S01.E02: Bridge And Tunnel Vision

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Wallace's career-making case is reexamined by CIU team, but there are unforeseen complexities in this rape and robbery case, and the woman at the center of the crime becomes victimized again, this time by the press.

[paigow]

Bridge & Tunnel was an Agent Carter title...fluke or conspiracy....

[Primetimer]

And other nearly-burning questions from the second episode.

View the full article

[thuganomics85]

Thought it was a bit better then the pilot, since even though Hayes is still a jerk, she is actually invested in solving cases more, compared to last week, where she clearly didn't give a shit and just kept trying to dodge work.  Sure, it was mainly because she wanted to stick it to Conner, but baby steps! 

Case was a bit more interesting with one of the three being the true assailant and the other two being innocent.  And even though they "won", Hayes still feels a bit like crap since the victim is now going to be hounded by the media because they think she lied, even though it seems like she really did lose her memory and just assumed the cops were right.  Recognized the actress from Luke Cage.

Minor fleshing out for the team.  Emily Kinney's character apparently was an eye witness for her aunt's death, but sent the wrong person to prison. Manny Montana's boyfriend has been denied parole.  Iceman considers throwing Hayes under the bus in order to be in charge, but changes his mind (right call.  Even Peggy Carter on cocaine is a better leader then Iceman!)  And I'm pretty sure Merrin Dungey was holding some kind of sobriety chip at the beginning, so I guess she's a recovering alcoholic? 

Was that Frederick Weller as the victim's co-worker that she slept with?  It sure looked and sounded like him, but that was a pretty small role for someone who is decently well-known.

As usual, nothing special, but I'm here as long as Hayley Atwell is here.  Of course, judging from the ratings, I don't see ABC sticking with this for too long.

Edited October 11, 2016 by thuganomics85

[Senna]

I also thought this was better than the pilot.  Hayes was more likable, and the case went in a direction I wasn't expecting.  I liked that the victim was right that revealing her information would hurt her reputation (and to be honest, if we assume she really had amnesia, all she had to go on was the word of her co-worker that they had sex in a bar bathroom that was rough enough to look like rape to medical professionals), and I liked that Hayes properly felt bad about it.  I still don't particularly care for the love interest DA (though I did like Hayes reaction to him near the end of the episode) or Hayes' brother, who's a little too much in the role of "supportive best friend" (or something; maybe I'm just jealous that my brother never initiates spontaneous dance parties).

Edited October 11, 2016 by Senna

[Free]

38 minutes ago, Senna said:

I also thought this was better than the pilot.  Hayes was more likable, and the case went in a direction I wasn't expecting.  I liked that the victim was right that revealing her information would hurt her reputation (and to be honest, if we assume she really had amnesia, all she had to go on was the word of her co-worker that they had sex in a bar bathroom that was rough enough to look like rape to medical professionals), and I liked that Hayes properly felt bad about it.  I still don't particularly care for the love interest DA (though I did like Hayes reaction to him near the end of the episode) or Hayes' brother, who's a little too much in the role of "supportive best friend" (or something; maybe I'm just jealous that my brother never initiates spontaneous dance parties).

The pilot was sort of sloppy so I expected her character would start to shift mid episode as part of her 'recovery'.

Edited October 11, 2016 by Free

[Tiger]

I think the case part was really good, but the personal not so much. I did like Hays telling her brother she hopes the waiter gives her a good review, and I really like what Bess Armstrong is doing with such a cliche part.  

Maybe ABC can do some major retooling?  Jettison the male cast, make it a bit less glossy, I dont know.  

But Im here for Hayley till the (probably) quick end.

[romantic idiot]

I'm sorry this isn't doing well. I quite liked the show. It's definitely better than Quantico and Blindspot last year. 

I also noticed that Hays is dressing more professionaly as she's settling into the role. 

[Sakura12]

I agree, so far this show is better than Blindspot. I can't stand that show's lead screaming alpha male character. 

This show does have it's issues, but I do think it's Hayley that's giving that character layers. Considering she's playing a brilliant but lazy person that I normally hate in real life. She's knows what she's doing and her team recognizes that, even Iceman who keeps wavering whether or not to rat her out. Which doesn't seem like a good idea being that it could hurt the DA and her mother a Presidential candidate. Wouldn't that kind of be career suicide? 

Did they say how old Hayes was when she lived in the White House? And did her father serve 4 years or 8? However I could see how growing up in a political environment that you were forced into would make one jaded. She probably couldn't go anywhere without a brigade of Secret Service watching her every move. 

[Netfoot]

24 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

She probably couldn't go anywhere without a brigade of Secret Service watching her every move. 

Plus every paparazzi for seven leagues in each direction... 

[sjohnson]

The case was far more interesting than the personal life of Hayes Morrison for me. I have a flicker of interest in Sam's choice about whether to be a good guy who support his boss or be a good guy who doesn't cover up a special deal where a prosecutor rewards cocaine possession with a plum job because of who the perp is. But I already suspect that special episode about Manny's boyfriend is all about how he's guilty, guilty, guilty!

The reason of course is where the writers have already flinched so that the CIU is ostentatiously playing prosecutor. This is realistic, and it's why real life conviction integrity or conviction review units are minimally effective, except for the desired optics. The nice thing about trying to keep a plot coherent is the episode still depicts the police as having gotten the right guy by sheer luck/power of script. True, it buries the lede, as they say. In one sense that's bad drama, but it is much more politically correct. (That's in the literal sense of following the official politics of the moment, not in the secret sense in which "pc" means leftist, radical.) Even worse, but equally plausible, the crucial evidence, the time the innocent were taken into the wagon was always available to the police. Connor just screwed it all up. 

There are very interesting issues raised. Zadie's belief that her life was destroyed even before the humiliation of the revelation of their RR encounter in a way that the incarceration for ten years of innocent men is, well, I don't think we should expect the victims to be as objective. But the show endorses her viewpoint without question! The notion that amnesia after major head trauma isn't to be expected on the other hand...it's a shame the episode didn't cut off Hayes' remarks about how silly the question was, and how disingenuous in its effect. 

On a dramatic note, the folderol about the fake beads and Brian going nuts didn't convince me even as it happened. Not only was it not needed, it directly contradicted the appeal to him for a confession. 

[taragel]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

 I do think it's Hayley that's giving that character layers. Considering she's playing a brilliant but lazy person that I normally hate in real life. She's knows what she's doing and her team recognizes that

Agreed. Also, it's the kind of role/backstory they usually give a male character. The slacker who chimes in with the right answer at key moments to make you realize he's smarter than he looks/has been paying attention the whole time. It actually wouldn't surprise me if the role was originally meant to be cast with a guy instead of a woman (Hayes Morrison is fairly gender neutral).

I didn't like this episode as much as the first because it felt a little too case-based. I like more personal than political in my dramas generally. I still like this cast though, and wonder at the critical reception being so poor when it seems no worse than Quantico, Blindspot or any number of CBS procedural shows. I actually think it's far better than Shonda's newest show, The Catch (which I had such hopes for--but recasting the lead guy with Peter Krause was such a mistake IMO--wrong vibe for that role completely).

Edited October 11, 2016 by taragel

[Lostinthehouse]

The dialog clarified one thing:  "This is not the Innocence Project."

Alrighty then.

[ChelseaNH]

Bad enough they have someone straight-up scoffing at the idea that someone would confess to a crime they didn't commit, but having the scoffer be the ex-con?

[zxy556575]

Are we supposed to believe there was a deliberate police cover-up in this case? Because the semen found in the victim not matching any of the suspects would seem to be pretty strong exculpatory evidence for sexual assault. And our little team managed to easily recreate the timeline in a few hours to completely exonerate 2 of the 3. Did the original defense team do zero work on the case?

It's going to get rote pretty quickly if every case the team examines turns out to be flawed.

[Kirsty]

"I'm never sleeping with someone already in bed with my mother". Ouch! Feel that burn.

Only... I wish they had cast someone else as DA Wallace; he's not doing it for me. He lacks depth or something. Any chance an alternative love interest will show up?

I still love the main character. But I wish they had built a better show around her.

A false rape accusation and it's only episode 2. That is not a good sign.

[shapeshifter]

There are 3 shows on at this time that I watch. This one is still in the number two slot. I'm watching for Hayley Atwell.

7 hours ago, Lostinthehouse said:

The dialog clarified one thing:  "This is not the Innocence Project."...

I expect in the next few episodes they will take a case that the Innocence Project is championing and either prove the incarcerated is guilty, or at least try to do so.

[Sulis]

Sigh. I just miss Agent Carter. But I'll give it a go if it's better than Blindspot and Quantico.

[Aethera]

I really love Hayley Atwell, but so far, this show is predictable and the characters are uninspired and derivative. Of course the cop is a recovering alcoholic. Of course there's an ex-con who has a boyfriend still in jail. Of course there's an ambitious 2nd in command who can't be trusted. 

I'm really hoping they try to do more interesting things with everyone, but the way they've developed in this episode, I do expect the traditional storylines.

I'm really glad we're just calling him Iceman, by the way. 

[romantic idiot]

4 hours ago, aethera said:

Of course there's an ex-con who has a boyfriend still in jail.

I can safely say I've never watched a legal procedural before where an ex-con team member has a boyfriend in jail. In fact I haven't come across this trope anywhere, but it does seem like something I"d like Could you point me to the shows where you've seen this?

I'll confess that I'm not used to second in commands going back and forth between their ambition and principles as well, but I figure those I can turn up on my own. 

[maraleia]

I'm out because I want Hayley and Merrin to get better shows. That is all.

[sinkwriter]

Quote

I can safely say I've never watched a legal procedural before where an ex-con team member has a boyfriend in jail.

I haven't either. I think the more standard trope would be if the guy in jail was the ex-con's brother or cousin or parent. Or best friend. 

Boyfriend adds a twist that's not so usual.

[Drumpf1737]

I'm surprised no one mentioned that this was based on the Central Park Jogger case in New York. They reversed the races of the accused and victim; moved it to Brooklyn and had one of the accused actually be guilty. 

[sjohnson]

By TV standards, having the woman be sexually impure is the same as making her a villain. Didn't think Central Park jogger, not being a true crime aficionado, but it's no surprise this show would rewrite that to have at least one black villain and at least one of the accused to be guilty, vindicating the cops. 

It's getting harder and harder not to assume any series or movie that loves its antihero so much does so because the producers are backward and reactionary. That their antihero is really just their hero with their real values and morality. 

[Eneya]

On 11/4/2016 at 1:14 PM, sjohnson said:

By TV standards, having the woman be sexually impure is the same as making her a villain. Didn't think Central Park jogger, not being a true crime aficionado, but it's no surprise this show would rewrite that to have at least one black villain and at least one of the accused to be guilty, vindicating the cops. 

It's getting harder and harder not to assume any series or movie that loves its antihero so much does so because the producers are backward and reactionary. That their antihero is really just their hero with their real values and morality. 

 

Wait... our MAIN character is sexually active and still considered an actual human. Why would somebody else be a villain?
I mean, yes, there are some shows in which that is like that... but I hope for this show.