S03.E05: Rage

[ESS]

ATHENA TAKES ACTION AND BUCK PROCEEDS AHEAD WITH HIS LAWSUIT

The 118 races to help protesters at a slaughter house, and a wife who finds herself trapped in a “rage room” with her husband’s mistress. Meanwhile, Athena takes action after Michael, May, and Harry experience a traumatic traffic stop. Also, the team feels betrayed by Buck when his suit against the city goes to arbitration and Eddie turns to Lena in his struggles with his anger issues.

[gonzosgirrl]

Oh Buck, really, what did you think was going to happen?

I'm not sure why they decided to undo a couple of seasons of character growth, but they managed to erase most of the goodwill I'd built up for him.

The scene with Athena's family being pulled over was intense. I can't imagine being put through something like that. I love Bobby and Michael's relationship.

I want to go to a rage room.

Suddenly, Ronda Rousey's addition makes sense. LOL!

[sashayshante]

This was the first episode where I paid attention to Lena. Yikes. Please get rid of her. Of course they had to show her in a UFC-style fighting match.

Buck's lawsuit was destined to go away quickly. Weird he didn't tell his lawyer from the start he just wanted his job back.

[SimoneS]

Seriously, who is shocked by that stop? May should have known better. They are lucky that Michael could use Athena's name to protect them and none of them ended up dead. Then we would have hear about what they did to cause the police to shoot them. I really liked Michael's talk with Harry and the scene with Bobby. It was satisfying that Athena got hers back, but it doesn't solve the wider problem. At least, the younger cop apologized and that might make a difference.

Great to see Ivanova from Babylon 5 as Athena's captain. So cool.

Buck is being ridiculously naive. How can he expect to go back to the dept and squad after putting their business out there and causing drama in the squad? They will probably get pass it all eventually.

Buck needs to go back to being best friends with Eddie to save him from the bad influence of this new violent friend. WTF is Eddie thinking. He is not thinking about what would happen to Christopher if he is seriously hurt.

The duck farm owner was an ass and those activists were fools, but the woman comforting the duck was hilarious. I also enjoyed the wife and her ex-friend in the rage room.

Poor Karen. I wonder what that will mean for them down the line.

Edited October 22, 2019 by SimoneS

[Lady Calypso]

So, this episode had some really strong moments (the Athena and Michael stuff, Hen/Karen's final scene) and then some REALLY bad stuff (the Buck stuff...enough said). 

And then there's the WTF stuff. Eddie, I'm looking at you.

To start off with the WTF stuff, there has been NO signs of Eddie have ANY sort of rage issues. No signs that Eddie will suddenly go punch out people. Even if it's somewhat related to the tsunami stuff (which...is still a stretch) and even if it's related to Shannon's death, it's still completely out of character for Eddie. So yeah, of course I fully believe it's ONLY because of Ronda Rousey and needing to show off the actual stuff that she's good at (fighting stuff). 

It's just ridiculous, especially since Eddie knows that he has a son to worry about, so going to a nighttime Fight Club is just reckless and leaves his son vulnerable to not having his dad in his life. It just makes no sense. It's not even a whole "he has some trauma and needs therapy." It's a "this isn't in character because Eddie would never ever do this". 

Buck, oh Buck. No surprise with how that's going but it seems like Bobby will get his revenge by being extra hard on Buck. Good; keep him close and make sure he feels his mistake for the next few months. Still, it's incredibly frustrating to see how nonchalant Buck is about all of this and how he really doesn't see what he did as wrong. I hope that he doesn't have a blood clot impact him while working, especially since I'm not so sure that would even sway Buck into realizing he was wrong. But what else could do it? 

Also, I guess that his blood clotting issue is still unknown as to why it's happening? But is it temporary?

Now, the Karen/Hen stuff sucks. I feel so bad for Karen but it was such a powerful scene. I hope these two try again and it works out.

Now, for the excellent part, and only redeemable part of the episode. Finally, a rare plotline with Michael and the kids! For characters who are technically part of the main cast, it's frustrating to realize how little they get, especially for the character of Michael. 

The scene where they're pulled over was intense, but I think the talk between Michael and Harry was the best part, followed by Athena and Michael arguing about the incident.

What Athena tried to do to just get a little satisfaction was good, but it's obviously not enough and would never be enough. 

If not for this plot, I really would have called this the worst episode of the series. Maybe it still is, but at least I can name one good thing about this episode.

[Ohwell]

That talk that Michael had with Harry was sad but necessary. 

PLEASE let that be the last time we have to see Lena and that UFC crap.  She is an awful addition to the show.

I see more chemistry between Michael and Bobby than with Athena and Bobby. 

I'm over Buck, but worried about Eddie.  Don't care about Karen and her fertility issues.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Ohwell

[DearEvette]

6 minutes ago, sashayshante said:

This was the first episode where I paid attention to Lena. Yikes. Please get rid of her. Of course they had to show her in a UFC-style fighting match.

When that scene came on I said "Of Course" because of course....

6 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

really liked Michael's talk with Harry and the scene with Bobby. It was satisfying that Athena got hers back, but it doesn't solve the wider problem. At least, the younger cop apologized and that might make a difference.

I did too.  And I continue to love Bobby and Michael's relationship.

My take on the Athena thing is that there is always this perception that the cops we hear about all the time who are out here shooting brown  people supposedly the minority in the police force.  And yet, there is also the perception that the blue line is so solid in protecting them from consequences that it doesn't matter if they are the minority or not, because they are being enabled by the other good cops and the system.  So it sounds like the show is trying to show how the supposed good guys could step up internally and take care of it.  Of course that is tv land reality not reality reality because I think IRL while it might be that simple it would never be that easy,

6 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

The duck farm owner was an ass and those activists were fools, but the woman comforting the duck was hilarious. I also enjoyed the wife and her ex-friend in the rage room.

I am sorry, I was totally on Duck Farm guy's side.  Those students just irritated me from the jump.  LOL.

I swear the show just makes Buck look like a big idiot.  Also that arbitration hearing was a travesty, the lawyer's gotchas on everyone in his quest to show unfair treatment toward Buck could have easily been debunked by a halfway competent lawyer employed by the city.

[tvgoddess]

That was some episode. Michael's talk to Harry had me in tears. All of the scenes in this part of the story tonight were really good, but this one was the best.

Karen and Hen's scene was really sad too. It's got to be so frustrating to want to control something you have no control over.

The duck farm activists were hilarious in an obvious sort of way, but the property owner was a jackass. Guy was choking to death and he was all, "oh please don't let him die on my property." Selfish ass.

Buck is an idiot. I'm so glad Eddie called him out. Of course Christopher wanted to see him, and because of the lawsuit he can't. And Buck didn't think about that?

I actually thought Lena was slightly (extremely low bar) improved acting wise tonight, but this Fight Club thing is just so stupid.

Were there any overly gross parts? That might be a first.

Lastly, I didn't notice that Maddie wasn't in the episode until they showed her. I guess you can say she wasn't missed.

[DearEvette]

2 minutes ago, tvgoddess said:

The duck farm activists were hilarious in an obvious sort of way, but the property owner was a jackass. Guy was choking to death and he was all, "oh please don't let him die on my property." Selfish ass.

See I was more like who puts a kryptonite lock around their neck and swallows the key while trespassing and destroying someone else's property?  Duck farm owner might have been a jackass but that kid's dumbass quotient was exponentially higher because it also came with a heaping help of jackass as well.

[Irlandesa]

So I actually think I might be on Buck's side here and that's largely because of how stupid this whole plot was.  Bobby was ready to welcome Buck back at the beginning of the season until he was put on anticoagulants.  So Bobby's issue wasn't one of PTSD or even maturity, it's all down to the meds Buck is taking.  That would seem to make it a medical issue.

If that's the case, I fail to understand why this medical decision is all up to the Captain, especially in a system as big as LA County and a firefighters union. Anticoagulants are going to be on the prohibited list and Buck can't do active duty or they're not and it wouldn't be up to Bobby whether or not Buck gets to return to active duty.

That his team wouldn't hold it against him was naive of Buck and he should have taken the money and found a similar job.  But I also don't think he was wrong to fight.

Eddie's rage issues were the worst part of the episode for me.  The first rule of fight club is that it should stay in the damn movie that came out years ago.

[Bulldog]

Among the things I have very little patience for in my life:

1) Animal rights protesters (grew up on a farm)

2) Self appointed parking space patrols (have a friend with a very serious but not readily apparent disability)

3) Ambulance chasers (have worked in the insurance industry)

4) Ambulance chasers' idiot clients (seriously, you're offered millionS  (yes plural) of dollars for a wrongful termination suit when you were not even terminated -- you take the money.  You can get new friends.)

5) Racist a-holes (should be self explanatory).

6) Ronda Rousey's acting capabilities (again, self explanatory).

So, needless to say, this episode hit a lot of buttons for me.

On the plus side, I learned that rage rooms are apparently a thing.  I'm off to see if I can find one near me.   

[tvgoddess]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

See I was more like who puts a kryptonite lock around their neck and swallows the key while trespassing and destroying someone else's property?  Duck farm owner might have been a jackass but that kid's dumbass quotient was exponentially higher because it also came with a heaping help of jackass as well.

The activist kid was moronically stupid, but he didn't deserve to die for it.

[The Ringo Kidd]

Seriously guys. In this class of wooden actors Ronda Rousey is Meryl Streep.

[Gramto6]

1 minute ago, tvgoddess said:

The activist kid was moronically stupid, but he didn't deserve to die for it.

Did he die? I was so spaced out on the whole stupid animal rights story line I didn't pay attention.

[tvgoddess]

2 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

Did he die? I was so spaced out on the whole stupid animal rights story line I didn't pay attention.

No, but he definitely could have. And the duck farm owner could have shut off the switch or whatever to make him stop choking, but he refused. I'm not sure if he couldn't have been charged with something himself.

[Gramto6]

Thanks. Totally missed that.

[Mystery]

2 hours ago, tvgoddess said:

Buck is an idiot. I'm so glad Eddie called him out.

Yeah, when Eddie said that Buck was "exhausting," I thought, "truer words were never spoken." 

Ronda seems to have only one expression. It's distracting. 

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

 So Bobby's issue wasn't one of PTSD or even maturity, it's all down to the meds Buck is taking.  That would seem to make it a medical issue.

If that's the case, I fail to understand why this medical decision is all up to the Captain, especially in a system as big as LA County and a firefighters union. Anticoagulants are going to be on the prohibited list and Buck can't do active duty or they're not and it wouldn't be up to Bobby whether or not Buck gets to return to active duty.

Yeah, this is what I said last week. That was just crazy. 

One thing about the terrible police stop that I thought the father would mention to his son: he could have said "my 10-year-old son is in the back seat." I was waiting for him to. Not that he should have HAD to, but as an older white woman, I would have said it myself if police told me to get out of my car. 

[bluemm]

Between the Buck drama and the story involving the traffic stop the actual 911 emergencies in this episode seemed like periphery fillers.

[sempervivum]

I wonder if the lawyer was working on contingency, and if so, what happens if he wins a settlement but the client refuses to accept it? Will Buck still have to pay him or what?

Why are so many of these characters acting stupid-Eddie, Buck, Maddie? Lets get back to some interesting action.

[The Ringo Kidd]

Did any of these numb nuts have a leather belt or leather shoes?

[tennisgurl]

Of course they had to get Lena in some kind of lame fight club, and only a few episodes in! So is she going to be Eddies bad influence friend like some kind of after school special? Oh Eddie, your just sad you cant talk to Buck and are trying to replace the Buck shaped hole in your heart! 

The police stop was really intense, and the talk that Michael and Harry had was really great, the best of the episode. His talk with Bobby was a close second, I love their relationship and how close they've gotten.

[DisplayyName]

Damn. At this point, I think the writers are trying to ruin the characters as much as possible.

The lawsuit storyline is pointless. I was cringing at the scene where the lawyer brought up Chimney's injuries. I was thinking, ' wow Buck, that was uncalled for '.
And then he brings up Hen's past - oh no.
He brings up the death of Eddie's wife - this can't get any worse.
And then the Bobby part...

it's a huge step back for Buck's character development, but maybe he's about to learn a big lesson.

Ugh, when Bobby told him ' you might [regret coming back]' it made me think of my 2nd grade teacher, she caught some of my classmates talking about her behind her back [she deserved it btw] and she made sure their time at school was hell after that. Humiliating them, making them feel dumb etc.

The worst part of the episode was the pro cop speech from Athena. Just, no words. While the show gets some things right, it gets other things very wrong.

4 hours ago, tvgoddess said:

[...] Lastly, I didn't notice that Maddie wasn't in the episode until they showed her. I guess you can say she wasn't missed.

What's a maddie? She really has no purpose in the show. Even though this episode wasn't the best [not because she was missed, the concept of the episode was weird] overall the cast is better off without her.

[sweetandsour]

During this episode, I finally figured out what I think of Ronda's facial expressions besides "wonky."  She distorts (and probably not intentionally) her face like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who must have endless unflattering screen caps out there.  I have zero intention of going into any political aspect, but I feel bad drawing this connection because of what an insult it is to Ronda.  Does she do this when she's not acting?  I've only really seen her in that small part in Fast and Furious 7.

All of the things the lawyer brought up in the arbitration per Buck's intel were pretty bad, and once it was clear it was going down that path, I was super cringing and warding off the idea that they would get into the details of that awful Minnesota fire.  They sort of skirted around it - talking about Bobby's suspension that was lifted - but I was sitting there thinking, Buck is not going to be able to come back from it with 118 or the viewers if they get into the painful details.

And besides giving Bobby such a hard time in particular, I thought the worst part the lawyer cited was Chimney's most recent injury - stabbed multiple times by his "girlfriend's ex-husband."  I was like, Buck.  That's your sister and you were terrified she was going to be murdered.  Chimney would have done anything to protect her - he just didn't get the chance bc Brian Hallisay surprised him, right?  Yes, "girlfriend's ex-husband" is a correct relationship description relative to Chimney, but Buck.  That's your sister.  At least his physical reaction showed that he knew that was a terrible thing to use in the arbitration, but sheesh.

I'll give Buck a small percentage of a pass, though, about his naivety about what would happen in the lawsuit and how could he possibly come back to the 118 with the same friendships intact.  I've seen it many times in the workplace, as an example, when people think approaching HR a certain way about a problem might help (bc they don't really understand that HR isn't there to protect the employees vs. the company that pays them) and then it backfires.  It's clear in hindsight, but people were just so optimistic about an avenue available to them that "could work," they don't recognize the full picture of possibilities.

Anyway, a ton of other things happened in this episode but I've already blathered on enough.

[HunterHunted]

6 hours ago, sashayshante said:

This was the first episode where I paid attention to Lena. Yikes. Please get rid of her. Of course they had to show her in a UFC-style fighting match.

This plot is stupid and Ronda can't act. I don't think Gina Carano is any great shakes as an actress, but she's better than Ronda.

6 hours ago, sashayshante said:

Buck's lawsuit was destined to go away quickly. Weird he didn't tell his lawyer from the start he just wanted his job back.

His lawyer literally told him when they started this foolishness that even if he got his job back, he'd be an outcast. He's an imbecile and unfortunately his sister is so busy melting down and stalking domestic abusers that she can't find the time to Cher ala Moonstruck smack him upside the head and yell snap out of it.

[sashayshante]

2 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

He's an imbecile and unfortunately his sister is so busy melting down and stalking domestic abusers that she can't find the time to Cher ala Moonstruck smack him upside the head and yell snap out of it.

I work in PTSD recovery. It's important to understand that a DA survivor's brain has been damaged in the same way it would if it had suffered physical trauma, like a head injury. Maddie is acting irrationally because the parts of her brain that handle emotional regulation and reasoning no longer work properly. It's not as simple as she's "melting down." What she's doing by befriending in the woman to protect her is actually very common.

[Bulldog]

6 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I wonder if the lawyer was working on contingency, and if so, what happens if he wins a settlement but the client refuses to accept it? Will Buck still have to pay him or what?

In my state (and I would guess probably all states), lawyers can file a lien against a settlement to insure that they get paid.  In most cases, it happens when a client drops their lawyer, then hires a different lawyer to pursue their case.  I'm not really sure how it works if the client just refuses the settlement.  I feel confident in saying that there are processes in place for the attorney to get his fee.    

[WinJet0819]

I knew the lawsuit was stupid. Buck went in half-cocked and didn't even know what the full process was. What you tell your lawyer will be what he uses against the defendants. How could you not know that? And your lawyer did say that if you do this, you will basically make yourself an outcast. But he's so determined to do whatever it takes to get back on the 118, as Eddie said, he never tried to see the other side of things. You told your lawyer personal information, and then they had to answer for it, on the record. Like Bobby's relapse, off duty, that had no effect on his on-duty job performance. Not to mention, you wound up isolating yourself from your best friend and Christopher.

But hey, he makes enough waves, he winds up getting what he wants anyway because the chief doesn't want the headache.. Though frankly, if a guy is still on blood thinners, he should not be cleared. All it takes is a seemingly minor cut that goes unnoticed, and then next thing you know he's loses consciousness and bleeds out in the middle of a fire. And a squadmate dies while expecting him for backup or trying to get to him to pull him out.

As a poster said before, if Maddie was not having a PTSD breakdown about her abusive relationship and stalking a possible abuser, she would have been the first one to slap some sense into him and make him see the other side of things.

And Athena's handling of that cop during the traffic stop was straight gold. She didn't lose her cool or get hysterical. She got her point calmly and smoothly, by making the officer recount what he had put her family through.

As for Ronda Rousey, I will say she is not going to be winning any Academy Awards for her acting. But at the same time, she's not terrible. Of course, they have to throw a wrestling moment in for her, but overall, it hasn't been all about her. I do hope she and Eddie do NOT become a fling, but they are becoming good friends.

[Chaos Theory]

I think I am going to like RR out of sheer principle.  She isn’t that bad and the amount of hate doesn’t match.   So I am going to be on the other side and like her on principle alone.  Besides her story with Eddie was fun.  Yes of course RM would use her fighting background.  It would be like having an opera singer on his roster and not put them in a position where they got to sing.  Besides with Eddie self destructing and Buck not being an option the pairing is a logical one.

Speaking of Buck.  The hearing shows that he isn’t explicitly wrong.  Chimney got to return weeks after a beam went through his head.  I can see how it looks bad for the department.  Everyone gets to return within  weeks but not Buck.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[WinJet0819]

3 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think I am going to like RR out of sheer principle.  She isn’t that bad and the amount of hate doesn’t match.   So I am going to be on the other side and like her on principle alone.  Besides her story with Eddie was fun.  Yes of course RM would use her fighting background.  It would be like having an opera singer on his roster and not put them in a position where they got to singS.  Besides with Eddie self destructing and Buck not being an option the pairing is a logical one.

Speaking of Buck.  The hearing shows that he isn’t explicitly wrong.  Chimney got to return weeks after a beam went through his head.  I can see how it looks bad for the department.  Everyone gets to return writhing weeks but not Buck.

Chimney didn't need blood thinners though. It's not like Bobby was holding him out just for the hell of it. Had it just been his broken leg, which Buck recovered from after 5 months, he was going to clear him to return to active duty. But Buck over-exerted himself to get back and ignored the pain that he got in his leg, which turned out to be blood clots. It required blood thinners as a treatment, and until one can get off that and your blood can clot properly, there wouldn't be any firefighter that would be cleared for duty. It's hazardous risk. If Buck gets a minor cut that gets unnoticed, and bleeds out while on a call, Bobby would never forgive himself. If Chimney had had any neural deficits or any loss of sensation in his extremities as a result of the pipe being in his head, he wouldn't have come back after a month. He was very lucky that the pole didn't cause any permanent damage. Same goes for the stabbing. If he was found to have a clotting issue and needing blood thinners, he wouldn't have been back so quickly.

[Empress1]

Michael’s talk with Harry had me deep in my feelings.

[DearEvette]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

The slaughterhouse owner could have killed someone.  He should have been dragged in on attempted murder charges.

The activists trespassed on private property, locked themselves via neck (on their own) with kryptonite locks ( depending on the grade of the lock you'd need a recip saw or angle grinder to get through those if you don't have professional grade bolt cutters ) to a mechanized conveyor belt, poured a caustic substance onto the electrical box that controlled the belt thereby causing it to malfunction and turn it on.  All these actions they did themselves.  The entire time the owner kept telling to stop, do not do that and get out.  But they ignored him.

All the other activists were able to unlock their locks and get to safety before Bobby and Co. got there.  The only guy in real danger was the idiot who swallowed his key and ait wasn't the mechanized conveyor belt that was the most danger to him, it was swallowing the key that was what was endangering his life.

Sure the owner guy could have turned off the belt, he even admitted he could turn off the power to the whole system when Bobby asked but didn't want to.  And in the end, he did  before anyone got seriously hurt, but even if he had,  the key swallower still would have been in trouble. 

This played out the way it did with the quick cessation of the conveyor by the push of a button, because they needed Bobby to get mad at the duck farm owner so he could show some 'Rage.' 

[gonzosgirrl]

I dunno. These people put their own lives in jeopardy by each and every one of their own actions. Yeah, it takes a pretty horrible person to stand there and watch it unfold, but the blame lies entirely on the perpetrators here, in my opinion.

ETA: You can blame the owner for not shutting it down, but a) what if he wasn't there? Things would've played out the same way because it was the perps' actions that caused it. And b) why didn't any of the team even try pushing the button? Jeez.

Edited October 22, 2019 by gonzosgirrl

[tennisgurl]

Well at least this whole stupid law suite is over quickly and they arent dragging it out. Buck comes off as less selfish and more ridiculously naive/stupid, which helps a little I guess, but its hard to see how Buck will just come back with everyone like normal, and just makes him look more stupid than he has been lately. Its like he forgot his character development for two episodes before he remembered it again. What was even the point of this? Why was this what they wasted our time on? 

Hi Maddie! Nice to see you show up for five seconds at the end, still stalking that guy! I am still hoping that Maddie will find out she was reading the situation wrong and it was her PTSD talking and not her normally sensible brain, and it inspires her to get the help she needs. I mean, it sounds like he is abusive from the bits we got, but I think that sounds like a better story to me for Maddies recovery than Maddie running in to rescue the wife at a dramatic moment or something.

The story with the soon to be ex wife and her best friend was a funny little bit, and the activists and the ducks were a good "oh people, you silly" story. Those kids were definitely idiots, but the owner letting the dumbest one get strangled almost to death was too much. I mean, yeah trespassing is bad, but not to the point where you let someone die! The one girl comforting the duck made me laugh, and was actually pretty cute.

The whole story with the police stop was so intense, I knew that they would be alright but it was still hard to watch. Athena cant change the whole department, but she did hopefully let that guy know what he did was fucked up and that she is watching him, and hopefully the rookie cop learned a lesson and will take something good away from this. I guess they should be lucky it wasnt much worse. 

So now Eddie has anger issues out of nowhere? I guess this can have something to do with the tsunami, but it wasnt set up very well. Is this just an excuse for him to hook up with Lena now? 

[izabella]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

That rage business was ridiculous.  Breaking glass with people having exposed necks, not too smart.  Why break glass at all?  Shards flying everywhere.

I wash thinking how easy it would be for a sledgehammer to slip out of someone's hands and fly into someone's head or back or knees.  Our 911 crew are professionals, but most people are not experts with sledgehammers.

[Jillybean]

I love Michael and I'm glad he continues as a major character. That story was so scary and so realistic, given that people are being killed/arrested/having the cops called on them for being black on what seems like a daily basis. 

I like Hen but I just can't get interested in her storyline. In fact, when I started reading the thread and people were mentioning Karen, it took me a few minutes to figure out who Karen is. I don't know what it is, but I just can't get invested in their pursuit of pregnancy. 

Well that Buck storyline sure was accelerated. Did he honestly think the lawyer cared about getting him reinstated? I also find it impossible to believe that the city of Los Angeles offered "millions." I suspect they'll all be back to being best buddies by next week's episode. 

Hate, hate, hate the Eddie/fight club storyline. C'mon, show. RR is simply terrible and they haven't shown us any reason to like her character. 

Bobby might wanna be careful who he puts his hands on. Yeah, the farmer guy was an asshole, but assault is probably not a good idea.

Odd that the Maddie storyline wasn't continued in this episode. I'd rather they take the time spent on Hen & Karen and give it to Maddie's storyline, which interests me more.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Jillybean

[The Ringo Kidd]

6 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

This plot is stupid and Ronda can't act. I don't think Gina Carano is any great shakes as an actress, but she's better than Ronda

Actually the worst actress on this show is surprisingly Angela Basset. Her virtue signaling pompous performance is straight out of too impressed with myself handbook. She’s Charlton Heston with tits.

[Ohwell]

30 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

Actually the worst actress on this show is surprisingly Angela Basset. Her virtue signaling pompous performance is straight out of too impressed with myself handbook. She’s Charlton Heston with tits.

I'm glad you mentioned Angela Bassett's bad acting, because I never thought she was that good of an actress in anything I've ever seen her in.  She's always comes off as someone who thinks she's that important. 

Ronda Rousey is so bad, I'm going to have to call it a tie between her and Angela Bassett for Worst Actress on 9-1-1. 

[iMonrey]

Did they just resolve the entire Buck story in one episode? Who do they think they are, Chicago Fire?

I like Hen as much as anyone else but I couldn't care less about her and her wife's fertility issues. The last thing I'm ever going to care about is people trying to have babies. 

Gah, Ronda Rousey just does not fit into this show. She clearly cannot act and this whole fight club thing is just stupid.

[thewhiteowl]

This is just a mediocre if entertaining tv show so bad acting is forgivable. Eddie has been through a lot so I get his anger. Buck just isn't very bright, so I get that too. Don't care much about Hen's issue. The pull over was riveting. Completely believable and scary. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

7 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Gah, Ronda Rousey just does not fit into this show. She clearly cannot act and this whole fight club thing is just stupid.

I don’t know. If she beats the shit out of Jennifer Love Hewitt I will be happy.

[MrPissyPuppy]

Wonder how much that toilet paper company paid for product placement during the interior grocery store scenes?   Blech. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Buck just isn't very bright, so I get that too. 

I think that's an understatement given his recent behavior. The show did such a nice job building up good will towards him in the first few episodes of this season only to turn around and completely trash it. The left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing.

[DisplayyName]

27 minutes ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

Wonder how much that toilet paper company paid for product placement during the interior grocery store scenes?   Blech. 

I don't care about toilet paper but I just googled happycat laxative powder and found nothing. :/

[sashayshante]

4 hours ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

Actually the worst actress on this show is surprisingly Angela Basset. Her virtue signaling pompous performance is straight out of too impressed with myself handbook. She’s Charlton Heston with tits.

Bassett graduated from the Yale School of Drama, literally one of if not the best acting programs in the world. If she were white or a man nobody would deem her a bad actress because she's too confident. That's ridiculous.

Edited October 22, 2019 by sashayshante

[gonzosgirrl]

Huh. Was just reading this TVLine recap of the episode and apparently Ryan Guzman (Eddie) is also an MMA fighter in real life. Still a dumb choice for the character, a single parent of a special needs child.

Article is possibly spoilery.

Relevant quote:

Quote

TVLINE | And then there’s Eddie. Is this fight club the solution to his problem, or is it the start of a whole new problem?
I definitely would say it is not the solution. [Laughs]

TVLINE | At least he looks pretty confident in the ring.
I don’t know if you know this, but [Ryan Guzman] actually does that. He’s an MMA fighter. It’s a serious sport, and he is a practitioner of that sport.

19 minutes ago, sashayshante said:

Bassett graduated from the Yale School of Drama, literally one of if not the best acting programs in the world. If she were white or a man nobody would deem her a bad actress because she's too confident. That's ridiculous.

Agree, at least on her credentials and her acting chops. She's fabulous. And her character is a female sergeant in the LAPD - she should be bad-ass and confident.

[The Ringo Kidd]

14 minutes ago, sashayshante said:

Bassett graduated from the Yale School of Drama, literally one of if not the best acting programs in the world. If she were white or a man nobody would deem her a bad actress because she's too confident. That's ridiculous.

She is not just confident. She is arrogant, pompous and as wooden as a duck decoy. It has nothing to do with being black or a woman. Charlton Heston is the example I gave as the actor she reminds me of most closely. She treats every scene as if she is delivering the Ten Commandments. Her relationship with Peter Krause is devoid of romance or physical attraction. Totally unbelievable.  I guess they picked him because he has vast experience in interaction with a corpse.

[Clanstarling]

19 hours ago, sashayshante said:

Buck's lawsuit was destined to go away quickly. Weird he didn't tell his lawyer from the start he just wanted his job back.

My memory is a little vague on this point, but I think he did. I think the lawyer was seeing $$$ - which is what he's in it for in any case.

31 minutes ago, sashayshante said:

Bassett graduated from the Yale School of Drama, literally one of if not the best acting programs in the world. If she were white or a man nobody would deem her a bad actress because she's too confident. That's ridiculous.

I like Bassett, but since she was directly compared to Heston - an old white man who was absolutely a scene chewer and arrogant - I don't think it's her race or gender that's being called out.

I personally think she's playing the hell out of a character who's strong and confident and the rock everyone else depends on. I also noticed, for what it's worth, that when she said goodbye to her kids, she wasn't particularly demonstrative (which made me think of all the complaints that she and Krause don't show much intimacy). What's wooden to some is, for me, a woman of a type I know very well.

Rousey, on the other hand, bless her heart, can't even say her lines well.

Edited October 22, 2019 by Clanstarling

[The Ringo Kidd]

They asked Basset why she didn’t really show a loving passionate relationship with Peter Krause in the show and she replied what’s love got to do with it?

[Ohwell]

She's gonna blow up Bobby's car when she gets pissed at him. 

[mojoween]

Ronda wasn’t half bad this week.  I mean, the bar is lower than the ground, but still. Progress!

I hated Michael’s storyline because while I have no personal experience with it, I know it wasn’t written as fiction.  It makes me sad.

The closest rage room from here is about an hour away and I’m seriously considering making the trip.

Red-headed cop will always be Eddie from “The Kids Are Alright” to me and it’s so hard to take him seriously.  RIP to that fabulous show.