was free). 

It's also more about the fear that Ansel could have gotten killed because of Grey that probably frightened Dex. That's why I give her lenience on her reaction. She just needs a couple of days to process what happened. At the end of it all, Grey's not really to blame because he did try to prevent it to the best of his ability. And Dex will come to that conclusion as well, especially since she asked Hoffman to go easy on Grey....and Hoffman actually went easy by letting him go! And possibly also might have just signed Grey up to be his new consultant this season, if Cosgrove pushes for it to happen for the cover story of Hoffman letting Grey go without any consequences.

[SimoneS]

I thought this was the best episode of the season so far. The scenes with the bad guy "kidnapping" Ansel were tense and scary. I practically cheered when Ansel figured out that something was wrong and came up with the plan to give the waitress the card.

I felt like we really got to know both Grey and Hoffman. Both men with pasts that haunt them. Hoffman's past is easier to deal with because while he feels guilt, he isn't a criminal. He can learn to accept that he cannot change the past and move on. Grey on the hand got involved with a tough crew and getting out is harder. I am not sure that he is really free and clear, but is probably his best shot.

I totally understood the fear and anger that made Dex hit Grey. She is right that he kept secrets that put Ansel in danger, but she knew that Grey was a criminal so there was always a risk there.

I like how Dex never just overpowers guy twice her size in fights. Rather she uses any and everything she can gets her hands on as a weapon.

Edited November 3, 2019 by SimoneS

[sempervivum]

So their parents named them after 1) an addictive stimulant and 2) an iconic photographer. Huh.

This was a good episode, and it was nice seeing a happy, though highly improbable ending. 

I don't care for the Miles character; he just seems so high strung and clenched-jaw about every thing. It also weirds me out that he looks like a combination of Gary Dourdan and Sammy Davis, Jr. (hello, underbite).

I realize that there is a range of capability in Down Syndrome folks, but I thought Ansel's quickness in figuring out the crossword answers seemed kind of extra.

[paigow]

10 hours ago, mommalib said:

Nice to see Hoffman save Grey's ass.

A small price to pay for more sexy time with Dex......

[PBnJay]

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I love Janeane Garofalo so I was excited to see her because I assumed they wouldn't hire her to be a glorified extra, but nope. Just a few lines and buh bye.

I thought that was her but was not sure. Maybe she will be back.

This episode belonged to Ansel. He rocked it, start to finish. He's my new favorite character.

Edited October 31, 2019 by PBnJay

[mommalib]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

A small price to pay for more sexy time with Dex......

Yup lol

[saber5055]

I really enjoyed this episode, my favorite one so far since I've been MEH about this show before now. But last night locked me in. I was craving eating those Mexican dishes, this could have been a cooking/restaurant show and it would have worked. And Ansel got a great part, I liked him best since the tape-playing car was absent, it was my favorite character. And Dex getting in a no-holds-barred fight with a big bad guy, a staple of every episode, did not disappoint. I don't even care any more that she doesn't get bruises or cuts or muscle aches from the smack downs.

The only complaint I had was when the cop was chasing the bad guy and bad guy was running up the stairs, cop had a clear shot at him and was even holding his gun. But no, he has to run up the stairs too so they can have some big dialogue.

If I were the cop and missed my shot on the stairs, I would have at least shot the bad guy in the foot once I caught him. That would have been at least partially satisfying.

Did the chef ever get his cilantro?

[mammaM]

.

5 hours ago, sempervivum said:

So their parents named them after 1) an addictive stimulant and 2) an iconic photographer. Huh.

This was a good episode, and it was nice seeing a happy, though highly improbable ending. 

I don't care for the Miles character; he just seems so high strung and clenched-jaw about every thing. It also weirds me out that he looks like a combination of Gary Dourdan and Sammy Davis, Jr. (hello, underbite).

I realize that there is a range of capability in Down Syndrome folks, but I thought Ansel's quickness in figuring out the crossword answers seemed kind of extra.

Re: Ansel and the crossword puzzle. It could be savant syndrome, or more likely, If you do the same newspaper's puzzle you realize they...not so much repeat words, but have a kind of language. There's a bunch of odd 3 and 4 letter words that get used alot, some newspapers always use puns, some use celebrity names, you get the idea.

[UnknownK]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

If I were the cop and missed my shot on the stairs, I would have at least shot the bad guy in the foot once I caught him. That would have been at least partially satisfying.

Cops don't shoot people in the foot, they would get in trouble for using not lethal force. Considering the guy was in jail for life, and he killed a bunch of cops getting away, I would expect anyone finding him to unload their weapon into him a few times and call it a day.

[leighdear]

Aaaannnnd that bullshit with the instant P.I. certification has just closed down this show for me.    If they had stretched it out a bit, with her taking some classes for a few episodes, I would have rolled with it, but not that crap where fake hours, a couple of superficial questions and BAM, it's completed. 

Nope, no way and no how.  I'm done.  

[saber5055]

18 minutes ago, leighdear said:

Aaaannnnd that bullshit with the instant P.I. certification has just closed down this show for me.

This made me wonder, how does a PI get certified anyway. Do they have to take classes or be an apprentice like a plumber does for a few years? Can anyone be a licensed PI? And since Dex was doing it anyway, why did she want or need a license? Now she will have to file income tax as a small business and pay a bundle on April 15.

[Clanstarling]

1 minute ago, saber5055 said:

This made me wonder, how does a PI get certified anyway. Do they have to take classes or be an apprentice like a plumber does for a few years? Can anyone be a licensed PI? And since Dex was doing it anyway, why did she want or need a license? Now she will have to file income tax as a small business and pay a bundle on April 15.

To my understanding there is an apprenticeship of sorts - having to work with a licensed PI for quite a number of hours (referenced in the show, but then blown off), as well as a test for the license.

But I'll hand wave it since for me it seems this isn't really intended to be a gritty true to life procedural. I don't expect too much realism for a show with a tape player that randomly serves up on point music. It's just fun. I might change my mind, but right now, I'm good with it.

[dargosmydaddy]

7 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I realize that there is a range of capability in Down Syndrome folks, but I thought Ansel's quickness in figuring out the crossword answers seemed kind of extra.

I bought that he would know the Ernie one (and could even see the guy asking him specifically because he figured Ansel would know, and wanted to continue to try to build a bond with him), but the acorn one was really random.

19 hours ago, phalange said:

I don’t blame Dex for being mad enough to punch Grey,

10 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Grey got punched by Dex, and rightfully so.

I hated that punch. I hate that women hitting guys is seen as OK, and I feel like it's a go-to trope on TV. I get Dex being furious with Grey from a character standpoint, but use your words, woman. The fact that it was not a heat of the moment thing, but possibly calculated (Maybe I'm misremembering the scene and Grey said something particularly provoking, but my recollection is that she waited until they were alone in his office and then clocked him) was even worse. Just ugh.

In general I thought the episode was somewhat lacking. We're only five episodes in, and it seems like they burned through this storyline super fast. I didn't care about Hoffman and his dead CI. I thought it was beyond ridiculous that he had a bunch of witnesses watch him almost kill the guy (after he's not even supposed to be anywhere near the case), but this is hand waved away and everything's wonderful by the ending.

I did like Ansel playing a role in his own rescue, but I questioned him going with the guy in the first place. It's been mentioned in previous episode threads that Ansel takes his responsibilities very seriously. He was sent to get cilantro. I don't see him going for a random ride without at least mentioning this job to the guy. Would have made more sense for the guy to offer him a ride to the market, and then say that they were making a side trip first or whatever. 

14 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

Do they have to take classes or be an apprentice like a plumber does for a few years? Can anyone be a licensed PI? And since Dex was doing it anyway, why did she want or need a license?

As someone mentioned upthread, she had to fulfill a certain number of apprenticeship hours, but Artie fudged those for her. As for why she needs the license, I would imagine she'd get more jobs that way. Most people want to hire a licensed professional, whether it's a plumber or a PI. Her jobs in the first few episodes were either referred to her by people she knew (Sue Lynn, Grey, Hoffman, I think?) or the one was through Artie.

[janeta]

I was surprised Ansel went with the baddie, too. (And poor Colin C always playing the bad guy these days...)

Dex needs the PI license so she can work with the police; Manheim told her to get licensed.

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I'm enjoying the food truck chef/Dex's occasional assistant.

Food truck chef is good for comic relief, but does his arrival mean Dex & Co. will be pretty much all serious all the time?

Speaking of Manheim, it looks like her character is not going to be stereotypical Bad Boss anymore.

[buckboard]

If this were real life, I would be upset that Dex got her license so quickly, but for goodness sake, this isn't a documentary.  Why be upset?  That's far from the only thing that isn't realistic about the show. 

If you don't have a willing suspension of disbelief -- as I was taught in high school English -- it's difficult to watch almost any TV show.

[retrograde]

13 hours ago, sempervivum said:

So their parents named them after 1) an addictive stimulant and 2) an iconic photographer. Huh.

In the comics, there is also 

Spoiler

a sister named Fuji who drops in at some point.

[paigow]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Food truck chef is good for comic relief, but does his arrival mean Dex & Co. will be pretty much all serious all the time?

Dex has more baggage than LAX....so mopey Dex is to be expected...like if Westeros morphed into Stumptown, she would be Jon Snow...

[tvfanatic13]

This episode belonged to Ansel. I love his smile!

[kili]

Quote

I guess the bad guy had a buyer lined up. Maybe they cut a couple of lines explaining that

The guy that kidnapped Ansel told Dex that Kane had set up a fence that dealt with Native American art. That's what gave Dex and Hoffman the clue that they were going to rob a museum which got them in the right neighbourhood to hear the shots.

[tennisgurl]

I thought that was a really good episode, a lot happened but it felt like it went by so fast! I dont blame Dex for being pissed at Grey (although the smack was too much) for hiding stuff, but I think she will get over it pretty quickly. He certainly didnt mean for her or Ansel to get hurt and he worked really hard to try and protect him, and she knows how hard he has tried to put his life of crime behind him. 

The kidnapping was so intense, but I love that Ansel got that card to the waitress and was a part of his own rescue. I really like how they write/play Ansel in general, he isnt usually a plot device to humanize Grey and Dex, he is an actual person and while he has his limits, he can be quite intuitive. 

Grey being an explosions expert is quite an interesting development, I wonder if that will come up again and he will use those skills to help Dex? Chekhov's explosions! That guy he was stuck with was seriously scary, thank god he went back to jail. I also liked getting more of Hoffman, I think I like him a lot more now that we know more about his history and how he functions. Really, its too bad that he and Grey got off on the wrong foot, I think they actually have a fair bit in common and could actually get along pretty well. 

My favorite bit was Hoffman's murder board falling down after his big dramatic speech. I mean, its shocking more over-weighted murder boards dont do that!   

[Clanstarling]

13 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

My favorite bit was Hoffman's murder board falling down after his big dramatic speech. I mean, its shocking more over-weighted murder boards dont do that! 

It was my favorite moment too.

[mammaM]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

My favorite bit was Hoffman's murder board falling down after his big dramatic speech. I mean, its shocking more over-weighted murder boards dont do that!   

 "Don't make me put that back up" 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[MissLucas]

We didn't get any magic tape but it was still a good episode. I wouldn't mind to see food truck guy again - the show needs more semi-regular characters for world building. I also liked that we got a bit more of Camryn Manheim's Lt. Cosgrove. 

The fight scene in the kitchen was intense - they're really doing a good job by making them gritty and dirty enough to not come across as completely unbelievable. As for Dex never showing more tear and wear than a couple of decoratively placed cuts and bruises - pretty standard for procedurals where the main characters have Wolverine like healing and the good and attractive guys always get hurt in the shoulder (but never bad enough to require months of physio).

[paigow]

36 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

good and attractive guys always get hurt in the shoulder (but never bad enough to require months of physio).

Unless there is a smoking hot physiotherapist that will rat out a shady ex boyfriend....

[shapeshifter]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

My favorite bit was Hoffman's murder board falling down after his big dramatic speech. I mean, its shocking more over-weighted murder boards dont do that!   

Add me to the list of those who loved the murder board fall. I wonder if it was a prop fail, but then Michael Ealy just stayed in character and ad-libbed?

************
 

12 hours ago, MissLucas said:

We didn't get any magic tape but it was still a good episode

OMG, you’re right! I totally didn’t notice. 

[paigow]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Add me to the list of those who loved the murder board fall. I wonder if it was a prop fail, but then Michael Ealy just stayed in character and ad-libbed?

If this was an FBI murder board, it would have fixed itself - but this is Stumptown.

[Accidental Martyr]

The Cars and The Clash! 👍

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/31/2019 at 6:20 PM, mammaM said:

Re: Ansel and the crossword puzzle. It could be savant syndrome, or more likely, If you do the same newspaper's puzzle you realize they...not so much repeat words, but have a kind of language. There's a bunch of odd 3 and 4 letter words that get used alot, some newspapers always use puns, some use celebrity names, you get the idea.

On 10/31/2019 at 8:00 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

I bought that he would know the Ernie one (and could even see the guy asking him specifically because he figured Ansel would know, and wanted to continue to try to build a bond with him), but the acorn one was really random.

Agreed.

[AnimeMania]

On 10/31/2019 at 8:00 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

I bought that he would know the Ernie one (and could even see the guy asking him specifically because he figured Ansel would know, and wanted to continue to try to build a bond with him), but the acorn one was really random.

I got the Acorn one, but missed the Ernie one.

[Clanstarling]

51 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

On 10/31/2019 at 5:00 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

I bought that he would know the Ernie one (and could even see the guy asking him specifically because he figured Ansel would know, and wanted to continue to try to build a bond with him), but the acorn one was really random.

Agreed.

I think he could have gotten the acorn one the same place he got Ernie. Kids shows do instruct, and an acorn being a little oak tree seems a likely topic - even a jingle - on one of those shows.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I got the Acorn one, but missed the Ernie one.

I guess you're not a Sesame Street watcher!

[shantown]

On 10/31/2019 at 9:40 AM, Lady Calypso said:

I loved the use of Hoffman in this episode. I love that we've gotten more backstory on him and he's just as layered as Dex and Grey. What this show has done right is give good material to their leads so far. Now, next, can we PLEASE give something for Cosgrove, whose name I just had to look up because that's how little Camryn Manheim's gotten so far? 

I like Hoffman (and Michael Ealy) and Cosgrove (and Camryn Manheim) and agree this was a good episode for them. I would like to see these characters continue to get layers and storylines, because the show has done such a good job with setting up the three opposing/intertwined facets of the story (the police, the tribal leaders, and the PIs/underground sort of world).
 

On 10/31/2019 at 11:57 AM, sempervivum said:

I realize that there is a range of capability in Down Syndrome folks, but I thought Ansel's quickness in figuring out the crossword answers seemed kind of extra.

Not to downplay Ansel's abilities at all, but the two clues given in the show seemed pretty easy, not anything you'd need special knowledge or tricky wordplay for. (Maybe just so the audience could keep up?)
 

On 10/31/2019 at 5:14 PM, saber5055 said:

Did the chef ever get his cilantro?

I hope he did! He's one of my favorite secondary characters! I kind of hope he sticks around the bar for awhile, though the comic relief of the food truck was fun too.
 

On 10/31/2019 at 7:22 PM, leighdear said:

Aaaannnnd that bullshit with the instant P.I. certification has just closed down this show for me.  

I also wish the PI certification would have been a season-long arc, but don't mind that we're not gonna get bogged down in it either. I'm still enjoying a lot of other aspects of the show, so I'm hoping it sticks around.

Also I REALLY missed the mixtape this time around, though there were a few good songs (like when the henchman had Dex at gunpoint in the diner)