Lennie Briscoe Was NOT Great: Unpopular Opinions

[Raja]

On 12/12/2018 at 8:36 AM, Xeliou66 said:

Since Robinette did return as a defense attorney a few times, they could’ve had a scene of him and Lupo together.

I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I never cared for Robinette when he returned as a defense attorney, while it was nice to see him, I didn’t like how much of an angry race baiter he had become.

 

On 12/13/2018 at 5:52 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Not an unpopular opinion! But that wasn't Robinette! No it wasn't! It was POD!Paul!

POD!PAUL!

And I didn't believe him when he said "all these years I was wrong." BULLSHIT. He dealt with others calling him "Oreo" and being frustrated that he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Had to deal with learning heroes he admired or who inspired him to become a lawyer, to help people, were corrupt. He could have gotten a job on Wall Street. But he didn't. They tried to scale back the "Angry Black Man" race baiter from the first two appearances in his final one, but nope. Nope. But that wasn't My Paul. That was his EVUHL TWIN, POD!PAUL.

And on a purely shallow note, does that man NOT age???!! He was most recently on The Flash, as a villain! But he looks the SAME! DAYUM.

No it was ripped from the headlines. Any similarity to Los Angeles Deputy DA turned race baiting defense attorney Johnnie Cochran was intentional, despite the disclaimer. And they should be paying his estate royalties every time a defense attorney Paul Robinette episode shows up on Law & Order or Chicago Justice if that one year is ever folded into a syndication package.

[ML89]

I don't know how unpopular, but I really hated that they implied Olivet and Logan had a fling and Jack had to bring it up in court (I'm blanking on the ep but it was during the Logan CI years). I liked them as just friends.

I hated how the ended it with Ed when he left, but I really loved him saying that Lennie's death had really affected him. I even was happy to see Rey and Van Buren meet up too - I liked that they finally did a few gracenotes about the show's long history. OTOH, there was a Criminal Intent that was almost a dead rewrite of Seed - even called Seeds - and I wish Logan had mentioned it (Seed is the doctor who impregnates all the women coming for IVF. I really like that particular ep for the character work of the mains, plus it has two Guiding Light alums in it as well).

[Xeliou66]

I didn’t care for the hint of the Logan/Olivet relationship either, they never explicitly confirmed it though.

Green’s exit was disappointing, but I loved the reference to Briscoe and how his death had affected Green, Briscoe was awesome and I loved the Briscoe/Green partnership, so that was a great reference, and I found the final scenes between Green and Van Buren and Lupo to be good and it was a good start to the Lupo/Bernard partnership. 

I liked Curtis’ cameo in season 20, I never cared for Curtis but it was nice to get to see what he was doing and i liked how him and Van Buren talked about Briscoe, also note how Curtis said “Morris told me you were sick” to Van Buren, Morris I’m sure is Morris LaMotte, the detective that we often saw in the background of the squad room for a few seasons, I thought that was a terrific reference as well, to show that LaMotte had kept up with Curtis and Van Buren, a cool Easter Egg for L&O fans.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I loved the "reveal" (in quotes because they never showed it IN SHOW) that Mike and Liz were involved. AFTER she had helped him through his grief over Max's murder. Maybe it's the romantic in me, but when she was raped, Mike's reaction to it, gave me vibes it more than anger and rage toward a respected colleague. I know that I, and others back over on TWoP, SO wanted Mike to show up on the Mothership to sock Jack in the face for revealing that relationship, which according to the show, LIz had told Jack in confidence.

[Xeliou66]

9 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I loved the "reveal" (in quotes because they never showed it IN SHOW) that Mike and Liz were involved. AFTER she had helped him through his grief over Max's murder. Maybe it's the romantic in me, but when she was raped, Mike's reaction to it, gave me vibes it more than anger and rage toward a respected colleague. I know that I, and others back over on TWoP, SO wanted Mike to show up on the Mothership to sock Jack in the face for revealing that relationship, which according to the show, LIz had told Jack in confidence.

I agree about Logan’s reaction after Olivet’s assault, he was very enraged about it, I could definitely buy that Logan and Olivet had a relationship, I just don’t like to get into the characters personal lives and I liked how they left it ambiguous as to whether it was Logan that Olivet had a relationship with. I had no problem with Jack revealing the info to Cutter, Olivet was very self righteous in that episode and the defense she was presenting turned out to be total bullshit.

[wknt3]

On 1/3/2019 at 8:37 PM, Xeliou66 said:

I liked Curtis’ cameo in season 20, I never cared for Curtis but it was nice to get to see what he was doing and i liked how him and Van Buren talked about Briscoe, also note how Curtis said “Morris told me you were sick” to Van Buren, Morris I’m sure is Morris LaMotte, the detective that we often saw in the background of the squad room for a few seasons, I thought that was a terrific reference as well, to show that LaMotte had kept up with Curtis and Van Buren, a cool Easter Egg for L&O fans.

That whole scene was a nice little bit of continuity and characterization (which so many wrongly insist that the show never did!) I kind of wish that they had done a spinoff centered  on LaMotte and Profaci with special guest star Jerry Orbach handing them the file they were looking for...

Edited January 5, 2019 by wknt3

[GHScorpiosRule]

I’m going to put this here for obvious reasons:

rewatched “Aria” (I thought it was the one where Mike tells Phil that yeah, he is an expert on bad mothers. But I think it was actually said in “God Save the Child” instead) yesterday. And had no problem enjoying it or seeing Noth as Mike Logan.

What shocked me was that this was Melnick’s first appearance and she was actually…a decent person. If this version of her had remained, she would have been among my favorite recurring defense attorneys. But I guess when she returned in “Helpless” the writers decided she should be a misogynistic, disgusting piece of crap defense attorney instead.

[Xeliou66]

11 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I’m going to put this here for obvious reasons:

rewatched “Aria” (I thought it was the one where Mike tells Phil that yeah, he is an expert on bad mothers. But I think it was actually said in “God Save the Child” instead) yesterday. And had no problem enjoying it or seeing Noth as Mike Logan.

What shocked me was that this was Melnick’s first appearance and she was actually…a decent person. If this version of her had remained, she would have been among my favorite recurring defense attorneys. But I guess when she returned in “Helpless” the writers decided she should be a misogynistic, disgusting piece of crap defense attorney instead.

I’m pretty sure the episode where Mike tells Phil he’s an expert on bad moms is Blood Is Thicker, episode 14 of season 2, I can’t be 100% certain of that but I think that’s the one.

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I’m pretty sure the episode where Mike tells Phil he’s an expert on bad moms is Blood Is Thicker, episode 14 of season 2, I can’t be 100% certain of that but I think that’s the one.

Thanks!

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

I’m pretty sure the episode where Mike tells Phil he’s an expert on bad moms is Blood Is Thicker, episode 14 of season 2, I can’t be 100% certain of that but I think that’s the one.

Found it:

• [Cerreta] You the expert on lousy moms?
• [Logan] As a matter of fact, I am.

But apparently it was in L&O:CI that Mike gives the sordid details: https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Logan#Biography

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Found it:

• [Cerreta] You the expert on lousy moms?
• [Logan] As a matter of fact, I am.

But apparently it was in L&O:CI that Mike gives the sordid details: https://lawandorder.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Logan#Biography

No. He may have talked about it some more in CI with Sciorra’s character. But it was in Season One’s “Indifference” that we learned how abusive she was.

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

No. He may have talked about it some more in CI with Sciorra’s character. But it was in Season One’s “Indifference” that we learned how abusive she was.

Oh. Right. Yes. Very chilling:

• [Greevey] You think she beat the kid up?
• [Logan] I don't know. I know she's nuts. The way she lay there...primping herself--it just made me want to puke.
• [Greevey] She has been slapped around pretty good. I'm not so sure she's to blame.
• [Logan] There are some women who provoke it. Come on, it's true. You think she cares diddly about those kids or anything? Huh? Everything's a mirror to her. She holds a dying kid up to it...and all she can see is herself and how it affects her. Now, you give her sympathy, she's gonna want to fight. You give her a fight, she's gonna want a kiss. Give her a kiss, and I swear to God she'll bite your tongue out!
• [Greevey] You, uh...you saw this on "Oprah" or what?
• [Logan] My mother. Yeah. She always said she was cut out for something greater than being the wife of a cop from the Lower East Side. God, she was...she was a bottomless pit. It was always, "Give me your undivided attention!" But when the old man couldn't take it anymore and gave her a whack, then she'd turn around and whack me. She always got this look in her eye, you know. And then I saw it coming. Now this witch in here...she's got that same look.

"Indifference." 1.9

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Oh. Right. Yes. Very chilling:

• [Greevey] You think she beat the kid up?
• [Logan] I don't know. I know she's nuts. The way she lay there...primping herself--it just made me want to puke.
• [Greevey] She has been slapped around pretty good. I'm not so sure she's to blame.
• [Logan] There are some women who provoke it. Come on, it's true. You think she cares diddly about those kids or anything? Huh? Everything's a mirror to her. She holds a dying kid up to it...and all she can see is herself and how it affects her. Now, you give her sympathy, she's gonna want to fight. You give her a fight, she's gonna want a kiss. Give her a kiss, and I swear to God she'll bite your tongue out!
• [Greevey] You, uh...you saw this on "Oprah" or what?
• [Logan] My mother. Yeah. She always said she was cut out for something greater than being the wife of a cop from the Lower East Side. God, she was...she was a bottomless pit. It was always, "Give me your undivided attention!" But when the old man couldn't take it anymore and gave her a whack, then she'd turn around and whack me. She always got this look in her eye, you know. And then I saw it coming. Now this witch in here...she's got that same look.

"Indifference." 1.9

Yup. I’ve posted this exchange in the quotes thread.

[Prevailing Wind]

Don't know if this is unpopular or not, but I hated that "Exiled" made Profaci a dirty cop.

[Xeliou66]

4 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Don't know if this is unpopular or not, but I hated that "Exiled" made Profaci a dirty cop.

That’s an EXTREMELY POPULAR opinion, I think EVERYONE hates that stupid fucking movie and it’s cheap twist of making Profaci dirty. What a shitshow Exiled was, it was downright insulting how Profaci was thrown under the bus and how remarkably OOC many of the characters, particularly Briscoe and Van Buren, were. I hate Exiled. 

[Prairie Rose]

On 1/7/2022 at 3:06 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I’m going to put this here for obvious reasons:

rewatched “Aria” (I thought it was the one where Mike tells Phil that yeah, he is an expert on bad mothers. But I think it was actually said in “God Save the Child” instead) yesterday. And had no problem enjoying it or seeing Noth as Mike Logan.

What shocked me was that this was Melnick’s first appearance and she was actually…a decent person. If this version of her had remained, she would have been among my favorite recurring defense attorneys. But I guess when she returned in “Helpless” the writers decided she should be a misogynistic, disgusting piece of crap defense attorney instead.

That was Tovah Feldshuh's first L&O appearance, but I don't think the character was named. It could have been a different character, because I think in "Aria" she was a probate lawyer, not a defense attorney. The next time TF was on, she was definitely Melnick, the character we all love to hate.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, Prairie Rose said:

That was Tovah Feldshuh's first L&O appearance, but I don't think the character was named. It could have been a different character, because I think in "Aria" she was a probate lawyer, not a defense attorney. The next time TF was on, she was definitely Melnick, the character we all love to hate.

No. She is playing Melnick. If you look at IMDb, it credits her character as Melnick.

[Prairie Rose]

Just now, GHScorpiosRule said:

No. She is playing Melnick. If you look at IMDb, it credits her character as Melnick.

Fair enough. She must have gotten a nasty personality transplant before her second appearance! 😉

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Prairie Rose said:

Fair enough. She must have gotten a nasty personality transplant before her second appearance! 😉

That's why I stated in my original post that had she remained the competent and likeable attorney she was in "Aria" I would have liked her, but instead, when we see her again in "Helpless," she's morphed into this hateful, despicable, and contemptuous character.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I'm putting this here, because I'm perverse.

I noticed that with the new season premiering today(!), that WE started earlier this week to replace the images of the show's season, with the new season's logo with the current cast in Black and White. So when seasons 1-5, or even 10, have been recorded, the logo would be of that season's cast and in COLOR.

Me no Likey. I want to see my Logan and Stone, and Paul, and ADAM!

[balmz]

 i know people dislike nina but i found some interesting thoughts on nina, i was just indifferent to her tbh

Another real good example of fandom not cutting women slack was Season 17 of the original Law & Order, aka the only season with a female detective as a main lead, now say what you will about Nina Cassady but to the best of my recollection the fandom even now never tries to give the chica a chance, 7 years after the original show ended and there's still a lot of vitriol not at the writers but at the character herself. Unlike her predecessor, but maybe it's because Dennis Farina was leaving.

 

also on reddit one person said they didn't like her but said if their boss told them they hated them on the first day of work, they would be unsure of themselves and lack confidence too 

[Columbo]

- I disliked when the show did controversial issue based episodes. It always seemed to be so dull and uninteresting to me. I much prefer the simple murder episodes. Or rather the ones that seem simple but then they dig further (usually the da office when the police feel pressured to get a result) they find a much more complex answer.

 

- aftershock is a weird episode. I guess this must have been Dick Wolf's way of throwing his performers a bone after over a hundred episodes of saying variations of the same kind of lines over and over again. But I don't care enough about the characters to care about this episode. I don't care that Claire and Jack are sleeping together. Unless it somehow affects the case they are working on for a particular episode.

 

- The death of Max Greevy was to me the most shocking part of the series. 

 

 

[shapeshifter]

48 minutes ago, Columbo said:

The death of Max Greevy was to me the most shocking part of the series. 

And yet the death of a cop is very realistic. 
Perhaps you were shocked because on TV in 1991 it would not have happened so quickly to a main character?

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, Columbo said:

- I disliked when the show did controversial issue based episodes. It always seemed to be so dull and uninteresting to me. I much prefer the simple murder episodes. Or rather the ones that seem simple but then they dig further (usually the da office when the police feel pressured to get a result) they find a much more complex answer.

 

 

Well that was the show’s premise: “Ripped From the Headlines.” I loved how the earlier seasons gave more nuance to the controversial episodes, instead of the heavy handed ham fisting.

[Columbo]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

And yet the death of a cop is very realistic. 
Perhaps you were shocked because on TV in 1991 it would not have happened so quickly to a main character?

Well partly it was the cruel way he was killed, and partly it was the performance of Noth and the actress who played the wife.

[Columbo]

Sanctuary is an overrated episode that descends into a lot of farcical shouting. It's probably Shambala Green's worst appearance.

[Xeliou66]

I think my most unpopular opinion about L&O is that I really like the season 7 three parter D-Girl/Turnaround/Showtime. I’ve seen that episode get bashed a lot on forums, but overall I think it was strong - while I’m not a fan of the Curtis personal drama, at least they worked it into the case, and other than that the episodes were really strong IMO, it was nice to get to dive deeper into a case as it was 3 hours instead of 1, and I liked the case and particularly the trial, plus there were some awesome lines in it.

Season 7 may be the very best season of L&O - I don’t like Mad Dog (that may be an unpopular opinion as well) but I like every other episode.

[TakomaSnark]

Just now, Xeliou66 said:

I think my most unpopular opinion about L&O is that I really like the season 7 three parter D-Girl/Turnaround/Showtime. I’ve seen that episode get bashed a lot on forums, but overall I think it was strong - while I’m not a fan of the Curtis personal drama, at least they worked it into the case, and other than that the episodes were really strong IMO, it was nice to get to dive deeper into a case as it was 3 hours instead of 1, and I liked the case and particularly the trial, plus there were some awesome lines in it.

Season 7 may be the very best season of L&O - I don’t like Mad Dog (that may be an unpopular opinion as well) but I like every other episode.

I used to loathe, loathe, loathe the three-parter but it came on recently (maybe circling up on my YTTV library) and I actually... liked it this time. 

[Columbo]

1 hour ago, Xeliou66 said:

I think my most unpopular opinion about L&O is that I really like the season 7 three parter D-Girl/Turnaround/Showtime. I’ve seen that episode get bashed a lot on forums, but overall I think it was strong - while I’m not a fan of the Curtis personal drama, at least they worked it into the case, and other than that the episodes were really strong IMO, it was nice to get to dive deeper into a case as it was 3 hours instead of 1, and I liked the case and particularly the trial, plus there were some awesome lines in it.

Season 7 may be the very best season of L&O - I don’t like Mad Dog (that may be an unpopular opinion as well) but I like every other episode.

I enjoyed the three parter because it's always good when they come across a competent defence attorney.

[Columbo]

I liked season 7 to 9 Rey more as a character than Logan. 

 

Season 6 Rey was a thug with a badge.

[Xeliou66]

On 3/6/2022 at 9:37 PM, TakomaSnark said:

I used to loathe, loathe, loathe the three-parter but it came on recently (maybe circling up on my YTTV library) and I actually... liked it this time. 

One reason I like the 3 parter is because I like seeing the characters get out of NYC, it was pretty cool to see Briscoe/Curtis/Ross/McCoy in LA. It was different from most episodes, but for the most part it worked IMO, the Curtis personal stuff was a bit overdone but other than that it was good. And there were some great lines and humorous moments as well - I loved Lennie’s enthusiasm about going to California, how he was ready to play a round of golf with the shrink and Curtis’ line about how he was happy to get a jacuzzi in his hotel room. 

On 3/6/2022 at 10:54 PM, Columbo said:

I enjoyed the three parter because it's always good when they come across a competent defence attorney.

I liked seeing them go up against a whole team of attorneys instead of just 1 - it was something different seeing the defense have all those attorneys, and Jack noted it at the start when he turned to Ross and said “just you and me Jamie”. 

[MarylandGirl]

In rewatching, I'm actually finding that I like Fontana as a character. Not that I'd want to be partnered with him or be an ADA with him as a detective. But he's interesting. And so different from Briscoe. Would I have wanted to watch 10 seasons of him? No. But for the time he was on, he provided a different perspective.

[ducks]

[Xeliou66]

28 minutes ago, MarylandGirl said:

In rewatching, I'm actually finding that I like Fontana as a character. Not that I'd want to be partnered with him or be an ADA with him as a detective. But he's interesting. And so different from Briscoe. Would I have wanted to watch 10 seasons of him? No. But for the time he was on, he provided a different perspective.

[ducks]

I actually kind of agree with you - the one thing about Fontana is he was never dull, he wasn’t likable most of the time but he was intriguing, and he was very different from Lennie. Fontana was abrasive and would lie at the drop of a hat and was definitely the most ethically questionable of the main characters, and I wouldn’t want many seasons of him, but he was compelling and I do enjoy a lot of the Fontana episodes even if Fontana was a prick a lot of the time. I’m glad they didn’t try to make anyone a Lennie clone. 

[AryasMum]

On 4/4/2015 at 1:59 PM, FozzyBear said:

I hate Jamie Ross. Hate her with the passion of a thousand suns. Between her and Jack (who normally I like) the sanctimonious disdain for humanity gets turned up so high I can barely watch. So many "anything to win, ethics and law be damned. And if you get caught between our two massive egos and senses of entitlement then fuck you!" I was so glad to see her go.

I could not stand Jamie either. There was way too much focus on her personal life, and it must have been written into her contract that men were bedazzled by her beauty. Give me a break. 

[AryasMum]

On 12/12/2018 at 12:50 PM, Chaos Theory said:

I got one!  I got one!

i liked Serena Southerlyn but disliked  Abbie Carmichael.   

I feel nothing for Serena - positive or negative. She was so bland and nearly lifeless.  Shockingly, I love Abbie. I would hate her in real life, but it was such a refreshing change to have the female ADA be the hardass that wants to fry everyone.  And I don’t recall all the unnecessary comments about Abbie’s attractiveness like there was with Ross. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, AryasMum said:

And I don’t recall all the unnecessary comments about Abbie’s attractiveness like there was with Ross

Jamie, or rather, Carey, was a Bond Girl.

That said, I thought she was beautiful--that bone structure! I envied her that. And I loved Jamie, so mebbe I'm biased. I also loved Abbie, except when she was being a hypocrite, so there's that. Hee.

[AryasMum]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Jamie, or rather, Carey, was a Bond Girl.

That said, I thought she was beautiful--that bone structure! I envied her that. And I loved Jamie, so mebbe I'm biased. I also loved Abbie, except when she was being a hypocrite, so there's that. Hee.

And speaking of bone structure - Alana de la Garza. 

[MarylandGirl]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:01 PM, Xeliou66 said:

I actually kind of agree with you - the one thing about Fontana is he was never dull, he wasn’t likable most of the time but he was intriguing, and he was very different from Lennie. Fontana was abrasive and would lie at the drop of a hat and was definitely the most ethically questionable of the main characters, and I wouldn’t want many seasons of him, but he was compelling and I do enjoy a lot of the Fontana episodes even if Fontana was a prick a lot of the time. I’m glad they didn’t try to make anyone a Lennie clone. 

Good to know I'm not the only one! I think it helps that it's a rewatch, so I'm not in the place of mourning the loss of Lennie. And "compelling" is a good word choice.

[WendyCR72]

Fontana was an abrasive character, and no matter who replaced Lennie/Jerry Orbach, it was going to be an uphill climb. Looking back, I sort of feel badly for Dennis Farina. He was in an unenviable position.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Maybe I have no standing, but the episode titles for these new seasons are so unoriginal and boring. I much prefer and love the titles used during the initial 20 year run.

There. I said it.

[Xeliou66]

I have what may be an unpopular opinion - curious as to how others feel about it - but as of right now I like Nolan Price more than Mike Cutter. This is because, while I don’t dislike Cutter, Cutter had a big ego and I got annoyed at how many times Cutter had to use trickery to win his case. Many times it seemed like Cutter couldn’t win a case straight up and had to resort to some kind of trick in order to win, that got tiresome. Also Cutter had a couple of moments where I thought his actions were borderline unethical - such as when he provoked the guy to assault him so he would be forcibly medicated in Skate or Die, and he almost suborned perjury in Quit Claim before backing off at the last minute. I know some people have complained about Price not having much personality, but I like him, he’s very by the book and straightforward and lays out the facts and doesn’t have the huge ego Cutter had. Cutter just had moments where he rubbed me the wrong way, I liked how both Connie and Jack would call him out on his ego and his stubbornness. Cutter was a lot better in season 20, he stopped having to use trickery so much and his ego wasn’t as big, but overall I like Price as lead prosecutor. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

29 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

Many times it seemed like Cutter couldn’t win a case straight up and had to resort to some kind of trick in order to win, that got tiresome. Also Cutter had a couple of moments where I thought his actions were borderline unethical - such as when he provoked the guy to assault him so he would be forcibly medicated in Skate or Die, and he almost suborned perjury in Quit Claim before backing off at the last minute.

As you know, I stopped watching, so maybe I don't have any standing. BUT, Jack wasn't above almost suborning perjury himself before backing off or doing the right thing at the end. Or keeping potential exculpatory evidence from the defense because he didn't think it mattered.

So I love Cutter. He's my number three right after Ben Stone, and Jack. Price? Eh. Wasn't impressed.

[Xeliou66]

33 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

As you know, I stopped watching, so maybe I don't have any standing. BUT, Jack wasn't above almost suborning perjury himself before backing off or doing the right thing at the end. Or keeping potential exculpatory evidence from the defense because he didn't think it mattered.

So I love Cutter. He's my number three right after Ben Stone, and Jack. Price? Eh. Wasn't impressed.

Jack never had to rely on trickery though to win his cases, while Jack did bend the rules a few times, mainly with withholding evidence at times, Cutter just seemed more egregious in his conduct, and at times he seemed like he was in it for his ego. I do like Cutter, but I like Price more, I had a feeling this would be an unpopular opinion so that’s why I posted it here.

Another opinion related to the new show that I have and I’m not sure how others think is that I like the Cosgrove/Shaw pairing more than the Cosgrove/Bernard pairing - while I liked Bernard a lot, him and Cosgrove together were just too edgy at times, Bernard had more of an edge in season 21 than in his prior seasons, it really seemed like they wanted to hammer home how different Bernard and Cosgrove were. Shaw has been a nice addition and has fit in very smoothly, and I like his laid back style. A lot of this may be due to them fleshing out Cosgrove a lot more this season, but I’m enjoying the Shaw/Cosgrove partnership and I like how they don’t throw in little arguments between them every episode the way Cosgrove/Bernard had, again I think this is due to the writers finding their footing and doing a better job, but the Cosgrove/Shaw pairing is nice.