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March 28, 2024, 06:47:04 PM

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The Crime Procedurals thread

Started by Famous Mortimer, May 04, 2021, 06:56:05 PM

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paruses

Have watched a few Criminal Minds over the last few nights. I chose the point about where Derek leaves. Christ I had forgotten what a smug pass-agg character he is. There's  a bit where Reid comes to his house and Derek's girlfriend hugs him hello. Derek sidles in from off stage with an opener of "hey Reid. Get your greasy mitts off my girl". It's such fragile masculinity. He would never have gone with something like "I didn't know you two were having an affair" or "Get a room. Get a roooom". I HATE him.

I fell asleep for a couple of episodes and now he's gone - I recall someone tried to kill him or something and he went off crying to run his buy-to-let empire. Now CSI:Miami is here (Rodriguez? Now Alvarez, I think). With the passage of time I realise he's far less an alpha irritant than Morgan. I hadn't registered how sulky his character is in this and in CSI.  He's stepped straight in as a workplace sex-pest for poor old Garcia, though.

Anyway - what are the best stand alone Criminal Minds to dip into? I liked the longer story arcs of the last couple seasons but want a few fixes before I give it up again for a while.

Famous Mortimer

I love that Criminal Minds two biggest stars, at the end anyway, were funny women - Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster. In fact, that show had a weird number of very capable comic actors in major roles, considering how bleak the subject matter was.

And agreed about Rodriguez being much better than Shemar Moore, who I always felt was a PSA about the dangers of excessive workplace flirting. The only way it would have worked was to reveal in his last episode that he and Garcia been FWB for years, or he was the sub in a BDSM relationship with her, or something.

Having seen some sitcom episodes recently where it was fairly clear the replacement character was just acting out lines intended for their predecessor, I assume the same was true for some of Rodriguez's early episodes.

It's one of those things where few individual episodes stick out as being particular good or bad, so you might just want to see if there any guest actors you like and watch their episodes. Although I drifted away from it towards the end, I really liked it in its prime.


willbo

Not a huge CSI expert but I loved the Furry convention episode and the Dominatrix episode. Quincy, TJ Hooker and Dragnet all need a thread on their own really.

paruses

Quote from: willbo on July 18, 2021, 07:38:15 AM
Not a huge CSI expert but I loved the Furry convention episode and the Dominatrix episode. Quincy, TJ Hooker and Dragnet all need a thread on their own really.

I like those episodes. The one with the plus-plus sized people was good (I forget the group term). I quite like how it is usually implied that Grisham bangs one of the group after the crime has been solved.

I never really like the brothel ones as they always seem to be set in an upscale Victorian whorehouse with an arch madam. I suppose it's a short hand that Americans recognise and also removes it from the actual sex.

I was thinking about this the other day and a lot of the tropes in these things (and from real footage of courtrooms) seem very Victorian - honky-tonk whorehouses or people clapped in irons and lock-stepping to the penitentiary. I suppose that's what happens when you let puritans lay the foundations.

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on July 17, 2021, 04:05:59 PM
I love that Criminal Minds two biggest stars, at the end anyway, were funny women - Aisha Tyler and Paget Brewster. In fact, that show had a weird number of very capable comic actors in major roles, considering how bleak the subject matter was.

It's one of those things where few individual episodes stick out as being particular good or bad, so you might just want to see if there any guest actors you like and watch their episodes. Although I drifted away from it towards the end, I really liked it in its prime.

Yes - and of course Greg from Dharma and Greg leading the whole thing (until he pissed someone off or twatted someone not sure which). Matthew Gubler(?) is more of a comic actor too from what I've seen of his other stuff. I never really warmed to Joe Montegna. I like when he sounds like Fat Tony but apart from that his character is pretty sanctimonious and divorced dad oily.

Good tip about the guest spots - dug out the first Tim Curry one last night. Loved him hamming it up. Didn't realise it was as late as the end of S5 though. Part two tonight.

Famous Mortimer

CSI: NY remains a series of things vaguely related to police work. Monroe goes back to Montana to testify in the trial of the guy who murdered her three best friends when she was 12 (she'd popped to the loo and saw the slaughter from a distance). I mean, sure, but then Messer decides "I'm going to go to Montana and support my co-worker". Yes, I know they get married in a later season, but at the moment they're just colleagues and friends who've done a little mild flirting. Would you think it was:

a. cute and supportive
or
b. a bit over the top and creepy

if some co-worker you'd flirted with a bit got on a plane and flew for four hours or so to sit in a courtroom while you're reliving the most traumatic experience of your life? But it all works out in the end so I shouldn't complain.

Oh, and then there's Sheldon, who I'm guessing really upset someone on the show, but had a cast-iron contract / worked very cheap, because he's a complete nothing on screen. If you look at when Vegas brought in Liev Schreiber for a mini run when William Petersen wanted some time off, he'd already been given more character and backstory in his first five minutes on screen than Sheldon gets in...well, three seasons and counting. I couldn't tell you a single thing about the guy!

The thought of me not even being halfway through this watch does weigh heavy on me sometimes, but it's perfect to put on while I'm making my dinner, milling about the house, and so on.

paruses

Still not got myself organised enough to buy a load of CSI original off ebay so glom onto anything on terrestrial (on demand really).

Have notices a handful of Law and Order:SVU on 5. Any love for that here? Going to get those watched as I only used to see them when I had to stay in hotels so the timelines are very disjointed for me. I think they have arcs running through with Benson and the blonde one with the bad sister at least.

Famous Mortimer

I binned off the L & O because there was an episode where they basically hassled some innocent guy (who was a former criminal) til he committed some crime that was sort of similar to the one they were investigating, then arrested him. It really left an odd taste in my mouth, although I like Christopher Meloni so I could always watch his version, I suppose.

Famous Mortimer

Finished up the seasons of all three CSIs last night - Vegas s7, Miami s5 and New York s3.

New York's was probably the best, a nice tight little mini-action movie. Although, we're expected to believe, in the security-mad post 9/11 New York, a group of drug dealers could work on a plan to get their huge stash out of a police station and almost, almost, get away with it.

Miami had a kind-of confusing thing about a serial killer, with some nice workplace-inappropriate kissing to top it all off. Vegas wrapped up the "miniature killer" plotline, and left a cliffhanger about Sarah being trapped under a car out in the desert. I'm trying not to spoil it too much for myself, but I'm pretty sure Grissom leaves in season 8, or perhaps at the end.

I need some time off these shows, but I won't wander too far. Perhaps "Blindspot", with yer man from "Strike Back" in it. Or maybe one of the alien invasion shows, like "Colony" or "Falling Skies". But that's for another thread.

Famous Mortimer

#38
I had my time off (post above, he was a sensible fellow) and given I'm between jobs at the moment, I thought I'd pick something nice and undemanding to watch. "Cold Case" it is, and the first episode is pretty good. I like the hyper-competent main character, the people around her are an interesting bunch, so I'm in.

In terms of episode structure, it's very similar to "House", so it's like slipping back into a nice comfy jacket.