S04.E14: The Lawn Chair

[betsyboo]

......Frankie from AMC should stay and join Pope and Associates and I am glad that someone basically got Olivia to think for a few moments. 

 

 

THAT'S who he was! thank you!

[Timetoread]

They took Ferguson, and warped it into the world's easiest morality play, in which the victim was a saint, and the police officer is the devil himself.

 

At first I was rolling my eyes that they even attempted to tackkle this on Scandal, but the guest stars hit it out of the park.  I can't get over how much talent is in the Vance-Bassett household!  Guest star Emmy for sure.

 

As to the above, I didn't see the cop as the devil himself.  Surprisingly I thought his ridiculous, self-incriminating monologue/diatribe was a very astute condensation of a portion of this problem.  He never said he hated black people.  He expressed disdain, anger, and condescention, but then added that he was STILL willing to come out everyday and both face the danger and aborb it on their behalf.  Racism is a big part of this problem but not the ONLY part.  In my own armchair analysis I think he used the correct word at the heart of it all - RESPECT.  The residents feel disrespected by the police and the police feel disrespected by the residents and the feelings become self-fulfilling actions.  You can't protect and serve that which you don't respect and you can't respect that which you fear.

 

All this to say, I was surprised at how meaningful the episode was.  Also to Fitz, I thought the trip to the White House was a nice touch.  That VERY attractive man who called out Liv and who I REALLY hope is the new love interest for her, took away the power Liv had in her connections.  I liked that the one thing she DID have the power to do was to put this man in front of the President, not as a celebrity moment, but as two people who understand the depth of the other's grief.  Well done.

[ChicksDigScars]

The thing is, it wasn't just the ending that was too neat. They took Ferguson, and warped it into the world's easiest morality play, in which the victim was a saint, and the police officer is the devil himself.

You know what would really make a statement? Showing that even if a kid is guilty of shoplifting, that doesn't mean he should be characterized as a thug. Or showing that even if a police officer is well-meaning, and is just trigger-happy in a moment of panic that happens to involve an African-American, that doesn't mean he should be off the hook.

But I guess that would get in the way of making the audience cry.

Thank you. Between this and watching American Crime (simply because I still harbor my 1980 Ordinary People crush on Timothy Hutton) and watching Felicity Huffman playing an annoying, racist harpie bitch, I came away from my usual TGIT night being fully Caucasian Shamed.

 

Racism is a big part of this problem but not the ONLY part.  In my own armchair analysis I think he used the correct word at the heart of it all - RESPECT.  The residents feel disrespected by the police and the police feel disrespected by the residents and the feelings become self-fulfilling actions.  You can't protect and serve that which you don't respect and you can't respect that which you fear.

 

Excellent point. 

Edited March 6, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[JenE4]

Regarding the criticisms that this episode wasn't "realistic" enough, if you're looking for realism, then you are watching the wrong show. When has anything "realistic" EVER happened on this show?! That being said, the EMOTIONS were the most realistic, wrought, deep than has ever been portrayed. And, I think the actions that some are calling unrealistic were purposefully portrayed as to what SHOULD happen in such a case. Should Ferguson have gotten so out of hand? Maybe according to Shonda, if Olivia Pope were there to help keep everyone on both sides calm, this is how it could have played out. And I thought it was brilliant how they WERE making a commentary on what would have happened in a similar scenario. Mr. Parker said there's only two ways this is going to end, with me in the morgue or in jail. Many lines he said made me cry, but I all out LOST IT when he realized his son was exonerated and put his wrists up for the handcuffs he knew would be coming, and Oliva said, No one is going to arrest you, Mr. Parker. Hell, I'm tearing up now just writing about it! If they played it out "as-seen-on-the-news" with rioting, etc., that wouldn't have been NEARLY as powerful. Is it an "ideal world" that the person leading the protester's side and the person leading the police's side are working together to keep everyone calm, cool, and collected--and that everyone listened to Olivia Pope? Well, yeah, The Fixer is back pulling off an incredible fix. Haven't seen you in fixer mode in a while, Liv; glad all your mad skills kicked back in just when you needed them most! But, as a bigger picture social commentary, isn't this what we all WANT to happen in such a scenario?! The police don't "have to" pull out the tear gas and the batons when people are looking for the truth and justice. People shouldn't "have to" riot just to be heard! The police don't "have to" cover up to protect their own. Is it a bit soap boxish that Scandal is showing us a world in which both sides want to seek truth and justice for each other. Maybe. But that's a world that we CAN live in, and I thank Scandal for showing us that.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Fitz is now the dumbest, most irresponsible and unfit TV President in recent TV history. He launches a pointless war to save his main squeeze, sacrificing US soldiers lives in the process.  He then wants his completely unqualified, basket case of a wife to somehow succeed him as President?  Apparently, the optics and feasibility of this grand plan are lost on this fool.  In order to accomplish this master political stroke, he now chooses a new, naive, thought disorganized, poiltically inexperienced senator with no common or street sense to be his new VP, one heartbeat forom the Oval Office.  All this so she won't outshine the magnificent Mellie and deny her the nomination that is so justly hers for the taking?  it's a miracle that Cyrus doesn't get Tom out of the prison he's buried in to apply another gentle needle tap to Fitz' neck.  Really Shonda, you've got to come up with far better writing that this insanely implausible crap, even if it is for fictional TV.

I'm no Fitz fan, but I would have to say that President Logan from 24 has "most unfit president" on lock.

 

I also think that Mellie is not necessarily unqualified (except in the moral sense, but if that's the measuring stick we're using, then pretty much no one on the show with the possible exceptions of David and Abby might fit the bill.) She's been a high-powered attorney, IIRC, and she's smart enough at playing the game that she could do the job well, or at least, better than Fitz, which might not be saying much. 

[Mozelle]

Ohhhh. Another point that I thought was astute in this episode came during Officer Newton's rant. It was super fast, so it was easy to miss, but he commented about driving 40 minutes to come in to work each day. That was another discussion point that came up last fall during all of the dialogue on policing in neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color. "Community policing" was the term that was bandied about.

 

I think that's part of the issue with what happened with Brandon Parker. What I mean to say is, Newton is effectively an outsider. He doesn't know any of the people he's sworn to protect and serve, which makes it a whole helluva lot easier to villify the neighborhood denizens. It made it easier for him to think that Brandon was going to harm him because though he's a stranger in the neighborhood, he saw Brandon as the (dangerous) stranger. Also, given the other things he said in his rant, Newton's own biases were always going to bring him to the moment that started the whole thing in the first place. 

[ridethemaverick]

At first I was rolling my eyes that they even attempted to tackkle this on Scandal, but the guest stars hit it out of the park. I can't get over how much talent is in the Vance-Bassett household! Guest star Emmy for sure.

As to the above, I didn't see the cop as the devil himself. Surprisingly I thought his ridiculous, self-incriminating monologue/diatribe was a very astute condensation of a portion of this problem. He never said he hated black people. He expressed disdain, anger, and condescention, but then added that he was STILL willing to come out everyday and both face the danger and aborb it on their behalf. Racism is a big part of this problem but not the ONLY part. In my own armchair analysis I think he used the correct word at the heart of it all - RESPECT. The residents feel disrespected by the police and the police feel disrespected by the residents and the feelings become self-fulfilling actions. You can't protect and serve that which you don't respect and you can't respect that which you fear.

All this to say, I was surprised at how meaningful the episode was. Also to Fitz, I thought the trip to the White House was a nice touch. That VERY attractive man who called out Liv and who I REALLY hope is the new love interest for her, took away the power Liv had in her connections. I liked that the one thing she DID have the power to do was to put this man in front of the President, not as a celebrity moment, but as two people who understand the depth of the other's grief. Well done.

Weird. My post disappeared.

I think you raise interesting points but I think it's totally about racism. The cop had already arrested the shoplifter so where did respect factor in when he stopped an innocent man and questioned him in his own neighborhood? That's what stop and frisk (which doesn't work) is about as well.

The idea he spouted about black people should obey without question like they're the family dog was laughable. That's not respect either. That's blind submission.

I thought the monologue perfectly demonstrated just how racist many (most?) of these cops are and how they continually dehumanize black people. Or "you people" as he put it.

[mwell345]

 

Fitz is now the dumbest, most irresponsible and unfit TV President in recent TV history. He launches a pointless war to save his main squeeze, sacrificing US soldiers lives in the process.  He then wants his completely unqualified, basket case of a wife to somehow succeed him as President?  Apparently, the optics and feasibility of this grand plan are lost on this fool.  In order to accomplish this master political stroke, he now chooses a new, naive, thought disorganized, poiltically inexperienced senator with no common or street sense to be his new VP, one heartbeat forom the Oval Office.  All this so she won't outshine the magnificent Mellie and deny her the nomination that is so justly hers for the taking?  it's a miracle that Cyrus doesn't get Tom out of the prison he's buried in to apply another gentle needle tap to Fitz' neck.  Really Shonda, you've got to come up with far better writing that this insanely implausible crap, even if it is for fictional TV.

 

Except that the inexperienced Senator turned out to be more astute that Fitz - when she remarked that if anything were to happen to him, she would actually become President.   Fitz is an idiot.   Has he so little regard for the Office that he would have put someone like her a heartbeat away?  Oh, but I forgot, he "promised" Mellie the presidency. Because it's in his power to just hand it over to her.  

 

He's a joke.

[Critic]

I'll just point out that Courtney B. Vance seems to have a lock on the 'grieving father' role this season (first "State of Affairs", now this...)

[Kromm]

So this was like a highly idealized vision we can call "what should have happened in Ferguson"?  Yeah, a fairy tale.

[reggiejax]

Oh, but I forgot, he "promised" Mellie the presidency. Because it's in his power to just hand it over to her.

 

And never mind what the voters might have to say about that.

 

Oh wait, Olivia can just fix the vote.

 

White hats, people!

[Kromm]

I don't blame her for wanting a positive portrayal.  The issue is just that paralleling the specific thing she did should create talking points about the real events, but if it's laid out as a total fantasy, there's no real handle to grab onto to have the discussion.  There needs to be a lot of moral complexity to it or it's just fluff entertainment.

Edited March 7, 2015 by thewhiteowl
quoted post deleted

[ridethemaverick]

Well the killer cop addressed "black on black" crime (which isn't a thing, BTW. Most crime is committed intraracially with victim and perp being the same race so there's that. But when unarmed folks are killed, they ARE victims. Not sure why Shonda and co. should ignore that to please the masses.

Edited March 7, 2015 by thewhiteowl
offesive language

[vanarnd1]

One thing that stood out to me was how much more likeable Fitz and Olivia were in this episode. They are much better characters when they are apart from each other and I hope it lasts.

[WhineandCheez]

I can't just look at this episode as stand alone, but as part of a series. So how comes a woman who 2 weeks ago was worth a billion dollars on the back market can stroll around DC with a mob around her and not get snatched?  Its just too incredulous.

[Happytobehere]

Selina Meyer is awesome.

Love me some Veep!

Fitz is now the dumbest, most irresponsible and unfit TV President in recent TV history. He launches a pointless war to save his main squeeze, sacrificing US soldiers lives in the process.  He then wants his completely unqualified, basket case of a wife to somehow succeed him as President?  Apparently, the optics and feasibility of this grand plan are lost on this fool.  In order to accomplish this master political stroke, he now chooses a new, naive, thought disorganized, poiltically inexperienced senator with no common or street sense to be his new VP, one heartbeat forom the Oval Office.  All this so she won't outshine the magnificent Mellie and deny her the nomination that is so justly hers for the taking?  it's a miracle that Cyrus doesn't get Tom out of the prison he's buried in to apply another gentle needle tap to Fitz' neck.  Really Shonda, you've got to come up with far better writing that this insanely implausible crap, even if it is for fictional TV.

I agree 1,000%. I just wish that someone would acknowledge the African lives lost for Fitz's war for Saint Liv. I guess it pains me that at no point has this show, which is run by a black woman acknowledged the loss of anything other than American soldiers. It sort of silently reinforces the notion that #BlackLivesMatters needs to be stated, because it is not even mentioned.

I also hate that Shonda co-opted the above hashtag and turned it into WeAllMatter. Shonda should have been more sensitive to that as she tried to bring the real issue of race and police brutality to the table.

[tennisgurl]

 

So how comes a woman who 2 weeks ago was worth a billion dollars on the back market can stroll around DC with a mob around her and not get snatched?

That`s actually a really good point. Now that everyone is the whole world know`s how much she`s worth to the president, and what he`ll do for her, shouldn't she be under guard? At least hire a bodyguard or something, Liv! She should be WAY more careful now, not getting involved in giant national scandals. 

 

Alright, literally every time that actor playing the newscaster shows up, I always expect an announcer to be all "And now, Perd Hapley..." 

Kind of takes me out of the drama of the moment. 

Edited March 7, 2015 by tennisgurl

[thewhiteowl]

If your post disappeared, I deleted it. An incendiary topic and emotions run high but please be aware of your language. If it's offensive it will be gone. Thanks

[Anna Yolei]

I'm no Fitz fan, but I would have to say that President Logan from 24 has "most unfit president" on lock.

I also think that Mellie is not necessarily unqualified (except in the moral sense, but if that's the measuring stick we're using, then pretty much no one on the show with the possible exceptions of David and Abby might fit the bill.) She's been a high-powered attorney, IIRC, and she's smart enough at playing the game that she could do the job well, or at least, better than Fitz, which might not be saying much.

I never understood the show saying Mellie would've had a hard time getting elected back in the early seasons because she was Southern or some other such rubbish. She's smart, not a murderer yet (I'm sure this will change down the road), has the ability for self reflection and actually wants the damn job for reasons beyond deep rooted Daddy issues. All of those put her well ahead of Fitz as the better choice, IMO.

[Lillybee]

I hate that they threw the real life Latino governor of New Mexico under the bus for this storyline.

[Mozelle]

Love me some Veep!

I agree 1,000%. I just wish that someone would acknowledge the African lives lost for Fitz's war for Saint Liv. I guess it pains me that at no point has this show, which is run by a black woman acknowledged the loss of anything other than American soldiers. It sort of silently reinforces the notion that #BlackLivesMatters needs to be stated, because it is not even mentioned.

I also hate that Shonda co-opted the above hashtag and turned it into WeAllMatter. Shonda should have been more sensitive to that as she tried to bring the real issue of race and police brutality to the table.

On the upside, Guillermo Diaz totally hashtagged #BlackLivesMatter (as well as #ICantBreathe) on Twitter the night of the episode. So, yay for that.

Speaking of, I kind of liked that Huck, the only person of color in the scene with Quinn and Jake, immediately thought that the knife was planted.

[marceline]

Clevelander here. It took me a few tries before I could bear to watch but I'm glad I did. For all the shade I throw at Shonda she can still deliver some damn fine television.
 
For those who say that the resolution was unrealistic, that's the point. It was pure wish-fulfillment. I know that I've been looking at all these stories (Tamir, Garner, Crawford, etc...) and wishing that I could rewrite them. I spend time imagining how different they would all turn out if I were "queen of the universe." Shonda's not only able to imagine it, she's able to put it on primetime television and have corporate America pay big money to advertise during it. When you add this to the wig scene and the scenes between Viola and Cecily Tyson on HTGAWM, Shonda has been directly or indirectly responsible for some of the most nuanced, complex scenes dealing with American blackness that I've seen in my 40+years on this planet. I'm especially grateful to have her in such a position of pop culture power given the last few years.
 
On TWOP we used to argue ad nauseum whether or not Scandal took place in a color-blind universe like Shonda's other shows. At first it seemed to try but obviously, Shonda said "fuck it" and just jumped into the race waters with both feet.
 
"I can't fix this. It's too much." Like there's a black person alive who hasn't felt that exhaustion in their soul. I feel it every time I read the news.
 
Now that I've got the serious stuff out of the way, this All My Children fan squeed with delight to see Cornelius Smith Jr. (ex -Frankie Hubbard) show up. He was one of the best things about the show even as it circled the drain and I've been hoping he would find something worthy of him. Anytime Shonda wants to bring on Debbie Morgan and/or Darnell Williams she should do so with the quickness. I loved how Marcus called out Liv for working to get a Republican elected twice. When he said that, I thought "And she did it by disenfranchising voters." As others have said, I'd love to see him come on as a new gladiator but Liv only gets gladiators from the Island of Misfit Toys so the only way I would see that happening would be for Liv to find out he's in some kind of trouble and swoop in.

 

I'll just point out that Courtney B. Vance seems to have a lock on the 'grieving father' role this season (first "State of Affairs", now this...)

 

Also ER. He was in the final season as husband to Dr. Banfield and they had lost a child.

Edited March 7, 2015 by marceline

[jjj]

I may have missed the promotion of this episode in advance -- but I did not see anything drawing our attention to this episode before it aired, and I am very grateful.  I had no idea what the episode content would be, and it was quite compelling to watch it unfold and be moved by it, and fearful of the resolution.  I would have really resented advance commercials telling me NOT TO MISS a VERY SPECIAL EPISODE or DON'T MISS THE FINAL DEVASTATING SECONDS. 

 

So, thank you, whoever decided to let us discover this episode without advance hype.  It is a pleasure to be surprised in a complex way. 

[PepSinger]

I must say, I thought this was single handedly one of the best episodes, if not the best episode, of Scandal ever. 

 

Subtlety vs. Non-subtlety -- You know what I say? FUCK subtlety. It is getting us -- by us I mean both black Americans and American in general -- no where. This issue needs to slap us directly in the face, IMO. I'm tired of politeness and sidestepping of an issue that's costing people their lives. Also, this episode has some of the best acting in the series. Kerry Washington was outstanding. I'm one who has never noticed the so-called "lip quivering or sneering" acting, so this doesn't come as a shock to me. The woman can deliver, and she did in this episode. She and Courtney B. Vance have earned their Emmy nominations, IMO. Vance made me weep at the end. As far as whether this is "wish fulfillment" or not, I honestly don't think that's the question or issue. To me, if I look deeper into it, I think Shonda was giving "justice" an equal opportunity. By that I mean, even though a law enforcement official was responsible for the child's death, it is also law enforcement, by way of the US General Attorney's Office, who caught the rogue cop. To me, that shows that justice *is* possible one day, and that we shouldn't give up hope. In a world that can feel hopeless for minorities, light to drive out the darkness is *needed* IMO. Also, I am glad that they chose to have the boy be unarmed. Like others have said upthread, this wasn't suppose to be a reenactment of Ferguson. I do think it needs to be highlighted that in a great deal of these types of cases, the "suspect" is unarmed. Finally, I thought the writing in this episode was excellent. Goodness, Shonda, give us more of THIS Scandal and not what we've been seeing for the past 3+ weeks.

 

Shallow note: That activist is freakin' hot. Seriously. Can he stick around? Please?

 

"I can't fix this. It's too much." - Amen, Olivia. Amen.

[Tahitigirl]

So it's been a few years, er, decades since high school government class, but since when does the president get to pick the vice-presidential successor in the case of a vacancy? I thought it automatically went to the Speaker of the House, a la Gerald Ford taking Spiro Agnew's spot when Agnew resigned.

[thewhiteowl]

So it's been a few years, er, decades since high school government class, but since when does the president get to pick the vice-presidential successor in the case of a vacancy? I thought it automatically went to the Speaker of the House, a la Gerald Ford taking Spiro Agnew's spot when Agnew resigned.

 

 it's Scandalverse.

[formerlyfreedom]

So it's been a few years, er, decades since high school government class, but since when does the president get to pick the vice-presidential successor in the case of a vacancy? I thought it automatically went to the Speaker of the House, a la Gerald Ford taking Spiro Agnew's spot when Agnew resigned.

 

Actually, according to the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, the President DOES pick the Vice President, subject to approval from Congress.

 

Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV), Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

 

APPROVAL is a whole 'nother ball game though....

[lorikauai]

I am not a fan of the Law & Order ripped from the headlines storylines. However, I thought the acting in this episode (even KW's) was pretty darn good.

Can't Fitz just make Mellie VP and then resign and she can be President and he and Liv can run off to Vermont together (and of course she will ditch him after a week because making jam is boring)? Of course not. We're stuck with him for the rest of the series. Blech.

[marceline]

Two lines I loved for different reasons:

 

"Just because they gather in groups and say things you don't like doesn't make them a mob, it makes them Americans."

 

Whoever penned that line has my eternal gratitude. I'm going to use it for the rest of my life.

 

"Questioning my authority was not his right!!"

 

That's the mindset in a nutshell. Kudos to the actor for selling a disgusting scene so well

Edited March 8, 2015 by marceline

[Haleth]

So it's been a few years, er, decades since high school government class, but since when does the president get to pick the vice-presidential successor in the case of a vacancy? I thought it automatically went to the Speaker of the House, a la Gerald Ford taking Spiro Agnew's spot when Agnew resigned.

 

Line of succession, yes.  Automatic VP, no.  The president chooses.  That's how Nelson Rockefeller became the only VP never to win a national election.

 

I'm just happy we had an episode that went back to Original Recipe Scandal.  No B316 nonsense, no mommy and/or daddy issues, no kidnapping/auction crap, and no torn between two lovers idiocy.  And Courtney Vance made me cry.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Haleth

[jjj]

Line of succession, yes.  Automatic VP, no.  The president chooses.  That's how Nelson Rockefeller became the only VP never to win a national election.

Gerald Ford became the first VP without ever winning a national election. And became President without winning a national election.  In fact, had never even won a statewide race!  (Nelson Rockefeller had at least been a Governor, so elected statewide, before Ford selected him.)  Thanks for the chance to talk about VPs, Scandalverse! 

Edited March 8, 2015 by jjj

[Haleth]

Of course you are right, jjj. That's what happens when I post before coffee. Thanks for the correction.

Edited March 8, 2015 by Haleth

[swtrgrl]

"Just because they gather in groups and say things you don't like doesn't make them a mob, it makes them Americans."

This is a huge quote for me. I argue this all the time with dreaded racist relatives. Americans have the right to assemble and voice opinions; good or bad.

With regard to Mellie:

I think she is WAY more qualified to be POTUS than Fitz or Andrew or Sally ever were. She's smart, conniving, politically connected, etc...

With regard to Vermont:

Someone higher up in the thread pointed out the HUGE flaw in Fitz', "it's Mellie's turn" plan... he can't just get her elected then divorce her and move to Vermont for the same reason he can't divorce her now and have Olivia move into the White House. He's so stupid. No wonder Mellie, Cyrus and Olivia had to break the law to get him elected.

With regard to Mr. Bad Cop:

Oh, Michael Welch how wonderfully you played that. Way to go all in with it. Great performance. I've liked him in all his "crazy, psycho, entitled" guest shots of late (Criminal Minds, etc...). Not bad once he got out from under the crap fest of Twilight.

And lastly: SHALLOW

Hello, Frankie from AMC!! Please pull up a chair, put on a White Hat and stay awhile.

[Dowel Jones]

Yes, come to think of it most VP's are pretty lame.

 

Almost without exception, VPs have been chosen for their ability to bring in votes from a desired constituency, rather than ability to do the job. 

 

But, back to the actual episode.  I realize that it was set up as a morality play, but didn't anyone at scene realize, and bring it up, that every bit of evidence was compromised from the beginning?  Allowing non-investigators to enter the crime scene, move the body, etc.?  Absent the rant by the officer, in real life he would have a good chance at acquittal at trial because of all that.  But, the point was made in the end. 

 

At the moment that the replacement VP was mentioned, I was sure that he was going to suggest Olivia.  HA!  So much soap potential there.  On the other hand, if Mellie became President, Fitz could do whatever (and whomever) he wanted with impunity.  Of course, I'm not implying that has anything to do with current events, mind you.

[St. Claire]

The cop had already arrested the shoplifter so where did respect factor in when he stopped an innocent man and questioned him in his own neighborhood?

 

I thought the store owner had actually given a description of the shoplifter that could have matched Brandon. The guy they had in the car didn't look remotely like the young man who was killed. 

 

I would rather have seen some nuance to the story to show that what Brandon reached for in his pocket (or even just something within his jacket) actually did glint instead of the cop just saying that he was reaching for a knife. The purely evil cop diminishes the story; it would be more compelling to have the officer having made a horribly wrong call and still having to face the consequences of having shot an innocent victim.  Show the overzealous assumptions that this non-neighborhood white guy is making, don't just make him a cardboard cut-out of a racist character. 

[Archery]

Ohhhh. Another point that I thought was astute in this episode came during Officer Newton's rant. It was super fast, so it was easy to miss, but he commented about driving 40 minutes to come in to work each day. That was another discussion point that came up last fall during all of the dialogue on policing in neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color. "Community policing" was the term that was bandied about.

I think that's part of the issue with what happened with Brandon Parker. What I mean to say is, Newton is effectively an outsider. He doesn't know any of the people he's sworn to protect and serve, which makes it a whole helluva lot easier to villify the neighborhood denizens. It made it easier for him to think that Brandon was going to harm him because though he's a stranger in the neighborhood, he saw Brandon as the (dangerous) stranger. Also, given the other things he said in his rant, Newton's own biases were always going to bring him to the moment that started the whole thing in the first place.

Great pickup, but the cop said 40 MILES, not minutes, which is worse. I can drive 40 minutes in my city and never get to the next town.

Every review I've read has compared this episode to Ferguson. I think it's both hilarious and sad that people think white office shoots unarmed black man = Ferguson. There's, like, ten to choose from from just last year.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Archery

[slayer2]

Courtney B Vance has just reduced me to a sobbing mess right now. 

 

He's a phenomenal actor. Just phenomenal. Kudos to Shonda for looking this issue dead in the eye, it's also nice to see a racist get his comeuppance especially since I know it will never happen in the real world. It's nice to be in Shonda's where Black Lives Matter.

[DollEyes]

This was definitely the best episode of the season so far, and Courtney B. Vance is the main reason. He broke my heart, from start to finish. If he doesn't get at least a "Best Guest Actor" Emmy nomination for this performance, then there's no justice in the TV world. The one moment that rang false for me was Mr. Parker's & Fitz's hug at the end. While they are both fathers who've lost their sons, the big difference is that Brandon Parker's death wasn't Mr. Parker's fault, unlike Fitz's basically goading Rowan into killing Jerry Jr. as payback for Fitz's disrespecting Olivia in Rowan's presence in "A Door Marked 'Exit.'" Re Officer Newton, I had no sympathy for him. He knew what he signed up for when he became a cop and I think he was racist long before he became one. Bad cops like Newton make it even tougher for good cops of all colors.

 

 As another AMC fan, I loved Cornelius Smith Jr. too and ITA that he should be a series regular ASAP and if someone-like, say, Fitz or Huck-has to be killed off to do it, then so be it, I say.

Edited March 21, 2015 by DollEyes