S03.E02: In Justice

[WendyCR72]

Airs on January 10, 2021:

Officer John Nolan and Officer Nyla Harper are assigned to a community policing center to help rebuild their station’s reputation in the community. Nolan is determined to make a positive impact but Nyla has her doubts.

[paigow]

Why is the new briefing room looking like a hotel lobby? Standing around? They lost all the furniture because of Armstrong???

[femmefan1946]

They were outdoors. I suspect, from the lack of masks they were trying to figure out how to film safely. It really did not work well.
I will have to watch again to see if Hugo did get out safely. Who was the guy who died horribly doing the zombies at the door impression?

[Brian Cronin]

So far, I think they're doing a good job with the new direction of the show.

One of the things that this show has always done well is to make John clearly a good guy but a good guy with recurring issues and one of those issues is that he never really ASKS people what they want. He just does what he thinks is best. He's a good guy, so often he's right, but sometimes he isn't and therefore it made perfect sense for him to not ask when many other people would just ask James, in a similar situation, "What do you want?" John does did stuff he thought would be good and even after James corrected him, John just then reacted and altered things according to what HE thought made sense. It's good writing.

I'm less enthused with the Brandon Routh stuff. Not that I dislike the idea of the character. I think that it's quite sound, really (and casting Routh as a bad cop is a brilliant piece of casting), but the interactions with him and Jackson WEREN'T natural. There's no way a guy like Doug would let a rookie pretty clearly talk down to him like Jackson did in the field. And he sure as heck wouldn't wait a DAY without pointing out the tattoo issue to him. The particularly weird aspect of it all is that the narrative would probably have been tighter if they DID have him tell Jackson right away, thus making it a bigger twist of the knife when we see that Doug IS a bad cop next episode. 

The Hugo plot was very good. Hugo did make it out alive, @femmefan1946. Man, how dark would it have been had he NOT? 

As an aside, holy crap, Harper has become, like, a totally different character (in a good, natural way)! I think that's the sign that John's utter GOODNESS just brings out that sort of thing in other people. That's realistic. Good people DO impact others like that. It's nice to see. 

So yeah, one episode into the new direction and the show is doing well with it all. 

[paigow]

Did Bob Vila join SWAT? That steel door was ripped from the frame...how was it magically lockable from the outside with an airtight seal???

[Netfoot]

I'm not entirely sure what the "new direction" is.

In other news, if this episode is indicative of the remainder of the season, it will be a very tedious watch.

[paigow]

10 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

The particularly weird aspect of it all is that the narrative would probably have been tighter if they DID have him tell Jackson right away, thus making it a bigger twist of the knife when we see that Doug IS a bad cop next episode. 

Is it possible he does not know that his "Boot" has a direct link to I.A. ???

ETA: Surprised that writers passed on anvil meta naming - Clark Palmer; Kent Palmer; Ray Kent etc...

Edited January 11, 2021 by paigow

[HurricaneVal]

13 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

One of the things that this show has always done well is to make John clearly a good guy but a good guy with recurring issues and one of those issues is that he never really ASKS people what they want.

Exactly.  He's well intentioned, but he only sees the details he can "fix" and not the bigger picture.  It makes sense that he looks for things he can fix, because as a builder that's his wheelhouse.  Nolan can help Hugo find work on small jobs, that's doable and is definitely within his purview as a former contractor.  Nolan has absolutely no clue about living in a neighborhood like the one he's trying to fix.  I like how by the end of the episode, he's ready to listen. 

I'm also pretty fond of Lopez's storyline.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is a trope when a newbie gets dumped on by the veterans and has to prove themselves, then they prove themselves spectacularly.  But I liked it.  I liked the parallels with Nolan eager to show his worth in his new environment and screwing up, and Lopez eager to show her worth in her new environment and seeming to screw up....but not really.  I loved her "uuuuuuh....others?" moment of realization that this was bigger than she thought.  At first she just thought she'd get some vindication for occupying all those police resources for something that will end up as an unsolved light felony or misdemeanor, but then with that one comment realized she was onto something big.  I really liked that her supervisor owned up instantly and got on with it without resentment that the newbie showed him up.  I liked the satisfaction in her eyes.

I completely cracked up at the end when they allllll waited for Jackson to arrive before tackling the math homework.....

[paigow]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I completely cracked up at the end when they allllll waited for Jackson to arrive before tackling the math homework.....

Not sure why tutoring is part of community policing... yes, it is a safe space but depending on cops as the brainpower is doomed to failure. Nolan is only there for a week... What happens when he inevitably gets reassigned???  And West joins I.A. ??? 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

I was smitten - not a regular viewer, but had to watch all my OLTL buddies in one episode.  Nathan Fillion, Brandon Routh, and Kamar de los Reyes.  'Antonio' was great - perhaps he is, or will become, a recurring character?  Now I need a guest appearance by Viki, aka Erika Slezak.

 

[Brian Cronin]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I'm not entirely sure what the "new direction" is.

Every episode this season will have a plotline involving the relationship between cops and the Black community in Los Angeles. 

[threebluestars]

I don't know why, but I was waiting for the guy Lopez hauled in to reveal after her boss showed that the "bodies" were dogs or something. I just kept waiting for the shoe to drop for some reason.

[Sweet Tooth]

On 1/11/2021 at 1:40 AM, Brian Cronin said:

I'm less enthused with the Brandon Routh stuff. Not that I dislike the idea of the character. I think that it's quite sound, really (and casting Routh as a bad cop is a brilliant piece of casting), but the interactions with him and Jackson WEREN'T natural. There's no way a guy like Doug would let a rookie pretty clearly talk down to him like Jackson did in the field. And he sure as heck wouldn't wait a DAY without pointing out the tattoo issue to him. The particularly weird aspect of it all is that the narrative would probably have been tighter if they DID have him tell Jackson right away, thus making it a bigger twist of the knife when we see that Doug IS a bad cop next episode. 

I don't know. I think it was all part of the "gotcha." Like, all day he was saying that they were "partners" and pretending they were equals and that he was just this kind of dorky guy who had good intentions. He even stopped to help that guy fix his car.

I think he wanted to lull Jackson into a false sense of security before dropping the b*mb on him. 

Then when he talked about the tattoo, it made Jackson pause and feel stupid for like five minutes, before Bradford let him know it was old school.

Essentially, he wanted to make Jackson believe, and Bradford backed this up, that his background is in gangs, and that he had it much harder than Jackson as he climbed up through the ranks, so he doesn't do things or see things the same way.

But now that he's shown his true self, and from what I saw in the previews, I don't think he's going to be wearing the mask any longer, and will no longer be treating Jackson with respect.

I also agree that John just kind of tries to figure out what people need and tries to please them without asking first for what they want. I think he wants to surprise them. Like, for it to be already done, so they can be happy. It is very much in his character. I like that they took a positive trait and made it something that can absolutely backfire on him. 

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Every episode this season will have a plotline involving the relationship between cops and the Black community in Los Angeles. 

Oh. That.  Well, like I said, it's going to get tedious.

[Raja]

Did I catch something in the opening scene about Nolan being held back, presumably an extended probationary period?  It sounds like what they came up with for Ponch back on CHiPs.  Instead of patrolling alone like the other motorcycle officers the Sergeant attached  him to Jon in the first season, where he stayed until the last when he became a training officer for a new cadet.

Did they say what Detective Lopez was suppose to be? There was no Sergeant Friday to announce she is supposed to be working such and such division when her first case runs into a murder. 

[Brian Cronin]

8 hours ago, Raja said:

Did I catch something in the opening scene about Nolan being held back, presumably an extended probationary period?  

Yeah, part of his punishment for not doing the Armstrong investigation by the book is that he has to do an extra month of training and that he will almost certainly never be promoted beyond beat cop (I'm sure he'll prove them wrong there, but that's the setup for now).

[Netfoot]

29 minutes ago, Brian Cronin said:

and that he will almost certainly never be promoted beyond beat cop (I'm sure he'll prove them wrong there, but that's the setup for now).

Don't be so sure. This show is about Nathan Fillion, Beat Cop. This might simply be the explanation for why he continues on in the beat cop persona. In a season or two, when they are looking for a revamp to boost ratings, maybe then they will promote him to detective. Or SWAT. Or whatever.

[Raja]

However with the TOs stories they've set up 3 years to get an early tap. The probation year has already been into its third TV season 

[Rambler]

I just want to know what cellphone provider Hugo was using so I can sign up. He was getting damn good reception for being in an underground bunker in the middle of a forest.

[Brian Cronin]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Don't be so sure. This show is about Nathan Fillion, Beat Cop. This might simply be the explanation for why he continues on in the beat cop persona. In a season or two, when they are looking for a revamp to boost ratings, maybe then they will promote him to detective. Or SWAT. Or whatever.

Oh sure, for the near future (we ARE in year three of their initial training, after all), that's definitely the plan, but I imagine they'll eventually get past the "no promotions" bit. 

[Loandbehold]

23 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Don't be so sure. This show is about Nathan Fillion, Beat Cop. This might simply be the explanation for why he continues on in the beat cop persona. In a season or two, when they are looking for a revamp to boost ratings, maybe then they will promote him to detective. Or SWAT. Or whatever.

I don't know if they'll ever promote him to detective, but I can see him at some point being promoted to TO and it will be to the new oldest rookie ever to serve on the LAPD who will be played by Betty White.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

...played by Betty White.

Yawp!  I hate Betty White.

[LaylaGirl]

On 1/11/2021 at 10:58 PM, threebluestars said:

I don't know why, but I was waiting for the guy Lopez hauled in to reveal after her boss showed that the "bodies" were dogs or something. I just kept waiting for the shoe to drop for some reason.

I had the exact same thought - that they were not human bodies!

[ShepardRahl]

On 1/11/2021 at 9:03 AM, Netfoot said:

I'm not entirely sure what the "new direction" is.

In other news, if this episode is indicative of the remainder of the season, it will be a very tedious watch.

Exactly. I love this show, and I was hoping they would take the high ground and show some class by not going full HuRr DuRr CoPs BaD. But I guess that was too much to ask. The black guy they run into outside the outreach center and later lectures Nolan in the park really irritated me. He complains about gangs and drug dealers, but cops are the real problem. Okay.

If there is going to be a character lecturing about fake "systemic racism" in every episode then just cancel the show now. Because as you said it will get very tedious very quickly.

It's ridiculous how a guy who OD'd on fentanyl while in police custody can be used to destroy everything so completely. Imagine how much better this season would be/have been if we hadn't had the bullshit over the summer.

[sinkwriter]

On 1/21/2021 at 9:39 AM, ShepardRahl said:

The black guy they run into outside the outreach center and later lectures Nolan in the park really irritated me. He complains about gangs and drug dealers, but cops are the real problem. Okay.

If the cops just keep going in circles, arresting and then putting people back on the streets, and not helping with the serious issues of the communities, then they are part of the problem. It becomes a vicious cycle, just like that guy pointed out about the aesthetic changes Nolan was doing in the park - adding new light bulbs does nothing if they just get broken again and the park goes right back to being a drug hangout. It just means the cops (like Nolan in this episode) are doing pointless stuff to pat themselves on the back, like, "I added new light bulbs. That solves the problem! Everything should be good now." But it's not. Something deeper needs to be done to help make the neighborhood safe, and it's not going to happen by doing stuff that doesn't really make a real difference. 

It's like the issues we have with the health & drug industry. Medication is great and often very necessary, but if all it does is offer temporary relief from pain (or simply masks pain), it's not really solving the real issues people are suffering from, like what's actually causing the pain in the first place. Like, yeah, you can give me meds to make the pain in my arm go away for a while, but what I really need is for you to fix the broken bone. So to speak.

Edited February 1, 2021 by sinkwriter

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks for filling us in on Hugo, @Brian Cronin.  That scene was poorly done.