Professor T (UK) - General Discussion

[Mermaid Under]

I just watched episode 2 of Season 2. 

The story was fine, but I'm missing something about the back story.

Something happened on Professor T's birthday when he was a child, and his father ended up dead.  Last week, his apparently false memory was that he shot him after finding him abusing his nutball of a mother.  This week, the memory was that found his father hanging.  Again, did I get lost in the jumping between reality and fantasy?

[alias1]

They've shown the hanging several times.  I think that was a real memory.  It seems to me the shooting is a fantasy of something he wanted to do. 

I did like this second episode better than the first.  Last week's was kind of boring.  This one was more like last season.

I think Dan is a really nice guy, especially for taking charge of the situation with Doncker's father.  

[12catcrazy]

I second that episode #2 was better than last week's.   Pretty good case, the whole team was involved and there was some character development.  

I'm actually looking forward to next week.  

[statsgirl]

3 things I particularly liked about this episode:

1. Professor T and the nurse colluding to make him less irritable since he is stuck on bed (I wouldn't mind the nurse making a reappearance;
2. Dan helping Donkers' father. That's the good way to make a real romantic relationship rather than "here are two pretty people, let's put them together:
3. The finger touching between Tempest and Brand on the roof. An awkward relationship as any of his is bound to be.

[possibilities]

It irritates me that the team cannot solve anything without him, though. They're making them all useless in order to puff him up.

[sugarbaker design]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

It irritates me that the team cannot solve anything without him, though. They're making them all useless in order to puff him up.

Not useless, just inept and unimaginative. The show is called Professor T.

Edited September 12, 2023 by sugarbaker design

[possibilities]

They could make Prof T interesting and dynamic without making everybody else inept and unimaginative. It actually makes him less impressive when he's being compared to people who don't seem capable of doing ANYTHING. 

[sugarbaker design]

On 9/12/2023 at 2:06 PM, possibilities said:

They could make Prof T interesting and dynamic without making everybody else inept and unimaginative. It actually makes him less impressive when he's being compared to people who don't seem capable of doing ANYTHING. 

He doesn't work for the police, he's a consultant.  They wouldn't need him if they actually solved cases.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

He doesn't work for the police, he's a consultant.  They wouldn't need him if they actually solved cases.

I don't buy this. They could have extra difficult cases, or ones that call for specialized knowledge. The things he does are not special. It's really basic stuff. The actual police team gets stumped on first look!

Or they could have the Prof be irresistibly drawn to the crimes, and asking to be allowed to help. Or they could just like him and be making excuses to work with him for reasons other than that they can't figure anything out without him. Or just make him a regular member of the force, their team leader. 

[sugarbaker design]

17 minutes ago, possibilities said:

The things he does are not special. It's really basic stuff.

I totally agree.  In the first episode of the season I knew it was the landlady's son who started the fire in the first 10 minutes.  And in the second episode when it was revealed the mom had stage 4 cancer I immediately knew she killed her husband and then herself.  Professor T and I must read the same mysteries!

Edited September 14, 2023 by sugarbaker design

[magdalene]

Is the season already over?

[Trey]

On 9/14/2023 at 5:46 PM, magdalene said:

Is the season already over?

I hope not! We've only had two episodes.

[possibilities]

My station aired Ep3 tonight.

Edited September 18, 2023 by possibilities

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, possibilities said:

My station aired Ep3 tonight.

Same here 

Couldn't help thinking of the film House of Sand and Fog when the solution was first revealed.

[Trey]

I'm not sure I liked this episode or not. 

I laughed at Jasper's vision of the giant, slobbering dog, and I like that Dan and Donckers got together - as long as it doesn't lead to heartbreak down the road - but the CotW was so very sad and I don't like all the angst in Jasper's life.  Too much angst just gets boring to me.

But the characters and the acting are marvelous to watch.

[zoey1996]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:46 PM, magdalene said:

Is the season already over?

 

21 hours ago, Trey said:

I hope not! We've only had two episodes.

I'm pretty sure this is a six-episode season.

46 minutes ago, Trey said:

I laughed at Jasper's vision of the giant, slobbering dog

Me too! But I was upset that he left the dog on the roof. Glad someone noticed.

I like that he's trying to figure out (and maybe get over) some of his quirks and fears. Also that he's trying to figure out his father's death, what's real, and what isn't.

Edited September 18, 2023 by zoey1996

[possibilities]

I definitely didn't like this episode.

First of all, I don't care what your issue is, you don't leave the dog on the roof. Call someone to help if you are so overcome that you can't deal with it yourself. But that level of negligence is outright abuse and totally unacceptable. 

I also don't like the dynamic with his assistant. She's rude and obnoxious, but he's also a terrible boss, dumping his personal business on her (leaving the dog with her), not allowing her to go home on time, and ignoring her when she speaks.

I also thought that the raw speculation as to the cause of the family deaths was not an actual case solution. They can give up and call it an unsolved case if they want, but to think the Prof's speculation amounts to an answer is absurd.

Also, again, none of them is doing anything to solve it. Why even have the team? Let him be a private detective that gets hired by individuals who want to solve personal mysteries, if the police part of the show is doing nothing but employing actors to stand around and wonder what Prof T thinks.

I think the copper who took the mysterious security job is also annoying. In his position, he would need to know more about what the job is, who is behind it. Pretending that his suspicions don't mean anything is looking for trouble. He would know better.

I did enjoy the happy element of the hook up, but I think that suggesting one of them apply for a transfer is not going to be a solution, plus she was petulant and a baby about him meeting a friend, and then super-quick to suggest he give up his day off and help with the case, which even their boss thought was wrong.

The false memory conversation struck me as stupid and uninformed. The doctor allowing him to ambush her outside his appointment and then her speculating wildly about what his problem actually is? So unprofessional.

The current research on trauma therapy and OCD treatments does NOT depend on "facing the memories" at all. It is more focused on learning to be in the present and separate a trigger from reality, re-training the body so it is not chronically activated against non-existent threats, and being able to manage intense emotions and intrusive thoughts as thy arise. It's not about what happened in the past, it's about addressing how you are functioning now and what is happening now.

So if they want to pretend his therapist is on top of the thinking in the field, maybe they should have actually looked into what the thinking is.

 

[Trey]

1 hour ago, zoey1996 said:

Also that he's trying to figure out his father's death, what's real, and what isn't.

Somebody, his mother or someone else, must know what happened that day.

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, Trey said:

Somebody, his mother or someone else, must know what happened that day.

Right! If he shot the guy, there would be gunshot residue and other evidence, right? So it's not a mystery.

Likewise, if he hanged himself, that would be clear.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2023 by possibilities

[magdalene]

I couldn't concentrate on the crime because I felt so awful  for the poor dog just abandoned on the roof.   Animal abuse isn't funny, writers.

[Driad]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

I also thought that the raw speculation as to the cause of the family deaths was not an actual case solution. They can give up and call it an unsolved case if they want, but to think the Prof's speculation amounts to an answer is absurd.

Agreed. I was expecting more evidence to turn up, that would require a Part 2 of the mystery.

[sugarbaker design]

Note to Donckers and team:  The husband is always guilty!

[Mermaid Under]

They made this villain particularly psychologically nasty, so it plays into Jasper's strengths.  

I loved Jasper's verbal take down of the murderer, both in the scene in the home when he said "you aren't the type of person who would let the budgie out without knowing where he was going" to his description of how both the murders went down in the interrogation room. 

[zoey1996]

7 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Note to Donckers and team:  The husband is always guilty!

Per Lt. Provenza, Major Crimes, It's always the husband, it's always the husband, it's always the husband!

Good case this week, satisfying conclusion.

I felt bad for Prof. T and what he went through for his date.

[Trey]

1 minute ago, zoey1996 said:

I felt bad for Prof. T and what he went through for his date.

The practice date was hilarious.

[Trini]

Granted, the only full episode I've seen is this latest one, but I didn't really like this because it seems too "American". I've already seen this 'socially inept genius helps law enforcement solve murders' procedural formula a thousand times already, and I've been over it. Don't need to see it again with accents; was expecting something a bit better, or different from an import.

[howiveaddict]

16 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Note to Donckers and team:  The husband is always guilty!

The spouse always is on true crime shows.  

[Mermaid Under]

They telegraphed that the captain's boyfriend was a schmuck, and she is an idiot not to see it.  They telegraphed that Winters is an idiot for getting involved in the "work" for his pal.  But I was surprised that Winters would go to the captain to try and undermine Donckers when he discovered that she was getting in line for a promotion.  Not a nice move.

And are we supposed to believe Jasper's memories are real, or just another part of his damaged psyche?  And if his memory isn't what actually happened, could his mother be trusted to tell the truth, or know the truth if it bit her on the ass?

[statsgirl]

15 minutes ago, Mermaid Under said:

But I was surprised that Winters would go to the captain to try and undermine Donckers when he discovered that she was getting in line for a promotion

He read in Donckers letter that their boss was supporting her for a promotion so he went to Brand and asked her if she would support him too since Rabbit had turned him down. Brand turned him down too saying that he didn't have enough experience when she supporting Donckers who only had 3 years of experience as a DS. I would be pissed off too.

Memory is a very tricky thing. The Adlerians ask a beginning patient for their first memory, and after therapy ask about it again.  The second time, if therapy has been helpful, is often different and richer. So I can easily believe that Jasper saw his mother with another man after his father's death but thinks that it was before. That said, most of what passes for therapy on this show is pretty bad. Why is a psychoanalyst doing Cognitive Behavior Therapy (and not surprsingly doing it badly)?

Nice of the judge to tell Snares and the Dean that the depressed woman is going to get help.

Snares was a hoot in this episode.

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, statsgirl said:

Snares was a hoot in this episode.

Snares is consistently Professor T's MVP.

Another episode of Keystone Kops, er, I mean Cambridge Cops.  Brand's sleazy boyfriend is doing some seriously shady shit.  T told Rabbit he was totally without insight, and Donckers and her beau remain the most uninteresting, most boring couple ever on PBS.

However I did enjoy the actual case, I loved the device of Professor T bringing it up as a subject in his class.

Edited October 2, 2023 by sugarbaker design

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

I loved the device of Professor T bringing it up as a subject in his class.

It reminded me of the House episode, Three Stories. A half interested class in the beginning of the episode is a full class paying rapt attention by the end.

[sugarbaker design]

I was so hoping Winters was corrupt so we wouldn't have to see him again.  

[Trey]

57 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

I was so hoping Winters was corrupt so we wouldn't have to see him again.  

Nooo! I love Dan.  I was pretty sure he was undercover but was glad to find out it wasn't just wishful thinking.

 I liked this episode best of the series.  And will be sure to watch Season 3 (if there is one) to find out what really happened to Professor T's father.

eta:

Season 3 is a wrap.

Professor T Season 3

Edited October 9, 2023 by Trey

[alias1]

I love Dan too.  Much more than Lisa.  How does she show leadership qualities?  I also found it unbelievable how naive Christine was.  Simon reeked slimeball through and through.  And really, the head of the police department is going to shoot someone?  Leadership qualities?

[12catcrazy]

Ok, I am now officially a fan of this series.   I'm glad there is going to be a season 3.   Now we will have the mystery of what happened to T's father and the backstory of his mother and the Dean (or whoever that guy is).   It would be something if HE is really T's father and not the guy who T's mother was married to.  

[magdalene]

7 hours ago, Trey said:

Nooo! I love Dan.  I was pretty sure he was undercover but was glad to find out it wasn't just wishful thinking.

I like him too and I am glad he wasn't on the make. This was my favorite episode.

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

How does she show leadership qualities?  I also found it unbelievable how naive Christine was.

I liked this episode better than the others in this season, and I'm glad there is another series.

I thought it was tiny bit self-serving for Christine to tell Donckers she showed "leadership qualities" because she gave her information about slimeball boyfriend (against orders) giving Christine the chance to make the "leadership decision" to shoot him.  It showed blind allegiance, or something, but not leadership.

And how is Jasper in such big trouble?   I guess he didn't tell on Christine, and she didn't bother to say anything to defend him.  

Quote

the backstory of his mother and the Dean

Something in me always wondered why Jasper got along so well with the Dean (does he have a name?), and why the Dean tolerates Jasper's oddities without much complaint. In a previous episode when Jasper bluntly tells off the father with all the money (no matter how eloquent or true his statements), and didn't get fired, that said something about their relationship.  Something apparently even Jasper doesn't realize.

[statsgirl]

How is it that Jasper was arrested and held for a long time when all he did was intervene when Simon was threatening Brand? Granted he had an unregistered shotgun (which he inherited and which his father wouldn't have registered) but he only shot at the ceiling, not at the man. This should have been a minor offence even in the UK.

I am so disappointed in Brand. I liked her the first season but she was basically incompetent this season: having a relationship with a fellow office who reeked of being sketchy, not noticing that he is sneaking into her confidential computer. And promoting one of 2 juniors on the team to be the boss of the other rather than bringing in someone from outside while telling the other junior that he's inadequate to a leadership position yet.

In this episode we learn that Dan figured out that there was a problem with Brand' boyfriend so he went to Rabbit instead of her and Rabbit sent him to Alf who was investigating he shady people. Dan went undercover to catch him, risking his life. The three of them deliberately kept both Donckers and Brand out of the loop because they didn't trust them, rightly especially in the case of Donckers who went against order not to tell Brand to tell her anyway.

I'm also disappointed in Donckers who went against orders and told Brand, and who seems to be set to lord her promotion over Dan. He deserves better.

1 hour ago, Mermaid Under said:

I thought it was tiny bit self-serving for Christine to tell Donckers she showed "leadership qualities" because she gave her information about slimeball boyfriend (against orders) giving Christine the chance to make the "leadership decision" to shoot him.  It showed blind allegiance, or something, but not leadership.

It felt like Christine was promoting Donckers because she's a woman rather than because she's the better police officer. By the end of this episode, it's clear that Dan should have been the one to be promoted.

[magdalene]

1 hour ago, statsgirl said:

How is it that Jasper was arrested and held for a long time when all he did was intervene when Simon was threatening Brand? Granted he had an unregistered shotgun (which he inherited and which his father wouldn't have registered) but he only shot at the ceiling, not at the man. This should have been a minor offence even in the UK.

I assume it is because he discharged an illegal fire arm.  I have found that most democratic countries including the UK have very strict gun laws. It's not your automatic right to have or use a gun. It's not like the US with its gun culture. Have you noticed that when one watches UK police dramas the police  announce themselves with "armed police"?  I think they have to say that by law when they come in armed.  Because not all police are armed with guns.

[Trey]

Season 3 starts tonight 8pm EDT.

[possibilities]

I can't remember a lot of what happened at the end of Season 2, but I think I got enough to have an idea of what is happening now.

I do find it bothersome that they are implying that the entire department is incapable of solving a case and if Jasper was not there, they would charge the wrong person... every time? It's embarrassing at best, outrageous on a less charitable day.

What are any of them worth, after all? He basically does all the work.

Detective with broken arm is the boyfriend of Boss Detective who was sullen all episode, right? Why is she unhappy? She was mopey even before her dad's hero looked like the guilty party.

Jasper is mad at his mother for something that happened in his childhood, IIRC. Something to do with his father's death? 

And there is something between him and the Other Boss Lady (blond, who was at the scene where he fired his gun)? 

They didn't show us her statement, other than that she claimed she was not the accomplice of whoever it was that she was planning to arrest and who is now accusing her of wanting to kill him. But I guess whatever she said didn't exonerate Jasper. Also, I can't remember a thing about the guy she was confronting.

[Daff]

The crooked cop (the one who seduced her). But now, she’s lying about having pulled a gun on him? I swear in that last episode of season 2, she was more angry at him for having used her than for being despicably corrupt!

[sugarbaker design]

On 6/17/2024 at 1:14 PM, Daff said:

The crooked cop (the one who seduced her). But now, she’s lying about having pulled a gun on him? I swear in that last episode of season 2, she was more angry at him for having used her than for being despicably corrupt!

Yeah, she's the worst, but definitely better than the three inept cops.  Once released, hopefully soon, Professor T should hang his shingle as a PI.  He doesn't need the Keystone Kops.

[sugarbaker design]

Is Jasper going to be in jail the whole season? 

Brand is turning out to be the worst kind of villain.  I hope the next murder is hers.

[12catcrazy]

This show has grown on me, as has the characters of Professor T and his mother; I find myself even liking the secretary.  Unfortunately, I'm starting to dislike the young female cop, and am downright hating the blond boss (Brand?).   For the life of me, I don't understand why Prof T is throwing himself under the bus to save her hide, and she is selfish enough to let him do it, unless she has an ace up her sleeve that the show hasn't yet revealed to us.  

I'm trying not to take this show too seriously, but it gets me to thinking how the NCIS shows seemed to always have very likable characters (and actors) who you root for even when they are written into stupid stories, but this show has okay cases of the week but the way the cops are written (and acted) doesn't make it easy to really like them.  Without Professor T, you might as well shut down the local police department.  

[sugarbaker design]

9 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

This show has grown on me, as has the characters of Professor T and his mother; I find myself even liking the secretary. 

They're my favorite three characters as well.

[possibilities]

I still don't understand why Lisa (the boss of her boyfriend) looks so depressed all the time. Is it because of her father's dementia?

I like that the show nods to the presence of terrible people on the staff side of the prisons, and addresses the difficulties of release from custody. It's also interesting how they make the murder victims sometimes less sympathetic than the ones who do the murdering. 

I wonder why they continue to use those hilarious wigs in court. Certainly they could find some other uniform to indicate position in the system? Tradition can only carry you so far, and sometimes needs a tweak!

[howiveaddict]

I find the wigs always seem dirty looking to me. Maybe it's the color of them.  Was this the season finale?  As to not nice people getting murdered, reminds me of old Perry Mason episodes.  The murder victim is usually someone that a lot of people would like to have seen dead.

[possibilities]

It did have the feeling of a finale, but my listings say there's another episode next week, so I think it wasn't.

Maybe I should watch Perry Mason.

[Trey]

I'm glad Jasper is out of prison but I did like the cases he solved while he was there.  Last night's case was really sad though.

According to Wikipedia, there are three more episodes.