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"Major Crimes" on TNT HD

post #1 of 34
8/13/12 at 10:13pm
Thread Starter 
majorcrimesprelaunch08.jpg

Quote:
"The detectives in the Los Angeles Police Department's Major Crimes division are still reeling from the departure of Brenda Leigh Johnson and the realization that Captain Raydor is now in charge. Unlike their previous chief, Raydor is determined to lead the department with a more team-oriented approach, sharing the credit with the people with whom she works. Raydor's hardest job, however, will be gaining the full trust and confidence of her detectives, who aren't quick to forget her long history of internal investigations targeting them and their previous boss. Especially troublesome is Provenza, who has a difficult time taking orders from someone he doesn’t think knows as much as he does. "


if you are reading this then you already know it's a spin-off from The Closer without Brenda, Gabriel and Pope, so, moving on ...

This episode was kind of jarring after watching the Closer finale. They introduced a lot of changes very rapidly and the pace and focus was erratic. I thought it seemed to be trying to hard to be Law and Order: Major Crimes and the introduction of the kid as a Raydor's temporary adoptee was a forced way to give her character some instant personal drama. It was nice they didn't just leave that hanging from the Closer finale but overall, just like the new detective (who I'm expecting will become annoying very quickly) it was too much.

This episode should have just dealt with Raydor moving in on Provenza's turf. With the lack of Pope and Taylor in charge there was already enough squad friction to work with. The lack of a very strong central character to revolve the show around could be a problem now, but it will also allow the other guys some room to do their thing instead of just being knowledgeable sidekicks.
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post #2 of 34
8/13/12 at 10:59pm
I think Raydor will be able to step up to the role quite nicely.

Is that Rusty on the right side of the pic?

Loved Buzz's come back on the name w/ Rusty. smile.gif
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post #3 of 34
8/14/12 at 12:18am
Rusty felt forced... not the actor, but the whole idea of the character.

They really had a chance to go back to the beginning... back when Brenda was new and the team didn't like her. They could have recreated that plausibly with Raydor... and the kid really isn't necessary for that.
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post #4 of 34
8/14/12 at 1:05am
I didn't care for the idea of brokering deals with murderers, even if it saves courtroom time. If the legal system is broke, fix it, don't subvert it.
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post #5 of 34
8/14/12 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

I didn't care for the idea of brokering deals with murderers, even if it saves courtroom time. If the legal system is broke, fix it, don't subvert it.
I agree. Other than that, I liked the show. It's amazing how Raydor has become almost "bearable and normal" since her very strange character was introduced a few seasons ago. Thankfully, she has lost most of those strange quirks and the even stranger nasal tone to her voice.
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post #6 of 34
8/14/12 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

I didn't care for the idea of brokering deals with murderers, even if it saves courtroom time. If the legal system is broke, fix it, don't subvert it.

I didn't like it the way they presented it early on... and yet... when it came right down to it... what is the difference between what they did vs what they used to do?

Brenda used to give the suspect options to confess or risk worse punishment in a trial... she was all the time bartering to try and get that confession.

The difference, there, is that maybe the guy backs out of his confession later... with the new method, lawyers are there to broker the deal properly and there will be no take-backs later.

It actually seems to make sense to me.
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post #7 of 34
8/15/12 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

I didn't like it the way they presented it early on... and yet... when it came right down to it... what is the difference between what they did vs what they used to do?
Brenda used to give the suspect options to confess or risk worse punishment in a trial... she was all the time bartering to try and get that confession.
The difference, there, is that maybe the guy backs out of his confession later... with the new method, lawyers are there to broker the deal properly and there will be no take-backs later.
It actually seems to make sense to me.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 73shark View Post

Loved Buzz's come back on the name w/ Rusty. smile.gif

It was great.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BoilerJim View Post

It's amazing how Raydor has become almost "bearable and normal" since her very strange character was introduced a few seasons ago.

In the episodes where she talked Brenda into applying for the chief position, she showed a lot of emotion. I think she has a very human side that she suppresses on the job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VisionOn View Post

majorcrimesprelaunch08.jpg

if you are reading this then you already know it's a spin-off from The Closer without Brenda, Gabriel and Pope, so, moving on ...
.

I thought that Pope's name was mentioned as in "Chief Pope". Has he been dropped? BTW I haven't seen the final Closer season as I've watch all on DVD and I'm waiting until next week to start watching so if he was fired, killed, retired; just tell me to watch the DVD.
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post #8 of 34
8/15/12 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by billybobg View Post

I thought that Pope's name was mentioned as in "Chief Pope". Has he been dropped? BTW I haven't seen the final Closer season as I've watch all on DVD and I'm waiting until next week to start watching so if he was fired, killed, retired; just tell me to watch the DVD.

The character is still in the universe, but JK SImmons won't be. He's a popular guy and has other roles to play. Like Kyra he might come back for a guest appearance one week, but he's not a regular anymore.
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post #9 of 34
8/15/12 at 5:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

I didn't like it the way they presented it early on... and yet... when it came right down to it... what is the difference between what they did vs what they used to do?
Brenda used to give the suspect options to confess or risk worse punishment in a trial... she was all the time bartering to try and get that confession.
The difference, there, is that maybe the guy backs out of his confession later... with the new method, lawyers are there to broker the deal properly and there will be no take-backs later.
It actually seems to make sense to me.
Money. It costs money to have trials, money that cities/counties don't have anymore. With a plea bargain the cost of a trial is avoided, and murder trials are easily the most expensive of all criminal cases, and it's not like the prosecution can collect those costs from the defendant if they win the case. I think even with a confession that you still have a trial if the charge is capital murder, although that is just a guess. At the very least, confessions are recanted all the time which means that a trial is guaranteed. With a plea bargain you have none of that cost in time and money.
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post #10 of 34
8/15/12 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan View Post

Money. It costs money to have trials, money that cities/counties don't have anymore. With a plea bargain the cost of a trial is avoided, and murder trials are easily the most expensive of all criminal cases, and it's not like the prosecution can collect those costs from the defendant if they win the case. I think even with a confession that you still have a trial if the charge is capital murder, although that is just a guess. At the very least, confessions are recanted all the time which means that a trial is guaranteed. With a plea bargain you have none of that cost in time and money.

There is also a concept called "justice". It means that the police and prosecutors checked their facts, and carefully built a case, and you were represented in court by a lawyer, and your guilt or innocence was asessed by a jury of peers. That's the way the Constitution is written.

On Episode 1, we saw a suspect browbeaten to confess to two murders he did not commit, and within 4 hours of the start of the investigation, plead to two consecutive counts of 30-years-to-life. That is your idea of justice?

Americans want instant gratification. For example, next time you here the word "DNA" on a detective series, hold your breath. In the majority of cases, you will hear the DNA results before you feel distress. See a detective with a tablet PC instantly identify tire tracks, footprints, et. cetera. See magic handwriting analysis where the letters are animated all over the screen. See holographic displays in thin air. NONE of this c--p is real, even for the FBI. Police departments cannot afford DNA testing for anything except murder cases, and they NEVER test every drop of blood they find and make a map of how two people struggled, even if they are trying a serial murder like Scott Peterson for the disappearance of his fourth wife.

Wow, reality - what a concept.

I understand the appeal of Instant Justice. None of the Westerns we watched as kids ever had miscarriages of justice. The bad guy wore a black hat, and was shot dead by the guy wearing a white hat, all in a 30-minute program. You knew he was Evil by the way he sneered at the camera, abused Indians, and kicked dogs.

That was never real either. The way you judge a TV program is not by how convincing a fantasy they tell, unless you are watchin Supernatural or Grimm or Once Upon a Time. In particular, a "police procedural" should show accurate procedures and if you want to be real, half the guilty parties should escape justice.
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post #11 of 34
8/15/12 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

There is also a concept called "justice". It means that the police and prosecutors checked their facts, and carefully built a case, and you were represented in court by a lawyer, and your guilt or innocence was asessed by a jury of peers. That's the way the Constitution is written.
On Episode 1, we saw a suspect browbeaten to confess to two murders he did not commit, and within 4 hours of the start of the investigation, plead to two consecutive counts of 30-years-to-life. That is your idea of justice?
Americans want instant gratification. For example, next time you here the word "DNA" on a detective series, hold your breath. In the majority of cases, you will hear the DNA results before you feel distress. See a detective with a tablet PC instantly identify tire tracks, footprints, et. cetera. See magic handwriting analysis where the letters are animated all over the screen. See holographic displays in thin air. NONE of this c--p is real, even for the FBI. Police departments cannot afford DNA testing for anything except murder cases, and they NEVER test every drop of blood they find and make a map of how two people struggled, even if they are trying a serial murder like Scott Peterson for the disappearance of his fourth wife.
Wow, reality - what a concept.
I understand the appeal of Instant Justice. None of the Westerns we watched as kids ever had miscarriages of justice. The bad guy wore a black hat, and was shot dead by the guy wearing a white hat, all in a 30-minute program. You knew he was Evil by the way he sneered at the camera, abused Indians, and kicked dogs.
That was never real either. The way you judge a TV program is not by how convincing a fantasy they tell, unless you are watchin Supernatural or Grimm or Once Upon a Time. In particular, a "police procedural" should show accurate procedures and if you want to be real, half the guilty parties should escape justice.

Whoa cowboy! I agree, I'm just giving the reason why plea bargains are done, not whether it's in the best interest of true justice or not.smile.gif

The fact is, justice has very little to do with our legal system anymore, sad but true.
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post #12 of 34
8/15/12 at 9:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary McCoy View Post

There is also a concept called "justice". It means that the police and prosecutors checked their facts, and carefully built a case, and you were represented in court by a lawyer, and your guilt or innocence was asessed by a jury of peers. That's the way the Constitution is written.
On Episode 1, we saw a suspect browbeaten to confess to two murders he did not commit, and within 4 hours of the start of the investigation, plead to two consecutive counts of 30-years-to-life. That is your idea of justice?

FYI, my change in approving of the notion was within the context of the show... not necessarily in real life. That's why I specifically pointed out that Brenda used to negotiate and barter to get her confessions too... so to that end, it isn't a lot different... though in the new model, at least the guy has a lawyer present. Usually Brenda got her confession without a lawyer present, and even resulted in some guys being killed (the stuff that got her in deep trouble by the end of the series)... so arguably, browbeating into a plea is better than being killed by rogue cop decisions.

Meanwhile... I'm not sure about the "confess to two murders he did not commit" part... He did kill two guys... just not the two they convicted him of killing... so while the victims are cross-matched a bit... he wasn't browbeaten into a plea for more than he actually was guilty of doing, right?
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post #13 of 34
8/28/12 at 6:56am
I knew Rusty would be "home" last night.
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post #14 of 34
8/28/12 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoilerJim View Post

I knew Rusty would be "home" last night.

Yep, just like I knew his mother would not be on that bus....
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post #15 of 34
8/28/12 at 8:19am
Exactly!
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post #16 of 34
8/28/12 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoilerJim View Post

Exactly!

Well when you see the kid on the right in their promotional picture of the cast it was kind of obvious.
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post #17 of 34
8/28/12 at 10:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpillar View Post

Well when you see the kid on the right in their promotional picture of the cast it was kind of obvious.
Your point?
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post #18 of 34
8/28/12 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoilerJim View Post

I knew Rusty would be "home" last night.
Yeah, that was way too easy to figure out, and in fact, you have to wonder how the LAPD's elite detective force could be so naive as to not figure out that sending someone with her apparent disregard for her child wasn't going to take the money and run. So far, that's been the worst writing on this show, a black mark on an otherwise very well done sequel.
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post #19 of 34
8/29/12 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by keenan View Post

Yeah, that was way too easy to figure out, and in fact, you have to wonder how the LAPD's elite detective force could be so naive as to not figure out that sending someone with her apparent disregard for her child wasn't going to take the money and run. So far, that's been the worst writing on this show, a black mark on an otherwise very well done sequel.

Of course they knew Mom would take the money and run. Rusty, on the other hand was living in a fantasy world in which he would be re-united with his Mom and live happily ever after. He made it abundantly clear that he wasn't going to fully cooperate as a witness until this happenned. The detectives, knowing Mom was a bad 'un knew they couldn't convince Rusty of the fact--he needed his bubble burst by concrete evidence of his Mom's disinterest in him and the method they used was the mose effective and most humane way of bursting that bubble. Without his fixation on living happily ever after with his mom he can go back to school and live in the kind of stable environment that will allow him a chance at a good future.
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post #20 of 34
8/29/12 at 8:29pm
I'm liking the sow, but not loving it. I'll give it some time to jell. The plea deal seems a bit forced, hope they don';t use it in every episode. For me it's missing a "fun" element. Not as in funny, but I was always watching trying to figure out how Brenda was going to pull it off, that was the fun part for me. Right now the show is a bit too much of a procedural, and they need to mix it up a bit.
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post #21 of 34
9/10/12 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L View Post

I'm liking the sow, but not loving it. I'll give it some time to jell. The plea deal seems a bit forced, hope they don';t use it in every episode. For me it's missing a "fun" element. Not as in funny, but I was always watching trying to figure out how Brenda was going to pull it off, that was the fun part for me. Right now the show is a bit too much of a procedural, and they need to mix it up a bit.

I'm starting to enjoy it a lot more, it's growing on me. It definitely has a place on my dvr. I see it's set for 10 episodes in Season #1, are they going to run straight through? After looking at epguides, it appears the 10 episodes will run straight through, with episode 10 showing on Oct 15th. I'm enjoying it more each week..
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post #22 of 34
9/10/12 at 10:35pm
Tonight's show was a good change up. The one major thing that rally bothered me was the ADA in the gun shop with Julio. She's waving that stupid plea deal paper around, then walks out and he starts tearing his clothes up, seemed very out of character to me.

Realistically, yes it's only a tv show, how many criminals are going to sign a confession instantly with out even talking to a lawyer?
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post #23 of 34
9/11/12 at 5:03am
I had my doubts when the spin-off first started, but this show just keeps getting better and better.
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post #24 of 34
9/11/12 at 11:56am
It's growing on me.
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post #25 of 34
9/13/12 at 12:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt L View Post

Tonight's show was a good change up. The one major thing that rally bothered me was the ADA in the gun shop with Julio. She's waving that stupid plea deal paper around, then walks out and he starts tearing his clothes up, seemed very out of character to me.
Realistically, yes it's only a tv show, how many criminals are going to sign a confession instantly with out even talking to a lawyer?

Except... in an extreme case like that where you just found the dead body of one kid and know they have the sister and that time is of the essence before you find her dead body too... I expect things not unlike that (probably worse) to happen in order to get someone to reveal where the victim is being held.

I think also, from the new girl's perspective, it was a nice look into two sides of Julio.... She was surprised at how angry and threatening he suddenly got there in the gun shop... then when they got the kidnapped girl, how he was equally gentle and reassuring to her. You kind of got to see through her eyes and reactions how she was adjusting to the group.

We focus on Captain Raydor... but at least Raydor has worked with the team for a year or more now on and off... the new girl is really new and has some acceptance of her own to grow into.
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post #26 of 34
9/13/12 at 7:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HDMe2 View Post

I think also, from the new girl's perspective, it was a nice look into two sides of Julio.... .

Julio is the man. His dialogue with Brenda during the legal issues arc where he tells her that whether they protected the gang member or not, it was a no win situation from his perspective. Either the gang member gets hit or he shoots someone else later and the LAPD gets heat from that. I always enjoy it when they give him a lot of screen time.
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post #27 of 34
9/13/12 at 9:28am
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Originally Posted by billybobg View Post

Julio is the man.

One thing I noticed this week is that Julio is now wearing a wedding ring. Never noticed one before. Did he finally marry the mother from Heart Attack?
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post #28 of 34
9/28/12 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Way behind on this show, so I don't know if the following is great news or not.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dad1153 View Post

TV Notes
'Major Crimes' Renewed: TNT Orders Season 2
By HuffingtonPost.com Staff - Sep. 27, 2012

Captain Sharon Raydor is staying on the beat because TNT has renewed "Major Crimes" for a second season.

"With 'Major Crimes,' James Duff and his amazing production team have crafted an incredibly entertaining show that not only honors the spirit of The Closer, but also stands alone with its own voice and spirit," said Michael Wright, president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), said in a statement. "Week after week, 'Major Crimes' has drawn millions of fans with its combination of sharp writing and engaging characters brought to life by what can only be described as one of the best acting ensembles on television. We look forward to another season of this remarkable new drama."

Mary McDonnell stars in "The Closer" spinoff as Captain Raydor, the head of LAPD's Major Crimes unit. The series, which averages about 7 million viewers, follows Raydor and her squad of detectives as they solve high-profile cases.

TNT launched three new dramas this summer and renewed all of them. "Dallas" and "Perception" previously got the green light for new seasons.

Season 2 of "Major Crimes" is scheduled to debut summer 2013.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/major-crimes-renewed-tnt-season-2_n_1919928.html?utm_hp_ref=tv
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post #29 of 34
9/28/12 at 9:19pm
I've come to really like the show, and I've done a 180 on Rusty, I think the show needs him. The writers knew they had to humanize Raydor and while kind of annoying in the beginning he has done the job well. Thankfully the last few episodes they have stopped waving around that stupid confession paperwork, I found it very annoying.
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post #30 of 34
9/29/12 at 4:48pm
Rusty is serving a similar role to Raydor... that Kyra Sedgewick's real life daughter served by playing her niece on the show a few seasons back.

It shows a different side of a hard-edged character AND gives her a chance to re-think some of the things she normally does without thinking.

When used properly it can be a good plot device.
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