S05.E14: Death Sentence

[WendyCR72]

Airing January 31, 2023:

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Officer John Nolan and Bailey are on the hunt for a mystery gunman after a shooting hits a little too close to home. Aaron struggles to live within his means and joins Lucy to help Tamara when the mother of a child she babysits goes missing. Wesley suspects that a judge is taking bribes after he excludes valuable eyewitness testimony from a case.

 

[edhopper]

The ridiculous decision of the judge at least made more sense than most of the ones on Law & Order.

[shapeshifter]

I enjoyed the fake out of the not-tat unicorn stickers.

[EtheltoTillie]

I was watching with half an eye at points. What was the premise of the kidnapping?  Why was she targeted?  

[edhopper]

28 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I was watching with half an eye at points. What was the premise of the kidnapping?  Why was she targeted?  

He did the finances for a criminal, who he embezzled from.

[Brian Cronin]

Monica simply being a sociopath is better than her being just, like, the worst lawyer ever, so hopefully that's what they're doing (but it doesn't seem like it, right? That little hesitation she showed is going to be that she just truly is in over her head...somehow, despite doing ALL sorts of crimes). 

That said, holy shit, show, you have vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaastly overestimated how much we care about Elijah fucking Stone. Especially when the dude made his DEBUT (his fucking DEBUT, people!) in the Season 4 premiere when Wesley cut a deal with him to get into Guatemala to save Lopez. How in the world didn't this show at least establish him as a character BEFORE that point if they wanted us to take him seriously? It's one of the most baffling missteps I've ever seen from a show like this.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Monica simply being a sociopath is better than her being just, like, the worst lawyer ever,

But hasn't it been established (declared by Wesley) that Monica is a very good lawyer? 
Regardless, this looks like one of those well-worn plot points where she has sold her soul to the Devil Elijah F'in Stone because she has a child or sibling or spouse who requires very expensive medical intervention, or some similar shenanigans, like maybe someone who needs rescuing like Lopez did.

Edited February 1, 2023 by shapeshifter

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

But hasn't it been established (declared by Wesley) that Monica is a very good lawyer? 
Regardless, this looks like one of those well-worn plot points where she has sold her soul to the Devil Elijah F'in Stone because she has a child or sibling or spouse who requires very expensive medical intervention, or some similar shenanigans, like maybe someone who needs rescuing like Lopez did.

I think I'd rather it be this well worn plot point (I like the phrase) than her just being okay with doing this. And I hope they wrap it up soon. I'm sick of Elijah.

I did find the story line with rich rookie having trouble with his expenses amusing, but I really wanted to have a scene with someone teaching him how to wash his clothes. Sadly, he defaults to mommy so he doesn't have to compromise on his expectations.

I did wonder, however, what Chen and her rookie were doing with the metro team on the rescue. Didn't seem likely that they'd be included.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Why is Bailey taking a personal call when she’s on duty, in the ambulance with a patient, with gloves and all??! 🤦🏻‍♀️

 

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I cannot live in poverty.

Aaron being overdramatic! 😂

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by SnazzyDaisy

[Snapdragon]

I just don't find it believable at all that Nolan is so "golly gee shucks" good when both his parents were ne'er-do-wells.  Like, I can believe Tim having a crappy background that he had to overcome because while he's overall a good person, he still has some edge to him.  Nolan acts like he was raised in a middle class suburb with white picket fences, not as if he had an absentee father, scam artist mother and Pete Davidson brother.

[shapeshifter]

1 minute ago, Snapdragon said:

I just don't find it believable at all that Nolan is so "golly gee shucks" good when both his parents were ne'er-do-wells.  Like, I can believe Tim having a crappy background that he had to overcome because while he's overall a good person, he still has some edge to him.  Nolan acts like he was raised in a middle class suburb with white picket fences, not as if he had an absentee father, scam artist mother and Pete Davidson brother.

In general, I would agree.
But I did have a friend who had been reared under worse, more abusive and neglectful circumstances, who was a kind, generous adult who lived a clean life.
Nolan is not supposed to be typical.
But, yeah, it would help if one of the many characters on the show could play Exposition Fairy long enough to remark about how surprising it is that Nolan is not a hobo junkie.

[HurricaneVal]

Soooo.....  No comment on the highly telegraphed "surprise" ending?  I'm 50/50 on whether it is real, or just another manipulation from his mom.  Brace yourselves for another Pete Davidson cameo.  Though.....isn't Pete's character a half-brother from the philandering dad?  I mean, the producers should be jonesing for a stunt-casting cameo about now, but hopefully they'll get Martha Stewart at a traffic stop and save Pete Davidson for the wedding.

I liked how they showed Tim finding his way in his new role, that it wasn't just him slotting into a new position as easily as all of Chen's chain of Post-It note transfers implied it would be.   I liked that they showed him humbled, and then learning, and then being accepted.  It went too fast...I would have preferred if they stretched it across a few episodes.

I also appreciate that they're showing Chen's puppy looking to advance and grow and move into the next stage of life, while acknowledging it was Chen's stabilizing care that is giving her the foundation to do so.  This is necessary for both Chen's undercover career and relationship with Tim to advance.

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Soooo.....  No comment on the highly telegraphed "surprise" ending?  I'm 50/50 on whether it is real, or just another manipulation from his mom. 

I assumed it was real, but now that you mention it, maybe not?

 
 

16 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

hopefully they'll get Martha Stewart at a traffic stop and save Pete Davidson for the wedding.

You really should be involved in producing this show, @HurricaneVal!

[EtheltoTillie]

I meant to look at whether they had a farewell to Annie Wersching at the end, but I forgot to check.  Maybe too late to include?

[BooksRule]

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I meant to look at whether they had a farewell to Annie Wersching at the end, but I forgot to check.  Maybe too late to include?

Unless I'm mixing up my shows, I thought I saw a farewell to Cindy Williams, which seemed odd to me since I don't think she ever guest-starred on this show.  I didn't see anything for Annie.

I'm with Tim. 'Time After Time' is a pretty good movie, and David Warner is excellent in it as Jack the Ripper. :) 

[EtheltoTillie]

43 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

Unless I'm mixing up my shows, I thought I saw a farewell to Cindy Williams, which seemed odd to me since I don't think she ever guest-starred on this show.  I didn't see anything for Annie.

I'm with Tim. 'Time After Time' is a pretty good movie, and David Warner is excellent in it as Jack the Ripper. :) 

LaVerne and Shirley was an ABC show, I think. So I’m not surprised they would salute Cindy Williams, as she was in general a big star. I guess they didn’t have enough time to mention Wersching, as she died closer to airtime. 

[MrWhyt]

5 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

I just don't find it believable at all that Nolan is so "golly gee shucks" good when both his parents were ne'er-do-wells.  Like, I can believe Tim having a crappy background that he had to overcome because while he's overall a good person, he still has some edge to him.  Nolan acts like he was raised in a middle class suburb with white picket fences, not as if he had an absentee father, scam artist mother and Pete Davidson brother.

1. He didn't grow up with Pete, they only met a few years ago.

B. People growing up to be nothing like their parents is about as common as people growing to be exactly like their parents IMO

[Snapdragon]

2 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

1. He didn't grow up with Pete, they only met a few years ago.

B. People growing up to be nothing like their parents is about as common as people growing to be exactly like their parents IMO

I didn't say it's unbelievable that he didn't turn out like his parents.  What's unbelievable to me is that he wouldn't be a little more street smart or jaded.  I personally find his character a little too happy go lucky for someone whose own mother has stolen from him numerous times.  

[WendyCR72]

I like Nathan Fillion, but he's best at frothy fun. IMO, his dramatic chops are...limited, to put it kindly. Like I said, I DO like him!

But if one is looking for deep pathos with him/his characters, well...

[Raja]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:24 PM, edhopper said:

The ridiculous decision of the judge at least made more sense than most of the ones on Law & Order.

Well at least most of the L&O  rulings during this TV season.

A weird costuming thing I noticed, the extras are armed with green taser guns but none of the main cast. I guess until they want the scene where it turns up to be used by one the stars don't want even more extra weight on them.

You would think that after a second shooting at the LAFD a full task force would have been mobilized. It just seemed as if it was just another day at the office and Officer Nolan just came to work early the next day to do detective stuff

20 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I did wonder, however, what Chen and her rookie were doing with the metro team on the rescue. Didn't seem likely that they'd be included.

🤷‍♂️

SWAT was busy elsewhere but not after the sniper shooting firefighters. And as the B team for such hostage rescue missions Sergeant Bradford's Metro team needed more help. A unit tattoo is a bunch of cops heading to prison indeed.

[Netfoot]

On 2/1/2023 at 5:14 PM, HurricaneVal said:

I liked that they showed him humbled, and then learning, and then being accepted.

Scenarios like this always make me mad. The first step should have been them training him to function in accordance with their expectations. Then come his gradual improvement until he is considered up up to par and accepted as one of the group.

[KeithJ]

Tamara is going to move out just because Lucy started dating Tim?  If all roommates moved out when one of them started dating there would be a lot of people looking for apartments.

[CooperTV]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Then come his gradual improvement until he is considered up up to par and accepted as one of the group.

Isn't he actually their boss, and the training was basically perfunctory because of it? Like, obviously he'd have some acclimating issues but he's their Sergeant, it's not like they have a real choice in the matter. Plus, the lady is the boss of the entire team, she's the one makes a decision.

[Raja]

4 hours ago, CooperTV said:

Isn't he actually their boss, and the training was basically perfunctory because of it? Like, obviously he'd have some acclimating issues but he's their Sergeant, it's not like they have a real choice in the matter. Plus, the lady is the boss of the entire team, she's the one makes a decision.

👍

It is an unfortunate TV reality that the telegenic part of police training is shooting. So over on Hawaii 5-0 the academy training of a Navy SEAL veteran to become 5-0 was showing him shooting. In this case Metro is portrayed as a SWAT team without the newest combat helmets, like other TV special units say Intelligence of Chicago PD  or the 5-0 Task Force. However not being SWAT we don't have the expectation of the only 25% survived hell week and selection for police special forces, or do we?

Meanwhile on S.W.A.T. itself when the characters brand the show instead of just announcing police they are as likely to call out "metro swat" as LAPD. I was taken at the scene when Sergeant Bradford moved to the closet office as Metro liaison to Mid-Wilshire and is a team leader. I guess since Mid-Wilshire has it officers going all the way to the beach and boardwalk to get pick pockets leaving poor Smitty outmanned by a big bad gang leader that a semi permanent Metro reinforcement for Sergeant Grey's watch will be part of the show

[bros402]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:45 AM, SnazzyDaisy said:

Why is Bailey taking a personal call when she’s on duty, in the ambulance with a patient, with gloves and all??! 🤦🏻‍♀️

obviously she is super EMT/Firefighter/National Guardsman/Superhero

On 2/1/2023 at 6:38 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I meant to look at whether they had a farewell to Annie Wersching at the end, but I forgot to check.  Maybe too late to include?

I didn't see one, I have to assume it was too late. Hopefully next week?

[Sandman]

On 2/1/2023 at 8:45 PM, WendyCR72 said:

I like Nathan Fillion, but he's best at frothy fun. IMO, his dramatic chops are...limited, to put it kindly. Like I said, I DO like him!

His comic timing might be his sharpest skill, but given the right dramatic material — which is to say, better writing than this — I think he can be quite effective. This show is all over the damn place tonally, which doesn’t do any of the cast any favours.

I swear I don’t have any idea what’s going on with the Elijah Effin’ Stone plot. Was Wesley actually surprised that the judge knew he was being leaned on to produce results favourable to Stone? How could he not have known Stone was the source? And how does rubbing the judge out protect Monica? I begin to wonder if Wesley only thinks Monica is an exceptionally good lawyer because he’s an especially bad one! She might be just marginally less idiotic than he. Also, she’s clearly either a straight-up sociopath, or lacking any instinct for self-preservation; one or the other.

 

 

[Brian Cronin]

10 hours ago, Sandman said:

Also, she’s clearly either a straight-up sociopath, or lacking any instinct for self-preservation; one or the other.

Yep, and bizarrely, it seems like they're seriously leaning into the second option.

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, Brian Cronin said:

Yep, and bizarrely, it seems like they're seriously leaning into the second option.

Maybe the writers have realized the sociopath well is running dry? (Here’s hoping, anyway!)

[Brian Cronin]

52 minutes ago, Sandman said:

Maybe the writers have realized the sociopath well is running dry? (Here’s hoping, anyway!)

I agree that there are too many sociopathic villains, but boy, if she's not a sociopath, all of her decisions are so ill-considered.

[Sandman]

1 minute ago, Brian Cronin said:

I agree that there are too many sociopathic villains, but boy, if she's not a sociopath, all of her decisions are so ill-considered.

“Monica, if you ain’t an evil-ass sociopath, I just feel sad for you right now. “

[adajanetta]

On 2/4/2023 at 9:48 PM, Sandman said:

His comic timing might be his sharpest skill, but given the right dramatic material — which is to say, better writing than this — I think he can be quite effective.

 

 

The thing I best remembered from Saving Private Ryan was the "wrong Private Ryan".  That was before even Firefly.

[adajanetta]

On 2/4/2023 at 9:48 PM, Sandman said:

His comic timing might be his sharpest skill, but given the right dramatic material — which is to say, better writing than this — I think he can be quite effective.

 

 

The thing I best remembered from Saving Private Ryan was the "wrong Private Ryan".  That was before even Firefly.

[Ursula Parrott]

Nathan Fillon liked one of my Tweets. I am embarrassed to say I was thrilled.

[Clanstarling]

10 hours ago, Ursula Parrott said:

Nathan Fillon liked one of my Tweets. I am embarrassed to say I was thrilled.

Don't be embarrassed, I would be too.