S03.E14: The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1

[jewel21]

Quote

Maddie fears for herself and her co-workers when the call center is taken hostage.

Airdate: 04/13/2020

[Ohwell]

This episode wasn't suspenseful, it was just stupid.

[cloudy71]

I loved how all the dispatchers went back to their desks after the hostage ordeal, but “our heroine” was a blubbering mess!!!

 

[Lady Calypso]

4 minutes ago, cloudy71 said:

I loved how all the dispatchers went back to their desks after the hostage ordeal, but “our heroine” was a blubbering mess!!!

Actually, they didn't. Another batch of dispatchers came in to take over everyone's shift. Because, obviously, everyone else would be too shaken up to be able to finish their shift. 

Yeah...it was a fun episode but also extremely frustrating with how stupid the criminals were. They did all of that...to steal art....and then didn't even have a buyer to sell them to. And then they expected to get away with it. 

I'm glad for Sue jumping in to finally use code to Athena. I'm glad for Josh for getting Athena to Chimney. I'm glad for Maddie using code to Chimney in the first place to get him suspicious.

I also loved the team up of Athena, Chimney, and Buck. I like when the show mixes up the pairings and Athena/Buck teaming up his always a joy, even when it's only been done in dire situations.

I am annoyed that the only girl in the heist had to fall into the dumbass cliche of Romance Girl, where she's the only one who is so stupid that she gets caught up in love and gets herself caught. Not that any of the other criminals were smart, but they went totally cliche there.

Also, Athena is kinda for thinking that taking out everyone's GPS wouldn't tip them off. That was a HUGE risk. 

[stonehaven]

This was a fun episode. Although, I try not to think too hard when it comes to this show. It seemed weird to only get a bit of the cast...and the whole Art stealing montage to "Little Less Conversation" felt like they were trying for an Ocean's 11 vibe...but it seemed weird that they thought they were so cool but didn't bother to cover anyone's faces or shoot witnesses...

I was just thrilled to watch it in real time as my TV hates FOX on a regular basis and I usually get stuck watching it on Hulu later in the week. I must have put my antenna in the right spot this week..so YAY ME!

[tvgoddess]

I enjoyed it because it took my focus away from real life for an hour, and there's plenty I need to not focus on. I too got an Ocean's 11 vibe. Let's not forget the smarts of the woman with the epi-pen for her bee allergy. She faked the attack so Maddie would have to go get it.

The whole art heist stealing though by taking over a call center? A little over the top. I did enjoy the breakdown of how it happened behind the scenes in the recount. And Harry's line at the end. I don't know, I liked the hour. I was definitely taken in.

[Chaos Theory]

1 hour ago, cloudy71 said:

I loved how all the dispatchers went back to their desks after the hostage ordeal, but “our heroine” was a blubbering mess!!!

 

No they didn’t.   Another group was brought in to take over.   Plus I thought Maddie handled herself extremely well.   She did the EpiPen trick and she was one of the people with a gun.   So what if she got emotional after?

I thought this was a well done episode.  I really loved that some of the more minor characters got to play major parts especially Josh and Sue.  Sue with a gun shooting at the bad guy was great.

I also really liked Athena putting all the pieces together.   All the hints the dispatchers gave them especially the code 77 plus Athena was a great combination.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[anna0852]

Do.Not.Mess.With.Sue

"Next one's in your head"

[BooksRule]

I liked it.  And even though there was some violence, no one got killed (except for the girl's father in a previous heist, apparently), so I watched it as just a reasonably light 'caper' episode.  And, although I've deleted the episode already so I can't check the other names, did anyone else notice that the 'thieves' were named Van Cleef and Arpels (the name of a famous jewelry company) and the 'brain' (driver) was named Tiffany (like Tiffany & Co.)? 

[CoyoteBlue]

3 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I liked it.  And even though there was some violence, no one got killed 

Actually Bald Guy decided he "ain't goin' back!", grabbed a gun and ran right towards a SWAT guy. Didn't make it - I remember them zipping up his body bag.

[BooksRule]

5 minutes ago, CoyoteBlue said:

Actually Bald Guy decided he "ain't goin' back!", grabbed a gun and ran right towards a SWAT guy. Didn't make it - I remember them zipping up his body bag.

Oh, yeah.  I forgot about him. 🙂 

[tennisgurl]

Damn, Sue is a badass lady, don’t mess with her. “Next one goes in your head.” 

[preeya]

I enjoyed it. The recap flashbacks at the end reminded me of the old Mission Impossible series endings when they revealed how the caper went down.  And yes, Sue is a bad-ass.

 

[Mystery]

I didn't like it, and I thought the "caper" music was inappropriate. This wasn't a caper; it wasn't smart or funny. 

Josh the front guard did surprise me, so there's that I guess. 

eta: that wasn't directed at you, preeya: I wrote my post before I saw yours, sorry. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Mystery

[tennisgurl]

Maybe Sue should be a cop, thats a women who can be counted on in an intense situation! And she will shoot your ass down! 

I swear, for a second I thought that I was watching the wrong show when they started that Oceans 11 opening introducing the thieves, but we got back there eventually. This episode was weird and silly and I feel like these thieves kind of suck at their jobs (this seems really freaking complicated for an at heist) but I still had fun watching how over the top it got. It even featured the call people kicking ass and tricking the bad guys, and of course Sue being the hero that we deserve, which was pretty fun at least. Grab that gun Maddie, but be careful, dont point that thing anywhere! Also, if these guys have all worked together before, maybe they should have known about that one guys obvious murder tendencies? If you have such a highly planned scheme where killing people would cause more problems than it would solve, with lots of guns and people involved in a highly volatile situation, maybe dont bring along the guy with the murder boner and the crazy eyes? 

I also liked Athena, Buck, and Chim all teaming up, I always like when the show switches character interactions up. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

This was much ado about nothing. Way too complicated. Couldn’t they just disable the alarms and the cameras? Why add a kidnapping charge? Way too convoluted for me.

[UnknownK]

There is a market for stolen art, but only at a small fraction of its value. So you steal $100M worth of classic art that might sell for $10M over a few years and that is split by half a dozen people so slightly over $1M. They had some fake police cars, uniforms, keycards,  made up plus weapons and such so there was some money and tons of time invested in the plot.

So even if the plan worked these guys are convicted felons in the system and none were wearing masks so unless they planned on killing all the witnesses and scrubbing the whole building of their fingerprints and DNA they would be caught eventually.

I do wonder why an alarm from an art gallery or museum (which ever it was) would be routed through 911 instead of going directly to the police. 911 just routes peoples calls for help, something like ADT would get triggered by the alarm and they would call the police after verifying something was wrong.

 

 

[marceline]

I found the whole heist concept very convoluted but most heists shows are by necessity.

I like how everyone at the call center fought back in their own way whether it was running for the fire alarm, sending Athena to Chim's (that really was brilliant), faking the allergy attack, the way they all screamed "get him" and tackled the lead gunman, etc...  

On 4/13/2020 at 10:21 PM, tvgoddess said:

I enjoyed it because it took my focus away from real life for an hour, and there's plenty I need to not focus on.

Exactly. This show has turned into pop culture comfort food for me and I was grateful for the diversion.

Edited April 16, 2020 by marceline

[MoreCoffeePlease]

I'm not a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt, but you have to admit, she can cry and get her eyes welled up like nobody else. Do they have a special class for that in acting school?  I thought she also looked nice at the end, and I liked her orange-print blouse.

Glad we got to see Bobby and Athenas ex at the end.

[sempervivum]

1 hour ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I'm not a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt, but you have to admit, she can cry and get her eyes welled up like nobody else

Ha! Her eyes were on the point of spilling over for almost the entire hour, it was kind of ridiculous.

Show was entertaining, and little different from the usual, so I liked it. I do agree the plot made no sense.

[The Ringo Kidd]

This caper is almost as complicated as when Chim tries to get Jennifer Love Hewitt’s bra off.

 

[saber5055]

Hey, I told you guys last week that the 911 center was being taken over so the bad guys could pull off a heist. So, yeay me.

And that's all I got.

[giovannif7]

12 hours ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

This was much ado about nothing. Way too complicated. Couldn’t they just disable the alarms and the cameras? Why add a kidnapping charge? Way too convoluted for me.

Seriously - it was so ridiculously lame, I just kept imagining the Leverage crew watching the "heist" unfold, laughing and critiquing/snarking about the stupid and unnecessary actions of these amateurs.

[iMonrey]

From a production standpoint I thought it was a pretty good episode. Yes, it was a convoluted plot that could only happen on TV or in a movie. The heist itself was so complicated, it would take far more sophisticated criminals to pull it off than this bunch of misfits. But it was entertaining and held my interest.

Quote

I didn't like it, and I thought the "caper" music was inappropriate. This wasn't a caper; it wasn't smart or funny. 

That much is true. There was an uneven tone between the campy opening and the Elvis song and the poor hostages cowering on the floor, crying, and getting slapped around. If they were going for "fun caper" they should have backed away from some of the violence and terror the hostages were experiencing. 

And if I were Maddie or Josh I wouldn't have given two shits that I'd maybe killed one of the culprits with the Epi pen. Too bad, so sad.

[Empress1]

16 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

No they didn’t.   Another group was brought in to take over.   Plus I thought Maddie handled herself extremely well.   She did the EpiPen trick and she was one of the people with a gun.   So what if she got emotional after?

And Maddie has been in dangerous situations before. She could have been experiencing PTSD. Even if she wasn't, she was held at gunpoint. Of course she was upset!

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

There was an uneven tone between the campy opening and the Elvis song and the poor hostages cowering on the floor, crying, and getting slapped around. If they were going for "fun caper" they should have backed away from some of the violence and terror the hostages were experiencing. 

I agree about the uneven tone. The Ocean's 11 title cards and the bumbling "here's how it all unraveled" story Athena was telling at the end didn't match the violence the crew was perpetrating. Like, people got shot. Harry (who is such a cute kid) saying "There's no honor among thieves" doesn't match up with the pistol-whipping and the guy who committed suicide by cop.

[Chaos Theory]

I thought the “caper” aspect was reasonable for a tv show.   We have a bunch of criminals taking over the 911 station after one of them sets up a fake date and then beats up Josh.   The point is to keep response away from a heist going on.   It’s all supposed to take an hour tops.  Except the heist crew is being set up.    They all know each other from prison except the girl who was “highly recommended” by the real mastermind who happened to be the girl.  One of the people in the 911 office becomes one of the heist crew.  They all think he is snug in a closet somewhere waiting to be rescued but he goes out to meat the girl. The girl keeps telling the crew “I need 30 more minutes” as they all turn on each other not realizing the whole time the plan was to have them caught.

This was never supposed to be a heist that worked.   The men in the call center were always supposed to get caught.   This was also to show that the people at the call center could take care of themselves.   

Edited April 14, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[Irlandesa]

28 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

There was an uneven tone between the campy opening and the Elvis song and the poor hostages cowering on the floor, crying, and getting slapped around.

This is what I was coming here to comment on.  At best, it was an experiment with tone that didn't quite work.  At worst, they just misread why the campy heist stuff works and why it wasn't appropriate here.

Usually when we get those fun, peppy intros in a heist show or movie, it's because the show or movie wants us to root for those performing the heist. Either the cause is noble or the people being robbed are considered worse than our robbers (or nameless entities). It was the opposite here. It was violent and not clever.

What might have worked better is if they gave the peppy heist team treatment to the heroes vs the thieves.

[vavera4ka]

I don't watch this show for great plots. All i need from it is heart, camp and chemistry between characters and actors.

This episode delivered it on all fronts in a completely new way for this show. I actually was half holding my breath through the episode. It also got REALLY dusty in my room when i saw the off duty operators just walk in and take over the shift letting the swat finish up and the hostages to recover. I blame "quarantine brain" and screwed up emotion s for that. 

[methodwriter85]

I figured Jayson Blair's character had to be doing more than just a few minutes at the intro, so I loved that twist that he was in on it.

The whole thing was kind of reminding me of Baby Driver, although I guess it was more Ocean's 11.

[meatball77]

This reminded me of an episode from another show but I'm not sure which one.  Maybe Chicago Fire?

The episode was fun and that's all I need from this show.

[shapeshifter]

Maddie’s code to Chim should’ve been something like, “I love you, Horatio.”

I agree with the comments about uneven tone WRT lighthearted caper vs. gratuitous violence, but doesn’t this show always have elements of both, and this episode just ramped it up to an 11?

I think we were supposed to assume that the double-crossing Brains lady had real fences lined up out of the country.  
Anyway her Chekhovian 3 minutes late at the beginning was so that the stupid heist criminals wouldn’t question her needing “30 more minutes” at the end (for her getaway with her pretty lover). So even if it was a weird and possibly poor-taste silly/violent plot, it was pretty tightly written.

But. 
I agree that even stupid criminals wouldn’t agree to both no masks and no killing. But maybe that was supposed to tip us off to their stupidity?

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Chaos Theory]

5 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

 

But. 
I agree that even stupid criminals wouldn’t agree to both no masks and no killing. But maybe that was supposed to tip us off to their stupidity?

 

 

It’s a television trope. The same television trope that has a guy stalk a girl in a baseball hat.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Maddie’s code to Chim should’ve been something like, “I love you, Horatio.”

Exactly what I said to my husband.  "Why didn't she use some random name, so that he would know something was up?"  As with all other things, then it wouldn't be "911".

[Racj82]

On 4/13/2020 at 8:58 PM, cloudy71 said:

I loved how all the dispatchers went back to their desks after the hostage ordeal, but “our heroine” was a blubbering mess!!!

 

Somehow Jennifer Love Hewitt or her character is always doing something wrong no matter the situation.

[preeya]

"CAPER" seems to be the word of the week.   😀

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I agree with the comments about uneven tone WRT lighthearted caper vs. gratuitous violence, but doesn’t this show always have elements of both, and this episode just ramped it up to an 11?

Not in the same story, no. They can have in one episode a story where they have to rescue some dummy and it's played for laughs, and in the next story they're on a call that's much more serious. They don't usually have stories that try to blend wacky antics with terror and violence. And this just isn't the show to do it either.

[Ohwell]

12 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I still don't like Athena.  I like her husband and her ex-husband, but I can't stand her.

I can't stand her either.  I hate it when she comes on the screen, marching around with all that equipment on her hips and acting like she rules the city.  I know she's one of the producers, and she acts like she wants everyone to know it. 

I know Michael was wrong for marrying her knowing he was gay, but he dodged a bullet being divorced because he would have just been henpecked as he got older.   

Edited April 15, 2020 by Ohwell

[tvgoddess]

9 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Exactly what I said to my husband.  "Why didn't she use some random name, so that he would know something was up?"  As with all other things, then it wouldn't be "911".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does she usually call him Howie? I immediately thought of the 90210 episode where Donna was about to be raped and she told David to go away by calling him Dave, which she never ever did so he knew something was wrong. I thought Maddie calls him Chimney also, so that along with the "I love you" was a clue and a cry for help.

[DearEvette]

On 4/14/2020 at 2:29 PM, iMonrey said:

From a production standpoint I thought it was a pretty good episode. Yes, it was a convoluted plot that could only happen on TV or in a movie. The heist itself was so complicated, it would take far more sophisticated criminals to pull it off than this bunch of misfits. But it was entertaining and held my interest.

Yeah, that's me with this episode.  I liked it as I watched it generally.   I was entertained.

But I also agree with the criticism about the tonal dissonance.  I wish it could have decided if it was going to be the fun caper that it started and ended with or the tense hostage situation that was more serious in the middle.   I actually wished it stayed the light caper mode a la   the Oceans 9-1-1 episode in S2.

[starri]

I liked it.  I needed a story where the good guys won, and especially one where it was really the dispatchers who saved the day.  

I don't know about Maddie, but I think Josh's desire to not see "Greg" die was because he wanted to make sure he got punished for what he did.  No taking the easy way out.

That said, the show owes Josh being paired up with a nice, normal boyfriend.

[gonzosgirrl]

I assume the title of the episode refers to The Taking of Pelham 123, which was also a hostage taking/caper turned violent. 

Edited April 16, 2020 by gonzosgirrl

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, tvgoddess said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does she usually call him Howie? I immediately thought of the 90210 episode where Donna was about to be raped and she told David to go away by calling him Dave, which she never ever did so he knew something was wrong. I thought Maddie calls him Chimney also, so that along with the "I love you" was a clue and a cry for help.

I too initially assumed that using “Howie” instead of “Chim”  or “Chimney” was supposed to be an additional tip off (in combination with the ILY) that something was amiss, but then they never had Chimney mention it, so I figured I didn’t know their private names for each other since I’ve never seen Season 2 —which is why I suggested “I love you, Horatio.” It could have led to a little comic relief if Chim told Buck what she said and then Buck said, “`Horatio?’ like on CSI Miami? So you guys do a little role playing?”

”I love you, Denzel” would have been an even better clue for Chim and Buck to parse. 

Edited April 16, 2020 by shapeshifter

[HeShallBMySquishy]

10 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Yeah, that's me with this episode.  I liked it as I watched it generally.   I was entertained.

But I also agree with the criticism about the tonal dissonance.  I wish it could have decided if it was going to be the fun caper that it started and ended with or the tense hostage situation that was more serious in the middle.   I actually wished it stayed the light caper mode a la   the Oceans 9-1-1 episode in S2.

Yes, I totally agree. This was a strange one. I mean, work is somewhere most people feel safe, and no one ever expects to show up at their place of employment just minutes before dirtbag criminals bust in and shove guns in their faces.

So to go from scenes depicting (in a somewhat realistic fashion) people's whimpering blubbering tear-streaked faces as they realize they be dead by the next hour... And then turn around and show those very same dirtbag criminals carrying out their unnecessarily convoluted plan to the tune of A Little Less Conversation? Just a WEE bit of "Holy Tonal Dissonance, Batman!" there, that's for sure.

Edited April 16, 2020 by HeShallBMySquishy
Added words

[NopeX]

23 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

You are being way to kind to this episode.

Bart Simpson said it best many moons ago, it goes something like this, "I didn't know it was humanly possible for something to both suck and blow at the same time."

My DVR crapped out 25 minutes into the episode and I had to watch the rest On Demand with a bazillion obnoxious repetitive commercials.   If I knew this episode was going to be that bad, I wouldn't have wasted my time with it.

I still don't like Athena.  I like her husband and her ex-husband, but I can't stand her.

 

23 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I can't stand her either.  I hate it when she comes on the screen, marching around with all that equipment on her hips and acting like she rules the city.  I know she's one of the producers, and she acts like she wants everyone to know it. 

I know Michael was wrong for marrying her knowing he was gay, but he dodged a bullet being divorced because he would have just been henpecked as he got older.   

Athena is my favorite character and I thought she was awesome in this episode. Michael being henpecked?  Nah - I think he’s stronger than that. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

Athena has won  the Charlton Heston Memorial. Cigar Store Indian Acting award for three years in a row.

She lost a job on The Walking Dead because she couldn’t walk and act at the same time.

[ramble]

On 4/15/2020 at 12:05 AM, vavera4ka said:

It also got REALLY dusty in my room when i saw the off duty operators just walk in and take over the shift letting the swat finish up and the hostages to recover.

That moment really got to me too. The way they all calmly and stoically walked in as the chaos was winding down, pulled up a chair and got to work was a quietly profound moment in my opinion. 

Yes this show is unrealistic and often uneven but it somehow works for me. It’s one of only a couple I bother with during lock down. I find myself rewatching comfort food tv or just skipping screen time instead but 911 and The Rookie I still check out. 

[Clanstarling]

5 hours ago, ramble said:

That moment really got to me too. The way they all calmly and stoically walked in as the chaos was winding down, pulled up a chair and got to work was a quietly profound moment in my opinion. 

Yes this show is unrealistic and often uneven but it somehow works for me. It’s one of only a couple I bother with during lock down. I find myself rewatching comfort food tv or just skipping screen time instead but 911 and The Rookie I still check out. 

I delayed watching this episode because I too am on a mostly comfort food tv diet (and also watch the Rookie) but after reading a few comments, I thought, what the hell?  And wasn't sorry. The story was ludicrous, but the emotional beats weren't.

(rewatching The Librarians, Ugly Betty and the Mentalist)

[lorbeer]

On 4/16/2020 at 10:57 PM, The Ringo Kidd said:

Athena has won  the Charlton Heston Memorial. Cigar Store Indian Acting award for three years in a row.

She lost a job on The Walking Dead because she couldn’t walk and act at the same time.

Can someone explain that to me? 😉

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, lorbeer said:

Can someone explain that to me? 😉

I don't see The Walking Dead on her credits. Not being a fan of the series, I looked around and didn't find much except a  wiki on The Walking Dead (A New World). Tried to find it in IMDB, but didn't.  I dug into the franchise, but didn't find anything mentioning ANW.  Someone who has better knowledge of this might be able to help. I also couldn't find any news article related to her losing a job on that show.

That was way too much effort, but I apparently have time to kill today. In any case, mileage really varies on Basset's acting ability, and I think she's pretty great, myself.

[saber5055]

3 hours ago, lorbeer said:

Can someone explain that to me? 😉

I think it's sarcasm, meaning she's so bad she can't even stagger around like a frozen-faced zombie.