Season Seven: Mike Logan Leaves...Again

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yes, I think Mike Logan deserves mention in a topic, because, well, not only do the dvds list on the mothership and CI that "this is Chris Noth's last season", but so do the dvr synopsis! Well, the one for his last episode does--see below in my lengthy post, heh.

 

Saw "Framed" last night along with the rest of season seven, and yeah, only mention of Donny. We don't know where he is or if he's even okay.  Frank totally lied to Evelyn when he scammed her for the $800, saying he needed it, because Donny needed it for a lawyer; then compounded by lying to Evelyn making her think that Bobby knew about Donny all this time.

 

Ross is a turd. I've hated him since he showed up in the premiere of season six, and damn was season seven just chock full of soap opera drama, instead of the good show this should have been. Why Rene Balcer, as producer, didn't step in or do something about the schlocky scripts, I'll never understand.  Which brings me to "Last Rites." I never fail to smile in the dvr synopsis when it states that this was Chris Noth's last appearance. They did that with "Pride" in the mothership--last line about this being Chris Noth's last appearance. For all the shit he got, Logan was an integral part of the franchise and not forgettable, or forgotten as those that came after him.

 

One of the things that peeved me, and continues to peeve me beyond end is how in this franchise, the crooked, lying sacks of shit, ADAs from the different burroughs, don't get their comeuppances, like the ones on the mothership did. I would have chortled with glee if Driver had been shot POINT.BLANK.IN.THE.CHEST* as she so richly deserved.

 

And why Leight insisted on having Ross be Eames' back up "partner" when Bobby wasn't allowed in interrogation or just involved in the actual investigation just irritates me. I just wish he would sit his assholey blowhard ass down in his chair and just do his job from there. At least Deakins didn't stick his nose in his detectives' cases. Only to find out where they were at and to lean on someone if they needed to.

 

And now I have to gather my thoughts before I go on another tear over "Assassin", which the fucking writers should have done their fucking research on when it comes to the cultural and religious differences between a Muslim and a Hindu.

 

*Those that watch GH know what that means!

[WendyCR72]

And why Leight insisted on having Ross be Eames' back up "partner" when Bobby wasn't allowed in interrogation or just involved in the actual investigation just irritates me

 

And CI is the ONLY show I have ever seen this. Police captains, by essence, at least on TV, are figureheads/leaders. So Ross had no business being in ANY interrogation except in an advisory capacity, as Deakins was, usually from the observation room through the window.

 

Maybe it was in Eric Bogosian's contract, to do stuff, before he'd sign. But if that was the case, I wish the same courtesy (assuming it wasn't) was given to Jamey Sheridan.

 

Anyway, Mike Logan...I do notice in the write ups about his last CI appearance being mentioned. Kind of an honor! But that's what happens when you're an original L&O cast member.  :-)  And, yeah, if Goren had to alternate with someone, I MUCH preferred Logan to Nichols. By a mile!

[BizBuzz]

Hey there all L&O:CI fans, this is your spot to talk about the specific episodes found in Season Seven, they include:

 

1 Amends 2007-10-04
2 Seeds 2007-10-11
3 Smile 2007-10-18
4 Lonelyville 2007-10-25
5 Depths 2007-11-01
6 Courtship 2007-11-08
7 Self-Made 2007-11-15
8 Offense 2007-11-29
9 Untethered 2007-12-06
10 Senseless 2007-12-13
11 Purgatory 2008-06-08
12 Contract 2008-06-15
13 Betrayed 2008-06-22
14 Assassin 2008-06-29
15 Please Note We are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger 2008-07-06
16 Reunion 2008-07-13
17 Vanishing Act 2008-07-20
18 Ten Count 2008-07-27
19 Legacy 2008-08-03
20 Neighborhood Watch 2008-08-10
21 Last Rites 2008-08-17
22 Frame 2008-08-24

[GHScorpiosRule]

And let's discuss "Assassin."

 

Let me preface this by stating that I am of East-Indian descent, so y'all will understand my peevishness with the SHIT they got WRONG in this episode, cultural-wise.

 

And to cover my own ass, so I don't look stupid for I don't know everything, I did some research.

 

First. Davi is NOT a Muslim name. And this family was clearly based off of a hybrid of the Gandhis (Indira, Sanjay, Rajiv) and Benazir Bhutto (Pakistani Prime Minister), so I handwave the creative license for that.  And I love Stephen Schnetzer, but they couldn't find an East-Indian actor to play his role? And again, Ajay is a Hindu name, not Muslim and for goodness sakes' it's pronounced as 'Uh-Jay' and not Ayyyyy-Jaay. I don't give the writers or the actors passes on this because it's such a simple way to pronounce the name.

 

But the most egregious faux pas was having that picture/hand painting of Lord Krishna and Radha, who are Hindu idols behind a woman who is CLEARLY Muslim.

 

And like I posted above, by the time this show aired, Dick's fucking writing staff should have known this, and it wouldn't have taken them that long. Google!

And it's among Hindus that father is called "Papa." Muslims? It's "Abba" for father and "Umi" for mother. Well, among the Indian-Muslims of my social circle anyway.  And Muslims also do NOT fold their hands in Namaste as Bella did. To greet someone, they use one hand, which they raise to their forehead.

 

It's fucking annoying.

 

That said and gotten out of my system, I thoroughly love this episode. As many times as I watch it, I look to see if there's any indication that gives away that Bella was involved in her brother's murder. And I can never find it.

[WendyCR72]

I can't and won't speak about any of the Muslim inconsistencies except to say that, if YOU could research stuff, GHScorpiosRule, there was no reason those who got paid to do so couldn't do the same. I can see how such things could annoy.

[BizBuzz]

Ouch, Senseless was on this morning, ugh.  This is a hard episode to watch.  But I couldn't stop.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Ouch, Senseless was on this morning, ugh.  This is a hard episode to watch.  But I couldn't stop.

I remember watching this the first time, and discussing it on the old tvguide.com community section. They used to have a mini messageboard (I met a lot of cyber friends there), before they changed their format to be like EW's. Anyway.

 

I remember saying how the title was so apropos, because the episode itself was senseless. I was so hoping that the girl at least, would survive, since she was able to give them a description and tell them what happened. It was also the last episode with Fallacci.

[WendyCR72]

Ouch, Senseless was on this morning, ugh.  This is a hard episode to watch.  But I couldn't stop.

 

That episode was so damned disturbing. And I so felt for the parents, losing BOTH of the twins, especially since it looked like the girl may pull through.

 

I did like Mike in that episode, yelling at Ross, asking Ross (well, more like shouting!) if he was speaking for the suits upstairs or whatever. That was closer to "classic" Mike Logan.

[BizBuzz]

I remember seeing it the first time, and I was like, ugh.  Why would I put myself through that again? 

 

Ok, I know I haven't finished the whole Mike/Bobby love fest cat fight, but I gotta say, Mike does age well. 

 

::giggle::

 

I did enjoy seeing Ben Vereen though.  That was cool.

[WendyCR72]

Ben Vereen did well there. Good to see him do some drama again after his stint on HIMYM.

[BizBuzz]

Ben Vereen did well there. Good to see him do some drama again after his stint on HIMYM.

 

Well darn, I didn't know he was on HIMYM, I just started watching that with my daughter about a month ago, we are into Season 4 now...

 

::giggle::

 

Good thing I like to be spoiled.  HA!

[WendyCR72]

Oops! Sorry, BizBuzz, I didn't know! That said, he isn't a main cast member, but recurs down the line.

[rujasu]

Hmm, I thought "Senseless" was a good episode.  Definitely not the easiest to watch, though.

[BizBuzz]

Don't worry about it Wendy, I was joking...

It wasn't that it was a bad episode, it was more that it was just hard to watch. Truly, Senseless couldn't have been a more appropriate title for the episode.

[WendyCR72]

No problem, BizBuzz. I knew you were joking about being spoiled for HIMYM.  :-)

 

I think what made "Senseless" so disturbing was the graphic nature of the crime. We actually saw the attack, and the victims getting shot. Not just them lying there after the fact.

 

I did notice that when CI moved from NBC to USA in S7 on, things did seem to get more graphic, be it with the sexual overtones or violence. Maybe because USA was on cable, so Leight and Company felt they could push the envelope.

[GHScorpiosRule]

"Smile."

 

I love this episode, my hate for Amy Acker notwithstanding. But the end always perturbs me in the sense that I can't decide whether Alex blames Bobby that it's too late for her to move up, or what? The tone is...weary...maybe even a little bitter. Quite different from the conversation they had in "The Wee Small Hours."

[WendyCR72]

I love this episode, my hate for Amy Acker notwithstanding. But the end always perturbs me in the sense that I can't decide whether Alex blames Bobby that it's too late for her to move up, or what? The tone is...weary...maybe even a little bitter. Quite different from the conversation they had in "The Wee Small Hours."

 

I think the "It's Too Late" line was deliberately vague, to allow the audience to infer what Alex meant. And if it was bitter, it seemed an aberration since it was clear later in the season in "Frame" and especially in "Loyalty", that Alex was basically always in Bobby's corner.

Edited June 7, 2014 by WendyR72

[Donny Ketchum]

I think what made "Senseless" so disturbing was the graphic nature of the crime. We actually saw the attack, and the victims getting shot. Not just them lying there after the fact.

What made me filled with rage was that the main perp, even after Logan and Falacci caught him, was so unapologetic and unrepentant for what he'd done.  At least his flunkies had remorse for it.

 

Honestly . . . I'm one of few who was probably never a fan of Goren.  But this season's finale, which finally saw the end of the overused Nicole, kind of made me angry that Goren wasn't the one to finish her off.  And that we didn't even see her get sent off the mortal plane.  His old mentor had to be the one to do it?  WTF?!

[cooksdelight]

"Frame" is on ION East right now. It hurts to watch this episode. I hate Nicole.

[WendyCR72]

"Frame" is on ION East right now. It hurts to watch this episode. I hate Nicole.

 

I hear ya, cooksdelight! But VDO did a great job as did KE with Alex's simmering outrage at Ross' douchiness. At least Declan Gage did a real contribution to society, though, offing that psycho chick.

Edited June 19, 2014 by WendyR72

[cooksdelight]

Yeah, the heart in the box was the only redeeming thing he ever did.

[Donny Ketchum]

I still think it's B.S. that Goren didn't take her out and that someone else totally unrelated to the whole thing did instead.  And even worse, we couldn't even see it!

[cooksdelight]

I think Declan was the one with her, waiting in the car, at the flower shop. But I still don't get his addled-mind logic that killing Goren's brother and giving him Nicole's heart would "set him free."

[WendyCR72]

I think Declan was the one with her, waiting in the car, at the flower shop. But I still don't get his addled-mind logic that killing Goren's brother and giving him Nicole's heart would "set him free."

 

See, as warped as that logic was, I got it. Nicole would get Goren wrapped up in knots. She was, as Ross once put it, Goren's white whale. (Moby Dick reference.) Add in that his brother, Frank, was a drug addict who seemed content (at least later on) to blame Bobby for stuff instead of himself and make his life difficult when he popped in and out - and don't get me started on the Donnie stuff - in addition to the demands of his schizophrenic cancer-ridden mother who still preferred the druggie over Bobby (probably because of Bobby's paternity is my best guess), and well...it was a pressure cooker in the making, and it was eating Bobby from the inside.

 

Bobby's mom had the cancer claim her and Mark Ford Brady...well, we know his fate. So all that was left in Declan's mind to take all that pain and pressure off of Bobby was to dispose of the loose ends. And their names were Nicole and Frank.

 

It was sick and warped - and I don't get why he tried to blame Eames at all - but in an odd way, I think Declan thought he was doing Bobby a favor and, as sick as it sounds, was one of very few people who truly cared about Bobby (besides Eames, Deakins, and others Bobby worked with, I mean!).

Edited June 18, 2014 by WendyR72

[cooksdelight]

OK... I get it now, too. That's a good explanation. Declan didn't really give me a whole lot of insight because I kept thinking about his dirty hands eating chocolate bars. :)

[Maherjunkie]

According to the thread title this should be about Logan's departure.?

[FormerMod-a1]

No, all of Season 7.,

[Maherjunkie]

Oh, sorry.  I know I'm not the only one out here who got kind of turned on when Mike whispered, "Ok, darlin'" in Senseless.  Just give me the gold watch indeed!

[Totale]

<shallow> Alicia Witt </shallow>

[Maherjunkie]

Anybody who tells the truth about Cybill Shepard is fine by me.

[WendyCR72]

"Senseless" is on now on Ion, and it lives up to the title. This one is good, but so hard to watch.

[Donny Ketchum]

I also saw "Offense" and am wondering if this was the first and only episode of the entire series in which, during the final busting scene, the detectives actually had to switch gears mid-scene in terms of the perp they were busting?   Logan and Falacci were so ready to bust the teenager for the Asian girl's murder, but then, his mother slipped up and said something that tipped them off that she was responsible, and they both suddenly had these "oh, shit!" looks on their faces when they realized that they might be wrong.  Still, they surprisingly masterfully shift gears onto her without showing any signs of getting tripped up.

[WendyCR72]

"Betrayed" (which was also shown yesterday) was sort of like that. It was the episode where Captain Ross' friend, Kathy, claimed her younger hubby left her for another woman. For most of the episode, G/E kept going with a carjacking angle and the husband killing the mistress. Only very late in that episode did attention shift to Kathy (and took Ross forever to wake up).

 

The last G/E episode last night was "Vanishing Act", and maybe it was me, but VDO seemed to have a blast with the magic angle and all its toys. And it was the most animated I'd seen Bobby in ages.

 

(And Christopher Lloyd always seems like his Reverend Jim stoner Taxi character, no matter whom he plays, but he is entertaining.)

[Donny Ketchum]

"Betrayed" (which was also shown yesterday) was sort of like that. It was the episode where Captain Ross' friend, Kathy, claimed her younger hubby left her for another woman. For most of the episode, G/E kept going with a carjacking angle and the husband killing the mistress. Only very late in that episode did attention shift to Kathy (and took Ross forever to wake up).

Yes, but lots of episodes have late-in-the-game shifts to the true perp.  I was asking specifically if any other shifts happened right in the final scene when the perp is usually busted.

[GHScorpiosRule]

 

OMG, that's one hell of a description. LOL! It really was ironic that Logan ended up having to be the level-headed partner between the two of them considering he was always the hothead otherwise.

 

And he even told her that when Blowhard Ross was ripping her a new one in that episode where the judge's wife was murdered. He was chuckling and she's all like "what's so funny?" and he says he's not used to being the voice of reason.

[WendyCR72]

 

And he even told her that when Blowhard Ross was ripping her a new one in that episode where the judge's wife was murdered. He was chuckling and she's all like "what's so funny?" and he says he's not used to being the voice of reason.

 

Oh, that's right! That scene was full of irony (something Alanis knew nothing about [even if I liked the song], LOL!) and it was sort of the passing of the hothead torch.  :-)

[Eolivet]

"Smile."

 

I love this episode, my hate for Amy Acker notwithstanding. But the end always perturbs me in the sense that I can't decide whether Alex blames Bobby that it's too late for her to move up, or what? The tone is...weary...maybe even a little bitter.

 

This episode was just on in syndication last week, and yeah, the end really comes out of nowhere. I also don't understand why Acker's character spits out that profile of Goren in the end (other than to make that line make sense). She didn't seem to be shown to have any kind of special insight into Goren's character (perhaps confiding in him with her "suspicions," but that's no more perceptive than the surviving bridesmaid in "Vacancy" latching on to Goren like he was some kind of protector type), nor did the murders require any kind of profiling skills. It just seems completely unsupported by the last hour we saw.

 

I suppose they had to make Acker's character evil, because the idea of the FDA as a big, bad villain killing small children likely didn't play well. The Law & Order Mothership loved to go after all kinds of government/agency corruption, but I feel like we saw them less on CI. Maybe because they weren't being prosecuted.

[WendyCR72]

The ending of "Smile" never made much sense to me, either. And I never entertained this before, but I wonder if that remark - along with the discovery of Donnie's existence - is sort of what spurred the whole events of "Untethered" and "Purgatory"? Maybe, subconsciously, Bobby wanted to make it so Alex would wash her hands of him and get that opportunity to advance?

 

I say subconsciously, because based on later S7, it's clear Bobby wants things to be okay between them again and even sort of played up to her a bit in "Betrayed" (the bit about Alex's idea of being "absolutely right", along with the tone of it and his staring at her, etc., and they seemed to warm again in "Vanishing Act"), so on that level, he didn't want Alex to hate him, But the deeper part of him, maybe he felt she'd be better off without him? Heck, in S10, he does reference in therapy that Alex did put up with a lot...

[WendyCR72]

Soooo...Chattygal, are you saying you don't like Detective Nola Falacci?  :-P  CI's temps did seem to grate. Okay, maybe one certain Lynn Bishop did have a tough road to hoe with Goren, as he is unusual. But I can't help it. She annoyed me.  :-) 

 

Maybe the goal with Falacci was to make the audience appreciate Megan Wheeler. Sounds like it worked.

 

As for Peter Coyote, yeah. Pompous ass is what springs to mind there!

[WendyCR72]

I agree, Chattygal, it was great to see Ben Vereen again. It's just too bad it was for such a sad episode. I did like Logan snarking at Ross, even if Falacci sucked as a referee.

 

Ironically, I believe Ben Vereen in the very early '80s or something was on a show with Jeff Goldblum. (I also remember BV from the first 2 seasons as Captain Hutchinson/"Hutch" on Silk Stalkings. Don't judge me!)

 

With cases like Falacci and Bishop, I wonder how much notice the show is given so as to find actors for these temp roles?

[WendyCR72]

Back to Mike Logan, the topic at hand: Why is it that the franchise had him leave on bad(dish) terms twice? Couldn't CI just had him retire or whatnot?

 

But then again, no one seemed to leave "happy" on CI maybe minus Wheeler (since she had her kid) and G/E during Round 2. Deakins, while he chose to retire, did so under a cloud of suspicion, we know what happened to G/E during Round 1, and Ross died.

 

Carver wasn't even explained nor were Nichols, Stevens, or Callas.

 

Gee, maybe Mike still got the better end of the deal, bad terms or not!

[GHScorpiosRule]

I got the sense, after Mike spoke to the priest (who basically told him to retire, he'd done his duty, blah, blah), that as Mike left through those doors, that's what he was going to do?

 

I just wish he could have taken down that harridan, politically driven, corrupt DA  before he did.

[WendyCR72]

I got the sense, after Mike spoke to the priest (who basically told him to retire, he'd done his duty, blah, blah), that as Mike left through those doors, that's what he was going to do?

 

I just wish he could have taken down that harridan, politically driven, corrupt DA  before he did.

 

Yeah, GHScorpiosRule, that nagged at me. But maybe it was also sadly true to life as a lot of dishonest politicos seem to land upward.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yeah, GHScorpiosRule, that nagged at me. But maybe it was also sadly true to life as a lot of dishonest politicos seem to land upward.

 

Maybe, but at least on the mothership, both Stone and McCoy got to win over the other burrough corrupt DAs, and Cragen and Van Buren didn't have to tell their cops so "suck it up!"

[WendyCR72]

Maybe, but at least on the mothership, both Stone and McCoy got to win over the other burrough corrupt DAs, and Cragen and Van Buren didn't have to tell their cops so "suck it up!"

 

I know, but it is still sadly true much of the time. And Cragen and Van Buren weren't puppets, so...

[WendyCR72]

However, I hated losing Nicole Wallace; she was a great nemesis, although truthfully there wasn't much more she could do or get away with, without the character devolving into ridiculous caricature. Olivia d'Abo's delivery of simply the name "Bobby" was worth every second she got to say it.

 

Well, you know my feelings here.  :-) 

 

That said, I'll agree with something Donny Ketchum had said, even if I have a small spark of fondness for ol' Declan Gage for doing what needed to be done, and I'll just admit that Bobby should have been the one to have that final showdown.

 

But "Frame" really pissed me off with Ross and, ESPECIALLY, Ross and Rodgers running their gums about stuff they, by rights, probably had no legal rights to discuss.

 

After this episode, I was surprised at how cordial Bobby remained towards the latter, even if she meant no harm.

[Maherjunkie]

Word! Wendy.

 

Tenspeed and Brownshoe is the show I believe you were referring to earlier.

[wanderingstar]

I am watching "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation From Henry Kissinger." I just realized that I have seen the ending of this episode at least 3 times, but this is the first time I've watched it from the beginning.

 

Let's just say I'm less than impressed.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Gillian Rosh

[WendyCR72]

I am watching "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation From Henry Kissinger." I just realized that I have seen the ending of this episode at least 3 times, but this is the first time I've watched it from the beginning.

 

Let's just say I'm less than impressed.

 

Not the best episode - and a long title - but the next G/E episode to come, "Vanishing Act", with Christopher Lloyd, is kind of fun.

 

S7 is not my favorite season, but I'm sort of sad it ends next Saturday as we lose Logan again and gain Nichols...who, as everyone knows, annoys the ever-loving crap out of me.  :-P

[wanderingstar]

"Reunion" is on now. Intellectually, I know it's not the best episode, but I have always enjoyed it.

 

ETA: I totally forgot that young Milo (the murder victim's son) was sleeping with his mother's killer, Tara!

Edited November 9, 2014 by Gillian Rosh