All Episodes Discussion

[bubbls]

On 1/1/2019 at 8:02 PM, saber5055 said:

I wonder how it's known  Joey fell over the wire. That's pretty wild speculation unless someone saw it happen. Or his foot was in the wire where he fell and was killed. Not that it matters I guess. But this show always puts in/leaves out details that are never cleared up.

I still want to know where that diamond ring is.

I know what you mean. I have to Google a lot to get the complete story. 

[Tabbygirl521]

I watched “Stone Cold” (I think?) tonight, which featured a somewhat unlikeable victim. Josh M addresses the camera with something like, “I know we often feature victims whose smiles light up a room or brighten everyone’s lives, but not this time.”  I might be in love. 

[iMonrey]

Yeah I guess the moral of "Stone Cold" is be careful who  you sleep around with. Nick's ex was all kinds of crazy. This one was hard to follow because suspects were ex boyfriends of the victim's ex girlfriends, which I didn't get. They sort of tied it all up by the end but clearly Jessica was in on it and got away with murder. How awful. 

[Melina22]

Yeah, that episode was insanely convoluted and twisted. It would make a great movie. I still don't have the whole story straight in my head, but it would be fun to watch a fictionalized version. 

It's weird how the final girlfriend is still idolizing and idealizing Nick. According to his track record, if he'd lived, by now they'd be split up and she'd be furious with him. 

Something that I really dislike about Dateline is how they keep having little popup questions, like "Who do you think killed Nick?" or "How would you feel if someone poisoned your child?" They post the questions before we actually find out much info. I find it annoying because seriously, what is the value in anyone's answer to these questions? Who even cares? In a way, it's sort of patronizing, as if the show thinks putting their 2 cents in will somehow make viewers feel important or like they're part of things. Surely most viewers can see how pointless these questions are. Also, it makes the crime seem a bit like a game, staged for our entertainment. I suppose there's some truth in that, but I'd rather they not rub it in so much. 

[TVbitch]

Re: Stone Cold, c'mon Dateline, we are onto you. Any time they show a brief clip of someone we are suppose to immediately dismiss as a suspect. like they did with the safety inspector guy who turned out to be guilty, it of course turns out to be THAT GUY. 

Seemed like the brother solved the case moreso than the detective. 

@Melina22 it is totally to make the "entertainment" interactive. Even news these days has to be interactive or the humans lose interest. It is an "all about ME" culture don't ya know.... I hate it. 

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Yeah, that episode was insanely convoluted and twisted. It would make a great movie. I still don't have the whole story straight in my head, but it would be fun to watch a fictionalized version. 

It's weird how the final girlfriend is still idolizing and idealizing Nick. According to his track record, if he'd lived, by now they'd be split up and she'd be furious with him. 

Something that I really dislike about Dateline is how they keep having little popup questions, like "Who do you think killed Nick?" or "How would you feel if someone poisoned your child?" They post the questions before we actually find out much info. I find it annoying because seriously, what is the value in anyone's answer to these questions? Who even cares? In a way, it's sort of patronizing, as if the show thinks putting their 2 cents in will somehow make viewers feel important or like they're part of things. Surely most viewers can see how pointless these questions are. Also, it makes the crime seem a bit like a game, staged for our entertainment. I suppose there's some truth in that, but I'd rather they not rub it in so much. 

I agree with this.  It's the ascendancy of social media, which we happen to be participating in here.  But they want you to post on Twitter and the like so that they will get buzz, even if the responses are nonsensical.

[JudyObscure]

4 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Yeah, that episode was insanely convoluted and twisted

Seriously, convoluted.

 At the time of his death  Nick was engaged to Kristina, but before her he dated Claudia and before her Jessica.   Jessica's says one day she came home and found him with Claudia and he simply told Jessica to pack her stuff and get out, she had been replaced. I'm not sure how he went from Claudia to Kristina.     Although Nick and Kristina  were engaged, they weren't living together and I wouldn't have been surprised if that wedding was only ever a real possibility in Kristina's mind, particularly if someone even skinnier than Claudia or Kristina came along. 

I'm not really surprised that Jessica went a little crazy after being treated so poorly, but standing in his house watching him sleep was a sure indication that she was not getting over it.   When I heard that, I thought she was the prime suspect.

It was Nick's bad luck that Jessica ran into someone even crazier than she was in James Lapan. From all I could figure out his raging hatred was all based on Nick telling him he couldn't park his car where he wanted to.  That's all it took to make James bust out a window and shoot Nick seven times, using a unique gun and bullets he still had in the garage, after slashing his arm on the broken window and bleeding all over the place.  What an absolute moron.  Ever notice what a terrible job most men do of cleaning up evidence?  Oh, yeah, sure, just cut out a piece of the carpet and leave all the blood smears on the walls and door knobs.  

I'm so glad this man got life imprisonment, anyone that full of hatred and that stupid is always going to be a danger. 

The one good thing is, Lapan's poor wife and children are safe from him.  What's this "covenant" marriage deal?  Aren't all marriages that are conducted by a minister "marriages in both the eyes of God and the government?"

Smokey didn't even bark.

[Melina22]

Good recap! So much crazy. You left out the part where James made his wife serve supper to Jessica and treat her like a guest. Hearing that, I lost all sympathy for Jessica. What on earth was her game? 

I guess I thought James shot Nick because of jealousy related to Jessica? Or something? But I guess that doesn't make sense. 

Let's all get together and write the screenplay. Now who should play Jessica? In the first photo of her, she was startlingly pretty. So we'll need an actress who can play both attractive and crazy. Blake Lively? (I just saw her in a movie playing a gorgeous, but crazy and vengeful woman.) 

Judging by his dating history, Nick could obviously turn on the charm in a big way for at least 6 months. Lookswise he was pretty average. It appears that at any given time, only the woman he was currently charming liked him. Everyone else thought he was a jerk. Not sure who should play him. 

[Mondrianyone]

But . . . but . . . he was her "protector"!  He was her Superman!  What the heck did Kristina need all this protecting from?  Maybe from the guy at work who was using the female staff as his personal harem.  Oh, no, never mind--that's who was protecting her.

What a crazy set of circumstances.  I'm going to go look up "covenant marriage" and see what that really is, if it's a thing at all.  I at first thought it was some Mormon/polygamous deal, but the show did absolutely nothing to explain.  They just took Sareena's (come on) word that it was almost impossible to get divorced from a covenant marriage.  Which makes no sense at all, if there's no state involvement, which is what she made it seem like.

Also, you're not an alpha female if you live in fear of your husband and cook dinner for his mistress at his command.  You're a nutjob dishrag.

Some of these people . . .

ETA:  Here's what Wiki says about covenant marriage.  I'm not surprised about the three states in the country that recognize this.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Mondrianyone
further info

[Lizzing]

We have covenant marriage in Louisiana; it came in when I was in law school and was really pushed through the legislature by super conservative Christians.  It bothers me for many reasons, but basically it just means that the parties pledge--and then are obligated by the state--to have counseling pre-marriage and prior to divorce and the barriers to divorce are higher.  Louisiana is a no-fault state for divorce in regular marriage, but if you want to get out of a covenant one, there has to be one of a limited number of causes.  However, being convicted of a felony is one of those causes, as is adultery, so there's no reason that the killer's wife couldn't get a divorce under a covenant marriage regime (at least in LA and I suspect the other 2 jurisdictions as well).

There must have been slim pickings in whatever town this murder went down in because I just don't see the level of attractiveness that justified either the killer or the victim pulling in that many women.

[Melina22]

While I agree that James' wife didn't act very alpha, I can't disagree with her excuse that she acted out of fear. Given what he did to Nick, who knows what he might have done to her or their children if she'd made him mad. Him going to prison was a best case scenario for the 3 of them, sadly. 

[mythoughtis]

1 hour ago, Melina22 said:

While I agree that James' wife didn't act very alpha, I can't disagree with her excuse that she acted out of fear. Given what he did to Nick, who knows what he might have done to her or their children if she'd made him mad. Him going to prison was a best case scenario for the 3 of them, sadly. 

Serena was a Staff Sargent in the military when she met him.  She should have been capable of taking care of herself.  At least to the point of separating herself from him. Surely she could have gone down to the local VFW and gotten a couple veterans to accompany her while she moved out.  Yes, she  would have had to take steps to attend counseling before she could get a divorce... OR she could have moved out of state and gotten a divorce in her new state of residence. Of course, I’m sure she is now divorced. Pretty sure husband committing murder with his mistress probably qualifies. 

Of course the main story here is rhe unlikeable victim and his stream of girlfriends from work.  It might be a good idea for the company to draw up a policy about this- even if it’s just- ‘ we agree not to kill people once we break up with them’.  

Edited January 6, 2019 by mythoughtis

[Annber03]

12 hours ago, Melina22 said:

 Something that I really dislike about Dateline is how they keep having little popup questions, like "Who do you think killed Nick?" or "How would you feel if someone poisoned your child?" They post the questions before we actually find out much info. I find it annoying because seriously, what is the value in anyone's answer to these questions? Who even cares? In a way, it's sort of patronizing, as if the show thinks putting their 2 cents in will somehow make viewers feel important or like they're part of things. Surely most viewers can see how pointless these questions are. Also, it makes the crime seem a bit like a game, staged for our entertainment. I suppose there's some truth in that, but I'd rather they not rub it in so much. 

Agreed. I also get a kick out of when the person narrating ends a segment with a voiceover asking, "Who could have killed them?" "What was the motive?" and other questions like that right before the commercial breaks. My mom and I will often respond with, "I dunno, you're the one narrating the story, you tell us." 

[Blissfool]

I thought Sareena was very flippant throughout the interview. She seemed so odd. 

[LGGirl]

How many believe that Kristina’s love of her life would have dumped her within 6 months?  

[TVbitch]

Do you guys not watch 48 Hours? That forum is dead! I have no one to snark with! 

[Melina22]

Hee. So many crime shows! So little time! 

[mythoughtis]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

Do you guys not watch 48 Hours? That forum is dead! I have no one to snark with! 

I watch it often. But I don’t like how the forum is set up for it. There is no all episode thread and no one creates a thread for each episode anymore. 

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Do you guys not watch 48 Hours? That forum is dead! I have no one to snark with! 

I watch that sometimes, yeah. I've wanted to discuss a few of the cases there, too, but like you said, the place is so dead.

They had a story on the Jodi Huisentruit case, which is from my town, recently on there. It wasn't all that new to me in terms of information and revelations, but that's partly a result of living in the town where it happened-I don't need to wait for a "48 Hours" type show to hear any updates or information on the case. But I would be interested to discuss that case with other people who might be new to hearing it, or have heard it elsewhere, or whatever. 

[TVbitch]

I wanted to bitch about that dad standing by the son who murdered his wife and other son and tried to kill him! But he still wants the kid to go to heaven with the rest of them. Um, maybe you should ask the others if they feel the same. Oh wait, they were murdered, you can't.

Is there a way to ask the mods for an all episode thread? 

[Melina22]

25 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Is there a way to ask the mods for an all episode thread? 

I remember in the old days at TWOP posters could start threads themselves. Sometimes they were deleted, but other times they remained. Could you start the All episodes thread yourself? (I'd look into it, but I haven't had enough coffee yet) 

[walnutqueen]

4 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Is there a way to ask the mods for an all episode thread? 

This IS the all episodes thread.

[TVbitch]

18 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

This IS the all episodes thread.

Sorry I meant for 48 Hours! 

[TVbitch]

4 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I remember in the old days at TWOP posters could start threads themselves. Sometimes they were deleted, but other times they remained. Could you start the All episodes thread yourself? (I'd look into it, but I haven't had enough coffee yet) 

Okay I started a thread. Maybe if a couple of us post there, they will leave it! 

[iMonrey]

Quote

It was Nick's bad luck that Jessica ran into someone even crazier than she was in James Lapan. From all I could figure out his raging hatred was all based on Nick telling him he couldn't park his car where he wanted to.

I think Jessica was easily able to fill his head with all sorts of lies about Nick being awful to her and since he was already pre-disposed to disliking Nick it was easy to manipulate him into exacting "revenge" for both of them. But I honestly don't think James would have gone that far if he hadn't been talked into it by Jessica. 

You hate to victim-blame in situations like this but boy, Nick got involved with the wrong gal. 

Quote

Of course, I’m sure she is now divorced. Pretty sure husband committing murder with his mistress probably qualifies. 

It does, but . . . this interview took place after James had already been convicted and sentenced to life, and she was still saying she'd be married to him until the day he died! Maybe she doesn't understand how to get a divorce in a covenant marriage, or maybe she's just that big of a martyr. The latter wouldn't really surprise me, frankly.

[TVbitch]

26 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

But I honestly don't think James would have gone that far if he hadn't been talked into it by Jessica. 

I don't know. I mean the guy shot him, busted through a closed window and shot him again. And then shot him again right in the forehead. Seems to me you kind of have to have it in you to do something like that. I can see maybe one shot from the bushes or something, if Jessica was egging him on to do it. Not that she wasn't totally in on it. She was definitely on board. 

I love how they talk about Tucson like it is a small town in the desert. I live in Phoenix and Tucson is a city of at least 1/2 million people.  

Edited January 7, 2019 by TVbitch

[UsernameFatigue]

On 06/01/2019 at 9:35 AM, LGGirl said:

How many believe that Kristina’s love of her life would have dumped her within 6 months?  

OMG she was delusional. Loser Nick had been married twice, and just before her turn, had at least two live in girlfriends who lasted a total of six months each. Who knows how many others there may have been - we only know about these two because they were co workers who figured into the story. Kristina must have felt she was really special, since they weren't even living together when he died. Does anyone else think that may be because he still had others on the side?

I have never understood women who move in with guys in such a short period of time. And one of the two six month-ers even had a kid. Apparently the dating pool in their neck of the woods is so shallow, that you hit your head diving in. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by UsernameFatigue

[bubbls]

On 1/6/2019 at 5:56 PM, TVbitch said:

Do you guys not watch 48 Hours? That forum is dead! I have no one to snark with! 

I watch it, but there don’t seem to be very many episodes any more. Maybe I don’t get the right channels. 

[walnutqueen]

18 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Sorry I meant for 48 Hours! 

Oh, well then, nevermind.  [/Emily Litella]   :-)

[TVbitch]

9 hours ago, bubbls said:

I watch it, but there don’t seem to be very many episodes any more. Maybe I don’t get the right channels.

48 Hours is not on cable, it's on CBS, every Saturday at 9PM (Mountain time).

Next I'll be pestering you guys about "The First 48" on A&E, which for my money features the hottest detectives!   

[Tabbygirl521]

22 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I think Jessica was easily able to fill his head with all sorts of lies about Nick being awful to her and since he was already pre-disposed to disliking Nick it was easy to manipulate him into exacting "revenge" for both of them. But I honestly don't think James would have gone that far if he hadn't been talked into it by Jessica. 

You hate to victim-blame in situations like this but boy, Nick got involved with the wrong gal. 

It does, but . . . this interview took place after James had already been convicted and sentenced to life, and she was still saying she'd be married to him until the day he died! Maybe she doesn't understand how to get a divorce in a covenant marriage, or maybe she's just that big of a martyr. The latter wouldn't really surprise me, frankly.

I thought she said she was waiting for the divorce to be final, and then Josh asked when she’d be free of James and she said something like, when God hits hisnoff switch. They have kids together so she wouldn’t be truly free of him after divorce. So I thought she was saying divorce was in the works, but he’d still be a factor in her life. 

Aren't covenany marriages typically related to patriarchal religions (I always think of the Duggars; I think Josh and Anna, at least, have one)? I’m not sure how this would suit an “alpha female.” Perhaps she just meant she’s an alpha among females, but boys are still in charge. I guess I’m speculating too much but I am curious. 

[mythoughtis]

9 hours ago, TVbitch said:

48 Hours is not on cable, it's on CBS, every Saturday at 9PM (Mountain time).

Next I'll be pestering you guys about "The First 48" on A&E, which for my money features the hottest detectives!   

The First 48 has a topic. Look in the ‘other F shows’ thread. It’s way down the list since the thread is in latest posting date order. 

[TVbitch]

Since we knew in 2 seconds another man had killed his wife, I spent last night's episode trying to figure out why Andrea Canning bugs me so much. I think it is cuz she assserts herself emotionally with just about everyone she interviews. Like, all of the interview subjects in this piece were very calm in demeanor, even the mom. Yet as the mom calmly talked about being notified of her daughter's death, Andrea is looking all devestated and teary-eyed and then jumps in with "I am a marine wife too, so I know what it means to see those men at your door! It is the last thing you ever want to see!!!" And then with the detectives, they are totally solemn discussing Delores agreeing to testify, and Andrea is beaming, "This must have been an early Christmas present for you!!" And with the stoic FBI guy demonstrating how to recover the serial number from the gun, Andrea is again beaming with smiles, "This was your bingo moment!!"

Maybe she is trying to make the interviews more personal or exciting or something, but I guess I just prefer the professional distance that the others keep. Keith and Josh do more with a "don't think for a second I fucking believe you, you idiot murderer" eyebrow raise than Andrea does with her exuberance. 

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

And then with the detectives, they are totally solemn discussing Delores agreeing to testify, and Andrea is beaming, "This must have been an early Christmas present for you!!" And with the stoic FBI guy demonstrating how to recover the serial number from the gun, Andrea is again beaming with smiles, "This was your bingo moment!!"

For me, the thing with those kinds of comments that always bugs me (and I'm not singling Canning out here with this complaint, as many reporters and interviewers are guilty of this), is that they're very, "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" type statements. Like when somebody is tearfully talks about finding out a family member has died, the person talking to them often goes, "That must've been very upsetting for you." No crap, ya think? 

As for the story itself, though, that stuff with the gun and the serial number was pretty cool to watch. It's amazing the kind of technological advances we've seen in forensic science over the years. I get that these criminals often think they'll never get caught, and likely don't even consider the fact that we've got people out there who can do the kinds of things the FBI guy was able to do with the gun. But they also have to know that shows explaining the various ways investigators do their jobs and examine all this evidence in detail exist, so it's amazing the mistakes they continue to make with that in mind. 

I also got a little choked up when the woman's daughter was listening to that recording of her mom singing to her towards the end of the episode. That poor kid. 

[cooksdelight]

Andrea’s uptalking is what drives me nuts. I have to turn on closed captioning so I can’t hear her.

[EtheltoTillie]

Another example of fakety-fake crying by hubby in the interview room!  

[UsernameFatigue]

4 hours ago, GussieK said:

Another example of fakety-fake crying by hubby in the interview room!  

Hubby and I both laughed when he sobbed and said "I still love her!". She had only been dead for a day. That was a dead giveaway for me. Also when he said he loved her to death. Sheesh.

He was so careful in some ways (having the girlfriend at his home to stream Netflix and use his phone, as well as using her car and taking gas cans so he would not have to stop at gas stations). But so dumb in other ways. Or at least the girlfriend was. Not using burner phones so their texts would not be traced. Not paying in cash for the gas cans. And of course the girlfriend buying a gun that could be traced to her, and getting rid of the gun with an ex boyfriend. Obviously neither of them watch Dateline to know what not to do. 

I found the teddy bear with the mother's voice in it a bit creepy. The daughter was only 4 months old when her mother died, so it isn't like she would remember her. She is not even 4 now, so was likely 3 1/2 at most when this was filmed. I felt the same way about the what looked like maybe a 2 year old sitting on her mother's grave. I can see the family wanting the little girl to grow up to know her mother, but I just think they are a little overboard in their approach with such a young child. 

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

 

I found the teddy bear with the mother's voice in it a bit creepy. The daughter was only 4 months old when her mother died, so it isn't like she would remember her. She is not even 4 now, so was likely 3 1/2 at most when this was filmed. I felt the same way about the what looked like maybe a 2 year old sitting on her mother's grave. I can see the family wanting the little girl to grow up to know her mother, but I just think they are a little overboard in their approach with such a young child. 

Yes, creepy and sad.   That poor little girl probably thinks her mother  is either down in the ground at the grave yard or else inside the  teddy bear.  Just let the poor little thing grow-up and then play the home videos for her.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 12:28 PM, Melina22 said:

Yeah, that episode was insanely convoluted and twisted. It would make a great movie. I still don't have the whole story straight in my head, but it would be fun to watch a fictionalized version. 

It's weird how the final girlfriend is still idolizing and idealizing Nick. According to his track record, if he'd lived, by now they'd be split up and she'd be furious with him. 

Something that I really dislike about Dateline is how they keep having little popup questions, like "Who do you think killed Nick?" or "How would you feel if someone poisoned your child?" They post the questions before we actually find out much info. I find it annoying because seriously, what is the value in anyone's answer to these questions? Who even cares? In a way, it's sort of patronizing, as if the show thinks putting their 2 cents in will somehow make viewers feel important or like they're part of things. Surely most viewers can see how pointless these questions are. Also, it makes the crime seem a bit like a game, staged for our entertainment. I suppose there's some truth in that, but I'd rather they not rub it in so much. 

I found her rather unlikeable.  Hearing a 40 y/o woman mention over and over how a man is her "protector" tends to gross me out.

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 4:33 PM, JudyObscure said:

Seriously, convoluted.

 At the time of his death  Nick was engaged to Kristina, but before her he dated Claudia and before her Jessica.   Jessica's says one day she came home and found him with Claudia and he simply told Jessica to pack her stuff and get out, she had been replaced. I'm not sure how he went from Claudia to Kristina.     Although Nick and Kristina  were engaged, they weren't living together and I wouldn't have been surprised if that wedding was only ever a real possibility in Kristina's mind, particularly if someone even skinnier than Claudia or Kristina came along. 

I'm not really surprised that Jessica went a little crazy after being treated so poorly, but standing in his house watching him sleep was a sure indication that she was not getting over it.   When I heard that, I thought she was the prime suspect.

It was Nick's bad luck that Jessica ran into someone even crazier than she was in James Lapan. From all I could figure out his raging hatred was all based on Nick telling him he couldn't park his car where he wanted to.  That's all it took to make James bust out a window and shoot Nick seven times, using a unique gun and bullets he still had in the garage, after slashing his arm on the broken window and bleeding all over the place.  What an absolute moron.  Ever notice what a terrible job most men do of cleaning up evidence?  Oh, yeah, sure, just cut out a piece of the carpet and leave all the blood smears on the walls and door knobs.  

I'm so glad this man got life imprisonment, anyone that full of hatred and that stupid is always going to be a danger. 

The one good thing is, Lapan's poor wife and children are safe from him.  What's this "covenant" marriage deal?  Aren't all marriages that are conducted by a minister "marriages in both the eyes of God and the government?"

Smokey didn't even bark.

And where's Smokey now?  These are the questions that keep me up at night.

[walnutqueen]

I never imagined myself saying this, but kudos to the RCMP, and their relentless pursuit of that Somali kidnapper.  Too bad 15 years in a Canadian prison was his only "punishment".  Let his real suffering begin when his sorry ass is deported back to Somalia.

[cooksdelight]

I watched that @walnutqueen, the way they nabbed him was downright brilliant. 

[sainte-chapelle]

I also read a book about the Amanda/Nigel kidnapping, they were both very lucky to survive.

[OpalNightstream]

Yes there was a lot they left out about the story of the Somalian kidnapping. Want she dating Nigel along the trip at some point before getting kidnapped? I thought she had gotten pregnant by one of the kidnappers at some point too. 

I can’t imagine the nightmare the mom was going through and would have also paid the ransom if it was my daughter, but isn’t the reason we refuse to pay is then we are just putting targets on our own citizens in the future since the kidnappers know they can then just “sell”’ them back to their families?

[UsernameFatigue]

4 hours ago, OpalNightstream said:

Yes there was a lot they left out about the story of the Somalian kidnapping. Want she dating Nigel along the trip at some point before getting kidnapped? I thought she had gotten pregnant by one of the kidnappers at some point too. 

I can’t imagine the nightmare the mom was going through and would have also paid the ransom if it was my daughter, but isn’t the reason we refuse to pay is then we are just putting targets on our own citizens in the future since the kidnappers know they can then just “sell”’ them back to their families?

There was a lot left out by Dateline (which is par for the course with Dateline). She was dating Nigel. The pregnancy story was apparently a rumor started in Somalia which she has denied. 

I read Amanda's book, and found myself really disliking her. No one deserves what she went through, but she absolutely put herself in that position by going into a dangerous area as a freelance journalist. She had no more credentials as a journalist than I have, but wanted to take a shortcut to her dream career despite all of the dangers staring her right in the face. If she had been with a credible news agency she would have had some protection. Her mother is the hero in all this. Amanda knew very well that her mother did not have any money, let alone a million dollars. From what I remember the two families worked together to try to raise the money to get Amanda and Nigel released. Also from what I remember, Nigel has had nothing to do with Amanda since not long after their release, and some of what Amanda claimed in her book contradicted what Nigel published about their time in captivity.

I did enjoy the RCMP sting. They have had several amazing ones over the years. Sadly it is unlikely that he will serve the full 15 years  since those convicted in Canada rarely do. Luckily, Trudeau will not likely be in power when the kidnapper is released, otherwise he might get a payout from the government for his troubles and a free puppy to boot. (Only partially kidding). 

Edited January 15, 2019 by UsernameFatigue

[Lovecat]

8 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

I  read Amanda's book, and found myself really disliking her. No one deserves what she went through, but she absolutely put herself in that position by going into a dangerous area as a freelance journalist. She had no more credentials as a journalist than I have, but wanted to take a shortcut to her dream career despite all of the dangers staring her right in the face. If she had been with a credible news agency she would have had some protection. Her mother is the hero in all this. Amanda knew very well that her mother did not have any money, let alone a million dollars. From what I remember the two families worked together to try to raise the money to get Amanda and Nigel released. Also from what I remember, Nigel has had nothing to do with Amanda since not long after their release, and some of what Amanda claimed in her book contradicted what Nigel published about their time in captivity.

Oh, come sit next to me!  I feel bad saying it, because what Amanda went through, but I remember disliking her when I first saw this story. Her mom, though? A superhero.  And that sting by the RCMP was a masterpiece. The Mounties always get their man!

[TVbitch]

Table for 3! Amanda said she was strong headed and "perhaps didn't think enough about what would happen if something went wrong." --ya think?!?!?!

I also read her book and she just seemed very immature and fool-hearty. I am sympathetic to Amanda's suffering, but by the looks of her, it seems to have taken a greater toll on her poor mum. 

What is going on with that sentence?! You kidnap and torture two people for over a year, extort money, and the RCMP spends all those years and all that money tracking you down, there is huge trial and the guy gets... 15 years max. I would be more afraid for when he gets out!

I worry that showing stories like this makes such kidnappers more sophisticated about law enforcement tactics and could even make it more likely that they will just kill their captives to better avoid prosecution. 

Finally, that disguise they had the dectective in looked like Hutch (from Starsky and Hutch) 20 years after he retired, got a beer gut, and slept it off on the sofa after a bender. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by TVbitch

[Lovecat]

20 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Finally, that disguise they had the dectective in looked like Hutch (from Starsky and Hutch) 20 years after he retired, got a beer gut, and slept it off on the sofa after a bender. 

When he was strolling on the beach with Kate Snow, I was worried that all his makeup was going to melt and run off his face, leaving just a bare skull wearing a bad wig.

[cooksdelight]

I could not find a Crime Watch Daily thread in this new screwy forum, but knew you all would know Chris Hansen.

https://wlos.com/news/entertainment/to-catch-a-predator-host-chris-hansen-arrested-for-larceny?fbclid=IwAR1YlkmIwwuBGyQoTIMhrBb9WQuuJsSn1P2dT5bkp9viiAuDivf5PMAdiF8

[sainte-chapelle]

On 2019-01-15 at 10:26 AM, Lovecat said:

Oh, come sit next to me!  I feel bad saying it, because what Amanda went through, but I remember disliking her when I first saw this story. Her mom, though? A superhero.  And that sting by the RCMP was a masterpiece. The Mounties always get their man!

Yea I feel awful but I don't like her either, plenty was glossed over in her book. They have her on tape asking her mom to basically take the money The families raised to brinG just her home and leave Nigel there. Granted she was being tortured. His family sounded all sorts of awful too. Amanda and Nigel are not on speaking terms. https://www.macleans.ca/news/world/escape-from-hell/

Edited January 18, 2019 by sainte-chapelle

[TVbitch]

On 1/16/2019 at 4:57 PM, cooksdelight said:

I could not find a Crime Watch Daily thread in this new screwy forum, but knew you all would know Chris Hansen.

https://wlos.com/news/entertainment/to-catch-a-predator-host-chris-hansen-arrested-for-larceny?fbclid=IwAR1YlkmIwwuBGyQoTIMhrBb9WQuuJsSn1P2dT5bkp9viiAuDivf5PMAdiF8

Isn't it ironic... don't you think? I watched Crime Watch Daily all the time, and was bummed when they got rid of the Australian guy for Chris Hansen.

Edited January 18, 2019 by TVbitch