S03.E14: Threshold

[Surrealist]

Having a main character who doesn't bounce from relationship to relationship to relationship to relationship to relationship would be a nice change of pace.

Otherwise things get boring. Not everyone needs to pair off all the time. YMMV.

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Surrealist

[Snapdragon]

On 5/17/2021 at 4:20 PM, dargosmydaddy said:

I also thought Lucy did a terrible job flirting with Tim at the traffic stop... I mean, I know she doesn't have to sell it to Tim, who knew what was up, but if I were the guys in the car with her, I'd be super suspicious that her "flirting" consisted of inviting him to a party in a completely flat voice, and that was basically it. She didn't even smile at him!

OMG, yes!  The flirting was terrible!  Jennifer Aniston did a better job flirting with Mark Consuelos when he guest-starred on Friends as a cop that pulled her over for speeding!  If I had been that drug dealer, I would have been suspicious as hell that that weak ass flirting worked.

[bros402]

12 hours ago, chaifan said:

I'm not sure how I feel about this episode... 

Nolan's new girlfriend - I'm not convinced she's got some hidden agenda.  The introduction of the character was poorly written, bizarrely contrived, but she's an extremely easy person to verify (firefighter, EMT), and Nolan can also ask the neighbor about her.  So if she is some sort of plant, it's a horrible cover story.  What bothers me more is that Nolan shows up at a wedding with a +1 that he just met.  Did he rsvp for +1 on the off chance that some woman would show up on his doorstep wearing nothing but a towel, planning to show up solo if that didn't happen, or did he rsvp for just 1, and bring an extra guest to the wedding.  Either way, it's bad form.  Also, I was rooting for Nolan and his prof to end up together after their class is over. 

I have to imagine that when Nolan made the RSVP, maybe he was thinking of bringing Henry with him, since the wedding was initially supposed to be a while off

[chaifan]

7 hours ago, bros402 said:

I have to imagine that when Nolan made the RSVP, maybe he was thinking of bringing Henry with him, since the wedding was initially supposed to be a while off

A 40-something year old man bringing his adult, engaged son to a colleague's wedding?  That's just weird.  And totally not the point of a +1 invitation.  If that was Nolan's plan, I lose so much respect for him, in so many ways. 

[HurricaneVal]

Nolan is a complete optimist.  He was hoping by the time the wedding came around he'd have a girlfriend to be his +1.  Which may be why he accepted towel girl with the sketchy story so quickly.  He had a deadline.

[MrWhyt]

On 5/16/2021 at 11:39 PM, rhys said:

Am I the only one thinking John's new friend is awfully convenient? She shows up damsel in distress, needing help(housekey) and instead of saying she's at The Smith House or something, she says the green one. I dunno; it strikes me as it could be hinkey . But I won't remember this convo come October lol!

sometimes a lady in towel is just a lady in a towel. I kind of hate Lost and similar shows for making viewers assume there's a twist to every plot point in modern TV.

[bros402]

16 hours ago, chaifan said:

A 40-something year old man bringing his adult, engaged son to a colleague's wedding?  That's just weird.  And totally not the point of a +1 invitation.  If that was Nolan's plan, I lose so much respect for him, in so many ways. 

I mean Nolan is weird.

Could've also been him being optimistic that he'd have someone to bring by then - or probably a backup plan of "hey i'll ask my college professor"

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

sometimes a lady in towel is just a lady in a towel. I kind of hate Lost and similar shows for making viewers assume there's a twist to every plot point in modern TV.

The towel had nothing to do with my suspicions. Someone I don't know comes up to my door claiming to be watching the house of a neighbor I didn't know was away?  I need more detail and confirmation than that. I thought she was acting sketchy, and would have thought so if she was in a baggy sweat suit.

But yes, tv shows of all sorts have influenced the way we see new characters on an episode.

Edited May 21, 2021 by Clanstarling

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

The towel had nothing to do with my suspicions. Someone I don't know comes up to my door claiming to be watching the house of a neighbor I didn't know was away?  I need more detail and confirmation than that. I thought she was acting sketchy, and would have thought so if she was in a baggy sweat suit.

But yes, tv shows of all sorts have influenced the way we see new characters on an episode.

True, but the towel adds to the questionable appearance of someone showing up at our hero's door, especially considering that at least once every season he gets accosted in his home.

[bunnyface]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

True, but the towel adds to the questionable appearance of someone showing up at our hero's door, especially considering that at least once every season he gets accosted in his home.

But also, he just GAVE her the spare key.  Why not go over to the house with her, maybe asking some very obvious questions along the way, let her in, check her ID, little things like that.  I love him, but at times he is so dumb, my eyes hurt.  

 

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

True, but the towel adds to the questionable appearance of someone showing up at our hero's door, especially considering that at least once every season he gets accosted in his home.

Valid.

40 minutes ago, bunnyface said:

But also, he just GAVE her the spare key.  Why not go over to the house with her, maybe asking some very obvious questions along the way, let her in, check her ID, little things like that.  I love him, but at times he is so dumb, my eyes hurt.  

 

Exactly.

[BlakesMomma]

9 hours ago, bros402 said:

I mean Nolan is weird.

Could've also been him being optimistic that he'd have someone to bring by then - or probably a backup plan of "hey i'll ask my college professor"

Sometimes I have to chuckle at things viewers focus on: Nolan's RSVP, where was Gray's wife, why didn't Harper have a date? None of those things add or delete anything from the storylines. And in the times of Covid and the extra expenses production had this season to keep everyone safe, why would they add the expense to bring in two additional actors (Gray's wife and Harper's date) that would be completely irrelevant to the story. 

As for Nolan's RSVP, who cares? Maybe he asked Lopez, maybe he originally replied with 2 guests. It's irrelevant. And Henry is in Arizona(?) recovering from open heart surgery, so I doubt he's anywhere near able to attend a wedding in LA. 

[MDL]

Quote

But also, he just GAVE her the spare key.  Why not go over to the house with her, maybe asking some very obvious questions along the way, let her in, check her ID, little things like that.  I love him, but at times he is so dumb, my eyes hurt.  

Yes to this....After all, as a COP, shouldn't he be a bit more careful?

[devilhalo]

Nolan having ANOTHER girlfriend? What a surprise! It’s kinda funny how he has zero chemistry with any of the GFs so far. It’s a complete waste of time. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, devilhalo said:

Nolan having ANOTHER girlfriend? What a surprise! It’s kinda funny how he has zero chemistry with any of the GFs so far. It’s a complete waste of time. 

Hah! It's gotten to the point where after each one I have to Google NF to make sure that I didn't forget that his real life sexual preference is not for women.
But back in the mid-20th century TV cop shows, a lot of times the stars just had romantic flings rather than relationships, so maybe they're just following that model.
And was it Bonanza where all the female guest stars died, or was that another Western?
 

[Clanstarling]

52 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Hah! It's gotten to the point where after each one I have to Google NF to make sure that I didn't forget that his real life sexual preference is not for women.

Say what?

[Driad]

I don't care what actors do off set, but Nathan Fillion builds his own amazing Halloween costumes. (Video.)  

[Raja]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Hah! It's gotten to the point where after each one I have to Google NF to make sure that I didn't forget that his real life sexual preference is not for women.
But back in the mid-20th century TV cop shows, a lot of times the stars just had romantic flings rather than relationships, so maybe they're just following that model.
And was it Bonanza where all the female guest stars died, or was that another Western?
 

All the Cartwright boys mothers along with the women when they found the one seemed to die. It may have happened to the Barkley brothers on The Big Valley too. Besides Big John John losing his wife to set up the political arranged marriage on the High Chaparral I can't recall others from those  westerns, in color, that I saw in syndication.

There are many actresses that I describe as girlfriend of the week from their work on 70s cop shows 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Raja

[Netfoot]

NF with a new relationship each week that fails miserably and weirdly each time? That could be a running joke. Like Murphy Brown <gag!> and her secretary.

[WendyCR72]

Nolan not having a steady relationship does not bother me whatsoever. Rick Hunter of the eponymous Hunter had a LOT of women. And I think Magnum of the original Magnum P.I. did, too.

So good for John Nolan!

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

Nolan not having a steady relationship does not bother me whatsoever. Rick Hunter of the eponymous Hunter had a LOT of women. And I think Magnum of the original Magnum P.I. did, too.

So good for John Nolan!

Yes, I thought there were a lot of instances of this in old shows. Thanks for giving examples. But it also contributed to a pay disparity for women actors. Regardless, if they're determined to follow this model, I wish they'd at least make it a running joke and hang a lantern on it.

[MrWhyt]

14 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

The towel had nothing to do with my suspicions. Someone I don't know comes up to my door claiming to be watching the house of a neighbor I didn't know was away?  I need more detail and confirmation than that. I thought she was acting sketchy, and would have thought so if she was in a baggy sweat suit.

it's a television meet-cute, you're overthinking things

[devilhalo]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

4 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

it's a television meet-cute, you're overthinking things

It would have been interesting if they had even 1% chemistry which they didn’t. 

Edited May 22, 2021 by devilhalo

[BlakesMomma]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Hah! It's gotten to the point where after each one I have to Google NF to make sure that I didn't forget that his real life sexual preference is not for women.
But back in the mid-20th century TV cop shows, a lot of times the stars just had romantic flings rather than relationships, so maybe they're just following that model.
And was it Bonanza where all the female guest stars died, or was that another Western?
 

So Google knows Nathan's sexual preference? Interesting. Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Just because he's 50 and never been married that makes him gay? I have more respect for someone who's never felt the need to marry than someone who's been married 4 times with kids all over the place.

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, BlakesMomma said:

So Google knows Nathan's sexual preference

No. But Google does include mentions of NF’s past girlfriends.

[WendyCR72]

Back to discussion of the episode, please.

[Clanstarling]

14 hours ago, Raja said:

All the Cartwright boys mothers along with the women when they found the one seemed to die. It may have happened to the Barkley brothers on The Big Valley too. Besides Big John John losing his wife to set up the political arranged marriage on the High Chaparral I can't recall others from those  westerns, in color, that I saw in syndication.

There are many actresses that I describe as girlfriend of the week from their work on 70s cop shows 

The Cartwright boys danger to their girlfriends was a running joke in my childhood household.

10 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

it's a television meet-cute, you're overthinking things

If I am, then I'm in good company.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Why Nolan cannot be single for a little while? IRL, it won’t be so easy for him to bounce from one lady to another in short period of time, he isn’t that attractive and he talks too much!

Lucy’s flirting skill is so bad, it’s cringey! 😬 And Lucy as UC is not believable, why is she trying so hard to be like Nyla?

I hope Angela and the baby are safe. Is Jackson being kidnapped too?

[devilhalo]

22 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why Nolan cannot be single for a little while? IRL, it won’t be so easy for him to bounce from one lady to another in short period of time, he isn’t that attractive and he talks too much!

Lucy’s flirting skill is so bad, it’s cringey! 😬 And Lucy as UC is not believable, why is she trying so hard to be like Nyla?

I hope Angela and the baby are safe. Is Jackson being kidnapped too?

I hate how the show presents Nolan as this highly desirable man that every woman wants to immediately date/have a relationship with. They make it soo easy for him. He gets the hottest women and is super good at his job (he is always saving the day 99% of the times).

Where’s the challenge? Make it difficult for him. A women who is NOT impressed with him and he has to WORK to get her attention would be a good change.
 

[shapeshifter]

14 minutes ago, devilhalo said:

I hate how the show presents Nolan as this highly desirable man that every woman wants to immediately date/have a relationship with. They make it soo easy for him. He gets the hottest women and is super good at his job (he is always saving the day 99% of the times).

45 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why Nolan cannot be single for a little while? IRL, it won’t be so easy for him to bounce from one lady to another in short period of time, he isn’t that attractive and he talks too much!

IMO, like NF, Nolan is physically attractive *enough* but, more importantly, he has a great personality (although mileage does vary). 
So I don't find it hard to imagine slightly more mature women who encounter him thinking something like: Oh! Here is one of those few good men! 

But if Nolan is not going to be lecherous toward the Woman In The Towel (and I am grateful that he is not!) then a little bit of awkward humor would have allayed our suspicions. Without the awkward humor, I am still suspicious.

Maybe there was some humor in that scene that I missed?

[Snazzy Daisy]

16 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

IMO, like NF, Nolan is physically attractive *enough*

Nolan has manboobs, so ummm no 😬🥴

Jenna Dewan has ruined Devon Pravesh (The Resident) for me, so am gonna assume Bailey (lady in towel) is bad, for now. 

[Surrealist]

Nathan was cute when he was younger. Now? Not bad, but he's 50. I'm only a few years younger, but he doesn't have that youthful look anymore.

I don't buy that Nolan gets all these much younger women going after him. Grace was his age, but that went sideways. Nolan is a nice guy, but he's a doofus, hardly charming.

I'm glad that this show centers on all the other characters too. I like and prefer the complexity of characters like Tim, Nyla, and Angela.

[dargosmydaddy]

On 5/20/2021 at 10:51 PM, MrWhyt said:

sometimes a lady in towel is just a lady in a towel. I kind of hate Lost and similar shows for making viewers assume there's a twist to every plot point in modern TV.

 

14 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

it's a television meet-cute, you're overthinking things

If that's what they meant to convey, then they need to write it that way, and not include so many enormous red flags. A cute house sitter getting locked out and needing assistance-- yes, that's a meet cute. A cute woman who identifies the house by description instead of owner's name and has to be fed every pertinent piece of information about the house's occupants by Nolan (who is a cop and should know better) is just poor writing. If she does turn out to be some kind of con woman, they did a nice job conveying it, but did a disservice to Nolan's common sense. If she doesn't turn out to be a con woman, it's still a disservice to Nolan's common sense, but also poor writing, since so many of us picked up on the fact that her introduction was super shady (and could have easily not been if she'd just provided the neighbor's name/ occupation herself!).

[Netfoot]

Nolan meets a girl, and asks her out on a disastrous date. At this stage, there is no need to speculate on

• What caliber weapon she will try to kill him with
• What colour hair the baby will have

I'm going to wait for a while, just see how it plays out.

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

On 5/21/2021 at 11:37 PM, MrWhyt said:

it's a television meet-cute, you're overthinking things

If that's what they meant to convey, then they need to write it that way, and not include so many enormous red flags. A cute house sitter getting locked out and needing assistance-- yes, that's a meet cute. A cute woman who identifies the house by description instead of owner's name and has to be fed every pertinent piece of information about the house's occupants by Nolan (who is a cop and should know better) is just poor writing. If she does turn out to be some kind of con woman, they did a nice job conveying it, but did a disservice to Nolan's common sense. If she doesn't turn out to be a con woman, it's still a disservice to Nolan's common sense, but also poor writing, since so many of us picked up on the fact that her introduction was super shady (and could have easily not been if she'd just provided the neighbor's name/ occupation herself!).

I both agree with everything in your above post, @dargosmydaddy, and I disagree, because if the writers' goal was to keep us guessing, I guess they did. 
But whether or not she's a con woman, they did rob Nolan of any common sense, but then, she's an attractive lady in a towel and he's in off-duty mode. 🤷‍♀️

 

[femmefan1946]

And I hope, since Wesley the annoying defence lawyer got retconned into Angela's true love, that the DA becomes Nolan's nemesis. Nice to see Nathan still getting his friends jobs, and Michael Trucco is a solid actor.

 

Not manboobs- pecs. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by femmefan1946

[Netfoot]

On 5/17/2021 at 11:58 AM, HurricaneVal said:

There is hope, however, once Lopez gets rescued and they plan a second hasty-yet-impossibly-beautifully-perfect that we will get a bruised Smitty jamming out to Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive entirely oblivious to how completely inappropriate that song is at a wedding.

Isn't it awful when an absolutely inadequate piece of music is chosen?  Like when POTUS opened the dancing at a Whitehouse gala by taking the hand of HRH QE-II for a spin around the floor while the orchestra played The Lady is a Tramp?