S22.E08: Chain of Command

[WendyCR72]

Airing November 17, 2022:

Quote

When a decorated military veteran is found murdered in his own home, Cosgrove and Shaw work with his daughter to uncover an important clue. Price and Maroun must untangle the stories of other service members to make their case.

[TV Diva Queen]

Watching now and am 10 minutes in and have to comment:  as a Chicago born and raised gal….the dept store F&M logo is pretty much the same font as Marshall Fields. And I’m bitter about that. 

[TakomaSnark]

Can they go a minute in this reboot without intrusive, swelling music?

I guess they think it disguises the script holes.

Edited November 18, 2022 by TakomaSnark
Missed a word

[Raja]

Can they have a staff assistant look at Army uniforms? Half of the gallery in the court had on a uniform that has been replaced and now its replacement has been replaced. Someone is not getting an Emmy for costuming.  And then the "Sergeant Major" in Sergeant First Class stripes brings in some late information

[Xeliou66]

This was another stellar episode - the show is on a role right now. Very good case, I was kept in suspense about what would happen next, and there was good detective work and good legal work.

I’m really enjoying the Cosgrove/Shaw pairing, they are very fun to watch. I liked their opening scene and Shaw’s quip over the dead body, and their investigation was good and took nice twists and they are a good pair to watch. Also really liked the scene where Price/Maroun went over the case with Shaw/Cosgrove, I always enjoy police/DA interactions. I liked how we learned tidbits about Shaw with him having family in the military but it was revealed naturally and didn’t affect the case. L&O has always done a great job of not getting soapy for the most part and I’m pleased that is still the case.

The legal stuff was good, and I liked the conversations between Price/Maroun/McCoy, I understood where both Nolan and Jack were coming from as the report was suspicious but there was no way it could be proven false, and I liked how Jack said if there was another way to convict find it but use the report and wasn’t afraid to exercise his authority and I liked Price finding the victim’s resignation statement and getting the defendant to break down. I’m also liking how Maroun is more outspoken this season - it’s interesting how Jack always calls her “Ms Maroun” instead of by her first name, the same way Schiff would formally address the female ADA’s, while he calls Price “Nolan”.

The case took some nice twists and I couldn’t tell where it was going in different places.

My main issue with the episode was again the opening of seeing the victim, I much prefer openings of ordinary people stumbling onto crime scenes, and plus we saw the victim say “I’m sorry” just before the scene cut to his dead body, which was unnecessary as it spoiled for the viewer that the killer was lying about the victim not being remorseful. I wish they would switch back to the traditional openings instead of to the post season 18 style openings. And again the foot chase was unnecessary, not a big deal but why have it when you could instead have them flesh out the case more?

Overall this was very strong - not sure what anyone else thinks as there haven’t been many comments yet, but L&O has found a nice rhythm right now, and it’s awesome to have my favorite show back!!

Edited November 18, 2022 by Xeliou66

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

liked Price finding the victim’s resignation statement and getting the defendant to break down.

Very Perry Mason style

[EtheltoTillie]

I agree it was a good episode. But did we ever find out why Risner was dishonorably discharged?   I don’t think so. And it almost didn’t matter. 

[blackwing]

Good episode, I liked the case, it was interesting.  I like how Maroun always states her mind, and raises concerns.

10 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

The legal stuff was good, and I liked the conversations between Price/Maroun/McCoy, I understood where both Nolan and Jack were coming from as the report was suspicious but there was no way it could be proven false, and I liked how Jack said if there was another way to convict find it but use the report and wasn’t afraid to exercise his authority and I liked Price finding the victim’s resignation statement and getting the defendant to break down. I’m also liking how Maroun is more outspoken this season - it’s interesting how Jack always calls her “Ms Maroun” instead of by her first name, the same way Schiff would formally address the female ADA’s, while he calls Price “Nolan”.

I think the best part of the case was at the end when Price approaches the defendant with this folder.  We the viewers are led to believe that this is going to be the report about how the defendant killed an innocent civilian.  But instead, it's an entirely new document that Price and Maroun just discovered the night before and is in fact the victim's resignation statement.

I thought that all evidence had to be submitted in advance of trial.  I feel like something like this would normally get the "objection, the defense wasn't told in advance of this document and we have had no time review it or verify its authenticity" objection that we have seen many times in other episodes.  But this defense attorney just sat back, so I guess sometime offscreen in the wee hours of the night, Price sent it over to Ms. Knight?

Also... once the Martinez guy talked about the burn pits, shouldn't Detective Yee or someone have combed everything in Lockett's personnel file for any information?  Why was this an 11th hour revelation/save?

Why were the army guys so happy at the end?  Yes, the killer was arrested.  But he has a brain tumor and is probably on his way to dying anyways.  The one army guy had given Price and Maroun the document about the civilian killing.  They wanted that file introduced in trial to try and prove that this defendant was an unhinged man and he did things on his own, and it wasn't the army's fault.  Instead, Price reads in a statement in which Lockett directly blames the army chain of command for the continued use of the harmful burn pits.  This resignation statement seems like it would be very damaging to the army, it demonstrates that the army was aware of the deleterious nature of the burn pits and did nothing for years about them, and could be used to prove that the army is responsible for all of the health issues of the soldiers and cost the army millions in damages.  Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but how is it that the army didn't destroy or hide this document?  And why weren't they upset at Price for publicly revealing it?

[dubbel zout]

13 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

Watching now and am 10 minutes in and have to comment:  as a Chicago born and raised gal….the dept store F&M logo is pretty much the same font as Marshall Fields. And I’m bitter about that. 

Oh, that hit me in the heart, too. I grew up in SE Wisconsin and MF was always the go-to for something special. Macy's doesn't replace it in any way whatsoever.

I don't like the last-minute saves the show relies on too often. Why didn't the prosecution go through the dead guy's military record sooner? The resignation letter was relevant even before the chain-of-command issue was brought up. Ugh.

I also didn't like Cosgrove being an ass about Shaw wanting him to show some restraint at the funeral and not bust in guns ablazin'. Even nonmilitary funerals mean something, and maybe respect the rest of the congregation enough to wait a bit? Both of them could have been less conspicuous inside the church, though. Take a seat in the pew, and maybe you won't have a foot chase.

I had to laugh at Price's rather incredulous "Are you pulling rank on me, Jack?!" That's the DA's prerogative, Nolan.

[FozzyBear]

I Don’t get why it was so shocking for Jack to question a murder suspects version of events. I think most murder suspects when faced with evidence of a violent pattern of behavior would say that’s not how it was. Why is it strange for Jack to point out the DAs office doesn’t usually just take peoples word for it?

[Xeliou66]

7 minutes ago, FozzyBear said:

I Don’t get why it was so shocking for Jack to question a murder suspects version of events. I think most murder suspects when faced with evidence of a violent pattern of behavior would say that’s not how it was. Why is it strange for Jack to point out the DAs office doesn’t usually just take peoples word for it?

Are you talking specifically about the report the military gave Price/Maroun that Price suspected was false? It wasn’t just the defendant’s word, one of the people who knew the defendant said the report was false, and the report did appear conveniently at a key time. I understood where both sides were coming from, Jack was right in saying they should use the report if they couldn’t come up with another way to convict and I understood Nolan’s position being uncomfortable using something he suspected was false.

[853fisher]

I'm with those who think the show is hitting its stride.  The only character not working for me is Maroun.  It's a good thing to have different points of view represented in the DA's office, but I think the writers should tone back things like a very junior ADA chewing out the Army representative.  I sometimes think the character would be more at home as a public defender, and just wouldn't succeed with the DA.  I also think the actress does just a bit too much, like when the defense said they'd pursue an insanity defense and she seemed to me to be responding to "be indignant!" in Acting 101.  I can live with her but I think she's the weak link.

Speaking of "big" acting, did anyone else notice the older woman in the middle of the front row of the jury?  I don't know whether I noticed her once and kept looking at her or whether she really was doing a lot.  It just seemed to me like she was, very subtly, pulling focus by reacting just a bit bigger than everyone else - nodding and shaking her head, for example.  I genuinely expected her to become important to the plot in some way.

I don't want to go too far off-topic but I feel the pain of those missing Marshall Field's!  Macy's gobbled up Hecht's in the DC area where I was raised, just a year before they would have celebrated 150 years in business.  Where I've made my home as an adult, in San Francisco, the Emporium was consolidated into Macy's in its 99th year.  A relative on my mom's side, from New England, still gives gifts in Filene's and Jordan Marsh boxes - also now Macy's.  I'm sure there are some economies of scale, but at the cost of local character and goodwill built up over decades.  There are many benefits to a more unified and connected world, but this kind of consolidation and seeing the same brands in every city is a small indignity I've always hated.

Edited November 19, 2022 by 853fisher

[wknt3]

Good episode. I was a little surprised they went with burn pits and not polluted water given how much the Camp Lejeune settlement attorneys have spent sponsoring the syndicated reruns...

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Speaking of "big" acting, did anyone else notice the older woman in the middle of the front row of the jury?  I don't know whether I noticed her once and kept looking at her or whether she really was doing a lot.  It just seemed to me like she was, very subtly, pulling focus by reacting just a bit bigger than everyone else - nodding and shaking her head, for example.  I genuinely expected her to become important to the plot in some way.

Yeah, one would expect the director to rein in extras trying to upstage the main actors. Maybe this extra was related to/associated with someone involved in the production of the show and was given some leeway.

This episode did indeed feel more like old school L&O. And it was a timely nod to military veterans.

[shapeshifter]

Quote

Speaking of "big" acting, did anyone else notice the older woman in the middle of the front row of the jury?  I don't know whether I noticed her once and kept looking at her or whether she really was doing a lot.  It just seemed to me like she was, very subtly, pulling focus by reacting just a bit bigger than everyone else - nodding and shaking her head, for example.  I genuinely expected her to become important to the plot in some way.

10 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Yeah, one would expect the director to rein in extras trying to upstage the main actors. Maybe this extra was related to/associated with someone involved in the production of the show and was given some leeway.

I assumed the director wanted her to show those reactions to tell us viewers what the jury thought of the proceedings.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I assumed the director wanted her to show those reactions to tell us viewers what the jury thought of the proceedings.

Perhaps but this viewer wouldn't automatically assume the jury was already unified in their opinions.

[txhorns79]

On 11/17/2022 at 10:28 PM, TV Diva Queen said:

Watching now and am 10 minutes in and have to comment:  as a Chicago born and raised gal….the dept store F&M logo is pretty much the same font as Marshall Fields. And I’m bitter about that. 

Honestly, I thought they were doing Abraham & Straus.  A&S was a New York department store that I think became Macy's at some point.  However, you could be right as well.

On 11/18/2022 at 11:56 AM, dubbel zout said:

I had to laugh at Price's rather incredulous "Are you pulling rank on me, Jack?!" That's the DA's prerogative, Nolan.

It was a tad bit eye rolling.  I didn't get why Fallon seemed to assume the murder victim was not also operating within the chain of command.  Did he think the guy was just running a bunch of rogue burn pits?