S01.E10: Truth is a Slow Bullet

[Whimsy]

Quote

While making progress on Gloria’s case, both Eileen and Roz are offered new career opportunities, leaving them to consider what may lie beyond Alaska. Meanwhile, Bob steps out of his comfort zone, and Austin’s custody agreement turns sour.

Original airdate 3/23/23

[Snazzy Daisy]

[Dowel Jones]

I wonder if the producers are considering that the series may get cancelled and they're writing in exit strategies for the main cast.

[Msample]

My thoughts exactly. 
 

 

[possibilities]

At least it looks like they are going to solve the case and not leave us with a cliffhanger. 

Gabriel seems to be over his PTSD.

[dancingdreamer]

I really  like this show, and the characters. I suspect  there's  only so many stories  they can do. I know when Gabriel  showed the map, of the women that go missing,  it was devastatingly  sad to see.

[possibilities]

If the ratings were good, they could surely come up with new stories. Even if they solve the murder, there would be other Alaska stories, like maybe the one about the corrupt land deal they've currently been hinting at and using as a bargaining chip at the newspaper. 

Hell, there are crime shows that go for decades, with a case of the week. One case per season could theoretically last a show many seasons.

[Msample]

I gotta think another issue a renewal would face is Hilary Swanks availability - she's due ( twins I think ) fairly soon now. 

[thuganomics85]

Definitely feels like they are preparing for next week to be the series finale, with three different characters possibly leaving.  Of course, if this show does end up surviving somehow, they can easily walk it back.  I did love Austin calling out his ex's excuse of the newsroom/Alaska being dangerous for their son since she's planning on moving to Chicago, which isn't exactly a bastion of safety.  Hell, NBC was able to get three or four shows worth of crazy shit going down in Chi-town!

So, baring any more twists, it looks like Ezra, the scummy internet installer, might be Gloria's killer after-all.  Even if he isn't, I have to think he at least knows what happened.  Curious to see how Eileen and Roz will be able to prove it.

Gabriel's map chart of missing native women in Alaska throughout the years was harrowing.

I guess we'll see how next week plays out! 

[ribboninthesky1]

The fact that Gloria was alive for two days after her disappearance, alone, cold, and trying to get help, was so awful.  She was failed on so many levels.

I've always liked Roz, so I'm rooting for her to take the WaPo job.  There's no reason she can't return to Alaska later. 

I'm okay with this being a one and done. I found the excellent Anchorage Daily News/Propublica series because of this show, and I hope the additional spotlight prompts some real, tangible change in Alaska.

On the other hand, I think the show would be fine if Hilary Swank wasn't available as long as Grace Dove stays on the show.       

Edited March 25, 2023 by ribboninthesky1

[threebluestars]

Agree that Grace Dove is a standout. I really love the Alaskan focus and I'd be cool with losing Swank, but I think we do need a new-to-Alaska character to operate as an audience stand-in. I hope if they continue they focus on a new missing woman each season.

Edited March 25, 2023 by threebluestars

[EtheltoTillie]

Yes that could work as a series. 

[andromeda331]

Poor Gloria. She tried so hard to get help.

That map was so horrifying and depressing. 

I like the editor having to get tough with his friend.

I really like this show and don't want it canceled. But I'm not hopefully about it.

[Daff]

11 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

I've always liked Roz, so I'm rooting for her to take the WaPo job.

Maybe, but I think she doesn’t consider the job of MMIW public awareness done yet, even if they catch the killer on this case. Ol’ slimy Ezra can’t be responsible for all those faces on Gabriel’s map. After the realization of the “DIY” safety/law enforcement situation, I’d think they would want to investigate the factors that allow it to persist and escalate over time.

[pasdetrois]

I think one reason the villages don't have armed police officers is the difficulty in recruiting and keeping fulltime officers in those remote locations. Or perhaps the small villages don't have the budget, which is true in small rural towns in the lower 48. Some municipalities share officers, and some have officers who have shifts like oil workers, where they cycle in and out.

According to the gazillion Alaska shows I've watched, the Alaska State Troopers provide armed response to the villages, but of course that response is not immediate.

The victimology map is devastating. So many killers are in the wind.

 

[ribboninthesky1]

1 hour ago, Daff said:

Maybe, but I think she doesn’t consider the job of MMIW public awareness done yet, even if they catch the killer on this case. Ol’ slimy Ezra can’t be responsible for all those faces on Gabriel’s map. After the realization of the “DIY” safety/law enforcement situation, I’d think they would want to investigate the factors that allow it to persist and escalate over time.

Indeed.  I would totally understand if she turned the job down.  I just feel like she hasn't gotten her due at The Alaska Daily, and have no issues with her going to WaPo if she wanted to.    

10 hours ago, threebluestars said:

I really love the Alaskan focus and I'd be cool with losing Swank, but I think we do need a new-to-Alaska character to operate as an audience stand-in.

I think that made sense in the first season, but I don't see it as necessary if the show is renewed.  There are ways to share Alaska with the audience without having an outsider as the protagonist.  Or if it must be an outsider, get creative and make them Indigenous - a journalist who didn't grow up there but had familial roots and returned to discover them.  

[katenm]

This is a good show that ABC has treated poorly, with long gaps between episodes, etc. 

It also suffers from the curse of my liking it, which means its likely cancellation, for which I apologize in advance.

[Daff]

3 hours ago, katenm said:

This is a good show that ABC has treated poorly, with long gaps between episodes, etc. 

It also suffers from the curse of my liking it, which means its likely cancellation, for which I apologize in advance.

You’re not the only one. I can come up with a long list over my lifetime of series that were canceled after one or two seasons. The sad part is that isn’t long enough for syndication, and they’ll never be seen again.

[possibilities]

Some website or channel needs to start offering a menu of those kinds of shows. Short-lived but awesome! I'd watch a season or two of something really good, and there ought to be a marketing angle to draw on other people who would also do so.

[Daff]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

Some website or channel needs to start offering a menu of those kinds of shows. Short-lived but awesome! I'd watch a season or two of something really good, and there ought to be a marketing angle to draw on other people who would also do so.

Right??? It could be called “Great, But Cancelled” or, if you prefer,  “Awesome, But Cancelled”! 

[mythoughtis]

19 hours ago, Daff said:

You’re not the only one. I can come up with a long list over my lifetime of series that were canceled after one or two seasons. The sad part is that isn’t long enough for syndication, and they’ll never be seen again.

Shows for adults ( I believe AARP came up with that name).  Shows that have great plots and not humor for 12 year olds. Shows that have more plots than chase and action scenes.  For whatever reason, the networks won’t give them chances 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by mythoughtis

[mojito]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

For whatever reason, the networks won’t give them chances 

They want to appeal to a certain demographics, and apparently, that demographic includes people who would rather not think and need everything to be obvious or  explained to them. Subtlety, irony, dry wit is lost on them. They take things literally.

My eyes roll whenever I see a poster write something like, "Are we supposed to think/believe that..." Some people are uncomfortable with thinking or interpreting for themselves, forming their own conclusions. They need their thoughts confirmed by others.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to US network TV where shows have a limited season and viewers get quality rather than quantity. We could use more channels like Acorn where good shows can go to be watched by a more appreciating audience. 

Whoops. 😮

Fell off my soapbox.

I wonder if shows like Alaska daily consider it a major coup to be picked up by ABC as opposed to a channel like HBOMax, where they might have a better chance to thrive? 

[Daff]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

They want to appeal to a certain demographics, and apparently, that demographic includes people who would rather not think and need everything to be obvious or  explained to them. Subtlety, irony, dry wit is lost on them. They take things literally.

Way back when I was part of that target demographic, I seemed to like the thought provoking, dry wit (with irony what’s that?) and maybe even sarcastic productions. Things that made me go to the library to find out more, or find the source material. Out of tune with my age peers, I guess. Today, you are correct, the target demo want none of what you listed, can’t have a non-collective thought and demand to be spoon-fed……and I’m getting tired of the pablum. And now, throwing myself off the soapbox along with you, I’m tired of vociferous demands without an iota of gratitude.

[txhorns79]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:20 PM, Msample said:

I gotta think another issue a renewal would face is Hilary Swanks availability - she's due ( twins I think ) fairly soon now. 

I'm sure they began planning for that the moment Swank let them know she was pregnant. 

On 3/25/2023 at 9:59 AM, pasdetrois said:

I think one reason the villages don't have armed police officers is the difficulty in recruiting and keeping fulltime officers in those remote locations. Or perhaps the small villages don't have the budget, which is true in small rural towns in the lower 48. Some municipalities share officers, and some have officers who have shifts like oil workers, where they cycle in and out.

I think you are right about the remoteness of the locations and the lack of money.  The PPO they met noted she wasn't allowed to have a gun when she worked because the village could not afford the insurance. 

I really enjoyed the episode, and agree about it being horrific when they showed the results of the map they put together with all the native women having gone missing in Alaska over the last 100 years.

 

[mrsbagnet]

I think Austin's ex-wife's justifications for why they should all move to Chicago were very reasonable (minus the dig about the gun violence). There will be more opportunities available, and it will be nice for his son to grow up near family. Austin's reasons for staying-- a job at a struggling paper and a new not-quite girlfriend -- aren't strong by comparison.

[possibilities]

Raising kids in an urban environment has pros and cons. I lived in Chicago and was happy to leave for the wilderness. There are kids living happily here, so I don't think one place is better than the other except for an individual's preference. The mother wants to take that job and I understand why. But I don't know if that's best for her ex or the kid (or not). I frankly think it's an irreconcilable difference. I can't imagine anything that would make me want to go back to city life, and her complete rejection of even sympathy for asking her ex to totally uproot his life for what is essentially just her personal happiness-- there's a reason they're divorced, and that attitude would be enough all by itself, for any marriage to dissolve. How many of us would do that for an ex, when we're happy where we are, our kid is happy where we are, and she's not even acknowledging that what she's doing is a big ask? They obviously have different values and that's why they're not together. And she's trying to pressure him into making a major life decision without offering him anything he wants in return or even thanking him for considering it.

Edited March 28, 2023 by possibilities

[txhorns79]

13 hours ago, mrsbagnet said:

I think Austin's ex-wife's justifications for why they should all move to Chicago were very reasonable (minus the dig about the gun violence). There will be more opportunities available, and it will be nice for his son to grow up near family. Austin's reasons for staying-- a job at a struggling paper and a new not-quite girlfriend -- aren't strong by comparison.

I think what gets missed though is Austin is happy where he is.  He isn't looking for job opportunities or having his child grow up closer to his wife's family.  He doesn't have to justify the status quo.  Moreover, her arguments may seem better, but they are all rooted in her selfishness. 

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I think what gets missed though is Austin is happy where he is.  He isn't looking for job opportunities or having his child grow up closer to his wife's family.  He doesn't have to justify the status quo.  Moreover, her arguments may seem better, but they are all rooted in her selfishness. 

They really do. What I like is Austin did wonder if it would be better off for his son to go to Chicago. Which yes there are good opportunties for his son and close to his family. It was just a moment but he did consider it. But he's happy in Alaska, his son is happy in Alaska, it's his home. He was right when he brought up his son's friends.

[Simba122504]

On 3/24/2023 at 2:25 PM, possibilities said:

If the ratings were good, they could surely come up with new stories. Even if they solve the murder, there would be other Alaska stories, like maybe the one about the corrupt land deal they've currently been hinting at and using as a bargaining chip at the newspaper. 

Hell, there are crime shows that go for decades, with a case of the week. One case per season could theoretically last a show many seasons.

IF it is saved. It will only be because of a possible writers strike. 

Edited April 2, 2023 by Simba122504

[CarpeFelis]

I grew up near NYC, so hearing “kvell” pronounced “ka-vell” really grated on me.

[proserpina65]

On 3/28/2023 at 9:21 AM, mrsbagnet said:

I think Austin's ex-wife's justifications for why they should all move to Chicago were very reasonable (minus the dig about the gun violence). There will be more opportunities available, and it will be nice for his son to grow up near family. Austin's reasons for staying-- a job at a struggling paper and a new not-quite girlfriend -- aren't strong by comparison.

The most important argument in Austin's favor is that his son is happy.  Uprooting him isn't necessarily a good idea, no matter how many opportunities might be available or how close her family would be.