Battle Creek - General Discussion

[mbutterfly]

The little girl (Kyla-Drew Simmons) was adorable.

The only problem I had procedurally was when Holly was stabbing all the heroin bags without much care for preserving the integrity of the evidence.

Wow, I agree with what you've said -- came here to say exactly these two things. 

Loved the scruffy little just-doin'-my-job dog. 

[shapeshifter]

So are Milt and Holly the equivalent of David and Bathsheba, with Russ in the unfortunate role of Uriah?

[jelaine]

 

So are Milt and Holly the equivalent of David and Bathsheba, with Russ in the unfortunate role of Uriah?

What makes you think that?  I haven't seen anything that would indicate Milt's interested in Holly.  Which isn't to say I haven't missed something.

[CoderLady]

I'm surprised that with the intuitive leaps of detective work Holly has shown on some of the past cases that she wants to be a lawyer and not a detective, unless she's just being sensible about where the money and recognition lie. After all, she's spent enough time in the resource-poor Battle Creek PD to know it's a thankless job. It'll be interesting to see where her story goes.

[Fable]

I don't think anything is going on with Milt and Holly.  Each time Russ was suspicious about something being up with Holly, Milt was there, so it's not likely she is sneaking around with Milt. 

 

I love that Milt was lying to Russ about his 911 story, and I loved that Russ loved that he caught the lie. 

Edited March 23, 2015 by Fable

[dubbel zout]

I don't love Milt using 9/11 in a fake story. That seems beneath him (using 9/11, not making up a story).

[MakeMeLaugh]

There will probably be some double secret undercover noble reason Milt actually was with the FBI on 9/11 but that his records don't reflect it. It will come out after Russ confronts him about his story not checking out.

[Fable]

There will probably be some double secret undercover noble reason Milt actually was with the FBI on 9/11 but that his records don't reflect it. It will come out after Russ confronts him about his story not checking out.

 

You're probably right, but I hope not.  I found it hilarious that Milt decided to play the game back with Russ.  Russ was right, it did make him seem far more interesting. 

[thuganomics85]

Knew Michael Gladis had to be involved somehow.  Can't ever fully trust Paul Kinsey!

 

Still like the cast, but it's so weird how little some of them are being used.  Obviously, Russ and Milt are the big guys, but with the exception of Holly and the Commander somewhat, everyone else is just background, which normally goes with the territory on these shows, but it's just weird seeing talented folks like Liza Lapira, Damon Herriman, and Kal Penn barely getting to do anything (although, to be fair, at least Kal and Liza had more to do in past episodes.)

 

I still ain't seeing any kind of love triangle.  Milt barely seems to acknowledge Holly, and Holly still seems like she acknowledges his attractiveness, but is more interesting in Russ.  Instead, it sounds like they're going for the whole "Russ doesn't want to get involved with a co-worker" thing.  Of course, if she does go to law school, it's possible she might not even stay in Battle Creek.

[Pike Ludwell]

I don't love Milt using 9/11 in a fake story. That seems beneath him (using 9/11, not making up a story).

 

Too soon? I didn't think so. It seemed fine to me at this point.

Edited March 24, 2015 by riverclown

[shapeshifter]

So are Milt and Holly the equivalent of David and Bathsheba, with Russ in the unfortunate role of Uriah?

What makes you think that?  I haven't seen anything that would indicate Milt's interested in Holly.  Which isn't to say I haven't missed something.

If nothing else, it seemed to me that Russ saw it that way.

I don't love Milt using 9/11 in a fake story. That seems beneath him (using 9/11, not making up a story).

Too soon? I didn't think so. It seemed fine to me at this point.

I would think it would always be too soon for someone who projects the public persona that Milt does.

If the Show aims to have the viewers see personalities through the eyes of the characters, it's working on me.

[DeLurker]

I hope Cookie shows up again.

[gibasi]

thuganomics85:

 

Still like the cast, but it's so weird how little some of them are being used.  Obviously, Russ and Milt are the big guys, but with the exception of Holly and the Commander somewhat, everyone else is just background, which normally goes with the territory on these shows, but it's just weird seeing talented folks like Liza Lapira, Damon Herriman, and Kal Penn barely getting to do anything (although, to be fair, at least Kal and Liza had more to do in past episodes.)

I absolutely agree.  I find myself wanting more of them, especially Kal Penn.  Even Janet McTeer is underused.  One or two lines a show is not enough.  And I love Cookie too!

 

I do like this show but don't see it being around very long.  I like the cast and I like the Battle Creek setting and so far I've liked the stories.

[roomtorome]

I think I'd like another Cagney and Lacey - not that crap Rizzoli and whomever; but a good show with two women leads - preferably private detectives not police.  

 

We used to have such great detective shows, now they are all in the police - bleah.   I get so tired of men with their competitive crap going on - so predictable and uncreative.  

[Yeldarbe]

Glad Milt pointed out that the two mugs could just mean that she didn't clean the first one because as I watched I noticed I had done the same thing with my coffee. grabbed a new mug and left the dirty one from earlier. Hey, I'm lazy.

I wish Milt would just answer Russ (Even if it's with a stfu it's not ya biz!) Instead of ignoring him!

Oh a dog bet. I bet that both dogs will help in an important way.

Orrrr not.

Russ opens up! Aww. Didn't think it would be so easy.

I feel bad for the sister. I have a close friend who is an addict and I related to everything the sister was saying. (I'm also a bookkeeper!)

Okay Holly acting weird. And why does Russ care so much?

Russ is good at guilt trips But does he really expect milt to just start gushing After one fake story? Ha.

I think the fact that the victim gave a nickname to everyone will be significant somehow.

Since they all ended up there, Old guy is probably dead...Boom!

my guess at this point is the son got pissed because he thought the waitress caused his father's heart attack (or maybe blamed the diner's greasy food) and took out the waitress..or Because he found out that she is actually the daughter of the old dead guy because he slept with her mom the prostitute 30 years ago. Just a wild guess! (I type as I watch)

Milt reminds me so much of a former boss of mine.

New suspect the accountant! I don't think he did it.

Natural causes....which I still say we're brought on by the waitress being his daughter. I don't think they were sleeping together. I think he was just helping her out financially. I feel like this was the plot of another show I watch but I can't remember which one.

Milt seems way too young to have been a cop on 9/11 but I liked his little speech there. Even though I think he is lying.

I was right!

Despite the predictability I liked it.

[DeLurker]

 

Okay Holly acting weird. And why does Russ care so much?

Russ is crushing on Holly. 

 

I can't help but think of Russ as Det. Mayhem.

[dubbel zout]

Dean Winters was on Aisha Tyler's Girl on Guy podcast recently. He talks a bit about Battle Creek and how being one of the stars is a change for him. He only alludes to his health issues; Tyler says he asked not to talk about it directly. He repeats some stories that are in the AV Club interview posted above.

Edited March 27, 2015 by dubbel zout

[TrininisaScorp]

Dean Winters will always be my boy Ryan O'Reily from Oz.  If you haven't seen it, you just have to treat yourself.  Dean plays Ryan, who is this Iago-like creature...villainous, charming, smart and rarely has to lift a finger of his own to make heads roll.  It's twisted, but I adore him.

[Trini]

So I'm not the only one who forgot to watch?

[Irlandesa]

Oddly enough, it was the first time I was able to watch it "live" as opposed to On Demand or on my DVR. 

 

It was a good episode.  It seemed like Kal Penn and Janet McTeer (especially McTeer) had more to do in this episode. 

 

Dammit, I hate when I like low rated shows.  This show would have been so good in the heyday of "Characters welcome" at USA Network.

[Lizzing]

Is CBS trying to kill this show?  I pretty much like it, but 2 weeks with missing the end is pissing me off.  I'm gonna have to wait until it comes on On Demand so I can see the resolution.  I get that March Madness is a "thing" but take that "thing" to one of the bazillion sports channels filling up my cable line up.

 

Though ITA with Irlandesa.  This show should be on USA.  The Commander is a Chief Vick with a harder exterior and more exciting personal life.

[kirinan]

Luckily the last two weeks I've remembered to also record the show that runs from 11 p.m. to midnight on my local station, so I don't miss anything. I guess I'll continue to do that for as long as this show may last (I am a notorious show killer--I'm pretty sure Firefly's cancellation was all on me--so I'm fully expecting bad news). I enjoyed last night's episode; it was interesting to see more about Guziewicz's character, and I loved Kal Penn's reaction to finding out she had 17 boyfriends. I, too, am glad he's getting more airtime. The ensemble is starting to gel, and I like every single one of them. 

 

I'm starting to get PO'd at Russ, though--just ask Holly out already! 

 

ETA: Corrected for typo because Guziewicz wouldn't have had time to be a cop with 37 boyfriends. Thanks for pointing that out, Irlandesa.

Edited March 30, 2015 by kirinan

[Irlandesa]

I thought it was 17 boyfriends in the past few years. 

 

As for the overruns, basketball is over.  But it may be a good idea to pad recordings because then it'll end up being something like golf.  CBS always has this issue.  First with football and now with other sports.

[Bubbetv]

These characters are pulling me in, and we'll see for how long- this not telling Holly thing is aggravating!

So my dvr cut off just as they were taking commander's son from his apartment. What happened after that?

[kassygreene]

CBS tends to put its shows online on cbs.com a couple of minutes after the West Coast broadcast completes.  I didn't check this one because *yawn* pruning overgrown shrubs + a slow motion fall over books left in the hallway made me take an uncharacteristically early night.  Anyway, for a 10 pm Eastern broadcast, look on cbs.com at 2:01 am Eastern - or look the next day (unless you are geo-locked).

 

I pretty much don't watch anything live any more, apart from breaking news.

[thuganomics85]

I thought it was probably the best episode, since Guziewicz/Janet McTeer got some focus on it, I actually didn't predict the arsonist since everyone was a good suspect (although, I did think something was kind of "off" about the neighbor), all the supporting cast had their moments, and I thought they had both Russ and Milt play big parts in solving the case(s).  I didn't even mind Milt getting all the love from dragging the guy out of the house, because I at least knew Russ put out the fire, and I'm sure Milt gave him credit for it.

 

I do think I'm getting annoyed with Russ/Holly, because it's just so stupid.  The only thing stopping it is Russ, unless there is some rule I'm unaware of that would forbid them from dating.  But I would think her not actually being a detective means it should be on the up and up, although I guess they'll have to do the normal paperwork, when co-workers start dating.  But as long as Russ keeps avoiding it, the more it won't happen, and the more annoying it will get.  And he's even wasting co-workers' time, like asking Erin/Lisa Laperia to look into the whole flower stuff.  Dude needs to either step up, or give up.

 

I don't see the ratings ever getting better in this time-slot.  It had to compete against the final thirty minutes of The Walking Dead finale yesterday, and it will be head-to-head against Mad Men going forward.  Plus, I think CBS might have shot themselves in the foot by constantly bringing up Vince Gilliagan's name in all of the promos, because I'm sure some viewers were hoping for a Breaking Bad-type show, and that (understandably), isn't what this show is. 

[MakeMeLaugh]

Guziewicz is like Allison Janney and Jane Lynch thrown into a blender. In a good way.

I so like Dean Winter and Josh Duhamel that I want the focus on them, both alone and interacting with each other. The supporting cast for me can be that, not an ensemble, good as they are. One day they can grow up and get their own shows.

I am not feeling it for a Russ and Holly romance. Move along, show.

[shapeshifter]

...I am a notorious show killer--I'm pretty sure Firefly's cancellation was all on me...

A-ha! So you're the one!

I like this show, but I'm not sure yet if it's because it's new or because I just really like it.

The view of the back of Russ with his head in hand at the end while Holly went out with the rose guy was too sad for me.

I do like the gradual development of the Russ and Milt dynamic.

And I liked the way Russ handled interrogating the foster son.

[Calamity Jane]

I liked this episode the best so far. Any chance it could go to USA? That does seem like a better home for it. And Kirinan, I also seem to put the seal of doom on shows.

[Irlandesa]

I loved Dean on SVU as well.  In fact, I quit the show for years after his character left.  I didn't know it was because of Oz.  I didn't care.  I wanted Cassidy.  But my favorite Dean Winters character has to be Dennis Duffy "The Beeper King" from 30 Rock.  "Hey dummy."  He was just too darn funny. 

 

I remember Aubrey from Guiding Light where she was Matt Bomer's love interest. 

[DeLurker]

Patton Oswalt! Yippee!

[Irlandesa]

With its ratings, it's very unlikely USA would pick it up.  Besides, USA's brand has changed quite a bit recently.  I don't even think it knows what it wants to be.  The wonderful "characters welcome" has been abandoned.

[DeLurker]

I really like this show, but it probably won't make it and that makes me sad.

 

I haven't seen Dean Winters in much, mostly the Allstate commercials, but damn!  I'm liking him a LOT.  There was a scene early in this ep when he is talking to Milt in Milt's office and you can see the emotion in his eyes (he was frustrated and a bit angry that Milt was effectively dodging more of his personal questions). 

 

And my life long affinity for tall, slender pretty boys dictates that I should find Josh Duhamel the more attractive one, but somehow that is all being eclipsed by DW.  It's a very confusing time for me.

[CoderLady]

With its ratings, it's very unlikely USA would pick it up.  Besides, USA's brand has changed quite a bit recently.  I don't even think it knows what it wants to be.  The wonderful "characters welcome" has been abandoned.

 

True, and so sad. There still is a market for light, character-driven dramas like this and Chaos on CBS a few seasons ago but no home for them any longer.

[FormerMod-a1]

I am not feeling it for a Russ and Holly romance. Move along, show.

Neither am I, but it's not because of Russ or Holly.  It's because of everyone else never letting it go, constantly bringing it, egging him on about flowers and who sent them, lying to him about it, etc.  They all need to take a clue and SHUT UP already.  If I had friends like that I'd never tell them anything.

[dubbel zout]

There's a lot of forcing to the Walt/Holly relationship, but Walt is bringing a lot of it on himself by having colleagues check out who sent her flowers. Shit or get off the pot, dude. So boring.

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't think he would have done that if they all hadn't insisted it was him.

[Trini]

So less backstory, more case this week. But I thought there was maybe one too many twists. The B-plot with the wedding venue was funny.

[zxy556575]

I'm really enjoying this show -- leads, supporting characters, plots, the whole bit. Sorry to hear it's not doing well in the ratings.

 

The partnership between Milt and Russ reminds me of Almost Human, in a good way. That was another show I actually looked forward to watching, but alas. My tastes are apparently not aligned with the multitudes.

[DeLurker]

The A-plot was trying to be a bit too clever, but if you make Patton Oswalt part of the equation, it will work for me.

 

I thought they did a good job of mixing the supporting cast members in better with the wedding plot.  I welcomed the relief from the Mayhem Lurves Holly theme.

 

Russ and Milt are evolving into a smoother relationship - still a bit contrary, but not as abrasively so as in the earlier eps.

 

I call bs on how long it took Russ and Milt to catch up with the Mayor's brother (or Hey!  Its that guy!).  Mayor's brother can't be more than 5' 8" tops nor was he particularly athletic in his stride.  Dean Winter has to be 6' 1" ish and Josh Duhamel is close to 6' 4".   I was wondering if the whole point of that chase scene was to show Russ killing himself to out run Milt.  They did show where Russ pulled even with him and maybe a bit ahead, but there was no shot of his self-satisfication at doing it so no payoff.  I think the next scene was going to the roof top and I think Milt came around first.

[gibasi]

I really enjoy this show.  No one else watched House?  The reunion of Kal Penn and Mayor's brother?  Sorry I don't remember his name.  I was hoping to see them share a scene.

[zxy556575]

I really enjoy this show.  No one else watched House?  The reunion of Kal Penn and Mayor's brother?  Sorry I don't remember his name.  I was hoping to see them share a scene.

 

Ah, the cheating Dr. Taub! I recognized him from House but forgot that Kal Penn had been on, too.

 

I have a general fondness for Patton Oswalt, so this was a fun ep for me.

[thuganomics85]

Patton Oswalt was fun as the mayor.  I wonder if him being into drugs but still maintaining support from some voters, was them having a bit of fun with that real life Toronto mayor, Rob Ford.  Also enjoyed seeing Peter Jacobson again, but I knew it meant he was going to be the criminal, since he wouldn't be casted, just to back Patton for the entire thing.  Still, I wonder if we'll see either one of those characters again (well... with the ratings the way they are, we'll be lucky to finish the season.)

 

The B-plot involving the wedding venue had some decent laughs, and I was glad to see Holly interact someone other then Russ.  She's actually a cool character, when she isn't just the objection of his desire.  Plus, I'm all for seeing Aubrey Dollar in yoga outfits.

 

Russ with those poster boards predicting what all the forensics was going to say, amused me more then probably should have.

[shapeshifter]

I really enjoy this show.  No one else watched House?  The reunion of Kal Penn and Mayor's brother?  Sorry I don't remember his name.  I was hoping to see them share a scene.

Speaking of House-like doctors, I was most amused by the ER doctor being even more arrogant than either Josh or Dean's characters.

[SomeTameGazelle]

Speaking of House-like doctors, I was most amused by the ER doctor being even more arrogant than either Josh or Dean's characters.

 

Russ revealing his predictions on posterboard reminded me forcibly of House as well.

 

Before the show started airing I saw at least one news item about the Ford-like mayor character, so the parallels were definitely intentional, down to the drug-dealing associate and right-hand brother, but by no means exact.

[zxy556575]

We may see the Mayor again at some point since his office is upstairs. I guess the morgue is also in the same building, allowing the ME former-girlfriend-of-Denny-Crane to breeze in and out.

[kirinan]

I just got to watch this last night. I knew the second I saw the mayor's brother that he'd be the assassin, because I don't think I've ever seen Peter Jacobson play anything but. In fact, I just saw him in a rerun of Law & Order SVU two weeks ago, as a notorious pimp/murder, with--of all people--Dean Winters as his supposed right-hand man, Cassidy (who was, of course, an undercover cop, since he was returning as his character from the first season of SVU). I think Winters and Jacobson play well off each other, but then I pretty much like Winters with anyone. Patton Oswalt was a riot as the mayor.

 

I really fear for this show, because I'm starting to love it too much. Keeping my fingers crossed and whatever else I have to do that it somehow slips in to renewal under the radar.  

Edited April 8, 2015 by kirinan

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Count me among those that really like this show and want to see it continue.  I know its another police procedure but it feels lighter to me than others; more comedy than drama.  I just think its fun.  I smile every time during the previously's - I love the way DW delivers two of the lines - "You're just really good looking, man." and "Have you met people?"

 

In real life I am appalled at the Toronto Mayor but I did enjoy Patton Oswald as Battle Creek's mayor.  I don't know if I would have enjoyed the character quite as much if he had been played by another actor.  PO just seemed to be having a great time.

[zxy556575]

Well, shoot. I enjoyed the episode and Candice Bergen but there were no previews for next week and nothing is scheduled. I hope CBS at least sees fit to air however many shows remain. I would like to find out Milt's damned secrets.

[shapeshifter]

Well, shoot. I enjoyed the episode and Candice Bergen but there were no previews for next week and nothing is scheduled. I hope CBS at least sees fit to air however many shows remain. I would like to find out Milt's damned secrets.

Never fear, lordonia, dear; CBS is showing the Country Music Awards next week and preempting all of their Sunday shows. Battle Creek returns the following Sunday. See en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Creek_(TV_series)#Episodes

So Holly and Russ are back on track. Good.

This episode was tightly written. Even if Vince Gilligan didn't write it, I like to think he found a writer who embodies the same style to write it.