"...it were a dark and stormy night..."
.
I enjoyed the episode. It was more complicated and less about right/wrong than I was willing to give credit for ahead of time. NY continues to win me over with their approach to S7. While the show did write Mac to pursue Carver as a suspect in an overly single-minded fashion, they at least did so to turn it on it's side, and have him called on it.
I also liked that while, as an ep, it had a Mac focus to it, it didn't feel a Mac ep in the way previous seasons have felt like they were doling out individual character focus. It did feel pretty balanced, and still felt like it put the case first, and Carver as a recurring character first, rather than it be a showcase for Mac, if that makes sense.
Seems like NY is mebbe not putting character appearances on rotation, but in some ways balance of character material on rotation. Last week Hawkes got some good scenes and interaction with the others, this week he was barely present. Mebbe Hill had other engagements they slotted in, who knows.
Anyways.
The intro was a mix for me. It did get a bemused eyebrow tweak for starting a mystery with a dark and stormy night :lol:, an appreciative tweak in the other one for some nice visuals in the various reflections inserted to indirectly depict or at least introduce what was happening, and then made both wince as it became a dark and bluntly violent night. Using the lamp as part of the attack after first using it as a lens for it did have additional impact. How long that sequence was may have felt longer, if only because it was so violent, but NY does seem to like to use their intros in extended fashions, whether its an uber cool party or a young girl dancing on a web cam, they like to hold and run with something for a good bit, and then contrast it. I don't think they treated this one differently in that sense other than the decision to include the rather graphic violence.
Distasteful as it was, their practice was still successful in this ep. The contrast of the dark opening with the rather sparkly morning after
was a relief in a way, as a viewer, and also a kind of interesting comment, almost in the tone of "it's just another day in the life" of the city, so to speak. Hafta admit I also couldn't help thinking "location location location," but in a good way. More nice visuals.
Thought it was interesting to have Carver on scene right from the top of the episode. I also liked the Jo/Carver interaction. The conversation there was also one of equals and expertise. While Jo later indicated that Carver was different, ie. among the most powerful cops in the city, in the first scene she gave no hint she viewed him differently, nor was she overly respectful or nervous, either as a new NYPD transfer, or as a subordinate. Mac's not the only one who can apparently play poker well.
As for Sid's first autopsy. I guess someone heard the song and thought, we just hafta find a way to make use of this rama-lama-bang-bang in our show at some point. Not seamless, in any case
.
I liked the next Carver/Mac scene, where they were apparently familiar enough and informal enough to be on a first name basis and talking rather frankly, with Mac still wanting to have his questions answered, but also wanting to give Carver an opportunity to do so and explain, extending some benefit of the doubt. (A little reminiscent of the EJO ep, wherein Mac was known as someone who might pursue you to the ends of the earth, ...but would do so fairly :lol
. Was good to set up the history of Carver's sister early on, too. Was a scene that for me felt like the show was gonna pursue the case while not polarizing each into extreme positions, still keeping them human and a little less than tidy. Also a nice change from how Mac's often been written.
Was also happy to see that Messer got more to do than process reflective paint flakes removed from the victim's ear. The take-down scene with Danny & Flack on Barret (?) was a bit odd for me
, in the sense that a suspect would deliberately set up such a confrontation, and that arresting officers would holster their weapons and play to it. Hafta agree with
Geeno on this one; if ever there was a time and place to wait for back up or use a taser...
. I guess truth is stranger than fiction, and that it's possible cops have run into just that sort of scenario. I do bet they mighta handled it somewhat differently though.
If the guy was a red-herring suspect, it would seem just a fun bit of action tossed into the mix. That he was the murderer of the first victim, Marcella, and that, being faced with arrest, he wouldn't use the weapon he'd picked up at the scene, but would still choose to resist arrest by challenging the cops to take him down in such a way just felt a bit ...strange, more so cos they obliged. I suppose, on the other hand, that after shooting the door full of holes, and with no escape thru the window available, being taken in rather than taken out was the better option, and he was just gonna be a bastard and make them work for it. Fun, but odd. In the news he'd likely be a suspect wounded or killed during an arrest, or suing for being tazed. In NY he beats the crap outta two cops and emerges unscathed and a nauseatingly defiant misogynist proudly sneering his confession.
What it did do was give us another Flack/Danny scene, and made the following interrogation with them all the more interesting, quashed that all arrests go compliantly and without incident, will apparently be used as a continuity reference in a future ep
in dealing with other arrests, and in this one kicked the story forward to how and why Marcella knew Ronnie was dead, was using her id and had the gun, which, in the end, did her little good.
I enjoyed the main Jo/Mac encounter about Carver. (I also didn't see it as a fight or anything,or that the final scene was somehow the two of them making up later, but really that it was a check between peers and friends, and a frankness about how to approach the case). I liked "Don't get on the elevator without hearing me out," where Mac was off on a head of steam, and Jo diverted him. Mac may not have been wrong in saying he thought Carver in the very least knew more than he was saying, nor in suggesting that Carver shouldn't be treated any differently as a suspect in the eyes of the law, but Jo was certainly right in both calling out the political and legal aspects, that Carver
was different, if only in how they ought to proceed, something Mac knew in how he had been handling the case from the beginning, and that they needed more, and more time. It's not that Mac & Jo necessarily had opposing approaches, but what Jo called Mac on was his own growing personal stance and also sense of timing in making a move to shake the tree, and Mac, to his and Jo's credit, backed off.
I thought it was good too, to see Jo interacting as a supervisor, and running the synopsis/exposition meeting that came after. It was at that point that Sheldon's absence and sudden appearance were the most jarring. It was also at that point that Lindsay irked me :lol:. She doesn't do snark very well. There's often a smugness or smarminess included, and I found her "save it for Dr. Phil" line one that should have been amusing reduced to somewhat annoying. Could be that she and the snippier version of Danny seen in the last ep (re: spiders) really are a match made.
Was nice to see Messer get another interrogation scene, this time with Jim, leading to the discovery of Carver confiscating the infamous knife years ago on the street. Which also led to a good scene with Jo, Danny, Mac & Flack on policing. Jo's "...do
you have a shoebox full of knives in your locker...? I promise not to tell..." was also another fun instance in the ep, especially a rather dark story. Adam/Mac, Danny/Flack, Sid/Sheldon all often provide similar, and it's nice to see Mac/Jo doing the same. The overall mix of light/dark and who's in the middle of it is, for me, something NY is doing well this season.
Early on, Carver, in my mind, was all but confirmed to be covering/protecting someone, rather than a suspect. Show-wise, it was all but confirmed by the soccer field encounter between Carver/Mac, while the nephew coached, that not only was Carver covering for one of the kids he'd taken in, but, of course that the nephew was the one in question. What was good in that scene was that Carver seemed to know what would inevitably come to light, but still challenged Mac. Or, even egged Mac on, hoping to distract Mac in keeping himself as focus and away from looking at Jay. Either way, NY obliged in keeping Mac adamantly oblivious right till the end, and likely suffering some internal whiplash for the turnaround in sentiment he had with regards Carver and the case and what should befall Ted & Jay after the fact.
The Mac/Adam scene was fun. It also let Mac have his insightful moment and Adam his episodic comic relief. I was hoping that the Insight would be about one of the kids being a viable suspect, but for Mac it was about seeing what else the gum could reveal; that the show had Mac later saying that he was, at that point, actually still thinking the gum would lead to Carver, was in fact the biggest surprise to me :lol:.
Sometimes a show narrative leading viewers by the hand in leaving characters behind even/especially to make a point about an evolution/realization within said character rather stretches credulity than creates a great viewing experience. Sometimes ya want everyone's hamster wheels to be spinning at the same pace :lol:, or at least not making the character an idiot just to enable a Teaching Moment.
Could be the show was hoping that the reveal that one of the kids was the murderer would be more shocking, especially with the circumstances that drove one to kill, and using Mac's suspicion of Carver's involvement over three eps as distraction, but it didn't play that way for me. It would be nice to see the characters at least keeping up with viewers, if not one step ahead from time to time.
I was also surprised that the nephew confessed immediately in the church, ...and that NY would write in a scene of a suspect confessing in a church
. As far as possible attempts at layers and profundity go, I suppose it wasn't too painful. But I do think the soccer scene overlap with Carver/Mac and "we're all winners here" was far more amusing :lol:.
I thought the last interrogation/confession with Jo and Jay was well done, and nice to give him some of the last words. It was also good to see that Jo was moved by what was being revealed, and I further liked that SW did that without a word. It also really fleshed out the last elements in understanding the motivations of all involved, and that there wasn't really a black and white way thru, only muddled circumstances and scarred shades of grey.
A wee sidenote bone to pick was the mysteriously convenient shovel Jay had to dispose of the body at the time of the murder in the park, premeditated or not, and also that the end was a bit pat, that he'd later wanted to move the body in case it was discovered, etc. The subtitle for the ep may well have been Location Is Everything.
I liked the last Mac/Carver scene as well, that it started in observing the interrogation, flashed back, and wound up on the bench outside, just the two men talking. It was also nice in general to see many places/sets used, not just the usual, labs, suspects' apartments, interrogation, but benches, precinct/squad room, interrogation observation, church, dock, soccer game, old neighborhood walkabout, yada. I was impressed.
As sympathetic as Carver turned out to be, I thought it was moving that Jay's "we had nobody" included Carver in that sentiment, and that while Jay had, as an abused teen, reached his personal brink wherein he personally has no regrets in what happened, that Carver himself was conflicted over several aspects of the circumstances and also his own involvement.
The final office scene with Jo/Mac was enjoyable. Their interaction is becoming part of what I look forward to. They do seem to have found their footing as colleagues, and the show seems to have found their footing in writing for her. The near meta/tweak comment on Jo's Southern Charm and "folks round here not really knowing what to do" in the face of it was further amusing
. I suppose it's also additionally in keeping with Jo, that she digs up her own info where she has questions, and then chooses whether or not to comment or nudge. Here being the revelation of Mac's part in keeping Carver from being prosecuted.
...I think NY may be starting to make a weekly poker hand part of the Mac/Jo dialogue/interaction
. So far it's working.
The show was additionally emphatic in vindicating Carver thru the conversation, which was a bit redundant, but also in keeping with some gentle mallet usage to ensure we got the gist. The heavier mallets were in the Final No Really I Know We Had Two Scenes That Coulda Ended The Ep But This Here Bit Truly Is The Last And Final Sequence To Wrap The Big Picture Quotient Of The Episode, with the wedding. With a title like "Justified" I suppose one shouldn't be surprised. "Jurisdiction" mighta made for a more interesting title if they really were into shades of grey in both pursuit and resolution, but meh
. It
was definitely satisfying to see that Larroquette really got more to do in this episode, and for me it certainly was the best usage of him in his three appearances.
The earlier eps in his triad arc were, in hindsight both well done and frustrating in setting all this up, cos of course I wanted to see more for JL right from the top (especially after seeing EJO only half-way well used as a guest and then also killed off). But, it did work well to have a slow build with Carver, to introduce him and then the case and then have an ep to resolve it, which, was actually another dual case type ep.
I hope we get to see a few more episodes featuring multiple cases during the rest of the season, regardless of whether or not they may in part hinge upon an extended guest appearance or not.
That NY had seen another Deputy Chief Inspector come and go, well, ...:lol:. Dang.
The last thing of note for me in the ep was that I think it was the first time in recent seasons that I recall ever seeing the light in Mac's office turned out :lol:.
Anyways. Another good ep. NY's S7 has established a new base-line average for me, hovering around a B, and it's a standout improvement on the last few seasons. Call this ep a
B+ as a fun hour spent.
The episode was pretty good overall, although I wasn't paying close attention. (Whoops!) Mac and Jo's eyebrows were the stars of the hour - sorry, John Larroquette.
:rommie:
Although, is it just me, or is Adam dressing a little more professional these days? I mean, no unbuttoned shirts, all tucked in... Did he and Flack semi-switch bodies? :lol:
:lol:. I'd be happy if wardrobe & makeup might consider letting Flack's hair be as ruffled as some of his outfits
.
My only concern is the scene where Veronica is beaten to death by her husband. It would be better if not shown at all. I find it to be distrubing. It is not necessary at all.
In a way, it's as if NY's previous insistence on Slickness and Glitz has been transferred to darker regions (aside from odd forays into skating phantom manifestations), what with all the bugs earlier on, and the more overt depiction of violence. The autopsies have always been a bit gruesome.
Between the beat-down and all the abuse, it certainly was a dark and violent episode.
I guess they do those scenes for the "blood and guts" tpyes who watch the show. The autopsy scenes don't usually bother me as much as the weird music they play during them.
They do come across as forensic music videos at times, that's for sure.
when lindsay said "i hesitate to use the word credible" i went into an inexplicable fit of rage. i don't know why it bothered me so much but it really really did. it just didn't seem to fit with the normal within-team dialogue.
Curvatures of Lettuce
. But hey. Lindsay's "smart, really really smart," so of course she can talk like that... :lol:.
i'm pleased that this season they seem to have bumped up the mac/adam comic double act thing, it really works.
Agree.
the cheesy sports coach really made me laugh too, mac and carver having an angry argument and mac stomping off worked nicely with the background of "hey, you may not have won but you're all winners really!!!!" spiel of cheese
:lol:
Great performance from JL. I hope this is not the last time we see Chief Carver. He is like a gentle giant. I think he and Mac could be good friends. He is not a political-minded person (at least for me) unlike Sinclair and Gerard.
I think this is one of the reasons that Carver worked well as a character on the show, that it wasn't about politics but what each thought the best course of action to pursue. He is a character I'd like to have seen return to the show; in a way, having a former senior cop return could be interesting, someone no longer involved in the circle of law but no doubt with ongoing ties in it. Sometimes outside characters wot have links can be useful and interesting.
Of course, I'm really just looking for ways JL might be able to be written in again at some point in future
.
