Nightwatch - General Discussion

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I normally like Arkady but she called the paintball victim "baby" about 25 times and I got annoyed.

Holly does that a lot, too.  Keely does it, too, but Holly and Arkady are really big on the "baby" thing.

[Bastet]

I loved Keely and the dog.  I'm glad the victim's sister was able to come get Molly (and, for all my criticism of them, that NOPD apparently sat there until she could) and care for her until she could be reunited with her owner.

We didn't get an update on the woman who was shot (grazed) after attempting to fight off a purse snatcher, but I liked the way it was handled in VO.  Keely said it was easy to Monday morning quarterback and say, of course, you just give up the property, but, really, you don't know what you'd do in that situation.  And I loved Keely saying there is a lot of random, senseless violence in New Orleans, but that's not what defines the city - citing as evidence the number of people who spilled out of their apartments to help the victim when they heard the shots. 

Between the Wal-Mart worker last week who walked to work in the wee hours and the cook this week who biked to work, I like the respect the EMS crew is showing for the working class victims they encounter.  Not surprising, certainly, but still heartening. 

It always freaks me out how many loose animals we see on the roads when police are in pursuit, EMS is heading to a scene, etc. 

I've visited New Orleans several times, as it has always been one of my favorite vacation destinations in the US.  I find it more racist than the participants' interviews would suggest, but I do love their spirit -- if you don't accept people based on their race, sexual orientation, etc., we do not accept you here -- and enjoyed the selfie of Dan and Titus with Keely as she participated in the Pride march. 

[BooksRule]

This exchange between Dan and Titus regarding Dan's comment about Spanx being good to wear for workouts was funny:

Titus:  'I prefer to surround myself with men who don't wear Spanx.'

Dan:  'Man, I don't wear Spanx.  Now you've got me self-conscious.'

 

I loved seeing Keely at the Pride parade.  I think she's my favorite.

[Drogo]

Discuss Season 3 here!

[Bastet]

Dan is so my TV boyfriend (and we have the same tool chest -- although I only have a floor jack to raise my car, but then again he is a certified auto tech and has his own shop, while I just work on my own car in my garage), and I love his partnership with Titus.  Were they among the duos paired up just for this show?  It seems like they've been partnered for years, but I remember one for-the-show pairing surprised me, but I can't remember what it was, and now I'm wondering if it was them.  The only other one that would surprise me is Nick and Holly, as they also suggest people who've rolled together for a while.  But I have a niggling thought it was Dan and Titus.

"Titus did his Dr. Phil routine."  Hee.

Is this the first time they've mentioned Dan also works as a nurse?  He seems like an interesting guy; he has a BS in Biology, and then went back for a Nursing degree.  Then the auto shop, and he and his wife have a couple of Italian greyhounds as "children" (I told you, he's my TV boyfriend -- I've read up).

Did the bike (ridden by the guy who fled the known drug house) come back stolen, or did they just take him in on drug charges?  I am completely opposed to possession charges, so I hope it was the former.

Interesting theme tonight with friend-on-friend violence.  The "they are no longer friends" update on the woman stabbed by her friend of 17 years amused me in a grim way. 

[Whimsy]

I am watching "The Ties That Bind" and they were just called for the kids with the grease that fell off the stove and I am freaking out because that exact thing happened to me.  I have three big scars down my right arm because bacon grease fell on my arm and soaked into my flannel pajamas.  Luckily enough we lived directly across the street from the hospital so my mom scooped my up and ran me across the street to the emergency room.  Hearing that little kid scream "I'm gonna die" just hit me so hard.

[Happy Belly]

it was very sad about the two brothers who had the gun only to find out the one brother was shot and killed 5 days later. What a waste of a young life.

[BooksRule]

This week's episode with the police officer getting hurt and later dying was sad.  It was especially shocking when I realized that she was the officer that we saw near the beginning of the episode taking the statement of the guy who ran his truck into the tree.  It really showed how quickly things can change and how dangerous being a police officer (or being an EMS or working for the fire department) can be even when you are not chasing after someone who has a gun (if I understood correctly, she was taking a statement at an accident scene on the interstate and was hit by a drunk driver).  So sad. 

[MaggieG]

3 hours ago, BooksRule said:

This week's episode with the police officer getting hurt and later dying was sad.  It was especially shocking when I realized that she was the officer that we saw near the beginning of the episode taking the statement of the guy who ran his truck into the tree.  It really showed how quickly things can change and how dangerous being a police officer (or being an EMS or working for the fire department) can be even when you are not chasing after someone who has a gun (if I understood correctly, she was taking a statement at an accident scene on the interstate and was hit by a drunk driver).  So sad. 

It was very sad, I was crying right along with Bridges. He mentioned that she had a daughter, that broke my heart

[BookWitch]

I thought she was sitting in the cop car when the drunk driver hit the car. That really sucked. I looked up her name and the accident happened in June. So it's 6 mos. for the show to air. I wonder why that elderly woman waited 4 days for her broken hip. That had to have been painful.

[Bastet]

Titus' mother raised him right.  He was perfect with the domestic violence victim -- assuring her she wasn't at fault, had nothing to be ashamed of, etc. and encouraging her to leave her abuser because she deserves better, but without a whiff of judgmental "Why the hell do you put up with this shit?" crap.  Even those of us educated, trained, and experienced with the complex psychological, financial, and societal system that is domestic violence can sometimes have trouble wrapping our minds around how long it can take someone to leave her abuser for good (many will be shocked to know a victim, on average, leaves and returns seven times before permanently breaking free [or, tragically, being killed]).  But you keep that frustration to yourself, and he did it beautifully. 

[aamankwah]

Great episode again. I really felt horribly for that woman and I knew she was pregnant as soon as she said he kicked me in my stomach. I hope she leaves and never comes back. Not only for her sake and safety but for that baby's.

[BooksRule]

I had to laugh when Holly said that Nick was hitting the brakes on purpose so that the baby would be born in the ambulance.  

Speaking of babies, Titus' little boy (Tanner?) is just the cutest thing ever!  

[auntjess]

Glad that Arkady is still here; hadn't seen her much before.

And only in New Orleans---one of the calls over dispatch was "Piety and Desire."

[Bastet]

I can't believe how high that woman with the respiratory infection's temperature was: nearly 105 when Holly first took it, and then over 105 the second time.  Yikes!  It was good to see a little glimpse of the "go somewhere else; we have no beds available" problem they encounter.  I also liked Holly, when they were told the call was for "flu-like symptoms," saying that, after having had the flu, she can see how someone would think they were dying.  I really liked her and Nick's impression of when you first feel better. 

I loved Dan with the former Playboy Bunny's dogs, since he has dogs of his own who are his "children."  (And I especially loved that she was so adamant about getting them out of the house and then making sure they were kept safe while she was gone.)  I'm surprised neither he nor Titus understood the line about "Playmates are the ones with a staple in their stomach" without having it explained.  But I like the laugh they each got when it was spelled out.

[silversage]

I was wondering why they didn't open the trunk of the car that was in the water. I kept thinking maybe someone was put in there and rolled over the bank to the water.

[BooksRule]

Quote

I also liked Holly, when they were told the call was for "flu-like symptoms," saying that, after having had the flu, she can see how someone would think they were dying.  I really liked her and Nick's impression of when you first feel better. 

I definitely agree.  I think I've had the flu once in my life (and once was enough).  When people say 'oh, I was sick yesterday.  I had the flu.'   I want to say, 'No you didn't have the flu or you wouldn't be back at work today.  You had a little bug or something.  Not the flu.'  

I laughed when Dan asked the woman if she had ever met Hef and she said, 'Yes.  I didn't like him.'  

Edited January 14, 2017 by BooksRule

[auntjess]

20 hours ago, silversage said:

I was wondering why they didn't open the trunk of the car that was in the water.

I thought it looked like a hatchback.  I wondered about someone under it.

[Bastet]

I think they mentioned looking underneath it.  When the boss radioed in that they were calling it off, he only mentioned checking twenty feet in front and twenty feet behind, but earlier he'd gone into more detail about the search and I'm pretty sure underneath was mentioned then.

I think it was just the usual unreliable eyewitness testimony -- the driver did get out, but they didn't see her/him.

[rhys]

Am I the only one who watched last night's show? It was on at 9:00pm central.

[BookWitch]

I try to never miss it. The hooker with her head split open was horrifying. I hope they  arrested the guy. Then the O.D. guys and the EMT was saying there was "bad" heroin going around. Is there "good" heroin? 

[Bastet]

I generally watch the late airing at 11:00, and last night I fell asleep somewhere in the middle, I think. 

That was a crazy head wound, and she said it came from having her head smashed into the ground?  It looked like someone took a hatchet to her.  I cannot imagine the force with which she hit the ground.  Because some asshole john can't part with $20?  My heart broke for that woman.

[BooksRule]

That head wound was very scary.  I felt sorry for her too, especially when she said 'I'm so sorry' to the EMS woman (I've forgotten her name).  She had nothing to be sorry for.  

I did laugh at the purse snatcher who ran from the cops and was then caught just hanging out eating his chicken nuggets.  'Can I have my food back?'  'You made me drop my f***ing co'cola!'.  And then his pants fell down.  

[MaggieG]

17 hours ago, BooksRule said:

That head wound was very scary.  I felt sorry for her too, especially when she said 'I'm so sorry' to the EMS woman (I've forgotten her name).  She had nothing to be sorry for.  

I did laugh at the purse snatcher who ran from the cops and was then caught just hanging out eating his chicken nuggets.  'Can I have my food back?'  'You made me drop my f***ing co'cola!'.  And then his pants fell down.  

Her name is Arkady and I thought she was very sweet and comforting to that poor woman. Chicken nugget guy cracked me up! Also, that woman who claimed her boyfriend wasn't letting her go and that they did a ritual where she died and came back to life? That was weird.

[BooksRule]

Quote

Her name is Arkady and I thought she was very sweet and comforting to that poor woman.

Thanks!  I couldn't remember if it was Arkady.    

[Bastet]

The EMS guy with the vocal fry (Landon?  The guy who rolls with Brooke) has a voice that bugs me, but the way he reacted to the suicidal patient tonight really touched me.  That poor guy, mourning the loss of his mom (and haunted by the fact he dropped her casket; I've been a pallbearer, and those things are heavy!), hearing his dad is terminal, trying to take care of a teenage brother who's just running away from everything.  I hope he gets the help he needs.

[BooksRule]

I agree.  The suicidal guy was really sad.  The combative drunk guy was scary.  He could have really hurt someone if they hadn't gotten the restraints on him.

I've got to be able to work this into a conversation somewhere:  'Honey, I am like a osprey.  I leave no trace.' 

[auntjess]

On ‎1‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 11:11 AM, BookWitch said:

Then the O.D. guys and the EMT was saying there was "bad" heroin going around. Is there "good" heroin? 

I think it's heroin mixed or adulterated with something that can be lethal.

[Bastet]

So was this the swan song for the New Orleans crew, and Tampa is replacing them?  It certainly felt like it, and the wording of most of the promos suggested it, but then there was one promo that made it sound like Tampa was an addition rather than a replacement.

At any rate, despite how "only done for the show" it was, I enjoyed seeing the EMS crew off duty, enjoying each other.

I wish the show would ditch the cops, and just focus on EMS with occasional appearances by Fire. 

[rhys]

I'm not *at all* interested in Tampa. I love NO & will miss my EMT boyfriend Dan. Grrr

[sunsheyen]

From what I've read, New Orleans will no longer be on tv. I will definitely miss Dan, Titus, Holly, Nick, "Gotta get airtime" Chief Bouvier, and "watch the girls twerk/I can do it all" Keely. 

Not so much Arkady, retired boring guy, and awkward duo (gay guy [Dustin?] and dull chick. 

[Mrs Shibbles]

That's too bad, we've really enjoyed the New Orleans Nightwatch, especially the EMT's.  I lived in Tampa for over 10 years, so I am interested in the Tampa crew, and seeing if I recognize any places on the show.

 

I DID learn something new from this last episode.  You can let someone with a concussion go to sleep.  I'll never look at The Injury episode the same again.

 

[PJ123]

I am soooooo sad to hear the NO crew is going away.  I liked them all.  At least they closed with the EMT's off the clock having some fun.  Guess we will see what Tampa has to offer.

Dont supposed any of them have FB or Twitter accounts?  Would like to see what is going on with them from time to time.

[auntjess]

They're still showing NO shows, and several of them are on FB.
 

[MaggieG]

I will definitely miss the NO crew, especially Titus and Dan. I am kind of excited about Tampa though, I used to live there so it'll be nice to watch and see if I recognize any places they go.

[PJ123]

So any thoughts on Tampa? Premiere episode last night.  Interesting EMT is with the Fire Dept on this one.

[Bastet]

I recorded it, but didn't have a chance to watch it last night.  The NOPD Propaganda Hour that preceded it, I could have done without.  It’s a shame, because they could have easily told the tale of good cops and community policing by simply being honest – police oppression and brutality is a systemic problem, not a series of isolated incidents, and black people are completely logical in being afraid of the police unless they have evidence to the contrary – but opted instead to blather about the media, downplay the longstanding and ongoing history of police misconduct in New Orleans and instead act as if NOPD is being blamed for things done by other departments, and showcase a bunch of, “Oh, I started out angry, but now I’ve seen the light and love the police” folks.  All that footage of proper and positive police interaction with the community in general and suspects in particular would have been nice to watch had reality been more acknowledged in the talking head interviews.  The dangers and uncertainties police face are real, and by all means they should talk about that, but so are those faced by the black community, and they need to be honest about that.  This bullshit false equivalency (given the power differential) of "how you feel being judged by the police because you're black is how I feel being judged by you because of my uniform" is not getting us there.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Bastet

[Bastet]

I decided to watch the first Tampa episode while eating lunch.

Too much time with the cops, or maybe it just seemed like more than the New Orleans shows.

“Unfortunately, in Florida, we’re not too hard on juveniles.”  Oh, really?  Tell that to the kids abused in your private youth prison system.  Or those direct filed into the adult criminal court system.

That cop (Robb, I think) can miss me, and maybe his partner, too – they both seem like the type who resent the checks on their police power -- but I like Roni so far.

Oh my god, that woman who fell through the window and cut the ever-loving shit out of her arms and leg!  A friend of mine when I was a kid went through her sliding door, and she was stitched up like a rag doll (plus a bunch of internal sutures) and on crutches for a while as the muscle healed.  It was horrible.  But she was preternaturally calm when it happened, just like the victim in the show.

That hypoglycemic seizure was intense!

I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this before, but I like the little glimpses we see of what they have to do to clean/sanitize the ambulance after a call.

The firefighter/paramedic cross-training they have in Tampa is the type of system my friend’s brother works in (in CA).  He was a firefighter for years, and then studied/trained as a paramedic so he could get a job in such a system; his vast fire experience let him come in at a much higher level than he otherwise would have started at.  Where I live, all firefighters are trained as EMTs (and some are paramedics), but as far as I know not all EMTs/paramedics are also trained as firefighters.

What is with the font used on Fire Rescue's t-shirts?  It looks like that used by a strip mall Chinese food restaurant.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Bastet

[Bastet]

Another police-heavy episode from Tampa.  And, good lord, this show thus far portrays the people of Tampa as total assholes.  This feels like deliberately-edited propaganda to counteract public opinion about police.  Not to say, of course, that police are always in the wrong or that they don't encounter belligerent (without cause) people, but they sure seem to be cherry picking such scenarios.  And, while I'm grumbling, what's with all the Jesus messages -- the pan to the billboard, and then choosing to highlight the suicidal patient's endorsement of church?  So far, I'm not feeling the Tampa version of the show.

I enjoyed the dog rescue by Fire Rescue, though. 

I really enjoyed the round table discussion with Holly, Nick, Dan, and Titus.  It was labeled part one of two, so I hope we do indeed get more next week.  If I didn't like Nick already, I surely would have upon finding out he a) adopts pit bulls, and b) once drove a Sprint unit to a vet's office to help a dog.

[Bastet]

I enjoyed part two of the roundtable even more than the first.  It was interesting to hear that for the crazy amount of gun violence they have in New Orleans, they don't have a lot of gangs.  It was also nice to hear them talk about how important it is for them to have a full range of equipment, and the ability to practice medicine in the field rather than just being a ride to the hospital.  Also some nice, honest talk about all the cardiac patients they have, and how that relates to the local diet (fried everything, and salt for days).  And Dan having been a firefighter was a great way for them to naturally integrate the fire sequences (and Dan is pretty much bordering on Most Interesting Man in the World territory at this point).  And what wonderful follow-up on that man who got up in the wee hours of the morning to walk to work at Wal-Mart because he had no personal transportation and public transport didn't start running early enough -- people donated bikes, helmets, and even cars.  People walked into the Wal-Mart at which he worked, bought a bike and helmet, and said, "Leave this here for the guy on Nightwatch."  Like Holly, I find my faith in humanity restored by that (and it's in short supply these days).

The Tampa producers are sure in love with their footage from the helicopter, aren't they?  I suppose that means the episodes will continue to be so police heavy, blech.  The set-up for the carjacking search was pretty awkwardly staged exposition.  The "we found the special needs missing person" set-up footage felt equally recreated (not the actual interaction with the missing person, the "this is the call, oh, look - do you see someone in that lot?" lead-in).  I know they always do that, create exposition for the footage they caught in real time, but it's not as subtly done on this Tampa series so far.

I continue to enjoy Roni and her partner, though.  Can you imagine the shit she must have taken in the Academy (and probably still takes) given her size?  That's she's a woman, and black, would already set her up, and add in the fact she's tiny?  She must have had to work five times as hard just to be taken seriously. 

I was a fan of the Fire Rescue guy who objected to the use of Velveeta instead of real cheese, right up until he preached to a patient.  I hope there was something in their previous interaction that we didn't see that let him know she shared his beliefs, so that it wasn't hideously inappropriate.

That was an intense call with the patient whose left lung was so compressed.  I'm impressed he only spent two weeks in hospital.  The motorcycle accident -- "you can buff it out" -- cracked me up.

I still can't get over the font used for the Fire Rescue t-shirts and such; it looks like the title card from a Charlie Chan movie.

[NJRadioGuy]

I'm with others here re the Tampa episodes. Definitely not feelin' it this season, and I think if they'd started the series off here it would never have gotten a second season. There are a zillion cop shows already, why not use Nightwatch to focus exclusively on the EMT/FD side of things. I'd much rather see stories of first responders helping people in their hour of need rather than busting someone for stealing a car or an iPhone. I enjoy First 48 for serious police investigations but I honestly don't need another "Cops" like show. Chopper footage is interesting, though, and seeing how it integrates into their patrol practices. That's something we don't do up north to any large degree.

As for all the goddy-bits, I have friends near Tampa-St. Pete, and yeah, it's everywhere. Nobody in my family is religious in the slightest and I'd be pissed off if I were literally being preached at by an EMT.

Edited February 26, 2017 by NJRadioGuy

[Bastet]

“We have the bad guy on camera”?  Not the suspect?  The subject?  The bad guy?

I think next week I’m going to record the show, so I can fast-forward through the cops and just watch Fire Rescue and see if I like it more.  Because I’ve tried for weeks now, but I just can’t hang with this.  I don’t much like the cops, other than Roni (and in the case of the Robb/Bethany duo, I really kind of hate them).  And there’s too much of the cops (probably because the producers are in love with the aerial footage) and not enough of the others; I don’t enjoy seeing people get arrested, I enjoy seeing people get helped.  I find the editing suspect.  I just don’t dig this show, period.

I’ve only spent a day in Tampa, while I’ve been to New Orleans a few times for a combined total of nearly a month, so I figured that disparity was a significant factor in why I view the people of New Orleans more fondly than the people of Tampa, but this show isn’t doing anything to make me want to give Tampa more time.  In fact, at times, it feels like a deliberate attempt to make the people of Tampa – other than the police/fire rescue folks featured – look bad.

I loved the paramedic dealing with the meth addict, congratulating her on quitting for herself, too, rather than just for her kids.  They also did well with the cardiac patient who refused to go to the hospital – being frustrated, but also compassionate.  (And dude was correct that he was fine; the EKG was normal, and then it turned out the defibrillator was misfiring.)

Happy to have an extended commentary of an old New Orleans episode on now; that will undoubtedly be more interesting to me than the new Tampa episode.

[MichelleAK]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

“We have the bad guy on camera”?  Not the suspect?  The subject?  The bad guy?

I think next week I’m going to record the show, so I can fast-forward through the cops and just watch Fire Rescue and see if I like it more.  Because I’ve tried for weeks now, but I just can’t hang with this.  I don’t much like the cops, other than Roni (and in the case of the Robb/Bethany duo, I really kind of hate them).  And there’s too much of the cops (probably because the producers are in love with the aerial footage) and not enough of the others; I don’t enjoy seeing people get arrested, I enjoy seeing people get helped.  I find the editing suspect.  I just don’t dig this show, period.

 

I agree, I really don't like how cop heavy this version is. I do like what I've seen of the paramedics (although not as much as the NO crew), but if I want to watch a cop show, I prefer The First 48.

[TVbitch]

I am watching the first season thanks to you guys reviews. This show looks like it is modeled after a UK show called "999 What's Your Emergency." Which follows medical, fire and police from initial emergency call to final result. They even interview the people that were arrested or taken to hospital or that got injured afterwards. And it's nice to have the call center interactions too. There is a lot of humor, and the medical and police are such good blokes dealing with all the homeless and mentally ill (and drunk people). I've cried on several episodes at their kind empathy. Plus in the UK - no gross gun shot wounds! I really prefer the UK series, and it's definitely worth a watch if you liked the first season of this show. 

[Cotypubby]

I'm really not feeling the Tampa version at all. Tonight's episode was practically all cop stuff. There are like 50 other cop shows to watch, "Nightwatch" was cool because it followed paramedics. This change in the format is really detrimental to the show.

[BookWitch]

Yeah, I found this episode boring. If I wanted to watch cops chase  people, I'd watch cops. I want to see more paramedic stuff. 

[Bastet]

I gave up on this show.  I was going to record it two weeks ago, to see if I liked it more being able to fast-forward through the police segments, but I got caught up in something that night, and then it just fell off my Thursday night radar altogether.  A&E had been airing New Orleans episodes afterward, with chyrons of little tidbits about what we'd seen and a few minutes of bonus footage, so I'm missing that by having forgotten all about the show for two weeks, but I sure don't miss the Tampa episodes I didn't see.

[Phoenix]

I can't stand to watch or listen to Bethany and her partner.  Could she please wipe that incessant smile off her face...it's so unsuitable for the profession.  Everything is a joke to her.  When they came upon the shooting victim I was shocked she didn't smile over that as well....but then at the end of that scene, she did.  Ugh...

The New Orleans' series was far better.  Too much cop stuff this season.

[ncbelle]

I watched faithfully up until about 2 weeks ago. I just cannot get into the Tampa crew. I think I might like it better if they spent less time on the cops, and more with fire/paramedics. Some of the paramedics have grown on me a bit, but none of them really stand out like the folks in NO.

On 4/1/2017 at 4:34 PM, Phoenix said:

I can't stand to watch or listen to Bethany and her partner.  Could she please wipe that incessant smile off her face...it's so unsuitable for the profession.  Everything is a joke to her.  When they came upon the shooting victim I was shocked she didn't smile over that as well....but then at the end of that scene, she did.  Ugh...

The New Orleans' series was far better.  Too much cop stuff this season.

There's is something about those two that I find off-putting, and I'm not completely sure what it is that makes me feel that way. There's something about the way they ride around with Bethany slumped all down in the seat and what's-his-face always driving that reminds me of two teenagers out cruising around trying to look cool. I didn't watch this past week, and I'm not sure I'll tune back in anytime soon. For the most part, it seems people are just not feeling the Tampa episodes, and I'm not either.

Edited April 3, 2017 by ncbelle

[rhys]

Yeah, I'm with you.  I miss new Orleans and have no interest in Tampa. It's as tho tptb are trying to make Tampa interesting & trendy. That's not the case IMO.