Here is the discussion topic for Law & Order “Battle Lines” which aired on Thursday, September 29, 2022. Please feel free to add any feedback you have about this episode in the comments!
I second the ask if you're going to do recaps and reviews. If not recaps, just reviews would be nice if possible. I find your opinions informative and interesting but totally understand if life is in the way or you're just burned out.
That said...
Fantastic with the cops' side. Like how Shaw and Cosgrove are getting along. Like the different and less antagonistic chemistry they have. I did like Bernard's antagonism towards Cosgrove, though. Shaw definitely handled the cop doing the stop & frisk MUCH differently than I would imagine Bernard would have. Especially with Bernard being formerly of IAB.
Lawyers...
God, the writer still make Price the most incompetent lawyer on this show since Ross Fineman. And even then, Fineman's strategy was to be so ineffective that a real lawyer would succeed on appeal.
Once Maroun started talking about martyrs to the witness, the writers were telegraphing the ending. I don't know, I feel like too many witnesses are being killed. Even if they limited it to one a season, how many witnesses get killed AFTER a trial if it doesn't involve the mob? Maybe I am being too critical on this point as witnesses, defendants, etc. being killed at the end is a hallmark of this show going back to Season 1.
And going back to Price. Writers, for the love of GOD, please remember he's a FORMER DEFENSE ATTORNEY. He should absolutely know how to handle hostile witness and not come off as patronizing. I still say there should be a scene or two where Price and Maroun are developing strategies or mock testimony and he plays the defense and has Maroun play the prosecutor and they try to figure out what the defense is going to do. Otherwise, he's just a dimestore Mike Cutter.
Which I really felt like is the case because the first scene with Jack, where he's in Price's office with the paper, talking about the witnesses, reminded of Mike's first episode where Jack's criticizing Mike's witness list to Connie. "His case is all brain and no heart, better put a human face on the victims."
Next week looks like a doozy though. I'm not sure how much I like an episode where one of the mains is in the opening scene.
I enjoyed it, though it was a bit too "ripped from the headlines." Given it looks like SVU is doing Heard/Depp next week, we'll be getting more of that.
I thought the woman at first was gonna be the girl's birth mother or something. Like she was adopted by these conservatives, and she found her somehow.
The ending was super over the top. I didn't really expect it, honestly. I thought the anger of the protesters and the threat to her life back home now that she was better known was enough to give us the message.
Regarding recaps/reviews - for now, no I can't do them. I've got too much stuff going on and I can't fit them in! There is another reason - I've been getting some "hate" mail from Kelli Giddish and/or SVU fans trying to blame my frequent comments about my issues with Rollins as one of the reasons Kelli was let go from SVU. It's just another batch of nasty emails and tweets and FB comments that I've gotten over the years that I've just grown tired of. Sometimes fandom can get a little toxic. So I decided it just wasn't worth trying to stress myself right now doing those recaps/reviews when I'm already juggling too many balls! I may pick it back up sometime later, maybe at least the review parts. We'll see!
Cosgrove and Shaw together is a big win. What a difference this paring makes compared to last season. The action pulls me in. Dixon is perfect as the Lt.
The case was very interesting and timely of course. I wasn't too surprised at that ending because we all know those courthouse steps are deadly.
I am so glad that Sam Waterston is still with the show as he gives me hope for some legal fireworks. Maroun and Price are a good match too although sometimes Price doesn't seem to play hardball like Jack or Cutter did when they were EADAs. He seems better than last season but there is still a fire or spark missing.
Chris, sorry about no recaps or reviews but I understand. Real life needs have to come first!
Chris, I really don't think its your fault of you being one of the reason for Kelli Giddish's exit
I blame it more on inconsistent writing and sup par episodes in the last few years. and also episodes like Gambler's fallacy and Star Strucked Victims, really didn't help either
But I understand why you can't do recaps for now, you do your other stuff
Hell i couldn't stand Rollin's i'm glad she's leaving i said so frequently they forgot to send me any hate mail lol. Back to the show i agree they write the prosecutor weirdly i don't get it. Plus did they have to shoot her on the steps it was unnecessary.
I like that they kept Blake as the unsub and not Drea, which another show probably would have done (looking at you, Cold Case). But the last half-minute was just unneeded, a stupid shock for the sake of it. And why did the protest crowd include both pro-life AND pro-choice advocates? Shouldn't they have been at each other's throats?
Are you still doing recaps, review?
ReplyDeleteI second the ask if you're going to do recaps and reviews. If not recaps, just reviews would be nice if possible. I find your opinions informative and interesting but totally understand if life is in the way or you're just burned out.
ReplyDeleteThat said...
Fantastic with the cops' side. Like how Shaw and Cosgrove are getting along. Like the different and less antagonistic chemistry they have. I did like Bernard's antagonism towards Cosgrove, though. Shaw definitely handled the cop doing the stop & frisk MUCH differently than I would imagine Bernard would have. Especially with Bernard being formerly of IAB.
Lawyers...
God, the writer still make Price the most incompetent lawyer on this show since Ross Fineman. And even then, Fineman's strategy was to be so ineffective that a real lawyer would succeed on appeal.
Once Maroun started talking about martyrs to the witness, the writers were telegraphing the ending. I don't know, I feel like too many witnesses are being killed. Even if they limited it to one a season, how many witnesses get killed AFTER a trial if it doesn't involve the mob? Maybe I am being too critical on this point as witnesses, defendants, etc. being killed at the end is a hallmark of this show going back to Season 1.
And going back to Price. Writers, for the love of GOD, please remember he's a FORMER DEFENSE ATTORNEY. He should absolutely know how to handle hostile witness and not come off as patronizing. I still say there should be a scene or two where Price and Maroun are developing strategies or mock testimony and he plays the defense and has Maroun play the prosecutor and they try to figure out what the defense is going to do. Otherwise, he's just a dimestore Mike Cutter.
Which I really felt like is the case because the first scene with Jack, where he's in Price's office with the paper, talking about the witnesses, reminded of Mike's first episode where Jack's criticizing Mike's witness list to Connie. "His case is all brain and no heart, better put a human face on the victims."
Next week looks like a doozy though. I'm not sure how much I like an episode where one of the mains is in the opening scene.
I enjoyed it, though it was a bit too "ripped from the headlines." Given it looks like SVU is doing Heard/Depp next week, we'll be getting more of that.
ReplyDeleteI thought the woman at first was gonna be the girl's birth mother or something. Like she was adopted by these conservatives, and she found her somehow.
The ending was super over the top. I didn't really expect it, honestly. I thought the anger of the protesters and the threat to her life back home now that she was better known was enough to give us the message.
Regarding recaps/reviews - for now, no I can't do them. I've got too much stuff going on and I can't fit them in! There is another reason - I've been getting some "hate" mail from Kelli Giddish and/or SVU fans trying to blame my frequent comments about my issues with Rollins as one of the reasons Kelli was let go from SVU. It's just another batch of nasty emails and tweets and FB comments that I've gotten over the years that I've just grown tired of. Sometimes fandom can get a little toxic. So I decided it just wasn't worth trying to stress myself right now doing those recaps/reviews when I'm already juggling too many balls! I may pick it back up sometime later, maybe at least the review parts. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteCosgrove and Shaw together is a big win. What a difference this paring makes compared to last season. The action pulls me in. Dixon is perfect as the Lt.
ReplyDeleteThe case was very interesting and timely of course. I wasn't too surprised at that ending because we all know those courthouse steps are deadly.
I am so glad that Sam Waterston is still with the show as he gives me hope for some legal fireworks. Maroun and Price are a good match too although sometimes Price doesn't seem to play hardball like Jack or Cutter did when they were EADAs. He seems better than last season but there is still a fire or spark missing.
Chris, sorry about no recaps or reviews but I understand. Real life needs have to come first!
Chris, I really don't think its your fault of you being one of the reason for Kelli Giddish's exit
ReplyDeleteI blame it more on inconsistent writing and sup par episodes in the last few years. and also episodes like Gambler's fallacy and Star Strucked Victims, really didn't help either
But I understand why you can't do recaps for now, you do your other stuff
Hell i couldn't stand Rollin's i'm glad she's leaving i said so frequently they forgot to send me any hate mail lol. Back to the show i agree they write the prosecutor weirdly i don't get it. Plus did they have to shoot her on the steps it was unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI like that they kept Blake as the unsub and not Drea, which another show probably would have done (looking at you, Cold Case). But the last half-minute was just unneeded, a stupid shock for the sake of it. And why did the protest crowd include both pro-life AND pro-choice advocates? Shouldn't they have been at each other's throats?
ReplyDelete