S01.E07: Bum Steer

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Owen and the team race to deal with a runaway bull at a used car lot and an apparent electrocution at the hands of an LA transplant. Meanwhile, Owen is determined to prove he is physically fit for the job while undergoing chemo and Michelle gets the strongest lead yet on her missing sister.

Airing Monday, February 24, 2020.

 

[anna0852]

I'm really enjoying that this show is ultimately made up of good people. Yes campy storylines and some less than optimal acting. But fundamentally nice people who might disagree but ultimately want to do good. 

[jewel21]

I felt terrible for that poor bull. I hope they brought him to a vet to treat his wounds. The blood around his neck made me really sad. Is it wrong I care more about animals then people on this  show, heh?

The lady with the anger management issues needs to take that course again. Beating that poor man with a 2x4 to get him to let go of the wire was extreme. 

I'm glad Owen gets to stick around. 

Lastly, the makeup department did a good job showing the other captain's injuries from the lightning hit. 

[shapeshifter]

I liked this episode so much that I decided to continue the show --for now, but I had a medical procedure today and also was charmed by the Antiques Road Show episode that followed, LOL.

Edited February 25, 2020 by shapeshifter
conjunction

[anna0852]

I was almost in tears for that poor bull! Also, weirdly enough, the background sight of this beautiful roast pig ending up on the ground also made me tear up.

I might be weird.

[HunterHunted]

What kind of arrogant dumbass tries to play golf in the rain? I had a classmate whose grandfather was struck by lightning and died trying to get off the course as he saw bad weather coming in. Thank goodness Judd was able to invoke the doctrine of you're both obnoxious arrogant shits who care more about yourselves than the people around you.

I wonder if they wouldn't just put the bull down with his neck injuries and more. He likely would have injured other parts of his body while he struggled caught in the car.

[Dowel Jones]

Other than the obvious, was there some reason Owen couldn't start CPR out on the course and call 911 from there? The delay from the green to the clubhouse could have been fatal.

I had to laugh at the electrocution call.  That poor guy was just a symbol for her ex.

I hate to break it to the writers, but you can't just fire a crew because you don't like them.  There's a lot of progressive discipline that has to take place unless the offense is particularly egregious.  He could, however, arrange transfers to other stations or shifts, but they would keep their jobs.

Does Billy Burke have that right eye color naturally, or did they give him that gray eye for the injury?

I hope Dad didn't make any down payment on Sonny's car yet.

[CoderLady]

2 minutes ago, Dowel Jones said:

Does Billy Burke have that right eye color naturally, or did they give him that gray eye for the injury?

Injury. When he was listing the results of the lightning strike he gestured at his face and said "cataract."

[Chaos Theory]

This is the first episode I hated.   Maybe because I think it is lame and stupid to use an animal in trouble.   Then again it’s today’s version of a baby down a well.  
 

it’s makes my eyes roll all the way back in my head.   

[DearEvette]

Another week, another week of me complaining how dingy everyone looks. I mean the first scene, they are all outside in the freakin' sunshine and they all look like they need a good face washing.

I like the scenes of the team.  They are gelling and it seems like the writing, at least for them, is trying to lighten them up a little bit. A little infusion of humor.

I thought they were going to make Billy a little more decent and just show Owen as being as being arrogant and a little hard headed.  I was wrong about Billy, he really is an asshole.  But I was right about Owen.  He is a little smugly arrogant, imo.  It'll be interesting if they decide to maintain a friendship between the two as it looks like that is where they seem to be going if they make Billy Burke recurring.

I honestly hope this is the end of the road for Michelle's sister story.  It would make sense and be a fitting end.  And, surprise, Liv Tyler only annoyed me a little less than she normally does.

[iMonrey]

I can't help but notice that all the male characters have big, bulging muscular arms and are all wearing really short-sleeved shirts. Yet Michelle and Marjan are wearing long-sleeved shirts. Do the firemen and the cops in Austen really all wear these short-sleeved shirts with their uniforms? The sleeves look ridiculously short and tight to me.  

[saber5055]

5 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I can't help but notice that all the male characters have big, bulging muscular arms and are all wearing really short-sleeved shirts.

What's wrong with me that I haven't noticed this? Gah!

While no animal was harmed during the used-car-bull scenes, the steer (yes, steer, a totally different animal from the one first shown as the rodeo bull) had some pretty realistic makeup on its neck once it was extracted and walking away. But settle down folks, that steer could have backed out of that car window at any time, it had its head in there because it was eating grain. Also, rodeo bulls don't have Texas Longhorn horns. But if a real rodeo bull had been used, there would have been no stuck-in-a-car-window scene. So there's that.

The lightning-strike-on-a-golf-course scene was golden, it took me back to Caddyshack. I loved every minute of it. That it was the result of  Judd's prayers was the best. Judd still rules this show, the actor and the character. He's the best reason to watch.

Hoping Michelle's sister was one of the skeletons so her story line can be done and over, and she moves on to another tv show.

[mcaldw14]

calling it now...michelle sister has amnesia...annnnd remember when michelle was at the homeless camp and she was treating the family and the guy was mentioned another homeless person called "sad eyes" and michelle didnt get to treat her because she got a report on the truck from her friend cop (cant remember name)...yeah sad eyes is her sister. why mention sad eyes and then her not get to the homeless person.

[The Ringo Kidd]

It is a sad commentary when a long horn is a better actor than Liv Tyler.

[asabovesobelow]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I can't help but notice that all the male characters have big, bulging muscular arms and are all wearing really short-sleeved shirts. Yet Michelle and Marjan are wearing long-sleeved shirts. Do the firemen and the cops in Austen really all wear these short-sleeved shirts with their uniforms? The sleeves look ridiculously short and tight to me.  

OMG, I think about it every time they're on screen. I feel like Judd needs to go at least one size up, and all the men's sleeves are like those cap sleeves that every women's summer shirt has. I can't imagine it's comfortable to fight fires and rescue people while circulation is cut off from the bicep down.

[anna0852]

I'm finding is a refreshing change that the men are being dressed as the eye candy. It's usually the other way around. 

[izabella]

I like this show, but I really, really wish they would change the lighting or filter or whatever is making it all grayish.

[amsynyard]

I am going to guess that Michelle's sister is still alive and has amnesia. I also think she may be the woman who was reference when Michelle was giving insulin to the homeless girl. She asked the Father about his meds and he said that he had given them to a women that he call sad eyes. Michelle was on her way to talk to sad eyes when the junkie attacked her van. 

[Raiderred]

4 hours ago, saber5055 said:

While no animal was harmed during the used-car-bull scenes, the steer (yes, steer, a totally different animal from the one first shown as the rodeo bull) had some pretty realistic makeup on its neck once it was extracted and walking away. But settle down folks, that steer could have backed out of that car window at any time, it had its head in there because it was eating grain. Also, rodeo bulls don't have Texas Longhorn horns. But if a real rodeo bull had been used, there would have been no stuck-in-a-car-window scene. So there's that.

Thank you SABER!!! Those of you that have not been around bovine livestock you can't "handle" a bull.  They are extremely dangerous animals and you always have to be aware of their location, ie, moving from one pasture to another.  Heck, all beef cows are dangerous whether they are male or female.  I only watched about 5 mins of this hilarious show and switched channels but had to come here and say that you would not see any rancher just unloading a bull outta the back of a stock trailer and he be so calm.  The steer(castrated male cow) they pulled out would barely make it to 1500 lbs much less a ton.  I have quarter horses that weigh more than that steer they pulled out.

And one more thing... stop showing the Texas flag with the wrong blue background and the star sitting wonky.  Such disrespect for our state. Oh and real cowboys from Texas DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT wear bolo ties! Bwah!

[Dowel Jones]

9 minutes ago, Raiderred said:

Those of you that have not been around bovine livestock you can't "handle" a bull.

Not to mention the fact that they had only one rope on him.  That does no good whatsoever if the bull decides to charge in the direction of the "handler".

[BooksRule]

17 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

What kind of arrogant dumbass tries to play golf in the rain?

I live in a city that has a beach, and I'm amazed at how many people still stay out on the sand or in the water when there are thunderstorms coming in.  I'll bet a lot of people (aka idiots) play golf in the rain because they just don't think they'll be hit by lightning.  However, you would think that firefighters would certainly know better. 

I'm guessing that the sister story isn't finished yet. I think they'll either mis-identify remains as her sister and she'll turn up later (probably, as someone posted above, with amnesia. Tyler's character was shown visiting the homeless living under the bridge/overpass.  I'll bet her sister will turn up there and in some kind of trouble.)

[Aliconehead]

32 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I'm guessing that the sister story isn't finished yet. I think they'll either mis-identify remains as her sister and she'll turn up later (probably, as someone posted above, with amnesia. Tyler's character was shown visiting the homeless living under the bridge/overpass.  I'll bet her sister will turn up there and in some kind of trouble

I am guessing she is the woman that the injured vet gave his meds(?) to, “sad eyes”(?)

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, Raiderred said:

Those of you that have not been around bovine livestock you can't "handle" a bull.

Actually, the black longhorn taken out of the trailer was a bull. It also was probably a show animal, trained to lead, pose and be handled. All cattle shows have classes for bulls. Check out this rather large fellow, a Brahman bull, at the East Texas Fair.

I have much experience with show cattle, beef and dairy, and cow-calf operations. I've never had a problem handling a show-trained bull, but I do prefer the polled varieties!

The steer with his head in the car had a white under belly and no ability to produce "bull stuff" if you know what I mean. (Reference two eps ago!)

[Dowel Jones]

I thought he had been identified as a rodeo bull at the beginning of the episode, though, implying that he was a rough, tough character.

[saber5055]

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

I thought he had been identified as a rodeo bull at the beginning of the episode, though, implying that he was a rough, tough character.

True. They hired a show bull to portray a mean-ass rodeo bull that no one could ride. That set it up for him to wreck the car lot and gore a few people. "It's acting!" said Master Thespian. Sort of like Liv Tyler is an actor portraying Michelle.

Well, maybe that's not such a great comparison since the bull's scenes were more believable than Liv's, and so was his stunt double's, the one with his head "stuck" in the car.

[The Ringo Kidd]

I think the cow was much more believable as Katie on “Vanderpump Rules.”

[Raiderred]

On 2/25/2020 at 7:21 PM, saber5055 said:

I have much experience with show cattle, beef and dairy, and cow-calf operations. I've never had a problem handling a show-trained bull, but I do prefer the polled varieties!

I have zero experience with show cattle but I grew up around beef cattle and there is probably no similarities.  I know that angus are mean suckers and charlais are right up their with em.  The show wasn't about to go with polled because, you know, you gotta get the full affect of big horns!  I'm still cracking up about that scene.

[saber5055]

12 minutes ago, Raiderred said:

The show wasn't about to go with polled because, you know, you gotta get the full affect of big horns! 

And, because you know, the only cattle in Texas are longhorns. (That wear bolo ties!)

[tennisgurl]

God does work in mysterious ways, huh? Pray that some jerk wont break up your station, jerk gets struck by lightning! Yeah, maybe read this as a sign, Billy. That was great, I cant lie and say I didnt love it, I do hope that this whole rivalry ends now for real. 

I continue to really like the scenes at the firehouse with the whole crew just hanging out, the actors are really gelling and it has a real sense of familiarity and camaraderie. 

I think that one lady needs to go back to anger management, or at least work on her observation skills. 

So did Michelle finally find her sisters body in the car? I am still kind of on the theory that she is still alive and just ran off. Maybe she was the one who killed the guy she was fighting with in the bar (she was apparently the one getting violent) accidentally or on purpose, and she went on the run? I really dont care much for this story (or Michelle) but I did like the cop on her sisters case. Possibly because she isnt a big fan of Michelle, so I sympathize? I did get a little giggle at the cop mentioning her talking to Dustin, the guy who has a restraining order against, while Michelle just awkwardly says that now they're "mostly cool." Maybe start thinking about sending him a few more "sorry I harassed and staked you over a crime you probably didnt commit" fruit baskets?

Poor bull!

[Raiderred]

30 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

And, because you know, the only cattle in Texas are longhorns. (That wear bolo ties!)

EXACTLY!  SABER thank you for the great chuckle!  

[Lady Calypso]

*sighs*

How many times did the words "cancer doctor" get used this episode? One too many. Cancer doctor? CANCER DOCTOR? Who the fuck says CANCER DOCTOR, especially when discussing the best "Cancer Doctors" in the country? Who the fuck wrote those lines? A two year old? 

That being said, seeing more of the team somewhat working together was nice. I do like the moments where we get to see the team interact. Plus, I feel like they handled the team dynamics a bit better in this episode. 

And...back to the sister drama with Michelle. And once again, I don't care because Liv Tyler isn't doing well with selling it. But I still think her sister is alive. No way they wrap up her sister story this quickly. I know there'd be a whole other thing with Whodunnit, but I just think that it's too easy.  

I fast forwarded through the opening sequence. Nope, no injured animal scenes for me. It's why I also did the same thing in the original series with one of their episodes with an injured/dying animal. 

Judd still is miles ahead of any other character on this show. Once again, I have to reiterate if this show does not get renewed (it likely will but I wish it wouldn't), if they could transfer Judd/Grace to the original show, I would be forever grateful. I could live without every other character, but Judd/Grace are great. Should there be a season 2, I MIGHT return just for them. 

Speaking of the original...HEY, it's Erin Karpluk! AKA, the chick from the original series' Christmas episode!

Also, the golf scene? Surprisingly decent for this show. Hey, I figured they can strike gold with one or two of their cases in this series! Really, playing golf in the rain was monumentally stupid so I can't say I was disappointed with the outcome. 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

How many times did the words "cancer doctor" get used this episode? One too many. Cancer doctor? CANCER DOCTOR? Who the fuck says CANCER DOCTOR, especially when discussing the best "Cancer Doctors" in the country? Who the fuck wrote those lines? A two year old? 

LOL, actually, although "cancer" was in the script 10 times, the only reference to oncologists "cancer doctors" was when Probie was worried about the captain dying and he was reassured that "Texas has the best cancer doctors in the country," which did make me look at the TV funny, but, now that you brought it up, FWIW, U.S. News & World Report did rank UT as having the best cancer hospital in the country. 

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

LOL, actually, although "cancer" was in the script 10 times, the only reference to oncologists "cancer doctors" was when Probie was worried about the captain dying and he was reassured that "Texas has the best cancer doctors in the country," which did make me look at the TV funny, but, now that you brought it up, FWIW, U.S. News & World Report did rank UT as having the best cancer hospital in the country. 

Yeah, I realize that they really didn't say it that much, but they said it twice in that one scene, which apparently got on my nerves? Who knew? 

Just say oncologist, show. I'm pretty sure kids would understand what an oncologist is. Cancer doctor just sounds ridiculous, unless Marjan only said that to Probie because HE wouldn't know what an oncologist is...in which case, it's insulting to Probie. 

Listen; I'm grasping at straws, here. Anything to get me snarking on the show or something likeable about the show. I just want to feel SOMETHING, even if it's anger, to justify why I'm watching until the finale.

[juno]

14 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, I realize that they really didn't say it that much, but they said it twice in that one scene, which apparently got on my nerves? Who knew? 

Just say oncologist, show. I'm pretty sure kids would understand what an oncologist is. Cancer doctor just sounds ridiculous, unless Marjan only said that to Probie because HE wouldn't know what an oncologist is...in which case, it's insulting to Probie. 

Listen; I'm grasping at straws, here. Anything to get me snarking on the show or something likeable about the show. I just want to feel SOMETHING, even if it's anger, to justify why I'm watching until the finale.

I am with you here. The chemistry is good on this show, especially with Judd and Owen. Unfortunately Liv Tyler has no chemistry with anyone and the show becomes a black hole every scene she is in.

I would like to see development of the police department aside from the one officer and more of Tyler's peers (just not her). Sadly, this may be hard as Tyler and Lowe are the starts and command more screen time.

[msrachelj]

On 2/24/2020 at 11:05 PM, jewel21 said:

I felt terrible for that poor bull. I hope they brought him to a vet to treat his wounds. The blood around his neck made me really sad. Is it wrong I care more about animals then people on this  show, heh?

The lady with the anger management issues needs to take that course again. Beating that poor man with a 2x4 to get him to let go of the wire was extreme. 

I'm glad Owen gets to stick around. 

Lastly, the makeup department did a good job showing the other captain's injuries from the lightning hit. 

It's not wrong. I care more about animals then people in general!

On 2/25/2020 at 2:24 AM, CoderLady said:

Injury. When he was listing the results of the lightning strike he gestured at his face and said "cataract."

Can you get a cataract from an injury?

[shapeshifter]

On 3/3/2020 at 8:14 AM, msrachelj said:

On 2/25/2020 at 1:24 AM, CoderLady said:

Injury. When he was listing the results of the lightning strike he gestured at his face and said "cataract."

Can you get a cataract from an injury?

Sure. Generally cataracts develop over time, but it is still a kind of injury from exposure to sun and other radiation. 

[Kel Varnsen]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:14 AM, Dowel Jones said:

I hate to break it to the writers, but you can't just fire a crew because you don't like them.  There's a lot of progressive discipline that has to take place unless the offense is particularly egregious.  He could, however, arrange transfers to other stations or shifts, but they would keep their jobs.

I wondered about that. And along the same lines why would Rob Lowe have to quit. Wouldn't there be some kind of medical leave available, or would employment rules in a civil service job in Texas really be that brutal?

[Ailianna]

I thought in the episode it wasn't fired (unless he's still in his probationary period (which can be six months to 18 months in the civil service/first responder jobs I know)), but that he would be shifted to some other position, since his position as captain of a house can't have no one there for however long his treatment would be.

For a lot of people, that can feel an awful lot like being fired.