S01.E01: Forget it Dex, It's Stumptown

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Dex Parios - a strong, assertive and sharp-witted army veteran with a complicated love life, gambling debt and a brother to take care of - works as a PI in Portland, Oregon. With only herself to rely on, she solves other people's messes with a blind eye toward her own, finding herself at odds with the police and in the firing line of criminals.

Series premiere, airing Wednesday, September 25, 2019 on ABC.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Wow, I really liked this.

[stealinghome]

I would give the pilot a solid B. It was solid, not spectacular; good, not great. It looks like the show will be very formulaic, BUT the cast is very engaging/charming in their roles, so it will be an enjoyable formulaic. 

Cobie Smulders isn’t the most talented or technical of actresses, but she has charisma to burn and great screen presence. The camera just loves her and she did some nice work in this episode. The chemistry with Michael Ealy is very good and she bounces well off the best friend and brother too. I’m not quite sure this will be appointment TV for me, but I’ll have it on when I’m home, if that makes sense.

Edited September 26, 2019 by stealinghome

[Bulldog]

Loved it.  Favorite new show so far this season.

[SimoneS]

I wanted to like this more because I like Colby Smulders, Michael Ealy, and Jake Johnson. Maybe it improves as the season progresses.

[Amethyst]

I enjoyed this.  Smulders is convincing as the lead and I like the supporting cast.

Whatever happened to the vintage car she stole?  The owner was a moron, but he seemed like someone you wouldn't want to double cross.  

[phalange]

It was fun and I’m in for the rest of the season. I liked the soundtrack and the gag with the tape jamming and playing random songs. “Love Train” playing over the scene when Dex shows up and takes down the boyfriend was hilarious. 

I like Dex’s relationships with Grey and Hoffman; bring on the love triangle. Jake Johnson’s really getting typecast as a bartender though, huh? Lol 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Also

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John
"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond
"Heart of Glass" by Blondie
"I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany (which was a really nice shout out to Cobie's role on HIMYM, in my opinion)

[Bulldog]

31 minutes ago, Amethyst said:

Whatever happened to the vintage car she stole?

Didn't she tell the valet to keep it?  Whether he did or not, who knows.

25 minutes ago, phalange said:

I liked the soundtrack

The music alone was enough to make me watch the next episode.

[Danielg342]

I have some mixed feelings about this.

First, the bad. I get that in pilots things are haphazard and that maybe the writers don't yet have a feel for the tone of the series or the characters to exactly how their "story formula" will work, but even with all that considered, the writing was messy and all over the place. Many plot points required some thinking in order to understand them (and not in a good way).

Heck, I still don't understand what the basic plot was tonight. Was the boyfriend using Nina to get money from her family just so he could kill her intrusive grandparents and run away with her?

If so, why did the gang guys stash Dex in the trunk? Why don't they just shoot her in the hotel room? One of the gang guys had a gun after all and I'm not sure what they needed Dex for. I also wonder why they even viewed her as a threat (maybe 'cause of the boyfriend), and why this gang never thought to consider how they'd get away from the police (or why they never thought to "deal" with Dex's police buddies).

I could go on, but that's essentially immaterial. The main point is that it's not a good sign for the writing to be this messy this soon- it makes me wonder if the writers will ever "get it together".

The other parts I didn't like are kind of semantic, though they still irked.

One, the autistic man. He served no purpose and seems to be there solely to be a "damsel in distress" at some point in the series. He's also clearly a device where Dex can be "motherly" without having to actually be a mother.

(I also wonder if the producers believed they were being "progressive" because they can say "we have an autistic character!")

I don't get it. Why must Hollywood insist its female characters have to have someone they can "mother"? Male characters can be badass and lone wolves, without any kind of familial connection- can we get a female character that works the same way?

Secondly...OK, so I get that this was a comic before it was a TV show and that the names of the characters have to come from that.

Fine.

I still think it's tiring for Hollywood to constantly trot out badass female characters who have "male" names (or gender neutral names). Just once can we have a woman who kicks ass who's name is Alice or Helena?

Just once?

Guess I can't really make that complaint about this series since its source material is a comic and the writers likely had no choice but to name their lead "Dex"...but, next time Hollywood, when you create a badass female, try giving her a female name.

Please?

Anyway...

That said, there was quite a bit to like. Michael Ealy and Cobie Smulders were spot-on in their roles, and Camryn Manheim shined as well. Smulders and Ealy also oozed chemistry together so their interactions going forward will be a lot of fun.

Smulders, though, deserves more of a mention, and not just because she's the series star. The role of Dex Parios is a bit of a cliche these days- how many "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" female characters do we have?- and also one that is pretty complex. There were tons of layers that went into the creation of Dex and it would be a lot of anyone to grasp. In the hands of a lesser talent, Dex would be flat and uninteresting, lost in the millieu of TV's other "cold but really nice" female characters.

In Smulders' hands, she not only made Dex enjoyable and highly entertaining but she also managed to make her interesting with lots of nuances, with hints of even more complexity than what we've already seen. She's really showing just how great an actress she is and I hope she'll be recognized for it one day.

It's why I can't- yet- give Stumptown a pass. It may have a lot of things that it needs to sort out that give me hesitancy, but Smulders is brilliant and she could make this show interesting despite its weaknesses- doing for Stumptown what James Spader did for The Blacklist.

We'll just have to see how it goes.

[formerlyfreedom]

14 minutes ago, Danielg342 said:

One, the autistic man. He served no purpose and seems to be there solely to be a "damsel in distress" at some point in the series. He's also clearly a device where Dex can be "motherly" without having to actually be a mother.

(I also wonder if the producers believed they were being "progressive" because they can say "we have an autistic character!")

I don't get it. Why must Hollywood insist its female characters have to have someone they can "mother"? Male characters can be badass and lone wolves, without any kind of familial connection- can we get a female character that works the same way?

Ansel, Dex’s brother (as well as the actor portraying him), has Down Syndrome. This is straight from the graphic novel, IIRC. 

[shapeshifter]

If the Poppy Montgomery summer show "Reef Break," was located in Portland and had some actors with serious chops, it would have looked like Stumptown. In other words, like @Danielg342 mentioned, the writing was kind of a jumble. 

But my only real objection was that the show seems saturated in violent action scenes. Like I said about another new show, but for a different reason: The 70s called, and they want their show back.

I will watch when I can unless it crosses one of my lines WRT violence. 

[tennisgurl]

I liked this, I think it could be a really fun series. Nice mix of action, humor, and drama. Colby Smulders, Michael Ealy, and Jake Johnson are all really great, and I think Cobie Smulders is quite good at playing tough characters that can also be vulnerable. Jake Johnson has some super specific type casting going on. "Hi my name is Jake and I will be your lovably snarky bartender today!"

I am taking the old car that has a mix tape in it that wont ever turn off as a shout out to Cobies previous series HIMYM. If its not, thats a hilarious coincidence. 

I am really interested in Dexs relationship with her almost mother in law. It seems like they could develop a kind of grudging respect kind of thing.

[Danielg342]

48 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Ansel, Dex’s brother (as well as the actor portraying him), has Down Syndrome. This is straight from the graphic novel, IIRC. 

Ah. Well, then I appreciate the writers keeping him intact. Ten or twenty years ago and Ansel turns into Dex's son.

[TiffanyNichelle]

17 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I am taking the old car that has a mix tape in it that wont ever turn off as a shout out to Cobies previous series HIMYM. If its not, thats a hilarious coincidence. 

I bet the tape was a mix tape that Benny made for her back in the day.

[Minaboo]

5 minutes ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

23 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I am taking the old car that has a mix tape in it that wont ever turn off as a shout out to Cobies previous series HIMYM. If its not, thats a hilarious coincidence. 

I bet the tape was a mix tape that Benny made for her back in the day.

That was my take on it also.

I really enjoyed this and will be back for more. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

Just once can we have a woman who kicks ass who's name is Alice or Helena?

Legends of Tomorrow: Sara, Ava, Amaya, Nora (Charlie is neither female nor male)

Supergirl: Kara, Alex (short for Alexandra)

Preacher: Tulip

Wonder Woman: Diana

Avengers: Natasha, Wanda, Carol

Nikita: Nikita

[Danielg342]

13 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Legends of Tomorrow: Sara, Ava, Amaya, Nora (Charlie is neither female nor male)

Supergirl: Kara, Alex (short for Alexandra)

Preacher: Tulip

Wonder Woman: Diana

Avengers: Natasha, Wanda, Carol

Nikita: Nikita

There are exceptions to every rule. I'm not denying that. Maybe it's just me but I find the trope common enough that it's grating on me.

I should note that I consider "Alex" to be a guy's name- because it's normally short for "Alexander". Also, my understanding about Nikita is that she originally wasn't a badass- she only became one on TV (and not on a major network show). I'd also wonder how many times she was called "Nik" or "Nikki" on the TV series, especially by men.

I find, though, that when you do get exceptions to the rule, it's because of one of the following:

• The character is a supporting character
• The character is in an ensemble
• The character isn't in a cast that is mostly men
• The character isn't playing the role of "woman trying to fit in with the boys"
• The character isn't there for female empowerment
• The character isn't on a show "targeted" to women

In short, Hollywood thinks that if you've got a female main character who's "manly" and does "manly things" then that character must not have a "girly" name (or, at the very least, not be referred to by a "girly" name). This is especially common in cop shows (which I tend to watch). It's probably meant as an allusion- it drives home how "masculine" the character is- but it's used too much. 

[Mars477]

1 hour ago, Danielg342 said:

There are exceptions to every rule. I'm not denying that. Maybe it's just me but I find the trope common enough that it's grating on me.

I should note that I consider "Alex" to be a guy's name- because it's normally short for "Alexander". Also, my understanding about Nikita is that she originally wasn't a badass- she only became one on TV (and not on a major network show). I'd also wonder how many times she was called "Nik" or "Nikki" on the TV series, especially by men.

I find, though, that when you do get exceptions to the rule, it's because of one of the following:

• The character is a supporting character
• The character is in an ensemble
• The character isn't in a cast that is mostly men
• The character isn't playing the role of "woman trying to fit in with the boys"
• The character isn't there for female empowerment
• The character isn't on a show "targeted" to women

In short, Hollywood thinks that if you've got a female main character who's "manly" and does "manly things" then that character must not have a "girly" name (or, at the very least, not be referred to by a "girly" name). This is especially common in cop shows (which I tend to watch). It's probably meant as an allusion- it drives home how "masculine" the character is- but it's used too much. 

"Dex" is short for "Dexedrine".  In the comics her mom was a hippy.  And any number of your gripes are just as flawed (like, you've never seen a mob flick or any media where a kidnapee is transported to a secondary location to be killed?)

Anyways I finally watched this on Amazon.  I may be biased because I read the comics way back when but I thought it was really good.  Cobie Smulders is able to blend intensity with her normally flippant affect very well.  I thought the actress who played Sue-Lynn was also pretty great.  Introducing the shared backstory between them with Benny was a nice touch, and I imagine she'll play a bigger role in the series.  And Jake Johnson's Grey seems like he can hold his own better.

Kinda bummed that they turned Detective Tracy Hoffman of the PPD (who may or may not have had a history with Dex) into Detective Michael Hoffman, but then again Michael Ealy acquits himself well in the role.  And judging from the trailer for the next episode making her a beginner PI instead of a veteran was done to open up story options (and bring in Donal Logue, which is exciting).

Edited September 26, 2019 by Mars477

[Writing Wrongs]

The old trope: 2 people have to listen to a cheesy song on the radio, act like they don't like it, but then start enthusiastically singing along.

[MissLucas]

I liked it! Maybe some of the more horrible outings of this summer eased me up but I have few quibbles and those I'll hand wave away because it was a pilot.

I kinda wish the mix tape would deliver new and awesome songs each episode without anyone ever questioning how that works. Show's taking place in Portland and several seasons of 'Grimm' taught me that a lot of weird s*** is going down there without folks noticing.

I hope they keep the dreaded love triangle away for awhile (forever would be my favorite option) and that Camryn Manheim gets a bit more to do. She's awesome and Dex could do with a mother figure who comes with less baggage than Sue Lynn.

[stealinghome]

I just kept waiting for Camryn Mannheim to do something Control-esque, especially when interrogating Dex!

[Guest]

So, Jake Johnson is playing Nick again? Lol.

I understand Dex's brother is apparently from the comics, but as a disabled person myself, it makes me deeply uncomfortable when characters with disabilities are used as props to give other characters depth (Dex may be an alcoholic nymphomaniac with a gambling addiction and PTSD, but aww look, she has a heart!). Plus Not!Nick caring for Ansel is obviously adding points to his future bangability score in Dex's eyes, ugh. And given Dex's issues and new dangerous job, is she even a suitable guardian? I hope they let Ansel do more as the episodes go on.

6 hours ago, Mars477 said:

Kinda bummed that they turned Detective Tracy Hoffman of the PPD (who may or may not have had a history with Dex) into Detective Michael Hoffman, but then again Michael Ealy acquits himself well in the role.  

What?!? As your resident bisexual, while I love Michael Ealy, damn TPTB for depriving me of bisexual Colbie Smulders content!!!

Edited September 26, 2019 by Guest
mixed up Colbie with another actress

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, Bulldog said:

Didn't she tell the valet to keep it?  Whether he did or not, who knows.

The music alone was enough to make me watch the next episode.

Yep, she told the valet to keep it.

The pre-credit scene was enough to make me keep watching for awhile. Whether or not they ultimately made sense, I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I'm not a Smulders fan, but I liked her in this, along with the rest of the cast.

4 minutes ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

4 hours ago, Mars477 said:

Kinda bummed that they turned Detective Tracy Hoffman of the PPD (who may or may not have had a history with Dex) into Detective Michael Hoffman, but then again Michael Ealy acquits himself well in the role.  

What?!? As your resident bisexual, while I love Michael Ealy, damn TPTB for depriving me of bisexual Colbie Smulders content!!!

Since I haven't read the source material, I had no idea Tracy was a woman. Which is fine with me - I'm rather fond of names that are not gender specific, since I have one of my own.

[kili]

Didn't Dex say that the tape came with the car?

I too hope that the tape is endless and serves up appropriate or inappropriate songs for every occasion.

Edited September 26, 2019 by kili

[stealinghome]

Quote

Yep, she told the valet to keep it.

I may have missed something, but I thought the valet she tossed the keys to was the casino's valet? I was assuming that Sue Lynn would return the vehicle to the dude Dex stole it from along with some sort of gift to smooth the waters. (Unless he was actually behind the kidnapping, but that wasn't what the end of the episode seemed to imply, so....)

[rove4]

I  liked it. I'd probably keep watching for the songs alone.  I like all the actors and, yay, Donal Logue is coming up!  I had no idea he was in this.  It should be fun watching his character and Dex.  While I like Michael Ealy, I didn't see any sexual chemistry between his character and Dex so their hookup was just meh to me.   

[Ivylady]

I was surprised by how much I liked it. I don't know if I'll watch the entire season, but i found the pilot engaging with enough action and backstory to get me interested in these characters. And I was happy to see Donal Logue is up next week. I love him! 

[mertensia]

5 hours ago, Mars477 said:

I thought the actress who played Sue-Lynn was also pretty great.  Introducing the shared backstory between them with Benny was a nice touch, and I imagine she'll play a bigger role in the series.  

5 hours ago, Mars477 said:

The actress is Tantoo Cardinal - probably best known for Dances With Wolves.

This was a mess, but again, it's a pilot.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Well, this is certainly different from Colbie's role in Grandfathered, where I last saw her.

She was not on that show.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1130627/

[joanne3482]

10 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Heck, I still don't understand what the basic plot was tonight. Was the boyfriend using Nina to get money from her family just so he could kill her intrusive grandparents and run away with her?

If so, why did the gang guys stash Dex in the trunk? Why don't they just shoot her in the hotel room? One of the gang guys had a gun after all and I'm not sure what they needed Dex for. I also wonder why they even viewed her as a threat (maybe 'cause of the boyfriend), and why this gang never thought to consider how they'd get away from the police (or why they never thought to "deal" with Dex's police buddies).

I was confused by that as well. To me it was fairly clear that Sue-Lynn was behind Dex's kidnapping, but I didn't necessarily understand the motive. Because she was stumbling about and Sue-Lynn thought the granddaughter would get killed? But then she called the guys that had the granddaughter? Did Sue-Lynn actually set the granddaughter up to break her up from the white boy? I still don't get it. BUT I did love Dex coming out of the trunk with the fire extinguisher and fighting them. 

[2727]

I have a fairly high tolerance for procedurals and this one had some interesting characters and was well acted, so I'm in for the time being. I join others in not fully understanding the plot but still enjoyed the backstories and interplay between the cast.

I'd prefer the bartender friend be female to dispense with any future sexual shenanigans and love triangles, but so many writers' rooms love that crap that it's kind of inevitable.

I'm always a little saddened whenever a middle-aged male Native American character isn't played by Zahn McClarnon, but I'll have to deal.

[stealinghome]

Quote

I was confused by that as well. To me it was fairly clear that Sue-Lynn was behind Dex's kidnapping, but I didn't necessarily understand the motive. Because she was stumbling about and Sue-Lynn thought the granddaughter would get killed? But then she called the guys that had the granddaughter? Did Sue-Lynn actually set the granddaughter up to break her up from the white boy? I still don't get it. BUT I did love Dex coming out of the trunk with the fire extinguisher and fighting them. 

See, I didn't think that Sue Lynn was behind Dex's kidnapping in the motel. IIRC the series of events went as follows:

-The granddaughter gets kidnapped while in the car with Dex.

-The police take and interrogate Dex; they also reach out to Sue Lynn.

-Dex follows leads and steals the car from goofy villain dude. At the same time, the kidnappers reach out to Sue Lynn with a ransom demand, who agrees to pay it, leading to her lie that the girl is already home safe and her snarky dismissal of Dex.

-Dex senses something isn't right but goes to give the ring to Boyfriend, and realizes as she's there that he's actually in on it. The goon squad, POed that she fought them earlier and fearing that she might disrupt things, ambush her. They drive her off somewhere (where exactly they were heading who knows) and Boyfriend goes to ransom the granddaughter. Dex fights free and spoils the ransom exchange.

I thought Sue Lynn dismissed Dex because she had arranged to get her granddaughter back safely by paying the ransom and she was afraid Dex would muck that up and endanger her granddaughter. But I don't think she was behind Dex's kidnapping at the motel--that only happened because Dex of her own accord walked in on the bad guys just as they were about to execute the ransom drop. What I ended up unclear on was whether the goofy villain dude at the club was actually behind the granddaughter's kidnapping, or whether that was a lie concocted by the boyfriend to throw Dex off his own scent. (Similarly, I was unclear as to whether the boyfriend actually liked the granddaughter and felt conflicted about betraying and using her, or whether he was a stone-cold villain.)

[Twilight Man]

13 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

Just once can we have a woman who kicks ass who's name is Alice or Helena?

Just once?

My name??

My name is........

My name is.........

My name is Alice, and I remember--------

I'm going to remember that you forgot about ME, DanielG342!!!!

11 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Legends of Tomorrow: Sara, Ava, Amaya, Nora (Charlie is neither female nor male)

Supergirl: Kara, Alex (short for Alexandra)

Wonder Woman: Diana

Avengers: Natasha, Wanda, Carol

Arrow:   Helena

I'm going remember you as well, DanielG342!!!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

45 minutes ago, stealinghome said:

What I ended up unclear on was whether the goofy villain dude at the club was actually behind the granddaughter's kidnapping, or whether that was a lie concocted by the boyfriend to throw Dex off his own scent. (Similarly, I was unclear as to whether the boyfriend actually liked the granddaughter and felt conflicted about betraying and using her, or whether he was a stone-cold villain.)

1) Goofy villain dude has a bone to pick with Sue Lynn over some intercepted drugs, I think?  He has nothing to do with the kidnapping, but Sue Lynn was concerned that Dex stealing his car might further upset him, although I don't know how he would connect Dex to the casino.

2) The boyfriend seemed pretty interested in the money, so I would say that he set the granddaughter up to be kidnapped and had no interest in her otherwise, as he was going to kill her and her grandmother after the money was handed over.  I agree that Dex was kidnapped by his co-goons to prevent her from botching the exchange.

Edited September 26, 2019 by ItCouldBeWorse

[MissLucas]

I thought the initial plan by 'stupid boy' and his henchmen was to fake a kidnapping - tell the victim you're eloping with her and keep her in the dark until the ransom is paid, then either dump her unceremoniously and get out of Dodge or kill her. It wasn't such a bad plan as it removed an uncooperative hostage from the equation. When Dex intervened that plan went south and they were more or less winging it from there on.

[kirkola]

50 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I thought the initial plan by 'stupid boy' and his henchmen was to fake a kidnapping - tell the victim you're eloping with her and keep her in the dark until the ransom is paid, then either dump her unceremoniously and get out of Dodge or kill her. It wasn't such a bad plan as it removed an uncooperative hostage from the equation. When Dex intervened that plan went south and they were more or less winging it from there on.

That's what I thought was happening too.  It also kept the "hostage" available in case he couldn't get the ransom.  He still had the option of marrying her, killing grandma, and stealing the inheritance from the victim. 

[Ohwell]

I tried.  I know pilots can be shaky, but I'm out.  Plus, the name Stumptown is stupid.  (Same thing with "Bluff City" Law.)

[joanne3482]

2 hours ago, stealinghome said:

-Dex follows leads and steals the car from goofy villain dude. At the same time, the kidnappers reach out to Sue Lynn with a ransom demand, who agrees to pay it, leading to her lie that the girl is already home safe and her snarky dismissal of Dex.

-Dex senses something isn't right but goes to give the ring to Boyfriend, and realizes as she's there that he's actually in on it. The goon squad, POed that she fought them earlier and fearing that she might disrupt things, ambush her. They drive her off somewhere (where exactly they were heading who knows) and Boyfriend goes to ransom the granddaughter. Dex fights free and spoils the ransom exchange.

Between those two scenes there was a scene with Sue-Lynn where she spoke with someone on the phone and her side was something like "you know what to do" or "take care of it" or something that implied she was calling in a request which is why I thought Sue-Lynn was involved in Dex's kidnapping because the next thing you know she's getting picked up from the motel. 

Quote

I tried.  I know pilots can be shaky, but I'm out.  Plus, the name Stumptown is stupid.  (Same thing with "Bluff City" Law.)

Stumptown is a nickname of Portland so named because when the land was cleared for some growth, the stumps weren't immediately cleared and the people jumped from stump to stump to avoid dirty, muddy roads. 

Edited September 26, 2019 by joanne3482

[eel21788]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

  Plus, the name Stumptown is stupid.  (Same thing with "Bluff City" Law.)

I lived in Portland for 20 years and never heard it called Stumptown. I'd also never heard anyone call Portland  police "PPD" which is the name of the skin test given to check for tuberculosis. I was watching to see it there was any scenery from Portland. All I recognized was the Broadway Bridge, the Steel Bridge and the White Stag sign. Plus there are no Native American reservations within a quick drive from Portland. The was no such thing as a legal casino on the reservation when I lived there, but I know times have changed since then. That part may have been plausible.

[Anela]

8 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

The old trope: 2 people have to listen to a cheesy song on the radio, act like they don't like it, but then start enthusiastically singing along.

It's like Country Road, Take Me Home. You can't help but sing along. 🙂 I started singing along to Sweet Caroline, and it isn't one that I usually choose to listen to.

3 hours ago, stealinghome said:

See, I didn't think that Sue Lynn was behind Dex's kidnapping in the motel. IIRC the series of events went as follows:

-The granddaughter gets kidnapped while in the car with Dex.

-The police take and interrogate Dex; they also reach out to Sue Lynn.

-Dex follows leads and steals the car from goofy villain dude. At the same time, the kidnappers reach out to Sue Lynn with a ransom demand, who agrees to pay it, leading to her lie that the girl is already home safe and her snarky dismissal of Dex.

-Dex senses something isn't right but goes to give the ring to Boyfriend, and realizes as she's there that he's actually in on it. The goon squad, POed that she fought them earlier and fearing that she might disrupt things, ambush her. They drive her off somewhere (where exactly they were heading who knows) and Boyfriend goes to ransom the granddaughter. Dex fights free and spoils the ransom exchange.

I thought Sue Lynn dismissed Dex because she had arranged to get her granddaughter back safely by paying the ransom and she was afraid Dex would muck that up and endanger her granddaughter. But I don't think she was behind Dex's kidnapping at the motel--that only happened because Dex of her own accord walked in on the bad guys just as they were about to execute the ransom drop. What I ended up unclear on was whether the goofy villain dude at the club was actually behind the granddaughter's kidnapping, or whether that was a lie concocted by the boyfriend to throw Dex off his own scent. (Similarly, I was unclear as to whether the boyfriend actually liked the granddaughter and felt conflicted about betraying and using her, or whether he was a stone-cold villain.)

Thank you. I was a bit confused, and wondered if they'd jumped round time-wise. 

I enjoyed this, and will keep recording for now. 

[AnimeMania]

3 hours ago, stealinghome said:

See, I didn't think that Sue Lynn was behind Dex's kidnapping in the motel. IIRC the series of events went as follows:

-The granddaughter gets kidnapped while in the car with Dex.

-The police take and interrogate Dex; they also reach out to Sue Lynn.

-Dex follows leads and steals the car from goofy villain dude. At the same time, the kidnappers reach out to Sue Lynn with a ransom demand, who agrees to pay it, leading to her lie that the girl is already home safe and her snarky dismissal of Dex.

-Dex senses something isn't right

Dex thought the Boyfriend might have more information about what was really going on with Nina, but he didn't tell it to the cops. He mentions the Goofy Gangster was involved in the kidnapping, but he wasn't.

but goes to give the ring to Boyfriend, and realizes as she's there that he's actually in on it. The goon squad, POed that she fought them earlier and fearing that she might disrupt things, ambush her. They drive her off somewhere (where exactly they were heading who knows)

Taking her somewhere remote to kill her?

and Boyfriend goes to ransom the granddaughter. Dex fights free and spoils the ransom exchange.

I thought Sue Lynn dismissed Dex because she had arranged to get her granddaughter back safely by paying the ransom and she was afraid Dex would muck that up and endanger her granddaughter.

And to stop the Police/FBI involvement, so Sue Lynn can be free to pay the ransom. I just don't understand why Sue Lynn went instead to sending a lackey.

But I don't think she was behind Dex's kidnapping at the motel--that only happened because Dex of her own accord walked in on the bad guys just as they were about to execute the ransom drop. What I ended up unclear on was whether the goofy villain dude at the club was actually behind the granddaughter's kidnapping, or whether that was a lie concocted by the boyfriend to throw Dex off his own scent. (Similarly, I was unclear as to whether the boyfriend actually liked the granddaughter and felt conflicted about betraying and using her, or whether he was a stone-cold villain.)

My vote is stone-cold villain.

I added the bold text.

[stealinghome]

36 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

Between those two scenes there was a scene with Sue-Lynn where she spoke with someone on the phone and her side was something like "you know what to do" or "take care of it" or something that implied she was calling in a request which is why I thought Sue-Lynn was involved in Dex's kidnapping because the next thing you know she's getting picked up from the motel. 

I thought she was speaking to her right-hand dude and telling him to gather the money for the ransom—though if I’m remembering the right scene I agree they let them it ambiguous.

do agree that it’s not a great sign that we are having to work really hard to understand the case!

[BooBear]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I tried.  I know pilots can be shaky, but I'm out.  Plus, the name Stumptown is stupid.  (Same thing with "Bluff City" Law.)

I disliked it as well. 

Boring CBS style procedural.

Silly woman who weighs all of 90 lbs beating up two much bigger men. 

Her down syndrome brother came off as an accessory and not a real character.

Sue-Lynn and her knitting of death seemed embarrassing as a bad guy. 

If I am meh on the pilot ... no reason to turn in. 

[gibasi]

I liked it but I like detective shows with smart ass PI's-Rockford Files, Simon and Simon, OG Magnum. And I totally bought Dex beating up those 2 guys. 

I sincerely hope we don't go the triangle route with the bartender and the policeman. It is possible for women to have male friends that they are not romantically interested in and vice versa.

[Ohwell]

46 minutes ago, Anela said:

I started singing along to Sweet Caroline, and it isn't one that I usually choose to listen to.

bomp bomp bomp (kill me now!) 😆

[Clanstarling]

48 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

I lived in Portland for 20 years and never heard it called Stumptown. I'd also never heard anyone call Portland  police "PPD" which is the name of the skin test given to check for tuberculosis. I was watching to see it there was any scenery from Portland. All I recognized was the Broadway Bridge, the Steel Bridge and the White Stag sign. Plus there are no Native American reservations within a quick drive from Portland. The was no such thing as a legal casino on the reservation when I lived there, but I know times have changed since then. That part may have been plausible.

First I heard of Stumptown was Stumptown Coffee, which is based in Portland, as I recall.

I, too, thought the casino was weird - the ones I know are mostly on the coast and on I-5 in Southern Oregon, but looked it up, and there's one 25 miles away in Washington (Cowlitz tribe).

Edited September 26, 2019 by Clanstarling

[Mars477]

25 minutes ago, gibasi said:

I liked it but I like detective shows with smart ass PI's-Rockford Files, Simon and Simon, OG Magnum. And I totally bought Dex beating up those 2 guys. 

I sincerely hope we don't go the triangle route with the bartender and the policeman. It is possible for women to have male friends that they are not romantically interested in and vice versa.

Stumptown (the comic that is the source material for the series) is pretty heavily influenced by the Rockford Files.

Also I don’t understand objections to the fight scene.  She loses the first time due to being cold cocked and, while she can put up a fight her impairment and disadvantages in numbers and mass prove insurmountable.  She only wins by using the environment to her advantage (even small fire extinguishers are made of metal and can pack a wallop) and separating the thugs so she can deal with only one opponent at a time. She isn’t knocking people out by her fists or anything like that.

I genuinely don’t understand people who think women are dainty waifs liable to fall over to a slight breeze.

As for the nascent love triangle I like that show Grey is less wrapped around  Dex’s finger and more able to stand up for himself than comic Grey is.  Comic Dex kind of strings Grey along so he’ll do her favors while in the show it doesn’t seem like Dex is taking advantage of their friendship and Grey’s feelings for her to the same extent.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Mars477

[Clanstarling]

4 minutes ago, Mars477 said:

Stumptown (the comic that is the source material for the series) is pretty heavily influenced by the Rockford Files.

Also I don’t understand objections to the fight scene.  She loses the first time due to being cold cocked and, while she can put up a fight her impairment and disadvantages in numbers and mass prove insurmountable.  She only wins by using the environment to her advantage (even small fire extinguishers are made of metal and can pack a wallop) and separating the thugs so she can deal with only one opponent at a time. She isn’t knocking people out by her fists or anything like that.

I genuinely don’t understand people who think women are dainty waifs liable to fall over to a slight breeze.

What my father called "equalizers" when teaching me - his very short daughter - how to protect herself.

[leighdear]

Do people under 50 actually know the words to "Sweet Caroline"?  I didn't buy it with those 2 guys, despite the esoteric coffee conversation.  And it was better when Howard & Amy bonded over Neil, and in the car singing it on "Big Bang Theory". 

I wanted to see what Sue Lynn was knitting.  Her movements were almost right, but as a 40+ year knitter, we are super critical group when we see a character knitting on TV.  (Marilyn on the old show "Northern Exposure" still holds the title as Completely Legit").   

I'll watch episode 2.  They need to really bring it, though.  

Edited September 26, 2019 by leighdear