S07.E09: 65 Hours

[tessaray]

Jane is slated to testify at a murder trial, only to discover a key piece of evidence has been stolen. With only three days to resolve the crime, the team races to crack the case before the murderer goes free. Also: Frankie learns magic to impress Nina.

[craziness]

Liked this episode,  even angela,  except for the absurd kent and the duck segments. What a waste of screen time. 

Still kinda confused about the case.  When did the guy on trial and the partner relock the skylight? And did the partner rob all those houses in the other cities?  And did he always choose new partners,  that seems awfully trusting...

 and why did the crooks keep going on and out the skylights?  I can see entering via the skylights,  but leaving and locking them,  sounds like they wanted their MO to be discovered.  

Really liked Frankie and Nina,  and the magic tricks.  

[Bastet]

I can't even bother with most of the things that were unrealistic, but -- duck a l'orange as pub food?

I thought this was a boring episode, and that's probably why I kept dozing off.  Maybe I slept through something scintillating, but I doubt it.  This show is really limping to the finish line.

[l star]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

I can't even bother with most of the things that were unrealistic, but -- duck a l'orange as pub food?

I thought this was a boring episode, and that's probably why I kept dozing off.  Maybe I slept through something scintillating, but I doubt it.  This show is really limping to the finish line.

Yes to all of this. I do have some positives though- Kent's nationalism continues to amuse me though his historical ignorance pushed the bounds of common knowledge; thank you hair people for giving Maura a side part! She looked better than she has all season (if I ignore the choker-like scarf). Korsak can liven up a scene so easily. His face when Jane realized he'd eaten the shrimp and the expressions on his and Kent's faces when Maura compared them were great. Kent needs to smile more- his smile is hot. And finally, I must be cheap. My first thought was that the stone was an aquamarine.

Maura has her own wardrobe bar in her cabinet! Her wardrobe deserves it. I laughed at Jane's reaction to the shirt. While I personally liked it, citrine is an unusual color for a blouse. Though it could have been black and Jane would have griped because cops don't wear silk or it cost more than her rent. Does Maura have a large statue of fighting cherubs in the corner of her office now? I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I love Maura's tolerance for her people's eccentricities. It's very different from the squad room where any little thing is the impetus for (good natured) ribbing. I'm not sure if it's supposed to represent a contrast between Maura and Jane, scientists and cops, or the work spaces, but I like it.

And in that vein, the duck story was stupid, but I'll take it. Kent was super protective of Maura while she was sick, as both a friend and a doctor. With his lack of relationships outside of work, I'm not surprised he's adrift now that she both pushed him away and got better without him. I'm glad Maura caught on. His interest in her was sincere, and she appreciated it right up until he said something she didn't want to hear. Now she just needs to give him a kick towards the real issue here. He may not belong in a war zone, but he is not a medical examiner either.

The magic plot was cute. And yes, Frankie holding his arm out to lead her out! I doubt he ever actually touched her, but the gesture is just the natural intimacy I was looking for. I didn't need the rest of his family in it though. This show is all or nothing. Still, while they frequently annoy me, I will miss the warmth of the Rizzoli family.

The case was boring. Nothing about that court charade seemed legit. What exactly did they think the guy was going to do when Jane stood up behind the car? Pointless. The writer's room really should have just tossed this one out.

[Scamp]

I just figured out why the duck was featured: Kent's last name is "Drake" (a male duck).  The writers' room keeps on keeping Kent weird.  

[TeapotDiva]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

This show is really limping to the finish line.

No kidding.  I've been watching R&I since the first episode, and it's always been one of my favorite shows.  Apparently this season is designed to make it easier to say good-bye.  The showrunners have taken away the heart of the show by giving Maura and Jane fewer and fewer scenes together.  I couldn't believe how little time they spent together in last night's episode; I felt as though I was watching The Good Wife!  Whether you've been seeing subtext and hoping for something more, or just enjoying their friendship, the relationship and interplay between Maura and Jane has always been what the show is about.  It's gotten to the point where I've begun to enjoy the budding personal relationship between Maura and Kent.  If that was the intention, then good job, show!  <sarcasm>

[Bastet]

Quote

Whether you've been seeing subtext and hoping for something more, or just enjoying their friendship, the relationship and interplay between Maura and Jane has always been what the show is about.  It's gotten to the point where I've begun to enjoy the budding personal relationship between Maura and Kent.  If that was the intention, then good job, show!  <sarcasm>

Yes, exactly!  I watch this show primarily for their friendship, and secondarily for the interaction of everyone at work (the actual cases they're working on, not so much).  So it baffles me why, in our final hours with these characters, the writers have them working separately so often and especially why they keep setting up scenarios where they're both going to move on to something different professionally. 

It's not impossible to make the latter scenario feel natural; they did on The Closer.  But there it made sense - they had to move Brenda out of the LAPD to pave the way for Major Crimes.  In this typical scenario, where the show is just going to end without a spin-off, why oh why would you send the characters off to something different than what we've spent all these years enjoying?

[mythoughtis]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

In this typical scenario, where the show is just going to end without a spin-off, why oh why would you send the characters off to something different than what we've spent all these years enjoying?

For the same reason they cut Susie and brought in Kent.... because they could.   This kind of stuff goes on a lot in long-running series.... they want to run away from the heart of the show to do some 'different' scenes,  The viewers hate it.  

[Maelstrom]

Not a terrible episode, but not great either. Though I'll admit the duck was kinda cute, I have to wonder what in the name of the tv gods are TIIC doing with Kent?! Why is he so weird, in drastically different ways, in each and every episode? The actor seems very likable, but I just don't get what they're going for with the character. Probably because they don't know themselves. Whatever, as long as I get to hear his Scottish accent then I suppose it's not a total waste of time.

I really liked Maura's scene with Kent where she thanks him for being such a good caretaker, on behalf of the duck of course. And Maura, you're awesome and I love you, but that shirt looked more chartreuse than citrine. Just sayin'. Jane is so snarky bordering on outright mean anymore that I have to wonder why Maura is even friends with her.

Random:

Frankie and his magic tricks were adorable. Is it just me or has there been less Korsak this season? Though Angela generally doesn't bother me as much as some, I really question what purpose she even serves on this show anymore.

Is next episode the one Sasha directed? Curious to see how she does.

[juliet73]

I don't even think this show is limping anymore...

The duck subplot was so stupid. Let's bring a sick duck into a restaurant and into a forensics lab because no one will get super pissed about that! C'mon!

The magic tricks subplot was stupid too.  They only have so many hours to convict this guy,  but let's have Frankie wasting time practicing magic tricks.  And he gets his magic box delivered to the bar because he doesn't want Nina to see it?  Umm, they don't live together so how would she see it?  Oh,  that's right...we need to include Angela somewhere in this stupid episode.

So the criminals get in and out through the skylight... Did they bring a ladder? I would assume so,  otherwise they couldn't leave the same way they came in. Wouldn't the ladder leave marks on the floor?  And against the skylight?  And nobody has been in or touched that fancy house in 2 years?? This show is sooo stupid!

In the beginning when they were talking about the evidence room being renovated, I assumed the first people they would have looked at for the crime would have been the workers. Nope,  it took almost 20 mins into the show for that lightbulb to go off. And I don't work in law enforcement, but I'm pretty sure for a project like that,  the BPD would do extensive background checks.  I doubt that an employee that just started a few days prior would work that particular job. 

I would like a spin-off series with Korsack, Nina,  Kent and Maura.

[Clanstarling]

On ‎8‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 9:42 PM, Bastet said:

I can't even bother with most of the things that were unrealistic, but -- duck a l'orange as pub food?

I thought this was a boring episode, and that's probably why I kept dozing off.  Maybe I slept through something scintillating, but I doubt it.  This show is really limping to the finish line.

Yeah, duck a l'orange if they repackaged and renamed Panda Express Orange Chicken, maybe.

On ‎8‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 11:52 PM, l star said:

I do have some positives though- Kent's nationalism continues to amuse me though his historical ignorance pushed the bounds of common knowledge;

The case was boring. Nothing about that court charade seemed legit. What exactly did they think the guy was going to do when Jane stood up behind the car? Pointless. The writer's room really should have just tossed this one out.

Eh, I know plenty of knowledgeable people who focus on one aspect they admire and stuff unpleasant details into their subconscious until someone else points it out. So I handwaved that and thought it amusing.

I haven't actually been on a trial (but I've watched them on tv - hee), and I don't think the defense waits until the trial actually starts to have their experts examine evidence. Jane behind the car was ludicrous. Even worse than the "we've got a runner" fail Frankie made - a standard trope in cop shows.  I actually saw that situation in real life - cops burst in through a neighbors front door - while they skedaddled out the back, unimpeded - so I guess that wasn't too unbelievable. Exasperating, but true to the very minor police action I saw.

5 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

Not a terrible episode, but not great either. Though I'll admit the duck was kinda cute, I have to wonder what in the name of the tv gods are TIIC doing with Kent?! Why is he so weird, in drastically different ways, in each and every episode? The actor seems very likable, but I just don't get what they're going for with the character. Probably because they don't know themselves. Whatever, as long as I get to hear his Scottish accent then I suppose it's not a total waste of time.

I agree. I've liked Kent from the start - but they sure have given him a grab-bag of idiosyncratic enthusiasms. The duck did nothing for me, but I'm standoffish with fowl, unless they're roasted nicely. Am I dreaming, or did Kent actually have a fairly serious backstory in the beginning?

[catrice2]

They have made Kent so strange that it is hard to see him as a man in a relationship with Maura, more like a really good friend. 

Gosh, they do everything they can to make Nina look dowdy...or is the actress pregnant? 

This show was never a great crime drama, just filler, but this season I can't even follow the case of the week they are so dull. 

[Scamp]

12 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I agree. I've liked Kent from the start - but they sure have given him a grab-bag of idiosyncratic enthusiasms. The duck did nothing for me, but I'm standoffish with fowl, unless they're roasted nicely. Am I dreaming, or did Kent actually have a fairly serious backstory in the beginning?

Whatever happened to "Kent, a military school grad who trained in Glasgow and did a tour in Afghanistan"

http://www.tvguide.com/news/mega-buzz-rizzoli-isles-new-medical-examiner-adam-sinclair/

 

10 hours ago, catrice2 said:

They have made Kent so strange that it is hard to see him as a man in a relationship with Maura, more like a really good friend. 

I was hoping Kent would come out as R&I's first-ever gay male character.  (Not one in 7 seasons, TNT.)  Instead he's become Maura's "work husband," someone to have serious talks with now that she and Jane rarely do that.  

[DXD526]

Quote

When Kent complained that the duck didn't even look back, I told him maybe it's because of those stuffed mice he dresses up for various occasions.

And Maura said maybe the duck didn't look back because Kent gave it a female name and it was a male duck. Like a duck would know the difference between male and female names???

So much wtf-ery in this episode. The Dirty Robber serving duck a l'orange, indeed! I didn't get the magic tricks thing. Is Nina a fan of magic? If she ever mentioned that, I missed it. The case had me totally confused. The character of Kent is all over the map. He could pretty much do anything next week and it wouldn't surprise me.

I do like the time-lapsed shots of Boston this show uses as segues. They make the city look really beautiful.

Anything short of this show ending with Rizzles will be disappointing to me. 

[shapeshifter]

23 hours ago, juliet73 said:

...So the criminals get in and out through the skylight... Did they bring a ladder? I would assume so,  otherwise they couldn't leave the same way they came in. Wouldn't the ladder leave marks on the floor?  And against the skylight?  And nobody has been in or touched that fancy house in 2 years?? This show is sooo stupid!

In the beginning when they were talking about the evidence room being renovated, I assumed the first people they would have looked at for the crime would have been the workers. Nope,  it took almost 20 mins into the show for that lightbulb to go off. And I don't work in law enforcement, but I'm pretty sure for a project like that,  the BPD would do extensive background checks.  I doubt that an employee that just started a few days prior would work that particular job....

I have to agree with all the complaints above, and yet I liked the A plot--I guess they could have used a rope contraption to get back out of the skylight, but it would be awkward unscrewing the screws again.

My main complaints with the duck plot were that it looked dead in the box at first, and then when it was up and quacking, it would have been pooping all over the place without a diaper.

I thought Sasha had a cold--maybe that's why she didn't have close physical proximity to Jane or anyone else?

Edited August 4, 2016 by shapeshifter

[UncleChuck]

Quote

And nobody has been in or touched that fancy house in 2 years?? This show is sooo stupid!

And the lights were still on.  Who has been paying that electric bill?  And the mortgage?  And the insurance?  C'mon...even if that daughter could not bear to go back into her parent's crime scene, she could hire somebody to empty the house and sell the property...

[Black Knight]

Yes, this was a boring, nonsensical episode - so, did everyone just fall asleep before the preview for the next episode, then, or is this forum one of those where the preview can't be discussed at all? (I can never keep track of which show forums allow it and which don't.) Because seriously, if you thought this episode was jumping the shark...

[l star]

On 8/2/2016 at 2:15 PM, Bastet said:

Yes, exactly!  I watch this show primarily for their friendship, and secondarily for the interaction of everyone at work (the actual cases they're working on, not so much).  So it baffles me why, in our final hours with these characters, the writers have them working separately so often and especially why they keep setting up scenarios where they're both going to move on to something different professionally. 

I agree. While I may gripe about Jane, the core of this show for me has always been Maura and Jane's friendship. I love seeing an adult friendship where they have gone in a few years from friends to, essentially, sisters. They just clicked and everyone around them has had to either roll with it or fall by the wayside. That kind of bond is special. I don't ship them, but it is as special and important as any romantic or blood family bond to me. So I do not get why they are so separate now. Part of it I think is that we spend so much more time on the police end of things. That has always been the focus but in the past, I remember Korsak spending a fair amount of time in autopsy and even Frankie. It was a stronger part of the show so the time Jane spent down there felt more natural. Most of it though is just series ending stupidity.

On 8/3/2016 at 1:35 PM, Maelstrom said:

I really liked Maura's scene with Kent where she thanks him for being such a good caretaker, on behalf of the duck of course. And Maura, you're awesome and I love you, but that shirt looked more chartreuse than citrine. Just sayin'. Jane is so snarky bordering on outright mean anymore that I have to wonder why Maura is even friends with her...

Is next episode the one Sasha directed? Curious to see how she does.

I've wondered that myself so much. To be fair, while I enjoyed it very much the picture scene last ep was a pretty cold. Still, I wonder if it would feel as one-sided if Maura had family for Jane to be in the middle of all the time? Family that Jane and Maura both liked I mean. I'm going to say probably just because of "the snarky bordering on outright mean" that you mentioned.

I am too. She graduated from a pretty prestigious film school, if I remember correctly, and not in acting.

On 8/3/2016 at 6:21 PM, juliet73 said:

The duck subplot was so stupid. Let's bring a sick duck into a restaurant and into a forensics lab because no one will get super pissed about that! C'mon!

I would like a spin-off series with Korsack, Nina,  Kent and Maura.

I'm pretty sure everyone was getting super pissed about the duck being at The Dirty Robber. At the lab, I assumed that if Maura wasn't freaking out about it, then everyone else minded their own.

Yes, please!! They can even keep Frankie if they want.

On 8/3/2016 at 7:25 PM, Clanstarling said:

I agree. I've liked Kent from the start - but they sure have given him a grab-bag of idiosyncratic enthusiasms. The duck did nothing for me, but I'm standoffish with fowl, unless they're roasted nicely. Am I dreaming, or did Kent actually have a fairly serious backstory in the beginning?

He was a doctor in the military, and served in combat. He switched to pathology because he couldn't handle the deaths. While he is pretty much goofy squared, I think his interest in Maura's illness showed that serious backstory well. Once his doctor instincts kick in, he has trouble backing up. And he can't deal with the aftermath. At one point, I think Maura had to help him because he couldn't talk to a family about their loved one's death. That had to do with his time in combat as well.  Even though Maura is fine now, he's having trouble taking that step back again. Which is why Maura needs to drag him to one of the clinics she's volunteering at until he figures out that M.E. is not his calling.

Edited August 5, 2016 by l star

[BellyLaughter]

It really never ceases to amaze me what actually passes for script writing in Hollywood at the moment.  R&I has struggled for the majority of its run but it's not alone with ridiculous subplots, plot holes and mind blowing stupidity.  Hollywood really does have a low, low opinion of humanity and what we will endure.....

 

The people working on this show can't seriously be proud of the what they are producing???

 

I want to enjoy it - I have watched the majority of the episodes but I have long ago lost count of the number of times I roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of what this show has to offer in most episodes.  They are lucky they have a bunch of actors that clearly, their audience enjoy watching!  Those actors should all be given medals for putting up with such mediocre material for 7 seasons.

[Maelstrom]

23 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

And the lights were still on.  Who has been paying that electric bill?  And the mortgage?  And the insurance?  C'mon...even if that daughter could not bear to go back into her parent's crime scene, she could hire somebody to empty the house and sell the property...

I think they had a few shots of Jane and Korsak setting up big ass freestanding lights, which I took to mean the power's been off and they brought lights in from the PD so they could investigate. YMMV

OK, so I didn't imagine Kent's backstory including some traumatic tours in war zones. I find it very hard to correlate the doctor very likely suffering from PTSD with the goonball we seem to get this year. WTH? Do the writers even watch this show?

[torqy]

The character I'll miss most when this show shuffles off to Buffalo is Korsak.

Someone asked above if the writers even watch the show. My recollection is that writing was much better on many shows in the 60's and 70's (get off my lawn). Columbo comes to mind, for no special reason. Evidence of the dumbing down of writing in general. Try reading a copy of the local newspaper some time.

[Scamp]

11 hours ago, torqy said:

The character I'll miss most when this show shuffles off to Buffalo is Korsak.

Someone asked above if the writers even watch the show. My recollection is that writing was much better on many shows in the 60's and 70's (get off my lawn). Columbo comes to mind, for no special reason. Evidence of the dumbing down of writing in general. Try reading a copy of the local newspaper some time.

The writers are emulating Jan Nash, who took over as showrunner with season 5,  "Nash gave herself a “Rizzoli & Isles” crash course by watching the first and last episodes of each previous season, plus several others she randomly selected. “  There were 56 past episodes then; she watched about a dozen.  http://zap2it.com/blog-post/rizzoli-isles-season-5-premiere-angie-harmon-sasha-alexander-lee-thompson-young-death-honor-tribute/

[Scamp]

On 8/4/2016 at 7:30 AM, DXD526 said:

I do like the time-lapsed shots of Boston this show uses as segues. They make the city look really beautiful.

Anything short of this show ending with Rizzles will be disappointing to me. 

A couple of weeks ago, an Atlanta resident pointed out on the show's Facebook that one  of the aerial views was of Atlanta, not Boston.  I rewatched and confirmed via Google.  

I've wanted Rizzles for years, but wouldn't trust this bunch to go there.  Angie and Sasha, yes.  The writers, no.

[tessaray]

I would hate to see Rizzles as endgame, mainly because I don't see anything other than a loving friendship between them.  In a way, it's a more interesting conundrum.  Today women don't need men/marriage in the same way they did even a generation ago. With good jobs, good friends, maybe a guy if the right one comes along, a lot of women end up marrying much later in life, if at all.  

It makes sense to me for both Jane and Maura to be at a point where they need something different, even if they don't know what that might be.  Maura, because of her health scare and Jane because the FBI gave her a glimpse of different challenges.  Jane obviously loves her job and her life but you can also see a bit of restlessness creeping in.  

It would actually be nice if a show in its last season didn't set up HEAs for everyone and wrap everything up with a bow.  

[Scamp]

1 hour ago, tessaray said:

I would hate to see Rizzles as endgame, mainly because I don't see anything other than a loving friendship between them.  In a way, it's a more interesting conundrum.  Today women don't need men/marriage in the same way they did even a generation ago. With good jobs, good friends, maybe a guy if the right one comes along, a lot of women end up marrying much later in life, if at all.  

It makes sense to me for both Jane and Maura to be at a point where they need something different, even if they don't know what that might be.  Maura, because of her health scare and Jane because the FBI gave her a glimpse of different challenges.  Jane obviously loves her job and her life but you can also see a bit of restlessness creeping in.  

It would actually be nice if a show in its last season didn't set up HEAs for everyone and wrap everything up with a bow.  

Don't worry.  Rizzles ain't on the table.  Jan Nash made that clear from Day One.  

Yes, Nash is aware of the rabid Jane-and-Maura-'shipping. "I will say that we are grateful to have such a devoted audience," she says. "There are so many shows that don't make it out of their first seasons and many of those that do don't make it out of their second seasons. There are very few shows that get to 92 episodes, which is where we'll be after this season. That only happens if you have a devoted, loyal fan base that cares about the characters and the work the actors are doing. We're grateful for that. The people who see the show a certain way and want it to be that, we're grateful that they love the show as much as they do... and that's really all I'm gonna say about it."  http://www.tvguide.com/news/rizzoli-isles-season6-spoilers/

[tessaray]

I do feel for the Jane/Maura shippers because it seems like the show really teased it during the first seasons.  I didn't start watching until R&I was in its 3rd season but the subtext was quite noticeable when I finally got around to watching the earlier episodes.

[Scamp]

On 8/7/2016 at 3:38 PM, tessaray said:

I do feel for the Jane/Maura shippers because it seems like the show really teased it during the first seasons.  I didn't start watching until R&I was in its 3rd season but the subtext was quite noticeable when I finally got around to watching the earlier episodes.

An example of the teasing from 4 years ago.  Nostalgia!  http://shycube.tumblr.com/post/28063945831/x  

[backformore]

Was I the only one expecting that magic trick to end up with a ring and a proposal?