Ransom - General Discussion

[FormerMod-a1]

CBS  link for show info

Season 3 starts today!

[Bridget]

Am I the only one who thought this show was sadly cancelled last summer?

So glad there’s another season to enjoy!

[NeenerNeener]

6 hours ago, Bridget said:

Am I the only one who thought this show was sadly cancelled last summer?

Yeah, I thought it was cancelled too. I'm glad it's back, but I miss Sarah Greene as Maxine. Maybe they got another season by trimming back the cast. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I remember being surprised when the renewal was announced, whenever that was.  And then I promptly forgot it was renewed so was pleasantly surprised to see it on my DVR list.  I really like the show and am glad it's still around.  I actually don't miss Maxine, but she was never my favorite.

[statsgirl]

I like Cynthia, the woman who replaced Maxine. There was too much soap opera with Maxine with her discipline tendency and her mother's relationship to Eric. Cynthia is a professional who is Eric's almost-equal.

It feels like the show is settling in now.  The first two seasons had a kind of frenetic quality as if they expected to be cancelled at any moment. This episode felt more settled, as if they had moved on the explore more of the personalities of the characters and Eric's relationships with Zara and Oliver.

The main story was very sad. Poor young man.

I was surprised that they revisited the killing of Damian Delaine and Eric's realization of his guilt in it. Granted he got off but at least he acknowledged that he had done the wrong thing. And it's always nice to see the shots of Budapest.

Edited February 18, 2019 by statsgirl

[ferjy]

I want you to Beaumont her. lol He can "Beaumont" me any time. 😉

[hookedontv]

Did anyone else find it odd and out of character that Zara would be at her computer, working on infiltrating an evil man’s website, at home. At a desk where her daughter can quietly observe what her mom is looking at without being seen. And Zara leaves her computer open, etc.? That just struck me as being stupid and irresponsible. 

And I am a big fan of this show but that just really bothered me. 

[SuzieQ]

Wasn't he selling the company last week?  Now it's just business as usual? I feel like I missed an episode or something but I don't think I did.

[statsgirl]

On 3/1/2019 at 9:38 PM, hookedontv said:

Did anyone else find it odd and out of character that Zara would be at her computer, working on infiltrating an evil man’s website, at home. At a desk where her daughter can quietly observe what her mom is looking at without being seen. And Zara leaves her computer open, etc.? That just struck me as being stupid and irresponsible.

At the beginning of the restaurant, Zara said that she had arranged with Eric to work more from home since the baby was born.

Then at the end she told her husband that working from home wasn't going to be possible for her any more, with a significant look at her daughter.

With three kids needing bedrooms, I'm assuming that Zara doesn't have a separate office that she can work from and works at the family table.

[NeenerNeener]

Hey, the last episode was a Being Erica reunion!  

[NeenerNeener]

So, how did last night's episode end? In my area the basketball games made everything scheduled after start about 20 minutes late, so my Tivo cut off before the episode ended. Did they get the little boy back with all his fingers? Did they arrest the kidnapper?

[TimetoShine]

4 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

So, how did last night's episode end? In my area the basketball games made everything scheduled after start about 20 minutes late, so my Tivo cut off before the episode ended. Did they get the little boy back with all his fingers? Did they arrest the kidnapper?

Kidnapper's dead. Kid's fingers are alright.

[NeenerNeener]

Thanks!

[statsgirl]

This one ended too sadly for me.

On 3/17/2019 at 8:05 AM, NeenerNeener said:

So, how did last night's episode end?

Did you see the part where Zara and Oliver went to the father who told them that he had cut off his son's finger when he accidentally drove the tractor over his twin brother and killed him?  That was why he kept kidnapping the living twin and cutting off his finger, so that he could be absolved and move on.

The boy's parents called the cops when they heard Luke and Cynthia arguing. Luke was trying to convince the kidnapper to let the boy go when the cops shot, killing the kidnapper and wounding the boy. The episode ended with Cynthia telling Luke that she sees now that he was right (making me very relieved because I thought the character was leaving and the FBI woman would replace her).

[FormerMod-a1]

I think this is the first episode I didn't really like.  Waiting until the literal last moment to stay the execution? overly-dramatic.  Having the guy be 100% innocent?  Having the DA know of the tape switch?  the steadfast wife? and everything else - all "too much", imo, at least in combination with each other.  Maybe a couple of these items would be fine, but all together it put it way over the top for me. 

[Fireball]

So I haven't commented on here since the new season started. Partly because I didn't realize it was back, I thought it was going to be coming back in the summer....great job advertising there CBS....it's a good thing this show isn't just owned by CBS. But mostly I haven't commented because of the changes to previously TV. 

[Vent] I hate the new way previously TV aka primetimer categorizes shows. Alphabetically made so much more sense. When the new website came back I still had all the forums I follow, or there was a new thread with a link to the new forms page since the old forum was put in the vault. However, the Ransom forum wasn't there at all, and it wasn't even put in the vault. So I kind of forgot about the show until I stumbled a crossed it one Saturday. And then when I tried to find the new Ransom Forum talk about a pain. I also don't understand why they made certain forums read only. I have some shows I started watching that I'd like to comment on, but the forums are closed and who wants to talk to themselves on the new forum that nobody follows. If the old forum was still open one could quote someone and get the dialog going. Sorry the new changes annoy me.  [End of Vent]

Anyway on to the Episode

So Erik and Kate.... I really don't care like at all... I guess I'm horrible that I'd rather Erik be alone. I don't want the show to turn into Erik + romance. That is not why I'm here. I really hope we only hear about Kate every so often and this episode isn't setting a precedent where we have the FBI "Kate" and Crisis Resolution "Eric" work together multiple episodes. We've already had two episodes where they work together. So yeah that's really all I've got for this episode. 

.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Fireball

[FormerMod-a1]

11 hours ago, Fireball said:

So Erik and Kate.... I really don't care like at all... I guess I'm horrible that I'd rather Erik be alone. I don't want the show to turn into Erik + romance. That is not why I'm here. I really hope we only hear about Kate every so often and this episode isn't setting a precedent where we have the FBI "Kate" and Crisis Resolution "Eric" work together multiple episodes. We've already had two episodes where they work together. So yeah that's really all I've got for this episode. 

That's pretty much where I'm at, too.  WIth the "reveal" I was like "well... whatever".  I don't know that I need him alone, but romantic relationships are not why I watch this show.  The characters can have a love and sex life, but we should just get the mentions or glimpses that would normally happen with work friends and colleagues.  I mean, I know several of my coworkers are married or coupled up, I don't know much else beyond a mention of an anniversary weekend or vacation plans, etc - i.e. I don't see them in bed together nor do I want to know about such things. 😄 

[Fireball]

1 hour ago, aquarian1 said:

That's pretty much where I'm at, too.  WIth the "reveal" I was like "well... whatever".  I don't know that I need him alone, but romantic relationships are not why I watch this show.  The characters can have a love and sex life, but we should just get the mentions or glimpses that would normally happen with work friends and colleagues.  I mean, I know several of my coworkers are married or coupled up, I don't know much else beyond a mention of an anniversary weekend or vacation plans, etc - i.e. I don't see them in bed together nor do I want to know about such things. 😄 

I don't need him alone either, but I don't want to watch his relationship either.  I just have this feeling we're going to see a lot of Kate and the drama of their relationship, and I'm like whatever don't care. I watch other shows for the romantic relationships, but that's not why I watch this show. 

[hookedontv]

@Fireball glad to see I’m not the only one who is frustrated by the new setup and by the added complexity of finding shows. Alphabetical was so much easier. Period. 

@Fireball @aquarian1 I too watch this show for the cases, not their personal lives. I do not want this show to be about how Erik & Kate manage a professional & personal relationship. 

Ok I noticed something funny last night-when Kate walks, her entire body bounces up and down. I saw it first when she was walking down the hall and no one else’s head and shoulders were rising up and down. It’s distracting. Now I can’t unsee it! 

[weathered1]

 

 

1

4 hours ago, hookedontv said:

Ok I noticed something funny last night-when Kate walks, her entire body bounces up and down. I saw it first when she was walking down the hall and no one else’s head and shoulders were rising up and down. It’s distracting. Now I can’t unsee it! 

I saw that, too, and it drove me nuts! I couldn't even pay much attention to what was being said in those scenes because the way she moved was so distracting. (Now, if that's due to some kind of medical/physical condition, I don't want to seem like I'm mocking her for that, obviously, but if it's some odd affectation or a sign that she just can't relax and move naturally when she's on-camera, then that's a different story.)

I agree completely with the prevailing sentiment - the show is really giving the impression that it's going to focus on the relationship, and that's just not something I want to see. The official Instagram page has also been focusing on her quite a bit as of late, which is yet another (bad) sign of what we'll be seeing. One of the things that I've long appreciated about this show is the focus on the professional with just drips and drabs of personal info thrown in every so often, and I really think that worked well, especially given everything their jobs entail. If this marks a decision to swerve away from that in order to feature how those jobs conflict with their personal lives, then I'm not happy about that. (I'm even less enthused about that considering that I don't really care for Kate, but I digress.)

[Irlandesa]

I don't care much about his relationship either, although I won't lie, I didn't hate the shirtless scene. 

So the baddie in this past episode was based on Elizabeth Holmes, right?

[SunnyBeBe]

I've been wanting to really watch this show all the way through, so, after a couple of rough weeks at work, PLUS adjusting to my new insulin pump, I sit down on Friday night to enjoy this show, and the story is about poisoning of insulin!  Ok. I know it's fiction, but, stuff like that really makes me uncomfortable.  It hits a little too close to home.  lol  I still like the show pretty well though.  I'll definitely watch more. 

[Fireball]

On 4/21/2019 at 5:30 PM, weathered1 said:

I agree completely with the prevailing sentiment - the show is really giving the impression that it's going to focus on the relationship, and that's just not something I want to see. The official Instagram page has also been focusing on her quite a bit as of late, which is yet another (bad) sign of what we'll be seeing. One of the things that I've long appreciated about this show is the focus on the professional with just drips and drabs of personal info thrown in every so often, and I really think that worked well, especially given everything their jobs entail. If this marks a decision to swerve away from that in order to feature how those jobs conflict with their personal lives, then I'm not happy about that. (I'm even less enthused about that considering that I don't really care for Kate, but I digress.)

I agree it does feel like the show is changing it's focus towards the characters personal lives. 

We've covered:

• Zara and how the job affects her relationship with her husband and kids. How her husband is jealous that Zara puts the job first and jumps whenever Eric calls.
• Oliver and how the shooting is affecting him and I guess how he has PTSD.
• Cynthia and her out of prison brother that she lied about.
• Eric and his new relationship with Kate and how he's serious about her. 

I too liked the focus on the professional with just drips and drabs of personal info thrown in every so often, but it feels like we're going to get more personal this season. 

[FormerMod-a1]

Yesterday's episode was better, imo.  Although, I could have done without the adopted son reveal.  That was a little too pat for me.

[Fireball]

You think the team would know not to discuss who they think the kidnapper is in front of parents... I found myself more interested in how this 19 year old was supporting herself and the baby then I was in the actual case. I mean as soon as the cop went off about drug addicted mothers I know he was the kidnapper.

Also the cliffhanger of will Kate forgive Eric was..... Oh who cares.

Edited May 5, 2019 by Fireball

[statsgirl]

I don't mind some reveal about who these people are (e.g. Oliver still being hung up on what happened with Maxine and the hints we've had about Cynthia's brother) but I don't want to worry if Zara's marriage is going to break up because she's spending too much time looking after Erik and I really don't like this new relationship of Erik's. The actress is iffy for me at the best of times and the relationship seems to be forced with the push (sex) and pull (lack of communication).

Give me back the emphasis on the puzzles rather than the people.

[ribboninthesky1]

I just started watching this season, so I'm probably missing some context.  But thus far, Eric is a bland mess (when he's not shirtless) and Oliver often seems pissy (particularly with Cynthia) for no reason.  The show would be more interesting to me with Zara and Cynthia as leads, since the actresses seem to do more with their scenes than their male colleagues. 

I heartily chuckled when Oliver said something about Eric was the happiest he's ever been, while Eric is standing there wearing the same facial expression he always has.  

[Fireball]

My thoughts from last nights episode:

1. Kate has been in way to many episodes. For this reason alone, I was kind of hoping that Kate was telling the truth that she was playing Eric.  
2. I don't buy the Eric & Kate's romance. Eric keeps things for her, he asks her to jeopardize her job for him, etc. etc But Kate also doesn't have to jeopardize her job just because Eric asks, so her being mad is whatever to me.
3. The looks Eric & Kate had when they were in the apartment made it seem like neither one trusted the other, but then at the end of the episode I'm supposed to believe they both really care for one another? Ok..... 
4. Kate's Pepto-Bismol colored pant suit was horrible! Just horrible.
5. Zara looked stunning! 
6. It's kind of weird how Eric just takes a drink from Zara's glass. That's kind of the thing spouses do.  
7.  Zara and Eric have better chemistry then Eric and Kate. However, I don't want Zara and Eric to be anything other then friends.

Edited May 16, 2019 by Fireball
spelling

[ribboninthesky1]

My lesson from this week's episode: Luke Roberts does not skip leg day at the gym.  #thighmaster #nochickenlegs #nomnom

[hookedontv]

Well that was a quick episode-I seem to carry a lot of Kate Hate so I did fast forward through some scenes. That ugly pant suit was more than I can take. And I think her eye makeup is bad and makes her look old. See, there’s my Kate Hate again. 

She and Eric have zero chemistry. 

End rant. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I like yesterday's ep better than the previous.  Probably due to 90% less relationship stuff.  I should have figured out the dad was involved sooner than I did.  At least it hit be slightly before the in-show reveal. 😛

[ferjy]

Eric's best negotiating yet, securing a table at a high end restaurant in town. Luke Roberts could hardly keep a straight face in that scene.

[ferjy]

On 5/7/2019 at 12:06 AM, ribboninthesky1 said:

I just started watching this season, so I'm probably missing some context.  But thus far, Eric is a bland mess (when he's not shirtless) and Oliver often seems pissy (particularly with Cynthia) for no reason.  The show would be more interesting to me with Zara and Cynthia as leads, since the actresses seem to do more with their scenes than their male colleagues. 

I heartily chuckled when Oliver said something about Eric was the happiest he's ever been, while Eric is standing there wearing the same facial expression he always has.  

It's as if they want him to portray the seriousness of his job, but they go overboard. It's a crying shame they never have Eric smile. Luke Roberts has a killer smile.

[ferjy]

On 5/6/2019 at 5:02 PM, statsgirl said:

I don't mind some reveal about who these people are (e.g. Oliver still being hung up on what happened with Maxine and the hints we've had about Cynthia's brother) but I don't want to worry if Zara's marriage is going to break up because she's spending too much time looking after Erik and I really don't like this new relationship of Erik's. The actress is iffy for me at the best of times and the relationship seems to be forced with the push (sex) and pull (lack of communication).

Give me back the emphasis on the puzzles rather than the people.

I guess they're trying to draw in more viewers by focussing on the team's personal lives more. I don't think it's working, at least not with Eric. Laurent Combalbert, the negotiator the series is based on, is married, with children. So it started with Eric being married with a daughter. That was more interesting, IMO. A job like this certainly has an impact on his family. If they're going to change that and try to make Eric more sexy to the audience, then why take him out of one relationship and stick him into a new one? Keep him single and footloose and fancy-free.

[Fireball]

Are Eric & Kate really over? I certainly hope so. If they wanted Eric in a relationship with a woman who likes him but doesn't like his job why not keep Eric married to his ex?

So Cynthia bother is gone for good? I'm left feeling what was the point? I guess the point was for Cynthia to realize she can forgive herself and have a nice life?

Edited May 26, 2019 by Fireball

[ferjy]

The writers must be reading the forums. Eric smiled today. Twice! I couldn’t believe it. But Cynthia had to go and get herself in trouble and sent Eric right back to being sullen.

[ferjy]

10 hours ago, Fireball said:

Are Eric & Kate really over? I certainly hope so. If they wanted Eric in a relationship with a woman who likes him but doesn't like his job why not keep Eric married to his ex?

So Cynthia bother is gone for good? I'm left feeling what was the point? I guess the point was for Cynthia to realize she can forgive herself and have a nice life?

I hope the brother is gone for good. Such an overused plot. I guess Cynthia had to grow but I hope they’ll give her a better storyline next time. As long as it’s not a singing scenario. I personally didn’t think much of her voice. Just shouty. I much preferred the singer while the end credits rolled.

[statsgirl]

I have never liked Kate but no one deserves to be given the line "I love you so much that I am giving you up so that you can be yourself."  Seriously? That is just unbelievably lame.

I don't know what it is about the actress who plays Kate. I like her when she's playing grey or villain, like Bessie Starkman on Frankie Drake, but when she plays the heroine like on the show Sophie or here, there is something about her acting that makes me think it's all a con.

I liked Eric's ex-wife in the first two seasons. they were tied via his daughter, they seemed genuinely fond of each other, and bonus she wasn't around too much.

I think they could have done more with Cynthia's brother, but I'm just glad we got something that wasn't about Eric's love life.

On 5/12/2019 at 2:37 PM, Fireball said:

• Kate's Pepto-Bismol colored pant suit was horrible! Just horrible.

It might have worked as a "ladies who lunch" outfit. But it was very out of place at the kind of formal party.  Zara and Cynthia looked gorgeous.  I thought it was interesting that FARC was mentioned in my newsfeed a couple of days after the episode aired.

"No offense, I'm not a fan, I've worked with a lot of profilers over my career" says the character who looks about 28.

[weathered1]

I never cared for Kate (and I really don't like the actress in this role), and I just didn't buy the exclamations of twu wuv or how we're evidently supposed to feel so terribly sad for them that their jobs are keeping them apart. That whole scene - complete with the ham-handed writing - just left me cold.

The bottom line (for me) is that, if they feel they must show more of Eric's personal life, it shouldn't be so difficult to find a good love interest and develop a complicated (but not forced and awkward) relationship and to keep it on the backburner so that it doesn't overwhelm the actual point of the show.

In terms of Cynthia and her brother, that story veered far too close to meh territory for me. I think the actors work well together and I do like Cynthia and it was good that she actually got a story, but more could've been done to build it up, to flesh out the brother's character, etc. 

All in all, there were some missteps this season, but I do hope that the show lives on.

[TimetoShine]

Show's done guys. I still have a few episodes left for this season but I plan on watching them at some point. 

[statsgirl]

That's too bad. It wasn't high art but it kept me entertained in the summer and the European locations were beautiful. There are worse shows on TV.

[ferjy]

On 7/4/2019 at 2:12 PM, TimetoShine said:

Show's done guys

Damn. And Eric was just starting to smile!

On 5/28/2019 at 6:09 PM, weathered1 said:

I never cared for Kate (and I really don't like the actress in this role), and I just didn't buy the exclamations of twu wuv or how we're evidently supposed to feel so terribly sad for them that their jobs are keeping them apart. That whole scene - complete with the ham-handed writing - just left me cold. 

The bottom line (for me) is that, if they feel they must show more of Eric's personal life, it shouldn't be so difficult to find a good love interest and develop a complicated (but not forced and awkward) relationship and to keep it on the backburner so that it doesn't overwhelm the actual point of the show. 

In terms of Cynthia and her brother, that story veered far too close to meh territory for me. I think the actors work well together and I do like Cynthia and it was good that she actually got a story, but more could've been done to build it up, to flesh out the brother's character, etc. 

Agreed. Those side stories were so humdrum. The first season had the excitement of Delaine and the mystery of Maxine and how she related to that with her mother. And I preferred Eric as the family man with his wife and daughter showing up occasionally in the episodes. Not everyone gets divorced because they actually have to go in to work. I guess they wanted to make Eric free to be a stud with different women in his life. Then at least get actresses he has some chemistry with. They should have stuck to the ransom stories which was the interesting aspect of the show instead of delving into their personal lives so much and making it into a soap opera. Personally, I felt that too much time was spent on Cynthia and her brother, an unoriginal plot line that was boring as hell.

Edited July 14, 2019 by ferjy
Autocorrect battles.