Season Seven: Mike Logan Leaves...Again

[Maherjunkie]

Assasin!  I don't recall Milo tenderness.  Plus that actor is annoying.

[WendyCR72]

Assasin!  I don't recall Milo tenderness.  Plus that actor is annoying.

 

It wasn't so much as tenderness as it was...sympathy, I guess...with Milo, IMO. But I agree that character was annoying. But maybe it was intentional. But I liked how Logan handled him just the same. The stepmother Milo slept with in that one was one of the murderous sisters-in-law in "Bedfellows", too. (My Addddddddlai!)

[GHScorpiosRule]

I have a love/hate relationship with "Assassin."  On the one hand, I love it, because it's clearly a mashup of the Gandhi family tragedy and Benazir Bhutto stuff, what with Bela being under house arrest.

 

Again, by this time, 200fucking7, this show should have known the differences between the Muslim and Hindu religions! Like what are Muslim names and what are Hindu names. Or that someone of the Muslim faith would not, ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT have paintings of Hindu GODS behind her when speaking publicly, let alone in her own home. I vented my spleen over on TWoP about this, but it's something that will get my goat. Not to mention the mispronunciation of Ajay Khan. It is not pronounced Hey-jaaay! but Uhjay. And it's a Hindu name, just as Rani and Bela.  The backstory of their oldest brother dying/killed in an airplane crash was a rip off of Indira Ghandi's oldest son, who died under the same mysterious circumstances and which catapulted Rajiv Ghandi into politics, and he proved all his critics wrong by being a very good Prime Minister.  

 

Other than that stuff, which I try hard to ignore, but find it difficult to do so, I love the rest of it.  At least they got East Asian actors, save for Schneitzer, to play most of the characters.

[WendyCR72]

Other than that stuff, which I try hard to ignore, but find it difficult to do so, I love the rest of it.  At least they got East Asian actors, save for Schneitzer, to play most of the characters.

 

Stephen Schnetzer is a capable actor, but he was all wrong for that role. But with the soap he was on long cancelled even by that point, and even with his voice-over commercials, a pay check is a pay check!

 

And hey, besides Ghandi, even Logan commented on shades of some US history, too: The shooting in the kitchen with shades of RFK at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Stephen Schnetzer is a capable actor, but he was all wrong for that role. But with the soap he was on long cancelled even by that point, and even with his voice-over commercials, a pay check is a pay check!

And hey, besides Ghandi, even Logan commented on shades of some US history, too: The shooting in the kitchen with shades of RFK at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968.

I'm not blaming Stephen, but the casting director. He/she did a good job with everyone else, but fucked up with Ajay's casting. And I noticed the similarity to the RFK assassination as well.

[WendyCR72]

I'm not blaming Stephen, but the casting director. He/she did a good job with everyone else, but fucked up with Ajay's casting. And I noticed the similarity to the RFK assassination as well.

 

Oh, I know you weren't blaming Schnetzer. And he did sort of stick out. Still didn't think much of the episode. With that said, it was miles better than the likes of "Bombshell" (the Anna Nicole wannabe dreck). With few exceptions ("Diamond Dogs", "To The Bone", "World's Fair", "Last Rites", and "Renewal" as exceptions), Logan always seemed to get fluffier episodes. Maybe that's why the above stood out for me.

 

Speaking of "To The Bone", that one never fails to chill me. Loved his interaction with Olivet there, too. Nice to have Carolyn McCormick make a cameo as Liz Olivet.

[WendyCR72]

Since Logan's physical attributes were being discussed in the Mothership thread, I will say this, and it may be unpopular: But I hated the quasi-buzz cut Logan had beginning in S7. It really bought out the point in the widow's peak, too. Glad he grew it out again. On the flip side, Goren's longer curlier hair in parts of S7 was quite the change, and I preferred the shorter hair on him.

 

So S7 had ups and downs for both guys, I guess.

 

In terms of gray, both men had it. But I think Noth may have dyed his out at some points. Either way, I liked the silver temples. I...would have liked to see what more gray on Logan looked like. (I know Noth is more gray on The Good Wife, but I attribute that to being older.) Bet Logan would still look good!

 

Worked for VDO, IMO. And it definitely worked for Deakins.

[WendyCR72]

It always amuses me to see Steve Guttenberg in Courtship if just to know he is/was still acting! I remember he was all over the place in the '80s and then just seemed to evaporate.

 

He and Paula Devicq made for a frighteningly dysfunctional pairing. There's sort of some sense of symmetry that Bruce MacVittie moved up in the character world to play a judge here versus the semi-professional hitman in S1.

[Maherjunkie]

He just seems so much  more natural when he plays a schmoe

[WendyCR72]

He just seems so much  more natural when he plays a schmoe

 

Steve Guttenberg? Or Bruce MacVittie?

[Maherjunkie]

Bruce

[WendyCR72]

Bruce

 

Yeah. I bet he was glad to get to play the "other side", though! Arnie from "Semi-Professional" in S1 was just so...wimpy despite what he did. He seemed almost like a puppy, wanting to look good to Judge Sabatelli. (I also saw him as a shady guy in Homicide: Life On The Street who ironically shoved VDO's character into the subway tracks! So MacVittie has shady guys down cold.)

[WendyCR72]

USA showed "Vanishing Act" late night, and it never occurred to me before to be amused at the irony of Dean Holliday telling G/E that Miles Stone made it too easy for Holliday to kill him since Stone was so weak (from starving himself). Since Holliday himself seemed on the reedy side with a lack of bulk, it looked like a fair fight to me!

 

Christopher Lloyd does love his oddball characters, too, doesn't he?

[WendyCR72]

Speaking of "Vanishing Act" (on WE now), my brother once took a trip to NYC, and some of the pictures he brought back did indeed have the Naked Cowboy in them! I guess he is/was quite the attraction down there.

[WendyCR72]

The local MyNetwork station also showed "Vanishing Act" this afternoon. And I noticed before Dean Holliday came to talk with G/E again (after reading the woman's mind on stage) that Goren was having fun with the cards, showing Eames, and was all smiles. VDO seemed to really enjoy this episode.

I do recall reading somewhere that VDO has said if he wasn't an actor, he'd be a street magician, so that's probably why.

Dean Holliday looked as thin as Miles Stone, so I don't see where the former could be such a threat. (Well, Stone did starve himself; I guess that was enough of an edge for Holliday.)

Finally, the woman playing Miranda/Theresa...I know I have seen her before, but I can't place where.

[Totale]

Rewatched a couple s7 episodes I hadn't watched in a while (I've mostly rewatched the earlier ones, because to quote myself <shallow> Alicia Witt </shallow>), and noticed two cute little things in "Contract", which I saw today.  First, the humble little country doctor who covered up the movie star's drug overdose was Dr. Benway - familiar to any William S Burroughs fan.  Then, when they go to see the screenwriter who fixed the script the ex-mob guy wrote, he has a movie poster on his wall for "Carolina Heat" - the same poster Paula Devicq had on her wall in "Courtship", the movie where where she reportedly appeared in cut-offs and a wet t-shirt...

Edited June 14, 2016 by Totale

[WendyCR72]

8 hours ago, Totale said:

Then, when they go to see the screenwriter who fixed the script the ex-mob guy wrote, he has a movie poster on his wall for "Carolina Heat" - the same poster Paula Devicq had on her wall in "Courtship"

I like when there are small bits of continuity like that. Makes things seem more "real". I am only a sporadic SVU watcher at this point, so I never saw it, but I did read that on that show, someone had an "Icarus" Broadway show poster, the same play that the doomed TV star turned Broadway lead was murdered in "Icarus" on CI in S10.  :-)

And @Totale, I'm not completely clear here: Do you have a crush on Alicia Witt?  ;-)

[Totale]

6 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

And @Totale, I'm not completely clear here: Do you have a crush on Alicia Witt?  ;-)

You think?  Which is not to slight Eames or Barek, even Bishop and Callas turned my head.  I'm easy.  I imagine in a parallel universe there's Law and Order:The Doll Squad, where all the young detectives work before they go to CI and all the young prosecuting attorneys go on to the mothership.

[WendyCR72]

10 hours ago, Totale said:

You think?  Which is not to slight Eames or Barek, even Bishop and Callas turned my head.  I'm easy.  I imagine in a parallel universe there's Law and Order:The Doll Squad, where all the young detectives work before they go to CI and all the young prosecuting attorneys go on to the mothership.

How about Wheeler? (Hey, you left her off the list. LOL!)

[Totale]

Slipped my mind.  Probably the freckles.

[WendyCR72]

"Betrayed" was on USA in the middle of the night, the episode with Brenda Strong as a friend of Danny Ross' who was a crime writer/former police officer married to a younger man. Good episode, I guess, but one part never made sense to me.

The scene where Kathy is setting up a nursery and humming. Obviously, hubby and his little girlfriend were gone/dead, and there would be no IVF and no baby. So why the hell was she setting up a nursery and putting a picture with her and the hubby labelled "Mommy and Daddy" on the wall?

Yes, I clearly nitpick. Oh, well!

[Maherjunkie]

Because she was nuts.

[WendyCR72]

Insomnia is at it. Watching "Senseless" on USA. It really does come the closest to Mike Logan from the Mothership there. I think he even wears his beloved leather jacket.

What a damned sad episode to bring out that Mike, though.

[7-Zark-7]

One thing I always wondered about "Frame", why did Jo Gage bite her tongue off? "Blind Spot" lead us to believe that Jo committed murders specifically to get her father's attention and have him take her seriously. Yet, after one of his visits, she resorts to that in order to end their discussions? I guess it's supposed to be a "be careful what you wish for" situation, and she didn't enjoy his company after all.

[WendyCR72]

20 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

One thing I always wondered about "Frame", why did Jo Gage bite her tongue off? "Blind Spot" lead us to believe that Jo committed murders specifically to get her father's attention and have him take her seriously. Yet, after one of his visits, she resorts to that in order to end their discussions? I guess it's supposed to be a "be careful what you wish for" situation, and she didn't enjoy his company after all.

My guess is that Jo was likely also in heavy therapy after her arrest, and maybe that led to an epiphany from her that her relationship with her father was never good and she saw biting off her tongue (and likely death) as the only way out.

And a side effect was likely showing that Jo was even crazier. (I mean, who'd willingly bite their tongue off?!)

Then again, with her mom committing suicide and her dear ol' dad being a few pancakes short of a stack himself, Jo didn't stand a chance.

[WendyCR72]

I guess a question I still have for "Frame" is how it was determined the heart was Nicole's? Declan gave this long monologue about killing her but Bobby was certain it was a trick - and everyone had a reason to be suspicious. Yes, DNA. But below makes this all murky...

Since

 

Rene Balcer made sure Nicole showed up alive on his overseas show, Jo. So I wonder if that retroactively makes Declan's claims some delusion (since events from CI were referenced with Nicole, so it was the same universe!)?

[Maherjunkie]

I think he just assumed we'd never see it, so she is dead.

[WendyCR72]

19 hours ago, Maherjunkie said:

I think he just assumed we'd never see it, so she is dead.

Yeah. But still weird since other Mothership actors had roles on it (and not as their L&O characters!, i.e. Jill Hennessy and Sam Waterston). I guess it's a good thing the show only appeared on streaming (Hulu).

[Michel]

So . . . after watching "Assassin," does anyone else agree that Logan and Wheeler probably found out about Bela and Ajay just in time?  If they could take out Davi and Rani, Bela's own brothers, just to up her celebrity status, who knows how long it could've been before poor Jasmina, her own niece, could've been next?

[WendyCR72]

8 hours ago, Michel said:

So . . . after watching "Assassin," does anyone else agree that Logan and Wheeler probably found out about Bela and Ajay just in time?  If they could take out Davi and Rani, Bela's own brothers, just to up her celebrity status, who knows how long it could've been before poor Jasmina, her own niece, could've been next?

Oh, I agree there. I think Bella may have started out with good intentions, but maybe during her forced home imprisonment, she gloried in (I'd assume as it was not shown during that time) the press surrounding her plight and maybe that glory outweighed the pure motive, and killing her family would lead to more exposure.

Sick, but I think Bella got off on it.

[Michel]

11 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

Oh, I agree there. I think Bella may have started out with good intentions, but maybe during her forced home imprisonment, she gloried in (I'd assume as it was not shown during that time) the press surrounding her plight and maybe that glory outweighed the pure motive, and killing her family would lead to more exposure.

Sick, but I think Bella got off on it.

I would be absolutely shocked if Jasmina ever spoke to her again.  It sounded like her mother was only barely managing to herself since she'd suspected her about Davi for years.

[WendyCR72]

I have a feeling the niece washed her hands of her aunt once the whole truth came out, anyway. I mean, the entire family was a hitlist of sorts!

[WendyCR72]

I still see the mortuary guy who helped Jay O. Sanders and buried bodies behind his crematorium in "Dead" every time I see Jim Gaffigan (think it was him) play the FDA guy in "Smile". And Leslie LeZard still makes me grind my teeth.

[WendyCR72]

It occurred to me that Bobby's sudden nephew, Donny, didn't resemble either VDO or Tony Goldwyn, IMO. At least the actor was good. But his appearance just adds to the whole WTF vibe of "Untethered". 

[WendyCR72]

Wow. Miguel Ferrer, who played the killer boxing coach in "Ten Count" (and was George Clooney's cousin) has died of cancer at only 61.  :-(  I remember him in the pilot for ER, too, when Susan Lewis (ironically) told his character about his cancer.

[Maherjunkie]

The first casualty of the year.  Did Donnie vaguely resemble Bobby?  

[WendyCR72]

On 1/19/2017 at 5:33 PM, Maherjunkie said:

The first casualty of the year.  Did Donnie vaguely resemble Bobby?  

Not that I thought. Why?

[Maherjunkie]

I just wondered others perceptions.

[WendyCR72]

11 hours ago, Maherjunkie said:

I just wondered others perceptions.

I think the kid was bipolar, though, or something. Clearly, he had some issues. Maybe not as bad as his grandmother (Frances Goren), but he seemed off.

[Maherjunkie]

I meant physical.  I didn't see crazy at all.

[WendyCR72]

6 hours ago, Maherjunkie said:

I meant physical.  I didn't see crazy at all.

Well, his speech seemed sort of manic. Even Bobby had to tell the kid he was rambling. As for Donnie's appearance, I don't think the guy resembled Bobby or Frank (his dad). (I know, actors!) Eh, just hand wave the looks came from Evelyn's (his mom) side of the family.  :-)

[Maherjunkie]

Yes but Frank was truly delusional on that one.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, Maherjunkie said:

Yes but Frank was truly delusional on that one.

What do you mean?

[Maherjunkie]

Thinking they looked alike!

[WendyCR72]

20 hours ago, Maherjunkie said:

Thinking they looked alike!

Oh! Well...Frank was on drugs, so...  :-P

[WendyCR72]

"Ten Count" really was such a depressing episode: Dead boxer from Logan's past, his brother, attempted rape towards Peter's girlfriend by the boxing coach, drug overdoses. Sheesh. But Miguel Ferrer really did play one hell of a great bad guy as Gus.

Such a shame that he's gone. Also remember him in the ER pilot. Ironically, his character in that was diagnosed with cancer by Dr. Lewis.  :-(

[Maherjunkie]

I hope the system went easy on him.

[WendyCR72]

8 hours ago, Maherjunkie said:

I hope the system went easy on him.

I assume you mean Peter, who beat Gus to death? Yeah, as sick as it may sound, me too. Gus did send guys to kill Pete's brother. Seems like extenuating circumstances to me or, at the very least, a crime of passion.

But I guess I'm just a bleeding heart in this case.

[WendyCR72]

"Untethered" is on WE and one thing I never noticed in the Frank/Alex exchange until now is how Frank did a version of antsy Bobby where he sort of cocked his head at one point and sort of stared at his feet.

Pretty good move by Tony Goldwyn. So even if Frank and Bobby didn't look all that alike, the movements were familiar.

[WendyCR72]

And apparently Mo Rocca, who played the victim T.K. Richmond in "Contract" that is now airing has gone from acting to news. I believe he now works for CBS and is part of its CBS Sunday Morning stuff.