S01.E06: #StayWoke

[Cranberry]

The accidental death of a young African American boy, shot by a cop, sparks a racial firestorm and inspires Hayes to re-examine the controversial case of Porscha Williams. Williams, a devoted African-American civil-rights activist and leader, is serving time for killing a white female cop at a race equality rally five years ago. Conflict erupts among the CIU team when personal experiences shape their differing perspectives of the Black Lives Matter movement. Meanwhile, Maxine finds herself torn between her racial identity and her chosen profession, as she follows the case to its shocking conclusion.

[Netfoot]

I knew Porscha Williams was going to be exonerated from the get-go because it wouldn't be PC to say she was guilty all along.  And because this crew never simply conclude that the guilty person was actually guilty.

I thought the husband did it.  Pretty good application of the Scarlet Fish, show!  (Yes, I am that old!)

[Free]

39 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I knew Porscha Williams was going to be exonerated from the get-go because it wouldn't be PC to say she was guilty all along.  And because this crew never simply conclude that the guilty person was actually guilty.

I thought the husband did it.  Pretty good application of the Scarlet Fish, show!  (Yes, I am that old!)

The husband was surprisingly not as relevant as it seemed with his whole outburst.

[mansonlamps]

I really can't stand the young, blonde and her aww shucks wide-eyed innocence.  Am I racist because I confused two women in a photo?  No, you are just white.  Great dialogue, show.

This show tries way to hard to be current and hip with all the sexual ambiguity and PC white people are evil crap.  I like the premise, but the execution is just poor.

[Tiger]

How did they manage to cast TWO people that have no chemistry with Hayley Atwell?!?

She generated all different types of chemistry with everyone on Agent Carter, in the movies, and is currently generating major friendship chem with Merrin.  

But there is just nothing there with Tag or the ex-girlfriend.  

[Cranberry]

I was thinking the same thing. She had chemistry with literally everyone on Agent Carter. James D'Arcy, Enver Gjokaj, Reggie Austin, Bridget Regan, Lyndsy Fonseca... and they can't find even one romantic interest for her on this show?

[CheshireCat]

I'm not exactly a fan of the everyone tries to sleep with everyone. Kind of makes it very soap-opera-ish. I mean, of course, it was predictable that this is where Hayes would go once she learned who Wallace had chosen because she wants to beat him in his own game but still. Like I said, kind of soap-opera-ish. And the way Hayes behaved in this episode doesn't exactly make her a more sympathetic character. Even I, who actually liked that she was disliked at the beginning thought she was a bit of a brat in that episode. I also liked the supporting cast more than her in this episode and I didn't care for the Wallace part of the story at all (despite caring for Wallace as a character (I know, minority here))

Unfortunately, this episode made me see why they decided to not order any more episodes. :-(

[thuganomics85]

Looking past the whole love triangle aspect, it just seems completely idiotic for Wallace to be involved with the lawyer that his suppose to be defending him from an inquiry.  That is just something that I could easily see being used against him.  Then again, Wallace has never really struck me as a particular smart person, so maybe this actually makes sense on some level.  But I would care more if I felt like there was any chemistry between the two of them or the two of them with Hayley Atwell, but nope!  Should have gotten Bridget Regan!

I think I've come to the conclusion that no network shows (at least ones I watch) know how to write and episode about race, Black Lives Matter, and issues with the police.  Because it feels like every single one of them misses the mark completely or goes overboard, so any message that should work is too heavy-handed.  This was no exception, and it was obvious that Porsha would end up being innocent.  At least this episode gave Merrin Dungley more to do.

So, the guy Tess falsely accused years ago ends up being Alex Mallari Jr. from Dark Mater.  Bummed they said he was Five on the police line-up, because how could they not give Dark Matter a shout-out and have him be Four, instead?

Quote

She had chemistry with literally everyone on Agent Carter. James D'Arcy, Enver Gjokaj, Reggie Austin, Bridget Regan, Lyndsy Fonseca.

And Dominic Cooper!  Hell, she even had more chemistry with Chad Michael Murray, then Eddie Cahill...

[Court]

I was committed to this show because of Atwell. But I'm out. Realistically, most cases they review would not be overturned. I read one unit reviewed 500 odd cases and only found something like 7 that they determined were wrong.

It was also obvious she was going to be innocent from the beginning.

[Bort]

On 11/15/2016 at 8:46 PM, Cranberry said:

I was thinking the same thing. She had chemistry with literally everyone on Agent Carter. James D'Arcy, Enver Gjokaj, Reggie Austin, Bridget Regan, Lyndsy Fonseca... and they can't find even one romantic interest for her on this show?

Maybe Hayley Atwell doesn't actually have chemistry with everybody, maybe it's the Agent Carter casting department that was just really good at finding people who did.

[DeathQuaker]

Hayley Atwell had more chemistry with THOSE sunglasses (you know the ones) than with Eddie Cahill (who I feel sorry for; he'd be fine on this show if he was JUST a villain and not forced to play a shoehorned love interest). Or even that potted plant Hayes was planning to give to her brother.

It was better with the ex-girlfriend, I thought, but that really isn't necessarily saying much. (On a scale of Potted Olive Tree to Bridget Regan, still only about a 2 or 3). The other issue with the ex-girlfriend, which could be interesting, is just that, as someone said upthread, the whole scenario's rather implausible WRT her helping Wallace, etc. I should be jumping for joy there appears to be an openly bisexual main character on a TV show, let alone that she's played by Hayley Atwell.

Again, this show would be so much better if they just focused on the cases and got away from all the DA stuff. I know critics seemed to slam it for it being a "by the book procedural" (and I've only watched a handful of legal procedurals so I can't judge it for that) but the cases and the team IMO are the still the best part (YMMV). I like the casting of and performances among the team as well (I know some disagree but they're all fine to me). They should have been mixing in some "oh, they did get the right person" cases by now however. It DOES feel like the Innocence Project (and not a CIU) without it. I don't want realism, per se, but I want to see more sides of what might happen in a CIU through a dramatic lens.

[Netfoot]

13 hours ago, DeathQuaker said:

I should be jumping for joy there appears to be an openly bisexual main character on a TV show...

By "main character", do you mean the principal lead?  Because otherwise, from Lucifer to Mr.Robot by way of Person of Interest <weep!> & Westworld, there are more than a few shows with bi or gay main characters.  The most recent revelation I can think of is Supergir's Supergirl's sister.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Netfoot
Because I can't spell.

[romantic idiot]

I think Alex is a way to stall J'onn/Alex which is a shame - I liked them together. On the other hand not enough to watch this season so ignore me, I guess. I actually think that HA has better chemistry with Eddie than the new girlfriend because the new girlfriend is too plastic-y. Feels like a a barbie / mannequin and moves her face commensurately. At least Wallace is more expressive than that. That's why I think Maxine fits so much with Hayes - they feel like real characters with inner lives. So in that way the Agent Carter casting department did do well to generate chemistry by hiring people who could move their faces. Including CMM. 

[Cranberry]

Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) over on How to Get Away With Murder is a bisexual lead, and she has great chemistry with Famke Janssen, who plays her former girlfriend (and occasional hookup). Now that Lost Girl is off the air, she's the only bisexual female character I can think of who is unquestionably the main character of her show, apart from Hayes here. I wish they were handling this better.

(As for Supergirl, Alex/J'onn has always read as very father/daughter to me. Pretty sure they're making Alex capital-G-Gay, too. I've been enjoying the season so far, although the tone is fairly different from season one.)

I agree that the ex doesn't show enough expression. I assume she's going for mysterious/playing it close to the chest, but it's not working for me.

[DeathQuaker]

Netfoot, yes, I meant lead/first on call sheet/primary protagonist. Though I appreciate your and Cranberry's mentioning other shows with bi regulars or leads! I don't watch a lot of TV (though get quite obsessive about the shows I do pick up) so it's good to be aware of what's out there.

(Cranberry, I agree that on Supergirl, Alex is gay, not bi. Some people read her interactions with Max as flirtatious but I saw that as part of her spy work, not showing a real interest in him. And I also agree I don't see a romantic buildup between her and J'onn, just a close familial-like friendship.)

romantic idiot, you make an interesting point about facial expressions. I can enjoy subtle or overt in a given character; some can be barely expressive but can do things in their own way that stand out to me with more subtle body language; others could have their face win the Olympics in gymnastics. But I think there needs to be a match when you want to see a certain kind of relationship between characters. Hayley Atwell is extremely expressive with her face. She does a LOT with her eyes especially that says so much, and you can see what she's thinking even without her saying anything. The folks in the MCU she worked well off of--Chris Evans, Bridget Regan, Enver Gjokaj, etc. etc.--were similar. They all get very facially expressive, whether it's a meaningful stare or a goofy grin. So you could just watch Atwell and one of those actors even simply stare at each other and see layers of interaction. But watching Atwell silently but dramatically emote her way through a scene while Cahill does a few tiny things with his mouth and otherwise hardly moves or changes expression (he may do other stuff with his body), THAT's what creates a disconnect. It also then makes sense why Cahill and Ex-Girlfriend (I am sorry I don't remember her name) actually seem to bounce better off each other, but there's still a disconnect with Hayes.

Who directs on Conviction?

Edited November 21, 2016 by DeathQuaker
spelling

[Sakura12]

I just wish they didn't make it a triangle between Hayes, Wallace and the girlfriend. She could've just been Hayes' ex she didn't need to be Wallace's too. But I agree on the no chemistry between any of them.

On Supergirl they pretty much stated that Alex is gay when they had her say she never liked being intimate with men. Then again I never saw any romance between J'onn and Alex, I saw that more as a father/daughter relationship. Sara Lance from Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow is another bisexual main character. 

[Cranberry]

And Waverly Earp, Wynonna's sister on Wynonna Earp. I can't say that's a great show, but it's fun and I love it anyway. The romantic relationship between Waverly and Officer Nicole Haught is being handled really well, and Nicole wears a bulletproof vest, which is important for TV lesbians nowadays! 

[romantic idiot]

Oh, I was totally bought into J'onn / Alex and was looking forward to that. I guess she's gay now. Eh. Re: expressions without moving their face, Matt Bomer is someone who emotes volumes without moving his face much, as does Ming Na, e.g. but I'm not getting even that from these people. (On the opposite of the scale of course, is Piper Parebo who makes many many faces without achieving an expression/emotion that I can recognise but it could just be that I don't get white expressions). But here, anyway, I just didn't find anything to bite into with the girlfriend. She may have been trying to come off restrained, as you say. Will see if she improves on rewatch. 

ETA: Funny you brought up Enver. I thought in Season 2 he was most expressive when he just looked at Peggy with much fondness, which was all about the eyes/look and little else.

Edited November 21, 2016 by romantic idiot