S03.E06: Monsters

[Madding crowd]

I’m sure many of the stories they use are based on real incidents but most of them are not based on well publicized cases and they are interwoven with things we haven’t seen before. And I would say most of their big stories are not specific enough so we could recognize the names of the real life characters involved . For example their are a lot of abusive spouse stories, a lot of natural disasters etc. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Madding crowd

[Clanstarling]

54 minutes ago, marceline said:

The homage to The Birds in the open was pretty impressive but I have to ask: how and why did Hen become an expert on crow behavior?

I don't even like birds, but I knew everything Hen said through some random bits of knowledge, Jeopardy, and conversations. Sometimes you just pick up stuff - especially something so weird as birds carrying grudges.

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, marceline said:

Athena going into the backyard made me think of the killing of Atatiana Jefferson when a cop shot her through her window. I know Athena knocked on the front door and announced herself which was the right thing to do but watching her walk alone into the backyard with gun drawn I couldn't help remembering that story.

I thought about Atatiana Jefferson too.  I know Athena announced herself, but there could have been any number of reasons why someone didn't answer the door.  Her walking around with the gun drawn did make me uneasy because had someone made a sound, she might have shot the person.

[Emma9]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I don't even like birds, but I knew everything Hen said through some random bits of knowledge, Jeopardy, and conversations. Sometimes you just pick up stuff - especially something so weird as birds carrying grudges.

I love crows, but yes, both the grudges and the gifts are articles that make their way around the internet pretty often. Here's an example of the latter: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2977278/The-girl-gets-gifts-CROWS-Eight-year-old-leaves-food-birds-bring-beads-pendants-return.html

[tvgoddess]

6 hours ago, Mystery said:

To me it felt like there were too many stories, treated too quickly. 

I didn't like Hen telling Buck that the only reason anyone might act angry is because they were following Bobby's lead. 

Really the only part I liked was the crows. 

Precisely. I thought the direction for this episode was really off. It didn't flow or seem cohesive at all.

[WinJet0819]

On 10/28/2019 at 10:26 PM, Bulldog said:

Buck heavily bleeding after getting cut helping the man in the windshield only proves Bobby was right all along.  A normal person, would think "gee, what if this had happened in the middle of a fire fight or some other situation where medical help was not immediately available."  But, Buck is not a normal person.  And apparently by the end of the episode, Bobby wasn't either. 

On 10/28/2019 at 11:40 PM, Moose135 said:

I really thought that's where they were going with it, having Buck come to realize the risks he was facing and placing his crew in, and he would agree to wait until his condition improves enough to come off the meds, but then, that's not our Buck, is it?

Couldn't agree more. This is what I said a few weeks ago. It could be just a minor cut while on a routine call, and if it's not noticed, like we saw in this episode, Buck could bleed out. This proves Bobby's point. He shouldn't get out of Buck's way. Until Buck is off the blood thinners, he can't be on active duty, no matter if he believes he's ready. There should be no compromises when it comes to this. Until he's off the blood thinners, he's not ready. 

[peace355]

6 hours ago, WinJet0819 said:

Couldn't agree more. This is what I said a few weeks ago. It could be just a minor cut while on a routine call, and if it's not noticed, like we saw in this episode, Buck could bleed out. This proves Bobby's point. He shouldn't get out of Buck's way. Until Buck is off the blood thinners, he can't be on active duty, no matter if he believes he's ready. There should be no compromises when it comes to this. Until he's off the blood thinners, he's not ready. 

I feel if they were to go ahead with siding with Buck, then he should have noticed the cut and then told the paramedic. That way he could show that he was being careful and responsible even when accidents happened. Instead he didn't notice and thought blood belonged to victim and was dismissing paramedic's concern at first. Which just proves Bobby's point.

Edited October 30, 2019 by peace355

[iMonrey]

I'd be interested to know where they filmed the outdoor Halloween event scenes at the beginning of the episode, with the corn maze and the barn, because they've used that same location at least three times now. They already used it this season for that carnival when they were trying to track down the woman in the trunk. I'm guessing it's a studio backlot or something.

The way they're writing this story for Buck just makes him look like he's an adrenaline junkie. He's coming across like a whiney little boy who just wants to go on exciting adventures and pouts and throws a temper tantrum when he can't go.

Quote

Man, Athena walks into these places with no backup.  She's done it before.  I just get nervous for her.

I know! Maybe they think it would take something away from her but I think it would be interesting if she had a partner. There could be some kind of conflict between her relationship with "work husband" and Bobby. It seems like there's a lot of story to mine from a new character like that.

Quote

That man in the windshield story was based on a true story, and several shows/documentaries have been done about it.

Wow, I just thought they were ripping off Fargo. I seriously doubt that kid could have survived for that long.

[BookWitch]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Wow, I just thought they were ripping off Fargo. I seriously doubt that kid could have survived for that long.

Didn't the guy in the real story actually die? I can't remember. 

While it was creepy what Maddie was doing, I wonder if they're going to have an episode where the wife ends up dead. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Didn't the guy in the real story actually die? I can't remember. 

Yes, after only a few hours. I would expect the guy to bleed out pretty quickly from something like that. 

[UnknownK]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Yes, after only a few hours. I would expect the guy to bleed out pretty quickly from something like that. 

The way people drive in CA and all the hills (ups and downs) I would expect the guy to fall off that sloped hood and hit the road and most likely lose his head from the windshield glass.

When they did this in Fargo season 2 is was during a blizzard driving very slow on a 60's or 70's car with a flat hood from what I remember.

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Wow, I just thought they were ripping off Fargo. I seriously doubt that kid could have survived for that long.

It made me think of Fargo too.

[DisplayyName]

23 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

So they can’t think of an original Halloween story? The crows on the monkey bars thing was lifted exactly from the movie The Birds, the windshield story was real and the abused kids was obviously based on The Turpins.

I think Maddie’s heart is in the right place but she can’t do her job if she insists on getting involved with the calls she receives. There is nothing she can do if this woman doesn’t want help. Tired of Buck whining and I usually like him. 

Buck used to be one of my favs. I'm not saying i'm tired of his whining, that would be a bit harsh, considering his character has been through a lot. I think, i used to really love him before they started telling me every week how badly he has it. I felt bad for him when he was the self diagnosed sex addict dumb kid, I felt like he was more than that, he was a great person with problems. Now it's being thrown in my face how badly he has it and I don't feel the same love for him anymore. He actually has it good. He was actually treated very well by his colleagues after the whole lawsuit thing. I mean, his punishment from Bobby was that he had to hand off candy to kids. He has friends who care about him and they're rushing to his side whenever he gets hurt, which happens in almost every episode at this point. Bobby was trying to protect him when he told him that he had to wait to get his job back. And then the show keeps telling me that he's all alone, he has nothing outside his job or at least he thinks that. I would feel bad for him for having such low self isteem that he can't see how much everyone cares about him if he was a 15 yo kid, not a man in his late 20's. Ok, it's not really about age, people can be dumb at any age but I thought he knew better than to whine about having nothing while his friends are always there for him. They completely ruined his character development this season.

[Mystery]

I guess if the 911 writers are using news stories for inspiration, next year the show can have a DOG stuck in a car after being hit (the dog is okay) https://abcnews.go.com/US/dog-hit-car-trapped-inside-bumper-45-minutes/story?id=66640052

[Irlandesa]

18 hours ago, WinJet0819 said:

Couldn't agree more. This is what I said a few weeks ago. It could be just a minor cut while on a routine call, and if it's not noticed, like we saw in this episode, Buck could bleed out. This proves Bobby's point. He shouldn't get out of Buck's way. Until Buck is off the blood thinners, he can't be on active duty, no matter if he believes he's ready. There should be no compromises when it comes to this. Until he's off the blood thinners, he's not ready. 

Buck is getting a lot of heat for not thinking logically but Buck's position has at least been pretty consistent. He wants to go back to work.  It's not about the adrenaline (because, as they pointed out, with money he could do a lot of adrenaline junkie activities.)  He witnessed what happened when he got cut, understands the risks and still wants to go back to work.

Bobby is the one whose logic is missing.  He claims it's about the blood thinners. And instead of communicating that to Buck straight out, he clams up. Then an event happens where he could go "and this is why you need to be on light duty until you stop taking them" but instead he's all "you're ready to come back to work."

On 10/29/2019 at 3:45 PM, Clanstarling said:

One thing that really ticked me off is that Hen dismissed the other firefighters' reactions as taking the lead from Bobby. (in the middle of posting just as @Mystery posted the same thing) As if they couldn't make up their own damned minds about what Buck did, and laying the blame on Bobby for what was originally a MEDICAL issue. Not to mention everyone forgiving and forgetting within less than 24 hours.

I didn't get the impression that she was saying everyone's reaction was due to what Bobby thought but they did reinforce how hierarchical the fire station is so definitely some might be tentative on how to treat Buck.

[Gramto6]

I did get the impression that she said everyone was following Bobby's lead. I also  don't think Buck should be back on duty until he is off the blood thinners. It is a risk for him and others. If he bleeds they have to rescue him too, before or after the victims???

[WinJet0819]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Buck is getting a lot of heat for not thinking logically but Buck's position has at least been pretty consistent. He wants to go back to work.  It's not about the adrenaline (because, as they pointed out, with money he could do a lot of adrenaline junkie activities.)  He witnessed what happened when he got cut, understands the risks and still wants to go back to work.

Bobby is the one whose logic is missing.  He claims it's about the blood thinners. And instead of communicating that to Buck straight out, he clams up. Then an event happens where he could go "and this is why you need to be on light duty until you stop taking them" but instead he's all "you're ready to come back to work."

That's not an acceptable risk. Especially, when it's other members of his squad that are counting on him. He didn't even realize he was cut, until the paramedic told him. That's a red flag right there. He gets a minor cut on a call, and fails to notice, he bleeds to death. Or if he's in a fire, and he's cut and he passes out, it puts the victims he's tasked with saving at risk, as well as his team who have now pull him out. That's dangerous liability for all parties.. Ask any fire department, and none of them will clear a firefighter for full duty while they're on blood thinners.

It doesn't matter if Buck thinks he's ready. Until he's off the blood thinners, he's not ready. And it would have been good writing if they had Buck come to the realization that he's not ready while on the blood thinners. He realized he didn't notice he got cut, and told the paramedic he's on blood thinners. In any normal person, that would flip a lightswitch that they're not yet ready. And he could have told Bobby that it's best to wait until I'm off blood thinners before I go back to active duty. Bobby should not have backed down from his position. And Hen, who told Bobby he should let him work or put move him somewhere he can, should also realize how dangerous it is to be doing a high risk job while on blood thinners. She's a medic.

Edited October 31, 2019 by WinJet0819

[WinJet0819]

The kids at the beginning of the episode got exactly what they deserved. You really need to throw rocks at crows? No sympathy from me.

And as for the man in the women's windshield, are they really expecting us to believe that the woman failed to notice the guy for two days. Every brain injury is different, but she managed to drive, run errands, and even park her car in her garage with no trouble. Not to mention, in a big city like LA, no bystanders or passing motorists or even police, other than the family, notice the guy in the windshield and realize it's a real person trapped in the windshield for 2 days? That's not believable.

[Irlandesa]

8 minutes ago, WinJet0819 said:

And it would have been good writing if they had Buck come to the realization that he's not ready while on the blood thinners.

Sure but none of this was good writing.  Not having the delay in return be a medial issues which would likely be related to a department policy.  And therefore not up to Bobby or open to a lawsuit.  But it was all so bad, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it ended badly.

That's also why, within the context of the illogical/unrealistic story, I can see Buck's position.

[Mystery]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I didn't get the impression that she was saying everyone's reaction was due to what Bobby thought 

I think she did, though. Buck thanked her for NOT feeling that way and she said something like she thinks for herself (implying that none of the others did). 

[iMonrey]

Quote

And as for the man in the women's windshield, are they really expecting us to believe that the woman failed to notice the guy for two days. Every brain injury is different, but she managed to drive, run errands, and even park her car in her garage with no trouble. Not to mention, in a big city like LA, no bystanders or passing motorists or even police, other than the family, notice the guy in the windshield and realize it's a real person trapped in the windshield for 2 days? That's not believable.

Well, "believable" isn't exactly a hallmark of a Ryan Murphy's show. But the brain injury part of that actually tracked, more or less. What I found less believable is that the injured guy didn't bleed out in a matter of hours if not sooner, and that he was conscious enough to visibly move to the point of people noticing he was moving and therefore not a mannequin.  

[ramble]

The idea of profiling by decoration or lack of it seemed highly ridiculous even for this ridiculous show. (And I say that as someone who enjoys the show with all it’s ridiculousness.) In my neighborhood I’d say maybe 25% decorate for Halloween. I don’t and never have but that doesn’t mean I’m guilty of something. Stupid correlation. 

I agree with y’all that say the past couple of episodes have undone a lot of Buck’s character growth. It’s unfortunate. I’m having a hard time not wanting to smack him upside the head.  

I’ve watched videos on crows behavior and intelligence so I enjoyed that. And I got a perverse enjoyment from seeing those bratty little rock-throwing kids attacked.

Bonus points, in this oddly disjointed episode, for the lack of Ronda Rousey and her lack of acting. 

[Moose135]

7 hours ago, ramble said:

The idea of profiling by decoration or lack of it seemed highly ridiculous even for this ridiculous show. (And I say that as someone who enjoys the show with all it’s ridiculousness.) In my neighborhood I’d say maybe 25% decorate for Halloween. I don’t and never have but that doesn’t mean I’m guilty of something. Stupid correlation. 

Because in TV Land, everyone goes all out to celebrate every holiday, big elaborate displays, the whole nine yards. Someone who doesn't clearly has something wrong with them or is up to no good.

[tvgoddess]

On 10/31/2019 at 12:42 AM, WinJet0819 said:

And Hen, who told Bobby he should let him work or put move him somewhere he can, should also realize how dangerous it is to be doing a high risk job while on blood thinners. She's a medic.

She put her friendship with Buck ahead of his safety, her safety, the safety of the other firefighters and the general public. That was really disappointing.

[CJRocks]

As someone who was on blood thinners for a year, there's no way Buck would have or should have been allowed back to full duty. And I doubt it would be Bobby's call. There are LAFD doctors who would have to sign off, and there's no way they would sign off on someone who is on blood thinners, especially since it's most probably temporary (usually six months to a year in response to a clot that resulted from another incident).

In addition to the dangers of bleeding to death from a simple cut, people on blood thinners are at a much higher risk of developing a subdural hematoma from a simple bang on the head. You can also get hematomas simply from sitting with your ankles crossed, and these might need to be drained by a doctor. A simple sinus infection and the corresponding dose of antibiotics can cause your clotting factor to go completely out of whack. Plus, there's a special diet that you must strictly adhere to.

To have someone on blood thinners in such a physically demanding job is absolutely ridiculous. Stay on the blood thinners, do your desk job for X months, and return to full duty when you're off the meds, you big, giant baby.

[methodwriter85]

On 10/29/2019 at 1:12 PM, theredhead77 said:

The kids held in the basement was based off the real life Turpin case.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/turpin-parents-sentencing-friday/index.html

I really thought it was going to be based on the absolutely disgusting Elizabeth Fritzl case and I'm glad they didn't go there. She was a woman who was held by her father in a basement dungeon for 24 years and mothered a bunch of his children. A few of them were allowed to live upstairs, but three had to live down in the dungeon with her. The truth was discovered after one of these children got really sick and was allowed to go to a hospital.

The windshield thing was crazy- I can't believe it's a true story!

I just want Buck and Eddie to finally kiss each other.

I keep thinking that it's going to turn out that the wife is the abuser.

Edited November 14, 2019 by methodwriter85

[kwnyc]

On 10/30/2019 at 5:43 PM, Clanstarling said:

Wow, I just thought they were ripping off Fargo.

It was also a plot way back when on original CSI.