S03.E01: Consequences

[WendyCR72]

To air on January 3, 2021:

Nearing the end of his training, Nolan now faces his biggest challenge as a police officer yet when he must come to terms with the choices he has made in pursuit of the truth.

[Brian Cronin]

I have absolutely no problem with the show deciding to address real life issues this season, but it was hilarious seeing them work it into their over-the-top carryover plot from last season this week with Wesley's speech to Nolan about how this would have gone much differently had he been Black and not a cop. It really stood out like a sore thumb. They probably should have just let this episode exist as its own thing and THEN get into the "true to life" plots starting next episode. 

[paigow]

LAPD HR would be ok with a son reporting directly to his father within I.A. ??? Anti-nepotism rules be damned...

[Clanstarling]

As over the top as the commentary was - I thought it fit in, and I appreciated that for once - for once - on a tv police show, they didn't cast IA as the enemy. I think tv has really done a disservice to those who serve to protect us against bad cops. (there are always bad eggs in any organization - no matter how good the organization is - so this is not an anti cop rant. I work with a lot of great cops, and have been sorely disappointed with a couple I thought were good and turned out not to be as ethical as I thought)

That being said, I'd forgotten where the last season ended, and I groaned at the previouslies because I remembered I didn't like the plot line, or rather, where it ended up. Though I thought it was mostly well done.

 

[chaifan]

35 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

As over the top as the commentary was - I thought it fit in, and I appreciated that for once - for once - on a tv police show, they didn't cast IA as the enemy. 

I actually didn't think Wesley's bit was over the top.  It stood out, but I think that's because there was a lot of press about how they were going to work in BLM issues.  I'm not sure I would have thought much about it had the same lines been in an episode a year ago.  I also thought it fit in well to the scene.  And it was spot on without being preachy.  I did wonder why Nolan didn't just say he hid the evidence because he had no idea if Armstrong was the only dirty cop in the bunch. 

I did like Wesley's "I quit" at the end, as Nolan was totally doing the opposite of everything he was advising him to do. 

I wish Chen would get a little more recognition for her intuition. 

[Netfoot]

SO... all that season-finale drama cleared up in ½ an episode. Didn't see that coming. No sir!

7 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

it was hilarious seeing them work it into their over-the-top carryover plot from last season this week with Wesley's speech to Nolan about how this would have gone much differently had he been Black and not a cop.

Yeah. Stupid and predictable.

 

 

[paigow]

Why bury your go-bag?

Armstrong: OMG! Gotta get to LAX in an hour but stop at the cemetery first. No one will be suspicious that my travel bag is moldy.

[Thomas Crown]

Pretty good episode overall imo to begin the season.  Glad the show pointed out how many mistakes Nolan made and that he'll suffer the consequences.  My disappointment is how they wrote out Armstrong. It felt pretty anticlamatic for me since I liked the actor and character.  

And as usual, crime bosses in LA continue to hire goons with the worse aim.    

Despite the show runner saying he won't go there with a Bradford Chen romance, he sure likes to fan the flames of the shippers with the scenes he writes for them. 

I'm probably the only one, but I enjoy the buffoonery antics of Smitty.  The actor's deadpan delivery does it for me. 

For those that care about ratings, show did 0.5 in key demo last night which is not bad give the crappy lead-in and going against football.  

[Brian Cronin]

Once a show gets to season three, it is almost always given a fourth season, so I'm not too worried about ratings anymore. 

The reduced episode order for all shows does throw SOME uncertainty into things, but not a lot. 

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, paigow said:

LAPD HR would be ok with a son reporting directly to his father within I.A. ??? Anti-nepotism rules be damned...

Was there some mention last season of Dad retiring? Still, you're not wrong. But it does seem like a good fit for Jackson.

 

8 hours ago, chaifan said:

I actually didn't think Wesley's bit was over the top.  It stood out, but I think that's because there was a lot of press about how they were going to work in BLM issues.  I'm not sure I would have thought much about it had the same lines been in an episode a year ago.  I also thought it fit in well to the scene.  And it was spot on without being preachy. 

I think the reason it stood out to me is because I watch too much TV, and so I'm used to having every line being either Plot A or Plot B or character related, and this was just sort of a PSA.
But I was glad the BLM line was there in this first episode of this season to let viewers know where the show stands, almost as an invite to viewers to post on social media about  stuff in the show that might not align with that stance.
And then there's still likely related sentiments left over from that "kerfuffle" with Ashton Williamson.

 

6 hours ago, paigow said:

Why bury your go-bag?

Armstrong: OMG! Gotta get to LAX in an hour but stop at the cemetery first. No one will be suspicious that my travel bag is moldy.

Heh.
And the lady in the cemetery side-eyeing Chen Lopez* digging up a grave would've likely reported a swarthy African American dude doing the same. 
Probably just a reflection of my un-PC 1950s-60s childhood, but I was imagining the reason the even older-than-I-am lady didn't call the cops on Chen was because she figured it was some kind of Asian Latinx* ritual to dig graves of loved ones. 
But I probably enjoyed that bit more than any other in the episode because I like searching for clues and treasure and whatnot.
There was also a little bit of parallel call back to Chen digging up something buried to save the life/career of someone she cared about. 

_____________________

*Thanks @Snapdragon

2 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

It was Lopez who dug up the bag, not Chen. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Snapdragon]

31 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Was there some mention last season of Dad retiring? Still, you're not wrong. But it does seem like a good fit for Jackson.

 

I think the reason it stood out to me is because I watch too much TV, and so I'm used to having every line being either Plot A or Plot B or character related, and this was just sort of a PSA.
But I was glad the BLM line was there in this first episode of this season to let viewers know where the show stands, almost as an invite post on social media about  stuff in the show that might not align with that stance.
And then there's still likely related sentiments left over from that "kerfuffle" with Ashton Williamson.

 

Heh.
And the lady in the cemetery side-eyeing Chen digging up a grave would've likely reported a swarthy African American dude doing the same. 
Probably just a reflection of my un-PC 1950s-60s childhood, but I was imagining the reason the even older-than-I-am lady didn't call the cops on Chen was because she figured it was some kind of Asian ritual to dig graves of loved ones. 
But I probably enjoyed that bit more than any other in the episode because I like searching for clues and treasure and whatnot.
There was also a little bit of parallel call back to Chen digging up something buried to save the life/career of someone she cared about. 

It was Lopez who dug up the bag, not Chen. 

And speaking of Lopez, I was so annoyed when they had her say that she was taking a bath at the end of the episode to relax after a hard day.  You can't take a bath while pregnant!  Not one that's worth it, anyway.  The water can only be lukewarm and I doubt anyone wants to relax in a lukewarm bath after a hard day's work.  

[ctlady]

12 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I have absolutely no problem with the show deciding to address real life issues this season, but it was hilarious seeing them work it into their over-the-top carryover plot from last season this week with Wesley's speech to Nolan about how this would have gone much differently had he been Black and not a cop.

I'm glad for the heads up about this.  I've already had 'real life issues' ruin Blue Bloods for me.  Look - I get it.  I know what's going on in the world, but when I want to escape for a bit and be entertained, I don't want political/social/environmental, etc. narratives being pushed into my entertainment.  That's what I watch/read the news for.  When I watch my shows, I want to forget about the madness around me - not constantly be preached to about how wrong or bad or ignorant or whatever I am.

[femmefan1946]

@Thomas Crown.

Anybody who has ever held a job, has worked with Smitty. And probably liked him.

 

@Snapdrogon

No baths? I know hot tubs are right out (used to sell them) but baths are usually cooler than hot tubs. We set ours a 105F.

 

I'm fine with the “PSAs”. Jackson's dad's explanation was a start to overthrowing all those hundreds of “rogue cop” who breaks every rule in the book to get the “bad guy” tropes.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CowboyCop
 

Do NOT look at TVTropes if you have anything important to do during the next 8 to 24 hours. Like sleeping.

[paigow]

15 hours ago, Thomas Crown said:

I'm probably the only one, but I enjoy the buffoonery antics of Smitty.  The actor's deadpan delivery does it for me. 

Since LAPD is having a fire sale on reprimands...how about writing up Smitty AND Jackson?

The long game for Rosalind was to overturn her conviction...Nolan says it will never happen...so of course IT WILL!!!

Grey said that reprimand means there is almost no chance of Nolan making Detective... so of course HE WILL!!!

Edited January 5, 2021 by paigow

[Snapdragon]

1 hour ago, femmefan1946 said:

@Snapdrogon

No baths? I know hot tubs are right out (used to sell them) but baths are usually cooler than hot tubs. We set ours a 105F.

 

Yup, no hot baths.  You don't want your body temperature rising, so when pregnant, you want the water around 98.6F.  So if you want a hot bath, you're out of luck for 10 months (because you can't take a bath for the first 6 weeks post-partum either).   Lukewarm baths are fine but for me personally, that's just not worth it.

[preeya]

9 hours ago, paigow said:

Why bury your go-bag?

 

Probably because you'll have to GO get it.  😊

[Loandbehold]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

The long game for Rosalind was to overturn her conviction...Nolan says it will never happen...so of course IT WILL!!!

And, she'll be hired by the LAPD to work in the squad as a profiler. And end up dating Nolan b/c opposites attract in every TV show.* 

* I like Annie Wershing, so I really wouldn't mind them doing this.

[bros402]

23 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I have absolutely no problem with the show deciding to address real life issues this season, but it was hilarious seeing them work it into their over-the-top carryover plot from last season this week with Wesley's speech to Nolan about how this would have gone much differently had he been Black and not a cop. It really stood out like a sore thumb. They probably should have just let this episode exist as its own thing and THEN get into the "true to life" plots starting next episode. 

Yeah the way they addressed it made me laugh - like yeah, it needs to be addressed, but oof

11 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Once a show gets to season three, it is almost always given a fourth season, so I'm not too worried about ratings anymore. 

The reduced episode order for all shows does throw SOME uncertainty into things, but not a lot. 

ABC cancelled Speechless after 3 seasons, even though they got full ownership of it after season 3 ended - so ABC is a bit weird.

2 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

And, she'll be hired by the LAPD to work in the squad as a profiler. And end up dating Nolan b/c opposites attract in every TV show.* 

* I like Annie Wershing, so I really wouldn't mind them doing this.

Yessss. I tweeted at Annie Wershing last night about how she was awesome in Timeless and she liked my tweet.

[ribboninthesky1]

21 hours ago, paigow said:

Why bury your go-bag?

Armstrong: OMG! Gotta get to LAX in an hour but stop at the cemetery first. No one will be suspicious that my travel bag is moldy.

Ha! I think he had just buried it the day before?  So not enough time for mold. Plus, Lopez dug it up in like 30 seconds, so it basically would have been a pit stop for Armstrong.  He could have left the car running!    

23 hours ago, chaifan said:

I did like Wesley's "I quit" at the end, as Nolan was totally doing the opposite of everything he was advising him to do. 

He completely wasted Wesley's time.  I guess the only point in hiring him was to bide time? 

I thought Wesley's point about Nolan being a white male was appropriate in context.  Still, Nolan is the lead and "moral center" of the show.  There will never be a time when there are lasting consequences to his actions.  The writers clearly didn't think of the racial subtext of making Armstrong a dirty cop last season, so it's basically lip service. Even Sgt Grey's speech about Nolan's reprimand and no future beyond patrol officer will be rendered moot when the writers decide it's promotion time for Nolan. It is what it is.                 

[paigow]

13 minutes ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

He completely wasted Wesley's time.

Wait until he gets the invoice...

[Surrealist]

This show is only on its third season.

They're going for a pregnancy subplot already?

[devilhalo]

18 minutes ago, Surrealist said:

This show is only on its third season.

They're going for a pregnancy subplot already?

 

They incorporated the real-life pregnancy of the actress. 

[chaifan]

27 minutes ago, devilhalo said:

They incorporated the real-life pregnancy of the actress. 

Thanks for pointing that out.  I also wasn't crazy with such an early pregnancy plot for those two.  But it's not like Lopez can be in flowy dresses and baggy sweaters.  Sort of hard to hide a baby bump in the standard cop uniform.  I wonder if there will actually be a baby for the character, or if she'll miscarry the last episode of the season so they don't have to write a baby into future episodes. 

Oh, and now I'm thinking...  I have the perfect plot to disguise the actress's pregnancy...   Lopez makes Detective, then is assigned to infiltrate a pre-natal support group that is a front for money laundering.  So she has to disguise herself as a pregnant woman, with an ever increasing "fake" baby bump as the season goes on.  Of course, she'd have to run into Wesley's mother while out in full maternity mode, unable to break her cover, for a little comic relief.  For any off-duty scenes, just have her carry a large purse or hide behind a fern.  😉 

[Snapdragon]

7 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Thanks for pointing that out.  I also wasn't crazy with such an early pregnancy plot for those two.  But it's not like Lopez can be in flowy dresses and baggy sweaters.  Sort of hard to hide a baby bump in the standard cop uniform.  I wonder if there will actually be a baby for the character, or if she'll miscarry the last episode of the season so they don't have to write a baby into future episodes. 

Oh, and now I'm thinking...  I have the perfect plot to disguise the actress's pregnancy...   Lopez makes Detective, then is assigned to infiltrate a pre-natal support group that is a front for money laundering.  So she has to disguise herself as a pregnant woman, with an ever increasing "fake" baby bump as the season goes on.  Of course, she'd have to run into Wesley's mother while out in full maternity mode, unable to break her cover, for a little comic relief.  For any off-duty scenes, just have her carry a large purse or hide behind a fern.  😉 

Pretty sure this is what they did on Brooklyn Nine Nine when the actress who played Amy was pregnant.  They hid her belly with the usual tricks (sitting down, holding boxes, etc) then had her go undercover in a prison as a pregnant woman towards the end of her pregnancy.  

[Surrealist]

55 minutes ago, devilhalo said:

They incorporated the real-life pregnancy of the actress. 

Thank you. I wasn't aware. 

As soon as they showed the next episode preview, I thought to myself, wonder if they'll have her miscarry. 

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by Surrealist

[shapeshifter]

22 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Sort of hard to hide a baby bump in the standard cop uniform. 

IDK. I think the standard cop uniform on TV makes all women look possibly pregnant.
But I did suspect the actor was pg as soon as I saw her face. Mine gave me away too. I guess it's the small bone structure thing.

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Quote

 Sort of hard to hide a baby bump in the standard cop uniform.  

Did Grey tell her she made detective at the end?  Unless I misheard that, she won't be wearing the standard cop uniform anymore.

[Raja]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

IDK. I think the standard cop uniform on TV makes all women look possibly pregnant.
But I did suspect the actor was pg as soon as I saw her face. Mine gave me away too. I guess it's the small bone structure thing.

When cop killer ex LAPD Christopher Donner was on the loose all the local cops where wearing heavy armor and not the standard pistol stopping lighter armor. While not pregnant they all had that barrel chest look.

[BlakesMomma]

3 hours ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

Did Grey tell her she made detective at the end?  Unless I misheard that, she won't be wearing the standard cop uniform anymore.

Yes she made detective at the end of the episode so she will be wearing street clothes which can hide her pregnancy.

She just announced she had her baby the other day so her real life pregnancy was only during the first handful of episodes.

[preeya]

On 1/4/2021 at 11:43 AM, shapeshifter said:

Was there some mention last season of Dad retiring? Still, you're not wrong. But it does seem like a good fit for Jackson.

Michael Beach is currently in three active shows (The Rookie, SWAT, and Seal Team), so an exit from one or two of the three isn't far fetched.

[JapMo]

I was pretty disappointed in how bad this episode was.  Just one eyeroll after another, especially the gal at the prison.  How many cell phones does she have?  And how about the phone not being tapped in the hospital?  One thing after another just conveniently fell into place.  I know it's just a cop show, but this episode strained credulity to the max for me.

[Raja]

14 minutes ago, JapMo said:

I was pretty disappointed in how bad this episode was.  Just one eyeroll after another, especially the gal at the prison.  How many cell phones does she have?  And how about the phone not being tapped in the hospital?  One thing after another just conveniently fell into place.  I know it's just a cop show, but this episode strained credulity to the max for me.

I give them the phones since bootleg phones are in real convicts hands and doing everything right means that they can't just tap a phone. Smitty on the other hand and Mid Wilshire patrol seemingly running point on corruption in their division was the breaking point 

 

[jabRI]

I love Michael beach, I remember his days from Third Watch & ER (yes, I am old, but I'm happy)

[Raja]

7 hours ago, jabRI said:

I love Michael beach, I remember his days from Third Watch & ER (yes, I am old, but I'm happy)

Mostly Doc from Third Watch for me. And Michael Beach also had a reoccurring role as a starship commanding Colonel in the Stargate franchise 

[Clanstarling]

3 hours ago, Raja said:

Mostly Doc from Third Watch for me. And Michael Beach also had a reoccurring role as a starship commanding Colonel in the Stargate franchise 

I think Stargate's probably what I remember him from. I like him.

[bunnyface]

On 1/7/2021 at 8:22 AM, Clanstarling said:

I think Stargate's probably what I remember him from. I like him.

I remember him from ER, but of course, I didn't like him there, so I never like him when I see him.  I'm very much a "first role was ooky, you'll always be ooky to me" kind of person.  There are several actors who walk onto a scene and I immediately know they are the bad guy.  Even when they aren't, I know they are and the writers just didn't discover it in time.  

[paigow]

On 1/7/2021 at 6:02 AM, Raja said:

Mostly Doc from Third Watch for me...

Too bad the writers turned him into a nutjob... He was a defense attorney that almost beat McCoy, but had to take a plea deal on L&O Mothership.