S01.E02: Wild Game

[CooperTV]

Quote

Although Dylan has returned to teaching, Lizzie calls upon his expertise with profiling sociopaths to assist with a bizarre case in which a venture capitalist was murdered and his body ritualistically displayed.

Promos

[SomeTameGazelle]

I find the idea that Lizzie had a choice about having a partner or not and whether to choose one from off the street instead of from within the police force bewildering. 

The crime was too melodramatic for me. And I can tell that I want this to be more like early Castle and feel disappointed when it isn't. Up until the last scene I would have said part of the problem is that both leads are too tightly wound, but when they decided to be partners they seemed looser.

[2727]

1 hour ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

I find the idea that Lizzie had a choice about having a partner or not and whether to choose one from off the street instead of from within the police force bewildering. 

For real. There's kind of a lot to bewilder a person in this show so far. Like an author's book editor being an integral part of his life. I wasn't sure last week but yeah. Whoopi's character and her annoying life platitudes can bite me.

[sweetandsour]

There are definitely a lot of "huh?" aspects to the show, and the more they address some of them, the weirder it is. Obviously this is one of many "straight-laced female cop, wacky and irreverent but effective male civilian" shows that have the female cop not working with a partner already, but they're explaining it very strangely here. Though come to think of it, I think it was discussed on Rosewood early on, too, and I don't remember thinking, "this is ridic," but maybe I did and forgot. I don't remember how/if they hand-waved it on Lucifer, Castle, etc.

They need to get away from the serial killer crimes. There are other abnormal murders that Dylan could have particular insight on. Serial killers are just not that common, never mind in one (albeit large and metropolitan) city.

I also think in future episodes, they need to do more with the other three regulars than just pop in for a minute across 1-2 scenes per episode.  I get it, it's early and they're establishing the leads and the partnership, but still. I do enjoy the irreverence of the show and I suspend a lot of disbelief, so I find it entertaining.

But to me, the true co-stars of Alan Cumming tonight were THE COATS.  No offense to Bojana as the co-star, but THOSE COATS. For all of the emphasis on Lizzie's blah clothing choices in the premiere, her parade of wool coats was on point tonight.

[SomeTameGazelle]

6 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

They need to get away from the serial killer crimes.

To be fair, she brought him into this case after the first death without any indication that there were/would be other victims. She brought him in because the one murder was so bizarre.

 

6 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

I don't remember how/if they hand-waved it on Lucifer, Castle, etc.

On Castle it was that he was friends with the mayor and so the mayor told the police they had to let him tag along with Beckett. (After the first case, where they brought him in because the scene was staged to match something in a book he had written.) And Beckett seemed to kind of supervise Ryan and Esposito instead of having a real partner of her own.

 

6 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

I also think in future episodes, they need to do more with the other three regulars than just pop in for a minute across 1-2 scenes per episode.

Yes. Their relationship is oddly hermetic. 

[starri]

It seems like Andy is only there so CBS can wave a "Look, we actually ARE inclusive!" banner whenever anyone criticizes their diversity problem again.

This is just another generic procedural off the ol' CBS assembly line, but Cumming's charisma saves it.  He even made the audiobook of his memoir about finding out his abusive father was not his biological father sound charming.

And he had a great anecdote about emceeing a charity auction that Patti Smith was at, and her recognizing him from, of all things, his hosting of Masterpiece Mystery.  Now imagine Patti Smith sitting down with you to discuss Miss Marple or Inspector Morse.

[rhys]

Yeah the coats thing was odd. How many of us women have matching coats in other colors?

I'm finding AC's sartorial choices bothersome too. Too many patterns & for Christ's sake the widest knot ties ever. Is that the style now & I just am too old to know it?

[preeya]

Big drop off from the pilot. Another one like this and I'm gone.

What's up with Dylan's wardrobe? Every scene with a different coat.

This episode seemed like a poorly done Criminal Minds reject.

[Writing Wrongs]

I was confused by why she was treating him like a dick throughout the episode. What changed from him saving her and them being friends-y from the first episode?

Edited March 26, 2018 by Writing Wrongs

[sweetandsour]

5 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

To be fair, she brought him into this case after the first death without any indication that there were/would be other victims. She brought him in because the one murder was so bizarre.

Oh sorry, I didn't specify - I meant that in relation also to the previews for next week's episode, when Lizzie asks if the murderer is a serial killer.  lol maybe the answer is no, but if the answer is yes, that's 3/3 episodes so far with serial killers.

[statsgirl]

I'm still enjoying it, mostly because of Cummings' charisma and the chemistry between the two leads. But I hate the introduction of pop psychology with the 'white knight syndrome'. It's over the top on Criminal Minds and it's a flaw here.

When Dylan was teaching the class and kicked the student out for taking notes he asked "Are you going to remember this?" I thought 'Yes, when it comes time to do my evaluation of this class.'  Of course you should look at your SO when talking with him or her because there is lots of non-verbal communication. In a classroom from the lecturer, there shouldn't be. Also, there's no written test after talking with your SO.  Stupid.

[meira.hand]

The bookends of the episodes, with him teaching about the general subject of the show, seems like a direct copy of the premise and structure of the series Perception.

[Omeletsmom]

I really want to like this, because, Alan Cumming, but I am finding the plots really thin.  I'll give it a couple more weeks, but I suspect this one will not be in for the long haul.

[statsgirl]

32 minutes ago, meira.hand said:

The bookends of the episodes, with him teaching about the general subject of the show, seems like a direct copy of the premise and structure of the series Perception.

That's a good point.  Between the bookends and the parallel of uptight female cop and quirky psychology professor, it's seems very similar, with the standard CBS toning-down.  It even looks to me like it was filmed on the same campus (although I think it's a different one).

[preeya]

2 hours ago, meira.hand said:

The bookends of the episodes, with him teaching about the general subject of the show, seems like a direct copy of the premise and structure of the series Perception.

I had the same thought. Although I couldn't remember the name of the show. I did recall Eric McCormack had the lead.

[treasaigh]

I was really confused by this episode.  One thing I really liked about the last episode was the two of them came together as partners without drama.  They were cute and fun.  None of that I don't like you, you shouldn't be here crap.  Which is only crap because this is not a realistic show, we know they are going to end up partners.  Let's just get to it.  I really enjoyed the last scene last episode where they were eating pizza and being friendly.  It was refreshing after only one episode.

So I'm confused why they went backwards.  What was the purpose?  What was Dylan worried about?  His husband was amazingly supportive.  If the husband was the reason why didn't want to work with her than his husband needed to be less supportive.  Come around sure.  But not immediately jump to, hey, let me make you an office.

So confusing.

[kay1864]

Lizzie's looking through the door at the suspect (with the daughter), and she manages to lose said suspect on the way to the barn?

And is it normal police procedure to discuss one suspect (Gwen) with another (Roman)? Granted, the daughter and soon-to-be ex-wife  were at risk, but it seemed there was too much sharing of suspicions with Roman.  Most cop shows just stick to asking questions to get needed info, until a suspect is apprehended. 

[Former Nun]

On 3/25/2018 at 10:51 PM, sweetandsour said:

But to me, the true co-stars of Alan Cumming tonight were THE COATS.  No offense to Bojana as the co-star, but THOSE COATS. For all of the emphasis on Lizzie's blah clothing choices in the premiere, her parade of wool coats was on point tonight.

Glad I read all comments before I posted.  I was planning to rag on THE COATS!  What kind of money does Lizzie make?  What size cloet(s) does she have? Her coats were fabulous.  Of course Alan Cumming wouldn't be undone...many more coats, jackets, and SCARVES, SCARVES, SCARVES.  We can surmise that he makes good enough money professoring, but his book royalties must all go to the haberdashers.  Also, isn't Lizzie's boss a little young to be a lieutenant...a female lieutenant?

Edited March 27, 2018 by Former Nun

[MakeMeLaugh]

I kept thinking how hot I would be in AC’s wardrobe of snug tweed on tweed. In one indoor scene I swear he had a jacket over a jacket over a vest—he looked so uncomfortable that I was completely distracted from noticing Lizzie’s attire. 

Still in because AC, but this was a pretty stupid plot imo. The perp must be amazingly strong to get the first vic up high, not to mention the time it took to whack off his hair etc with no one noticing. 

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, Former Nun said:

Glad I read all comments before I posted.  I was planning to rag on THE COATS!  What kind of money does Lizzie make?  What size cloet(s) does she have? Her coats were fabulous.  Of course Alan Cumming wouldn't be undone...many more coats, jackets, and SCARVES, SCARVES, SCARVES.  We can surmise that he makes good enough money professoring, but his book royalties must all go to the haberdashers.  Also, isn't Lizzie's boss a little young to be a lieutenant...a female lieutenant?

 

I loved the coats! Also, I loved the fact that we saw properly dressed people in a show! I can't recall a cop show* where we've seen the cop and their partner wear weather-appropriate clothes like this! It's either them wear either no jacket at all, their regular thin jacket, or some big ass winter coat. It was a really nice change to see. I don't care if their coats looked a little too nice. I loved it, anyway.

I do agree that this episode did kind of go back on what happened in the pilot. I actually consider the pilot to be a bit stronger than this episode. However, I still liked it. I do think that they need something more to capture the audience, but I also really like that they're not going for some big flashy reason for the show to exist. It's a nice, quiet procedural and I really do like the two leads. At least Lizzie doesn't have a constant judging look at Dylan like so many procedural shows do. She's actually pretty friendly toward him, otherwise. I didn't need the backwards "oh, I'm turning you down and deciding to stick with teaching. But also, we're not going to be as friendly as we were in the last episode". There was a disconnect, so I wonder why they went back. I liked that they moved forward at the end of the pilot. 

I didn't really like the case of the week. I figured out it was Gwen after the chef lady's death. Also, the big climatic scene at the end was done kind of poorly. 

I see no need for Whoopi on this show. I also don't see much need for Naveen Andrew's character, though he fits into things better than Dylan's book editor. I really think we could do without the book editor coming in to emphasize how important Dylan's next book needs to be. 

*Besides Elementary, which I totally forgot about.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Lady Calypso

[Clanstarling]

On 3/25/2018 at 9:51 PM, 2727 said:

For real. There's kind of a lot to bewilder a person in this show so far. Like an author's book editor being an integral part of his life. I wasn't sure last week but yeah. Whoopi's character and her annoying life platitudes can bite me.

As a writer, I don't find this bewildering at all. An editor is not a proofreader, but a critic/writer/coach whose job it is to help the author write a better book. Some authors will work with one specific editor for all of their books because of personal and artistic compatibility.

22 hours ago, rhys said:

Yeah the coats thing was odd. How many of us women have matching coats in other colors?

I'm finding AC's sartorial choices bothersome too. Too many patterns & for Christ's sake the widest knot ties ever. Is that the style now & I just am too old to know it?

CBS does have a thing with coats. Look at Joan in Elementary. I buy shirts/blouses in different colors/patterns, but don't have the bucks for coats.

18 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I'm still enjoying it, mostly because of Cummings' charisma and the chemistry between the two leads. But I hate the introduction of pop psychology with the 'white knight syndrome'. It's over the top on Criminal Minds and it's a flaw here.

When Dylan was teaching the class and kicked the student out for taking notes he asked "Are you going to remember this?" I thought 'Yes, when it comes time to do my evaluation of this class.'  Of course you should look at your SO when talking with him or her because there is lots of non-verbal communication. In a classroom from the lecturer, there shouldn't be. Also, there's no written test after talking with your SO.  Stupid.

While I agree that the classroom stuff was pretty over the top, and the non-verbal communication bit isn't that strong in a lecture, in terms of learning theory he's not wrong. The more senses you use when learning a subject, the better you retain the information. Good professors are often those who are personally engaging, so the students are focused and actively engaged in the learning - which improves retention.  Typing is so automatic it doesn't count as engagement. I've often typed from recorded notes and couldn't tell you what was said after I finished.

[sharifa70]

11 hours ago, Former Nun said:

Also, isn't Lizzie's boss a little young to be a lieutenant...a female lieutenant?

 

Not necessarily. In the police agency where I work, applicants have to be at least 21 to be hired as officers, then have five years as an officer to be eligible to test for sergeant or detective, then a minimum of three years as a sgt or det before you’re eligible to take the test for lieutenant. If you’re good, it’s completely believable to make lieutenant by 30 (male or female). 

Besides, Sharon Leal’s imdb page says she’s 45. I am jealous of those genes.

Edited March 27, 2018 by sharifa70

[Former Nun]

3 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

In one indoor scene I swear he had a jacket over a jacket over a vest—he looked so uncomfortable that I was completely distracted from noticing Lizzie’s attire. 

Apparently there have been accusations that Alan C. is becoming FAT.   If he's wearing an undershirt, sometimes he's wearing FIVE layers...and an overcoat!

[Former Nun]

EPISODE SCHEDULE:     I wish I had remembered the episode number of the last show...definitely NOT #102.   I wonder what the explanation is for showing the shows out of sequence.  Here are the episode numbers for the next (2) shows:

April 1 ~ Secrets and Lies  #106

April 8 ~ I Love New York  #106

Edited March 27, 2018 by Former Nun
singular to plural

[chitowngirl]

You can get coats at resale shops and at consignment stores at a very reasonable price. Not to mention at clearance sales with coupons. It can be done. It’s having the closet space for them all that’s a problem. ?

[kassygreene]

Production number is order of filming; this episode was meant to be the one after the pilot even if it wasn't the next one filmed because it's only been two weeks since the detective was shot.  Fortunately, she "cures" quickly.

[Neurochick]

Ugh Gwen, she had an abusive father, like how many other women in this country, huh?  But they all don't become killers.  Lock her up.

[Former Nun]

On 3/27/2018 at 12:49 PM, chitowngirl said:

You can get coats at resale shops and at consignment stores at a very reasonable price. Not to mention at clearance sales with coupons. It can be done. It’s having the closet space for them all that’s a problem.

It doesn't seem easy to find the same style coat in various colors at consignment shops.  I'm just telling me she's a trust-fund baby who wants to be a police officer and can afford a beautiful large apartment with closets AND a fabulous wardrobe.

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, Former Nun said:

It doesn't seem easy to find the same style coat in various colors at consignment shops.  I'm just telling me she's a trust-fund baby who wants to be a police officer and can afford a beautiful large apartment with closets AND a fabulous wardrobe.

I'm one of the many fans who watch Elementary for Lucy Liu's wardrobe. Likely there was some effort here to garner the same fan base.

So-called "free stores" or items abandoned on sidewalks by moving renters provide a bounty of picture frames, furniture, and perhaps coats. I recall a L&O episode opening with a woman walking her dog happily noticing what looked like a cast off mink coat in an alley. Although closer inspection revealed a body, the dog walker stayed around to inquire whether she might still have the coat. Do things like that ever get released from evidence?

[wendyg]

I think the book editor thing was copied from MEN IN TREES, where it made even less sense. I think Hollywood folks have trouble understanding that the person who buys your manuscript and supervises its production is the book editor; the person who books you on TV shows is the publicist; and the person who represents *you* in all that is your AGENT. Odd, since they're all writers with agents.

[MissLucas]

Late to the party but I just discovered this show. Yep, the basic formula is well known by now but I appreciate the variations the writers wove in carefully. And I'm also starting to appreciate Lizzie's coat-game: Owing the same wrap coat in two great colors deserves a round of applause. She's not up there with Watson (and probably never will be) but I like her wardrobe choices and unlike Watson she has a partner with an impeccable sense for dressing too. Those brogues in the auditorium scene were great too.