S01.E07: Best Served Cold

[DearEvette]

Quote

When a man is shot during a supermarket opening, Detective Morales suspects the crime is related to an unsolved assault case she was pressured to drop years earlier. Also, Officer Quinlan discovers pivotal new details that could help solve a cold case close to home.

Airdate: 11/132022

[jabRI]

I don't see how she exactly 'withheld' anything about the cold case.  Thora was already a person of interest, they'd be able to get her employment history pretty easy.

[crowceilidh]

Y'know Cop shows are not my area of expertise (I can't watch costume shows) so I just enjoy the hell out of watching a good one.  I really like the protagonist (and many of the ensemble)  so much in this, that it'll take a lot to budge me (although I AM budge-able - Nathan Fillion, I'm giving you the side eye).  So I just wanted to pop into here and say, wow that was such a fun show!  I enjoyed every minute.

[possibilities]

I like this show, too. I am not sure why yet, but I definitely like it.

[shapeshifter]

I wish the serial rapist hadn't also been a POC entrepreneur bringing veggies to an inner city food desert.
Admittedly, I don't have a better suggestion for the perp's business that would give him access to victims, but maybe he could have been the business partner to the owner so the business could continue?

[Maverick]

 He wasn't an entrepreneur or owner.  He was just a manager of a chain store (my take is it was a riff on Whole Foods).    

[mythoughtis]

What exactly did Brandy think that she knew about the apartment resident that implicated her in the murder of her boyfriend?  Other than the woman knew he wasn’t a nice guy? 

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

What exactly did Brandy think that she knew about the apartment resident that implicated her in the murder of her boyfriend?  Other than the woman knew he wasn’t a nice guy? 

I'm not sure that it was Thora who killed Shugee. Did I miss something definitive?
But there was evidence (the gun in the elevator shaft? something someone said??) that someone living in the building did kill Shugee.
And I guess Thora's words were to be trusted about her sometime-abusive, off-again/on-again partner of decades, Shugee?
Or at least Thora's opinion of Shugee seemed to be supported by old-timer Officer Sandeford?

IDK. It bothered me that in an episode about a serial predatory rapist that they were willing to let go of pursuing Shugee's killer without being sure the killer wasn't still out there acting as a self-appointed vigilante. 
 

[mythoughtis]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I'm not sure that it was Thora who killed Shugee. Did I miss something definitive?
But there was evidence (the gun in the elevator shaft? something someone said??) that someone living in the building did kill Shugee.
And I guess Thora's words were to be trusted about her sometime-abusive, off-again/on-again partner of decades, Shugee?
Or at least Thora's opinion of Shugee seemed to be supported by old-timer Officer Sandeford?

IDK. It bothered me that in an episode about a serial predatory rapist that they were willing to let go of pursuing Shugee's killer without being sure the killer wasn't still out there acting as a self-appointed vigilante. 
 

Yes, the gun implies it was a resident.  The police already knew that Thora was his girlfriend. They already knew he wasn’t a nice guy. That’s why they  wanted Brandy to talk to her,  However Brandy  seemed to think that something in the conversation beyond that implied  Thora was involved.   I just didn’t see anything remarkable about the conversation that she was so conflicted about. I don’t see why Thora would be any more of a suspect than any other resident  

Edited November 15, 2022 by mythoughtis

[buckboard]

I think they said Thora was a victim of domestic violence from Shuggie on more than one occasion.  And Thora worked at -- or had some other connection to -- the bakery where Shuggie's body was found.  (The cop saw that in a plaque on the shelf.)

[Madding crowd]

Yes, it seemed like it was too much of a coincidence that Thora was a long time employee at the bakery where his body was found. 

[Raja]

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Yes, it seemed like it was too much of a coincidence that Thora was a long time employee at the bakery where his body was found. 

I was thinking that if the cold case homicide detective couldn't figure that the victim was found at the girlfriends/abuse victim's place of work  on his own then his gold shield should be stripped and he should be put back "in the bag" for foot patrol.

Edited November 16, 2022 by Raja

[Madding crowd]

You’re right, that should be obvious. I’m sure she won’t turn out to be the actual killer though.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Most of us knew right away that there's more going on in Antonia’s case than meets the eye. It’s scary to think that a common place like a grocery store can be a rapist’s hunting ground. Good job Marvin for noticing the blood on her sleeve.

Regina was playing a good game. One minute she politely spoke to the Deputy Inspector Jack Hammond, next she gave an OK for Det. Morales to proceed.

Being overworked is definitely not an excuse to bury cases. It’s good that Chief Suarez is willing to look further into that. But does Morales really want to rock the boat and be involved in the investigation of potential misconduct at her old department? Remember Marvin’s advice to Andre about not ratting out on other cops? Is she inspired by Regina to follow that route?

Det. Troy shouldn’t have trusted Brandy to gather intel on that cold case. She thinks highly of herself sometimes. 🙄

Am saying NO to Quinley. Nope. Why even go there? Ugh. 😣 

Edited November 16, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[possibilities]

Brandy will win a lot of points with the residents for not snitching. That may pay off in .the long run, even if it's technically shady as hell. The thing is, the "evidence" she found is something that any halfway decent investigation would have turned up a long time ago. So I think the cops don't really want to catch the killer of the guy they considered to be bad news anyway. New guy who asked her to look into it probably doesn't know the backstory, since he's new to the precinct.

[Daff]

16 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Being overworked is definitely not an excuse to bury cases.

I was sniping at my screen, “Stop visiting every other precinct leader and get back to work doing your job!!!!”! However, I do understand how inflated bureaucracies work. People like him sit back, take no responsibility, and use it as an excuse to get through another useless day to collect a (taxpayer funded) paycheck (eventually, a taxpayer funded cushy retirement). Really glad to see Suarez and Regina found various work-arounds to get the job done. 

[Daff]

16 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Am saying NO to Quinley. Nope. Why even go there?

Ulterior motives? Has someone sent him there? To dig up dirt, cause problems? And why would Morales even consider having an after hours drink with him????

[Daff]

19 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

You’re right, that should be obvious. I’m sure she won’t turn out to be the actual killer though.

The presence of a service award plaque from the bakery where her murdered husband’s body was found might implicate her, but perhaps she only provided a place for the perp to hide the body-to protect that person. Still an accomplice after the fact, but not a murderer.

[Daff]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

New guy who asked her to look into it probably doesn't know the backstory,

“New guy” isn’t new- he came in a few episodes ago to take charge of a case and Morales’s partner pinned him against the elevator wall and solved the case in spite of him. I think he’s the cop NOone in the department can stand and he’s looking for some kind of revenge. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

30 minutes ago, Daff said:

I was sniping at my screen, “Stop visiting every other precinct leader and get back to work doing your job!!!!”! 

😆😆😆

I said this to my screen - “Nahhh, Capt. Olivia Benson would never bury rape cases, acquaintance or not.”
 

28 minutes ago, Daff said:

Ulterior motives? Has someone sent him there? To dig up dirt, cause problems? And why would Morales even consider having an after hours drink with him????

Quinley = Quinlan + Brentley

You’re talking about Det. Desmond Troy. He’s transferred there because of his divorce.

[Raja]

11 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

😆😆😆

I said this to my screen - “Nahhh, Capt. Olivia Benson would never bury rape cases, acquaintance or not.”
 

But this is Brooklyn SVU, and Benson has had her run-ins with them too 

[NJRadioGuy]

One huge procedural screwup here. The got not just one, but two eyewitness IDs and statements that the guy was good for the rapes. They didn't need anything else. After the first ID that would be enough for an arrest warrant right there. The chef victim was just a bonus. At least the perp was smart enough to lawyer up, but not before he dug himself into a hole. Sad part is that in the real world he'd probably be allowed to plead out. Guy needs to be thrown under the jail.

Really liking Quinlan and Sandeford, and I hope they don't bump off either one, which I suspect they will once their characters are firmly established. Because writers and showrunners like to do that to audiences.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

At least the perp was smart enough to lawyer up, but not before he dug himself into a hole. Sad part is that in the real world he'd probably be allowed to plead out. Guy needs to be thrown under the jail.

Not sure if "Guy needs to be thrown under the jail"
was a typo or wordo or hip phrase or creative writing,
but I very much love it.
Thank you, @NJRadioGuy.

Edited November 17, 2022 by shapeshifter
comma

[NJRadioGuy]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Not sure if "Guy needs to be thrown under the jail"
was a typo or wordo or hip phrase or creative writing,
but I very much love it.
Thank you, @NJRadioGuy.

It's an old saying--even my dad used it 50+ years ago. And in cases like this, it's fitting. Ditto with real world kiddie-diddlers, mass murderers who somehow don't qualify for the Bonus Round, and those who harm animals.

[kwnyc]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:27 AM, shapeshifter said:

I'm not sure that it was Thora who killed Shugee. Did I miss something definitive?

Shuggie's body was found at the bakery where Thora used to work. It's probably something the cops working the case then took note of then (and maybe ignored).

It also played into the theme of the episode that so much is up to a cop's individual judgment. The SVU chief didn't want to deal with acquaintance rape cases because they weren't good for his numbers (and it was also implied he dropped cases of non-white women). And the rookie decided not to pass along the connection between Thora in the cold case. I don't think that case is going to come up again.

As for Morales, we found out that she'd left SVU because of what she perceived as lack of attention to cases. (And it seemed to be something that was acknowledged. I liked how Jimmy Smits told the head of the unit to "put in his papers.") Later, Morales was cautioned by both superiors to consider whether she'd like to talk with DOJ about her former unit. They told her that it could have a negative impact on her career (cops don't rat out cops), but they both indicated support for her. 

I'm liking the rhythm of this show, too. It's a pretty standard police procedural, but the cast is representative of the diversity of NYC (and I approve of NYC-based shows in general because that means a lot industry jobs). In addition, they directly connect crime (and lack of trust of the police) with poverty, racism and lack of opportunity.

In some ways, it reminds me pleasantly of Hill Street Blues, which was the first cop show that attempted realism and grittiness.

Edited November 17, 2022 by kwnyc

[Court]

I actually thought that Winston the guy with Thora in the garden killed Shugee. 

[Daff]

22 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

It's an old saying--even my dad used it 50+ years ago. And in cases like this, it's fitting. Ditto with real world kiddie-diddlers, mass murderers who somehow don't qualify for the Bonus Round, and those who harm animals.

I must be old enough, I remember that saying. I always “got it” as: truly evil, unrepentant dude needs to be “buried” in jail so as never again to see the light of day. Same as “lock ‘em up, throw away the key”!

11 hours ago, Court said:

I actually thought that Winston the guy with Thora in the garden killed Shugee. 

Me, too, and that she was just protecting him. Either way, she’s still an accessory and vulnerable to prosecution.