S6.E07: Behind the Veil

[Xeliou66]

Here’s the discussion thread for tonight’s episode. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Synopsis:

Quote

When a bombing at a local restaurant leaves several injured or dead, including a congresswoman and someone close to Isobel, the team races to apprehend the suspect before another explosive goes off.

[Xeliou66]

Good episode, I liked the intensity of it and the investigation - interesting how they uncovered how the spy had manipulated multiple people into planting bombs, and there were some exciting sequences, particularly the ending and the search of the apartment. Nice work from the whole team - I liked seeing Isobel take center stage and get a large role, and I liked her and Jubal doing an interrogation, and all of the field agents and analysts had good roles.

That state department guy got no sympathy from me - I couldn’t believe he wanted Isobel to just let the mastermind of a bombing plot walk away scot-free. The victims of the bombing deserved justice and this woman was a terrorist who had to be arrested, consequences be damned. He could fuck off with his judgmental attitude. I can’t believe that the heads of the state department would want to let this terrorist mastermind walk either.

This episode was yet more proof that Maggie has no business having custody of a kid given the demands and dangers of her job, I hope that’s only temporary. And I’m not sure what the point of referencing OA’s girlfriend again was, are they setting up a return for her?

Good case with nice suspense and good stuff for each character. They did a good job of not letting the personal subplots detract from the case, hope that continues.

Another solid outing for the show.

[MerBearHou]

I had to miss the FBIs tonight — can’t wait to catch up on them tomorrow.  Thanks for the recap @Xeliou66

[Raja]

Is there any reason the spy couldn't flash her I.D and declare "diplomatic immunity"?

[Dowel Jones]

So the side victim was a "high value asset" in Russia.  That means he was a Russian, or some allied nation, as an American citizen would not need a delicate exfiltration.  Yet the DoS toady has to go notify his wife in New York.  Doesn't make sense to me.

Marina Koslova (does that name sound familiar? :) ) is in deep shit.  The diplomatic immunity, if it exists, won't hold water now that the FBI has evidence of her activities.  The Russian Embassy has to deny any knowledge of it, and they're still likely to get shut down because of all the deaths involved, regardless of proof in court.  She's dead before the sun comes up.

Nicely scripted episode, with only a minimum of felony stupid people involved.  That construction idiot takes, what, 5 kilos of C-4 and leaves it in a parking lot to be picked up by some anonymous source who wants to blow up some tree stumps?  Even his attorney is going to laugh at that story.

Great security at that fundraiser at the end.  After a disaster at the other facility, nobody even thinks to check around the room even before the event begins?  And, I'm sorry to say, that crowd is going to look very sideways at a tall, Middle Easter-looking guy with a beard when OA and Maggie walk in.

The Wall Street bombing in 1920 was a real thing.  Anarchists were attacking several institutions in the wake of WWI and the "Palmer raids" instituted by the Department of Justice, and, although several suspects were identified, no one was ever arrested for the bombings.  

[millennium]

Tight episode.   But I have to ask, does the JOC have a Star Trek transporter to beam agents around Manhattan?

Also, wouldn't there be fallout from Isobel pulling rank on the street cop to allow Lucas and his dad to walk through the closed-off area?   If she hadn't done that, Lucas would be alive.  

(Me, I'd let her off the hook, but then I've had a crush on Alana de la Garza for years, lol.)

1 hour ago, Dowel Jones said:

That means he was a Russian, or some allied nation, as an American citizen would not need a delicate exfiltration.  Yet the DoS toady has to go notify his wife in New York.  Doesn't make sense to me.

And judging by his picture, he was captured in the mid-1960s.

[shapeshifter]

11 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

That construction idiot takes, what, 5 kilos of C-4 and leaves it in a parking lot to be picked up by some anonymous source who wants to blow up some tree stumps?  Even his attorney is going to laugh at that story.

The ''construction idiot" was motivated by huge gambling debts, so at least his poor judgement is consistent with his character.

 

9 hours ago, millennium said:

Tight episode.   But I have to ask, does the JOC have a Star Trek transporter to beam agents around Manhattan?

I think this show inherited the transporter from Fringe.

 

9 hours ago, millennium said:

Also, wouldn't there be fallout from Isobel pulling rank on the street cop to allow Lucas and his dad to walk through the closed-off area?   If she hadn't done that, Lucas would be alive.  

In the past few years it seems these types of procedural shows no longer bother to include a line acknowledging the results of characters' actions — unintended or otherwise. 
Dialog time is sacrificed to chase scenes and commercials.

 

9 hours ago, millennium said:

(Me, I'd let her off the hook, but then I've had a crush on Alana de la Garza for years, lol.)

Alana de la Garza was gorgeous on L&O, and she seems to have barely aged.
Meanwhile, I seem to be living in dog years.

Edited April 3 by shapeshifter

[Dowel Jones]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

But I have to ask, does the JOC have a Star Trek transporter to beam agents around Manhattan?

Since the New York field office has only four agents, they have to adapt.

[illdoc]

Given that they know (okay, technically just suspect) that there's a bomb at the event, wouldn't it be a good idea to have the bomb squad near by (and perhaps searching for the bomb)?

[Raja]

19 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Given that they know (okay, technically just suspect) that there's a bomb at the event, wouldn't it be a good idea to have the bomb squad near by (and perhaps searching for the bomb)?

Especially with a political bombing earlier in the day. I  don't care what the politics of the potential victims were   you would expect the bomb squad to sweep the venue 

Edited April 3 by Raja

[millennium]

1 hour ago, illdoc said:

Given that they know (okay, technically just suspect) that there's a bomb at the event, wouldn't it be a good idea to have the bomb squad near by (and perhaps searching for the bomb)?

Oh sure!  Next you'll be suggesting they should wear respirators to scenes where the terrorists are spraying aerosolized ricin ... 😉

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Alana de la Garza was gorgeous on L&O,

That's where I became aware of her.   Not so much on CSI Miami.

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I think this show inherited the transporter from Fringe.

A pity they didn't inherit Walter, too.   😄

[Snazzy Daisy]

Several questions in mind…

Why doesn’t Maggie take some times off to be with Ella and to adjust to her new responsibilities? There must be a lot of personal arrangements to be made and errands to run. Instead, she volunteers herself to take a closer look at a bomb under the stage? It’s ridiculous. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Will Cameron blame Isobel for his son’s death?

What does OA see in that vapid cokehead? 👀

[Dowel Jones]

12 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

What does OA see in that vapid cokehead? 👀

Himself.😝

[LisaM]

12 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Several questions in mind…

Why doesn’t Maggie take some times off to be with Ella and to adjust to her new responsibilities? There must be a lot of personal arrangements to be made and errands to run. Instead, she volunteers herself to take a closer look at a bomb under the stage? It’s ridiculous. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Agreed. Volunteering to place herself in danger right after ignoring the video call from Ella makes no sense. 

[MarylandGirl]

6 hours ago, LisaM said:

Agreed. Volunteering to place herself in danger right after ignoring the video call from Ella makes no sense. 

Maybe she's in denial about what happened? But I agree she should have taken time off or at the very least not been the one to look for the bomb. And she shouldn't ignore the calls. Seems she perhaps was not the best choice for a guardian!

[Johannah]

Maybe this show is using the kid being with Maggie as a way to extricate themselves from the Mommy plot.  She'll realize it isn't the best thing to do with her job.

Can't believe OA is getting back with what's her name.  

Onto the case...  Wasn't arrested the spy a waste?  I thought diplomatic immunity made her untouchable.  It seemed it was just a personal vendetta for Isobel.  She knew something else was at stake and risked that, and ultimately that other guy's life, for a charge that wouldn't stick.  It sucks, but I think diplomatic immunity sucks anyway.

Did the boy's father die?  I wonder if he'll blame Isobel.  Sometimes people need someone to blame, even if it's the wrong person.  As for her getting in trouble professionally, it's possible no one is alive to tell on her.  

Still, I liked the ep.

 

[Raja]

13 minutes ago, Johannah said:

Onto the case...  Wasn't arrested the spy a waste?  I thought diplomatic immunity made her untouchable. 

Well if Sergeant Murtaugh is around he will revoke it, with a bullet. In this case Russia would have to publicly renounce their spy because the FBI set up a perp walk and put her in the press. But  if they don't the State Department will most likely get with the AUSA and override a FBI SAC.

[Xeliou66]

About the spy - I don’t think she had diplomatic immunity, I don’t recall anything being said about that, I think the State Department just didn’t want to arrest her because of the reasons they gave about not wanting to compromise their asset. I thought it was absolutely absurd for them to act like the mastermind of a deadly bombing she get away scot-free and if they had given Isobel more grief about it I think she should’ve gone to the press - the public would demand justice in a case like this and would crucify anyone who opposed arresting the mastermind.

As for Maggie, I think she won’t be the permanent guardian of the kid and I think this episode showed why she isn’t fit to have a kid - her work is too unpredictable and demanding and she has no one to watch the kid while she’s away.

[Ceindreadh]

15 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

 

As for Maggie, I think she won’t be the permanent guardian of the kid and I think this episode showed why she isn’t fit to have a kid - her work is too unpredictable and demanding and she has no one to watch the kid while she’s away.

I presume Maggie has some sort of child care in place while she's working - I would guess she kept on her friends's nanny. 

[shapeshifter]

On 4/5/2024 at 8:31 PM, Xeliou66 said:

About the spy - I don’t think she had diplomatic immunity, I don’t recall anything being said about that

As they were arresting her we have this bit of dialog from arguably 2 unreliable narrators in the fraught situation:

• [ISOBEL] Marina Kostova, you're under arrest.
• You can't do this to me. I'm a diplomat.
• Watch me.

I doubt we'll revisit this and get closure, but that seems to be par for the TV course these days. 
I think diplomatic immunity goes away if there's a murder
— based upon my case studies at L&O's Hudson U,  
— or was that something Adrian Monk said, and so only applies in California?

 

 

On 4/5/2024 at 8:31 PM, Xeliou66 said:

As for Maggie, I think she won’t be the permanent guardian of the kid and I think this episode showed why she isn’t fit to have a kid - her work is too unpredictable and demanding and she has no one to watch the kid while she’s away.

Or, maybe this will be her kid so we don't have to hear about IVF?

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

As they were arresting her we have this bit of dialog from arguably 2 unreliable narrators in the fraught situation:

• [ISOBEL] Marina Kostova, you're under arrest.
• You can't do this to me. I'm a diplomat.
• Watch me.

I doubt we'll revisit this and get closure, but that seems to be par for the TV course these days. 
I think diplomatic immunity goes away if there's a murder
— based upon my case studies at L&O's Hudson U,  
— or was that something Adrian Monk said, and so only applies in California?

No, it only "goes away" if the country the diplomat is a citizen of waives immunity. But I recently read that the US tends to request such waivers if the crime is serious enough so that the prosecutor would normally recommend charging the individual for the crime they committed were it not for diplomatic immunity. There are also different levels of who has diplomatic immunity when. (Eg, there are diplomats who can be issued traffic tickets but they don't have to pay, others who can't even be issued traffic tickets etc). It's apparently all detailed on ID cards diplomats get issued. I also read recently that US citizens don't have diplomatic immunity in the US if they work for a foreign embassy or consulate.

I would imagine that being a spy complicates things, though.

[Dowel Jones]

I still think her case will be settled "out of court" so the Russian Embassy will not be tied to a murder ring in the US.

[mythoughtis]

On 4/5/2024 at 7:31 PM, Xeliou66 said:

As for Maggie, I think she won’t be the permanent guardian of the kid and I think this episode showed why she isn’t fit to have a kid - her work is too unpredictable and demanding and she has no one to watch the kid while she’s away.

I disagree.   FBI agents can and are parents. They also get divorced or widowed and  become single  parents. I didn’t see anyone saying Jess on the FBI most wanted series should have quit his job because he had a kid. And he ended up being killed. 
Yes Maggie will need reliable 24/7 child care.   But so do Scola and Nina.  She’s off chasing fugitives for days on end. Should they quit their jobs? Or give up their child? 

Edited April 9 by mythoughtis

[juliet73]

Again with another bomb related plot.  It's amazing to me how many bombs are planted in NYC and only these 4 agents are able to get to any of the 5 boroughs in a matter of minutes and save the day!

I agree about Maggie taking time off...that child needs some stability and time to get adjusted to her "new" life...not having her guardian run off and risk being killed looking at a bomb.  

Hopefully, Isobel will think twice now about flashing her badge to get special treatment.  That kid lost his life because of it!