Thursday, December 2, 2010

Law & Order LA “Playa Vista” Recap & Review

All photos from NBCU

What do you get when you mix golf, a golf club, hookers, lesbians, sex addicts, a cheating husband and a bitter wife? Murder. Law & Order Los Angeles “Playa Vista” was a good old “yeah, we’re going there” ripped from the headlines story, inspired by the golf + golf club+ drug abuse + hookers + sex addict Tiger Woods scandal. In “Playa Vista” the murder happens because a golfer's wife refuses to see she’s a gold digging whore in her own right, and she uses her own son to murder a woman who threatens her lavish lifestyle. While the episode was predictable, I found it somewhat enjoyable - in a campy “CSI Miami” kind of way. It also painted a portrait of how kids can sometimes be unwittingly drawn in to their parent’s ugly battles and animosity towards each other when the marriage is unhappy, and the kids find themselves being used.

I enjoyed the entire cast in this episode, but the clear winning pairing is Skeet Ulrich and Corey Stoll. Stoll is the lucky one, as he seems to get all the witty lines, but he has the face and the personality to pull it off better than Ulrich, who sometimes seems a little too reserved. While Terrence Howard and Megan Boone seemed very comfortable in their roles, their scenes still seem lackluster. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I am just not seeing the same passion that viewers were accustomed to in the original Law & Order with EADAs Cutter, McCoy, and Stone. Dekker and Stanton seem a little too controlled and it’s almost unnatural. I don’t expect them to be yelling, screaming, ranting, or going off on tirades, it’s just something in the way they deliver some of the lines that makes it sound like they are just reading them off a script. I am warming up to them, though. Guest star Bellamy Young did a great job as the bitter wife and mother. All in all, it was a good episode and fun to watch.



Here is the recap:

Pro golfer Kristin Halstead (Maggie Contreras) turns up dead in a courtyard. Detectives Rex Winters (Skeet Ulrich) and TJ Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll) investigate the scene and it appears Kristin was targeted. They check her home and find evidence that she was having money problems.

They visit the home of Kevin Friedman who tells them that he knows of no problems but she seemed off her game lately. She showed up for a meeting late and she was a mess.

Later, the medical examiner tells them she was killed by blunt force trauma but can’t identify the weapon. She has pre-mortem finger marks on her arm, maybe about a week old.

They check her phone’s GPS and find the location where Kristin was Tuesday night from 9 to 11. The valet said Kristin would not let him park her car, she sat in there and texted the whole time. She had a view of the building entrance and the detectives wonder if she was stalking someone.

A computer tech tells them some texts were going back and forth between Kristin and a no name, throwaway cell phone. The texts were deleted, but every few weeks that cell phone was making calls from other golf locations around the country. Rex notices that one of the locations had no golf tournament at the time, it was in Las Vegas and there was a poker tournament in which married golf superstar Chip Jarrow was participating.

At the home of Chip Jarrow (Marc Blucas) and his wife Monica (Bellamy Young), Chip says the cell phone number is his. He uses it to duck the press and fans. Kristin was asking him about endorsements and career advice. He said Kristin played for the “other team.”

The speak with her agent who says that lesbian rumors dog the LPGA and he is trying to protect Kristin's legacy. He knows nothing of a girlfriend but says at a tournament last month Kristin got an all access pass for Carly Morris.

At the home of Carly Morris (Jenny Mollen), the detectives speak with her about Kristin. She admits that they had sex. She also tells them she is a student. While she gets the info to corroborate her alibis, the detectives see that Carly has all kinds of expensive things laying around. TJ sees a thank you note from a personal shopper in Belle Rouge.
They speak with the personal shopper who tells them the stuff is purchased for Carly by men, a different one every week and don’t ask for their names. TJ gets a message saying that Carly is not a student anywhere in California. Kristin appears to have been in love with a hooker.

Back at the Robbery Homicide Division, they ran Carly through vice but there is no information on her. Carly did have one legitimate job, she was employed by the A.K. Lounge. Lt. Arleen Gonzales (Rachel Ticotin) tells them to check with the lounge to see if anyone was setting up Carly’s dates.

At the A.K. Lounge, a “waitress” there tells them a few of the girls, including Carly, went to the “round” hotel with some old (almost 40!) white guy who told them to call him “Ace.” She said she is not a hooker. As she walks off , the detectives know that Carly has lied about everything so far and Rex says no 40 year old is that busy without a pill.

At the home of Steve and Jodi Morris, the detectives speak with Carly’s parents who says she has done nothing wrong. They said a friend at the club got Carly a “public relations” job and they flew her out to Greenville, NC and she had caviar on the flight. .

The detectives feel that she went out on a private jet and find a flight lease by Intelogue Investment Service in Irvine – and Chip is their spokesman. Later, at RHD, the “waitress” picks Chip out of a photo array.

Later, with Carly in interrogation with her lawyer, the lawyer says Carly is in love with Chip and she is the victim because she was led on by a powerful man. Carly tells them she dates Kristin briefly but is not a lesbian and Kristin would not accept her relationship with Chip. She said Kristin tried to talk to Chip.

Afterward, the detectives review this information with Gonzales. They also now have the deleted text messages from Kristin to Chip and Kristin seemed to be threatening to expose Chip for something and Chip says everyone will find out she is a dyke. Gonzales tells them to talk to Chip about the texts and wake him up if they have to.

They arrive at Chip’s home to hear yelling coming from the pool, and they race there to find Chip in the pool and his wife Monica swiping at him with a golf club. They yell for her to drop the club – she does – and Rex helps Chip out of the pool. Chip says he took a pill and must have been sleepwalking and he must have fallen into the pool. Monica says she grabbed a golf club to try to help him out.

Later, back in the house, Monica tells TJ their marriage is solid, and Rex talks to Chip about Kristin. He says he does not remember her. Monica says the night Kristin was killed Chip was home with her. Their son Luke (Hutch Dano) walks in. As Rex tries to get information from Chip, Chip’s attorney enters and he asks them to leave. When they exit, DDA Joe Dekker (Terrene Howard) is waiting outside, he heard about the domestic dispute over the scanner. They tell Dekker they got a cover story from the couple. They think he has other no name phones and Dekker says he will get them a subpoena for the other numbers – but to make it count.
At Westshire Country Club, the detectives speak with Doug, who was the last person that Chip called that night. He says they didn’t kill anybody. Chip just wanted to be hooked up and they drove around and Doug got the girls and the key for the Thompson and left Chip there, getting a cab for himself back to his car. He said Chip would have just paid off Kristin. He also tells them that Chip’s wife had her hand out. He said Monica busted Chip for screwing around 10 years ago and her lawyer made him tear up the pre-nup and draft a post-nup. She’ll be compensated to stay in the marriage and she hates Chip’s guts.

In Dekker’s office, DDA Lauren Stanton and DDA Decker discuss this latest news with the Rex and TJ. Kristin may have been planning to expose Chip to the companies he endorses. Chip’s alibi is weak. Dekker tells Stanton to get a search warrant for the house.

When Stanton and the detectives serve the warrant, Monica tells them Chip checked into rehab that morning – he’s a sex addict. The detectives find what looks like a towel bar in a plastic wrapper that looks like it has dried blood on it.
Back at RHD, Chip is in interrogation, along with his lawyer, who complains they dragged Chip out of rehab. He pleads ignorance when confronted about the murder weapon. He says on Friday night he was with three other women.

In the observation room, the detectives and the DDAs discuss the situation. There are no prints on the murder weapon but the dried blood belongs to Kristin. But there was no blood on the plastic wrapper – meaning it was put back into the wrapper dry. Blood was also found at the house on the floor under a tarp in the pool shed. The weapon was likely moved to where the police would find it, and think it was done by Chip’s wife. If Kristin blew Chip‘s endorsement deals, Monica would have as much to lose as Chip and if he goes to jail, she gets everything. Dekker mentions their 16 year old son who will know if his mother was home the night of the murder.

At West Palisades High School, Stanton and the detectives speaks with Luke. He says he is used to his parents fighting and his father does not care about them. His says his father was banging Kristin. He gets upset when they ask about his mother and when he starts to asks if they found something, he quickly clams up. He says his dad is the evil one. But Rex presses him on what Luke thought they would find and mentions the towel bar. But Stanton steps in and tells Luke not to answer that, she wants to take him to the police station and call his parents and have a lawyer meet him. Rex does not look happy. Afterwards, Rex asks what is she doing, and she says he is 16 and it was OK to talk to him as a witness but once he became a suspect, it’s game over. Until he gets with a lawyer, nothing he tells them is admissible.

Later, at RHD, Luke’s lawyer Kurt Simms (Peter Mackenzie) says if Luke is not under arrest he is going to take him home to his parents. Rex chastises Stanton but Dekker says she did the right thing. Dekker says get search warrants for every place that Luke has access to and to impound his car, bicycle, and even his skateboard. When the detectives walk off, Dekker stops Stanton and says ethics are nice, but he’d rather have a judge throw out a confession than not have any confession at all and the next time a suspect wants to talk, to let him talk.

At the forensics garage, the detectives search Luke’s car and find a mailing list from a charity event which had Kristin’s address circled.

While Luke is being booked, Monica says Luke is innocent and if anyone killed Kristin it was Chip or another one of his gold digging skanks. After she storms off, TJ tells Stanton that the mailing list was from a PGA/LPGA benefit which Monica co-chaired. They wonder if Monica gave him the mailing list.
In Dekker’s office with Luke, his attorney is surprised Dekker is charging Luke as an adult. Dekker says if he acted under the influence of an adult it would mitigate the charges, and Luke says it wasn’t his mother that killed Kristin it was that gold digging skank. After the two exit, Stanton notes that Luke and Monica both referenced a “gold digging skank.” She is also handed something which says that Luke’s private blog on Facebook where he said it’s just like his mom said, his dad is a whore chasing pervert. He also said that his mom had to get all the couches clean because his dad got his dirty whore juice all over the cushions. The police also had a report which shows that 3 years ago Luke was picked up for vandalizing his father’s Ferrari with a baseball bat. Dekker thinks Monica knew he was violent and was feeding Luke’s hatred. Dekker mentions and interesting concept he picked up from a friend’s custody battle.

Later, in Judge Cruz’s (Jodi Long) chambers, Stanton, Dekker, Monica, and Simms discuss parental alienation syndrome where one parent brainwashes the parent into hating the other, in this case Monica convinced Luke to kill and is an aider and abettor. The violence can be directed at something the parent loves, like a person or a car. Luke acted under the mistaken belief fostered by his mother that his father was sleeping with the victim. The judge allows Dekker to proceed to charge Monica but will not allow him to use parental alienation until she hears his case.

In Superior Court, Dr. Coburn (Heather Mazur), an expert, testifies about parental alienation and how it fits Luke’s situation. In her opinion, Luke is psychologically incapable of killing his father but would kill someone his father was in love with. Simms questions her, saying the syndrome is not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. She replies it is recognized by the courts. Simms adds that this is in child custody cases and Luke lives with both parents. She says the case is atypical. Dekker redirects and notes that Chip was out of the home 48 out of the last 52 weeks so the case is not atypical.

Luke is on the stand talking about his father and his golfing. One his father took him to a bar while in Vegan for the charity tournament, and a waitress flirted with Chip and he said he’d be right back. He left Luke to sit there alone. He sat in the bar for 6 hours and his father never came back. Under cross examination, Dekker asks how Luke knew Chip was having sex with Kristin and he said he heard his father tell his mother. Dekker says that Kristin had relationships with women and they had a text message from Chip to her saying he was going to expose her as a lesbian. Luke says he doesn't care, he heard his father say that had sex while Chip was ageing with his mother. Dekker presses whether Luke actually heard the argument or if his mother told him about it. Luke says he doesn’t remember,. They were always fighting about his “skanks.” When Dekker reminds him that Luke had called them “gold digging skanks” and asks where he heard that term from, Luke says he doesn’t know. Dekker mentions the phrase “whore chasing pervert” and Luke doesn’t know about that one either. Dekker presents evidence where Chip said on Facebook that his father is “like his mom says, a whore chasing pervert.” When Dekker presses him about the information Luke gets from his mother, and cites many other examples of what Luke said his mother said, and brings up the baseball bat attack on the Ferrari, Simms eventually objects and the judge cuts Dekker off.

Monica is on the stand, and testifies that she has always tried to shelter Luke from negativity but he is smart and knows what is going on and it makes him angry. She never encouraged him to cause harm. Under cross examination, Dekker brings up how long Monica has known about Chip’s serial cheating and the post nuptial agreement. She agreed to stay in the marriage because she loved Chip and said she agreed to keep his infidelities confidential. Dekker says if they became public it would damage his business interests. She responds it would hurt the family. Dekker says that Kristin’s threats to expose Chip was more than a threat to her husband it was a threat to her and her lifestyle. Monica says they would have dealt with it and Chip would have paid Kristin off. Dekker says that Kristin didn’t want money, and Monica says they all want money. Dekker asks who she means, and brings up the other girls that Chip paid off, and Monica gets rattled. Luke is also visibly shaken. When Dekker presses Monica about Chip’s need for sex, she lashes out and said she knows Chip is a pig, a filthy pig. When Dekker comments that she says this in front of her son, Monica says Luke knows what is father is.

Back in Judge Cruz’s chambers, Cruz said Monica’s behavior doesn’t rise to criminal liability. She is going to instruct the jury to disregard all testimony on parental alienation syndrome. Dekker says PAS is his case and she should let the jury decide. But the judge stands firm, saying PAS is off the table. Dekker says if it is off the table, then it can’t be used to reduce Luke’s culpability, so the jury should be instructed not to include the lesser charge of manslaughter against him. They should only be instructed as to murder. Simms objects to this, but the judge, commenting “half a loaf” to Simms, says the manslaughter instructions will be withdrawn.

Back in Superior court, the judge gives the instructions to the jurors before deliberation, saying they can only consider the count of murder. As they adjourn, Stanton is worried this will backfire because Luke is only 16. Dekker says it is not about what the jury will do.
Later, Chip, Monica, and Simms are in Dekker’s office saying they will do whatever they have to. Dekker says no deals unless someone shares the weight with Luke on the murder. Chip says it was him, and he drove Luke to Kristin’s and gave him the weapon, whatever they need, he can’t let Luke go to prison. Monica is shocked at what Chip is doing, and Dekker reminds him Chip will have to plead guilty in court and serve time. He understands. He only asks to speak with Luke, and Dekker says he can do that, and Luke will know how much Chip loves him. But Monica gets upset, saying Chip does not get to swoop in and be the hero. She says she was the one, she helped Luke, and she told Luke Kristin was a threat to their lives. She gave him the address, she put him in the car, and she shut her eyes until he came home with blood on her clothes. She tells Chip that Kristin was a threat, and Chip was willing to risk everything but not her. After being humiliated all these years, there was no way she was going to let that lesbian ruin it all. She adds that Luke was a minor and even if he got caught, he’d only get a few years. She was there for him and Luke loves her, not Chip.

Back in court, Dekker tells the court that they reached an agreement, Monica will plead guilty to manslaughter and Luke will be re-charged as a juvenile. The judge declares the trial over and remands Monica and Luke. Luke looks upset. As they take Monica and Luke off, Luke yells out at his father, saying he hates him.

Later, Dekker and Stanton watch Chip on a televised golf tournament, the announcer making a comment about Chip’s comeback and that he still swings a big club. Stanton comments that it hasn’t affected his game. She says that is all he has now. Dekker says that is all he ever had. We fade to black.


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22 comments:

janethyland said...

Ratings for SVU and LOLA are both up from last week.

SVU got 2.5 in key demo and 9.10 total viewers.

LOLA got 2.2 in key demo and 9.20 total viewers.

LOLA won its time slot. Ive also noticed most of this season and again this week, the LOLA numbers are very consistent and stable, rarely fluctuating throughout the hour...so those who choose to watch it stay with it.

Bear in mind that there was no competition this week because CBS were all in repeats.

Having said that ,CBS has been in primetime repeats all week,but Chuck only managed a 2.0 in key demo, and its total viewers are a lot less.

So this week SVU and LOLA sit on top of the NBC pile....and in the end thats what matters.They are their top performing shows.

I still think there are two years at least in LOLA. Alot of people have been willing it to fail, especially those resenting the loss of Mothership. Its the audience that is changing most as it warms up to LOLA. The thematic structures have been in place since episode 2.

janethyland said...

oops,sorry there...the total numbers are in wrong order. SVU got 9.20 million and LOLA got 9.10 million...but there isnt much in it really

Anonymous said...

I thought the acting was good but the plot was beyond terrible.

The lack of theme music and title cards is driving me nuts. After the opening sequence, the lack of it -- just going to commercial break -- is very annoying and is against what every other major show (NCIS, NCISLA, Hawaii Five 0, etc) uses. It's really really a problem for this show, as much as we want to say no theme song doesn't matter. A theme song is a show's brand and LOLA not having one is taking away from it establishing its own idenity.

Also, where the heck is Jerry Hardin? Does this show have a DA or not? Did he die? IT seems in a case involving a major athlete, he'd at least have some say or input, yet he was left off of the show. Seems bizarre to me -- imagine a mothership show without McCoy, Branch, Lewin, or Schiff!

This is another example of why the franchise desparately needs new writers who understand that obvious holes in your story you just can't ignore because the viewers are too dumb. It's really declined lately.

janethyland said...

yes, no theme tune and no coyote really annoys me too!Then there is the run of three Dekker episodes.There seems to be some confusion.

Teaser with murder and straight to break is a LOCI structure.

I havent liked later episodes as much as some earlier ones, but alot who like Mothership have preferred later ones.We are all coming in from different angles I think and maybe they are trying to accommodate everyone.

Anonymous said...

Ok I just want to know , what is the name and artist of the opening song , the one where the golfer misses the shot in front of the little girls. That song rocked anyone know???

Chris Zimmer said...

I believe it is "Kissed It" performed by Macy Gray.

Osiris said...

I haven't watched this since the first ep but I checked it out tonight. DDA Lauren Stanton showed personality for all of 10 seconds but then later on had that personality beat into submission by Dekker. That was hilarious.

The moment that I first heard Terence Howard speak, I wanted to die.

Anonymous said...

I have never watched any of the Law and Order episodes of any of the versions of the show, so when I say, "THERE NEEDS TO BE TITLE CARDS", I say this is a tv viewer, not a 'Mothership' protester. I don't know why the network is so set against it????? If they have to do it after they grip the viewer with the first few minutes of the murder set up, then fine -- but the actors deserve a little recognition. It is beyond frustrating. Plus, there was actually a little more promotion this week as I saw a few mentions of LOLA on some of the entertainment shows. Coincidentally, the ratings were better. Promotion means better ratings. Funny thing that. I know, the competition was weak, but still 9 million is one of the best ratings the shows have had. Are you listening NBC???? You have KAte freaking Gosselin on the TODAY SHOW pimping out her show on how to make money by prostituting your kids on tv, but they have only once had anyone from LOLA on promoting the show for about 5 minutes. No wonder CBS and every other network kicks their ass.

Anonymous said...

I love this show. I think it has potential. I can understand the criticisms though.

This episode was really good I thought. I thought it would have been neat to have a crossover from SVU with Dr. Huang giving his expertise. I thought it was interesting that Megan Boone shows a little bit of spark stopping the interrogation but then goes back to that wooden character we "know and love". I cant STAND Terrence Howard sometimes! Some episodes I cheer for him and others I just have to shake my head. This was one of those where i just cringed the whole time. I would love to see Alfred Molina back on. I think it would be interesting to see the DA teams mixed up. Like Morales and Stanton or Dekker and Price...Hey why not even Morales and Decker?? Just my thoughts though. The show has potential to get even better but they need to add the title cards and theme somg back in. As for basing this off of Tiger Woods scandal I thought it was handled quite well. It was realistic and believable.

janethyland said...

Part 1:

Ah, the wisdom of Solomon! Best part of the episode was at the end where the aptly named Jonah Dekker demonstrates his lineage. Like Solomon, Dekker has an understanding that the seat of judgement is not in the head, but in the heart. And like Solomon, Dekker uncovers the Truth by creating a situation where the self-sacrifice of one exposes the guilt of the other.

Whatever his mental capacity, it was Solomons “wise and understanding heart” that identified him as a great judge. When Solomon is faced with the clash of two women claiming priority over the same child ,he calls for a sword to divide the child equally, knowing that the true mother would abandon self interest to save the child because the true mother would be connected by a love interest, not self-interest. His rule of Law recognized the rules of Nature.

It’s the same here when Dekker says- “Your son will know how much you really do love him”. It triggers an immediate response from both parents, the father sacrificing himself out of genuine love for his son, the mother trying to outmanoeuvre him in her own self-interest as she fights to possess her son-“You do not get to be the hero. I was the one he loved, not you”. So they expose themselves.

Its complicated. The Truth is revealed but it backfires because the son, ironically called Luke (!) remains in the dark, unbalanced , still hating his father, so the truth isn’t revealed to him, whilst in losing the case the mother wins her son’s love . Justice is accomplished and the case is won, but not the war for understanding. That’s human nature too I guess, and Reason is only part of it! No one really wins here. That’s very LOCI ish.

This need to know the Truth between two extremes is what we struggle with all the time, the duality of existence; black/white, Good/bad etc. There it is in the courtroom between prosecution and defense, guilty and innocent, a verbal combat that replaces the physical Trial by Combat ,just as primitive in its own way. Might is replaced by Reason, but the adversarial process is the same. That doesn’t change. Its in that logic problem too, the one where there are two doors with two minders and how to choose the right door that leads through it. Mind and body are defined by a duality that limits our understanding. The black/white chequered flooring of some courthouses, visible in this episode and others, is an ornamental reminder of our condition in life as we move in this duality…the same pattern allegedly used on the floor of King Solomons Temple, on chess boards, in Masonic lodges, and one the Victorians were fond of using symbolically on their entrance/exit ways to tombs and houses, (see Nunhead Victorian cemetery in London).

So its interesting to see how Dekker crosses the adversarial court system and how he holds those opposites in balance. Like Solomon, Dekker seems to reach beyond the dualistic trickery of the Mind into the featherweight ponderables of the human heart .Dekker falls in line with Goren and Stone and has a universal significance beyond the local issues.

janethyland said...

Part 2 :

The Dekker character is developing nicely with habits and traits that make him less of a mouthpiece or stereotype. So he has apparent contradictions, like supporting his assistant publically (“she did the right thing”), while admonishing her privately (“Ethics are nice, but next time a suspect wants to talk you let him talk”).Equally he doesn’t believe in the death penalty but will use it (Ballona Creek). He isn’t an ideologue, but pragmatic with each case determined on merit. He has this sort of “clear countenance” on his face and I like the slow deliberate speed of his delivery. Its different and contrasts with otherwise fast talkers. In many ways he takes up the baton from Stone and Goren. Thats an interesting mix.

The levels of production continue to fascinate, concentrated, more like film than TV.….lighting, stage symmetries, set details, camera work. All that intricate ornamentation in Chips home and furnishings was almost as intricate as his tangled sex life! Liked the opening sequence as it moved between the two extremes of the noisy, brash, flashy daylight world of golf/celebrity and the furtive, phone texting dark world of secret liaisons. So people do go walking in Los Angeles, but only at night?

Interesting point made elsewhere about most of the murderers so far in LOLA being women, which is statistically inaccurate since most murderers are men…..so are they making a conservatively male ideological but erroneous point about the nature of evil, I wonder!?

LOLA still seems to be finding its own sense of balance between aspects inherited from LOCI and Mothership. Lately, with the absence of Coyote and theme music etc there was a sense of pulling back into something more comfortably formulaic and dull. The plots of these procedurals are endlessly recycled, cut and paste from each other, so I’ve always found that part the least interesting and most predictable. But apart from the premiere, I’ve found something of interest in all the episodes, preferring earlier ones, my favourite so far being Sylmar even if that was a Law and Order writer! I’m hoping the next batch will establish a distinctive identity that will be LOLA. Its a surprise to me because I never thought Id watch another Law and Order and I’m in two minds about that!

Anonymous said...

One of the things that I find annoying in SVU, LOLA, and CI is when there is clearly a case that would draw the attention of the DA, and they don't film a sequence with him. Part of the mothership -- as well as SVU when Branch appeared 13 tiems -- that was great was when the DA would weigh in.

This season, we've now had several occassions were an appearance by Hardin or McCoy would make sense, but we get nothing. It just seems, well, lazy (bad writing, not thinking it through) or cheap (not wanting to pay the actor for the episode).

Another thing is that I think LOLA could be missing out on a chance to mix Morales and Dekker.

In my mind, Morales seems to be more like Ben Stone while Dekker is more Jack McCoy, and I like them both. Them competing over a case or arguing over a case could be interesting, with Hardin deciding it.

And, agree with the aforementioned non-L&O fan who mentioned the lack of title cards and a theme song makes NO SENSE.

1. It promotes the actors for new viewers.

2. It gives a nod to L&O lovers like me.

3. It gives the show an identity -- I know the NCIS, NCISLA, SVU, L&O and Hawaii Five 0 theme songs by heart -- as well as sit coms, etc. The lack of one here is MIND BOGGLING.

I'd really like to get an answer from Wolf on this one. It is incredibly annoying.

Anonymous said...

And, whoever mentioned promotion -- yes, amazing, isn't it?

Law and Order could truly become "America's drama" because of the compelling nature of the stories, in most cases. Yet, rather than EMBRACING THE FRANCHISE WITH OPEN ARMS via keeping the mothership, doing crossovers, etc, they seem stuck in a rut, and I'm not sure who is to blame -- seems like probably a mix.

Maybe I'm m issing something but it just seems like marketing 101.

Finally -- while I understand network ad revenue is down, it seems to me a show like L&O would be perfect for product placement. Rizzoli and Isles (an awesome show, by the way) used it with MGD.

Why not have Jack McCoy drinking a Coke instead of a cola? Or eating at a real life restaurant? Or driving a BMW?

You'd want to be careful with it but that seems to be a missed opportunity to get great ad revenue as well as brand loyalty for fans of actors.

"I want to drive what Jack McCoy drives."

Anonymous said...

By the way, here are some ideas/scenes I'd love to see:

Hardin, McCoy meeting up at some convention somewhere, talking about cases.

FDT coming back as Arthur Branch in the role of the Attorney General of NY, winning in the Republican wave of 2010, making guest appearances.

McCoy hiring Serena Southerlyn as the ADA on Criminal Intent.

Connie Rubirosa taking the ADA spot on SVU.

A guets appearance by Michael Cutter on LOLA wanting a suspect taken back to NY but Dekker or Molina winning.

Rey Curtis being the captain on LOLA. I like Ticotin but seemed like a misssed opportunity.

A four-part mega crossover with LOLA, mothership, CI and SVU taking part. Bring in the characters from UK on one of them.

I could go on and on.

Wen said...

@ Anonymous 4:39 AM

Although these idea are great, but seems hard to make it,specially that ADA part(hiring Serena Southerlyn & Connie Rubirosa back )

Osiris said...

Hiring Serena Southerlyn. HA...and people think the DAs on LOLA are wooden? They don't compare to the maple tree that is Elizabeth Rohm.

Anonymous said...

To the writers of LOLA. Please avoid having Terrence Howard say the word "KILL". The way he pronounces it - Keeywil -- I can't even type it out phonetically. It is really bothering me. I still prefer Molina.

I like the pairing of the Detectives, but I hope they start to give Rex some kind of quirky gimmick or something that is realistic but personalizes him so you can relate to him. The character is still a little too flat for me. Ulrich is doing a good job with what he is given, but Rex needs a personality.

Anonymous said...

I DEFINETLY agree with Alana de la Garza to go to SVU as the full time ADA.

She's good with victims and a good prosecutor. Seriously, Michaela McMannus, Christine Lahti, Sharon Stone, and NOW Melissa Sagemiller -- SVU's got TOO many ADAs recurring.

But of all people, Sharon Stone better NOT come back to SVU!

janethyland said...

oh my god, you lucky lot! Jeremy Irons is going to be a guest star on SVU. Enjoy!

SVU: Anchor said...

Next Wednesday,

SVU returns with a landmark episode. Where the crime is one thing, but the defense is really twisted. Can a patriotic talk-show host drive someone to kill? It's the kind of justice our guys live for.

John Larroqtte in a new SVU, Next Wednesday (9/8c), on NBC.

janethyland said...

There is a real problem with the women characters however. They are almost irrelevant and interchangeable and exist purely to provide a response to lead male characters, or as "plot plodders".I dont remember their faces and i dont remember their names.

Thats partly because of the limitations of the formula that is plot driven and cut in half. There is a limit to what you can do in 20minutes when the priority is to develop lead male characters.But they dont help the situation by choosing female characters that are stereotypes of the working professional woman as men like to see them, and they seem to be chosen for their looks rather than anything else...which is odd because most people watching the show would be older women.It seems self-defeating.

Eames started off in a similar position carrying most of the exposition...but she was helped in developing into a real complex character by the fact she was in 40minutes episodes, and by the writing.

If they want to look at well fleshed women cop characters look at Jane Tennyson in Prime Suspect or Grace Foley in Waking the Dead, both of which are atypical and based on real people.Ive met one of them, the real people i mean!You can relate to these people because they are real, and they have a genuine interaction with the lead male characters....as Eames eventually did with Goren

janethyland said...

See how the laws of human nature shape manmade laws. Its all getting very murky here as two women take revenge on a man when they realised they were one night stands, and a man fell victim to his sex drive!Oh dear, an archetypal fatal flaw!While the man is busy undermining global gorvernment hypocrisy,two women are busy undermining the man.

Isnt this ideal fodder for a LOLA episode........They could call it "Fatal Attraction" !



Wikileaks sex files: How two one-night stands sparked a worldwide hunt for Julian Assange
By Richard Pendlebury
Last updated at 10:44 AM on 7th December 2010


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1336291/Wikileaks-Julian-Assanges-2-night-stands-spark-worldwide-hunt.html#ixzz17VOtvi00