Crime Drama TV

The Bravo Network, along with KUSI, TNT, and USA air reruns of L&O: Criminal Intent, and on Sunday evening they ran a mini-marathon: three episodes back-to back, mostly in sequence, which I thought was fairly interesting. Each of the episodes featured (and I so use that term lightly) Samantha Buck in the role of Goren’s temporary partner, G. Something-I-don’t-care-to-remember Bishop while Katheryn Erbe’s Det. Eames was on real-life and cinematic maternity leave. Buck was only on the show for twelve episodes, and I gotta hand it to the writers and Vincent D’Onofrio–Goren’s shaky adjustment to this temp character certainly echoed mine as a loyal viewer. Don’t take me wrong–I had no problems with each of Det. Logan’s partners, and am currently smitten w/Alica Witt as the married, mother of (I think) three Det. Falacci, but that’s because Logan’s character doesn’t require much to work with. Goren, conversely, has been, from Episode 1, a composite of personality oddities ranging from obsessive compulsion (bow down to the master, Monk!) to high-functioning autism, and Eames was and is the only person aside from psycho-nemesis Nicole Wallace capable of handling Goren’s complex character.

Buck irritated me, frustrated Goren, and the first episode Bravo aired, “F.P.S.” (a reference to first-person shooter games) portrayed that emotional instability beautifully. The bad guy was experiencing many of the similar feelings toward his slowly-becoming-ex partner that Goren was toward Eames, and was thus motivated to commit a series–a series–of intricately planned crimes that sent Major Case on a satisfyingly long hunt for the truth. In the end, however, justice was served, and some of Goren’s demons were purged with the news that Eames would be shortly returning.

Bishop didn’t even try to get Goren, and thus, during her brief time on CI, she caused some serious and lasting damage. Like Cousin Oliver, or the second Aunt Viv on Fresh Prince. Adieu, mon cheri.

“Goren hates you and you really suck . . . bye bye Buck.”

Well this week starts out with a washed up body and a coin in a fish belly. Immediately the FBI is there with the suspicion of terrorism. Just because he is Muslim doesn’t mean that he is a terrorist. It turns out that he is a treasure hunter who was just framed to look like a terrorist. So they do a little digging and find out about the coins. After a little looking around they find the fence that the woman used. Well they trace the woman back by her husband who owns a salvage company called Camelot. They go to her house but the husband has tipped her off so she is long gone. They do find the victim’s passport there. They find two sizes of males underwear at the loft which leads them to suspect there is an man involved. The mans name was chili, but by the time they catch up with him he is dead and his boat abandoned. So the list of suspects is very quickly narrowing. It’s down to the husband or the wife. Who is it you ask? Neither, it turns out that it was the dive investor. He stood to lose his fortune if this ship was salvaged. Goren and Eames crack another one wide open. By the way I want to make sure everyone checks out my last post by clicking here.

Well this week on ‘CI’ we were introduced to Detective Falacci, plated by Alicia Witt. It was very interesting to see her being the hot tempered one, while Logan was the peaceful one for once. So this time around our victim is an abortion doctor who is found in his exam room. He is propped up in the procedure chair in a way that suggests someone is sending a message. He was beaten to death with a photo cube which seeming kind of symbolic. His brother Eli found him in the office at three in the morning. I think that sounds kind of suspicious, don’t you? So Logan and Falacci hit the trail trying to find anyone that might have had a problem with the doc. It turns out that he had an argument with a patient’s husband earlier that day. When questioned he said that he wasn’t mad at the doctor as much as he was at his wife. She had aborted the son because of a defect he would have had if he was born. Tom the geneticist confirms this, and the wife collaborates his alibi. When they dig a little deeper they see that he had a huge agrument with his son that day as well. During the argument the son threatened his dad’s life. When they questioned him he said he was in the park getting wasted with some friends. They backed his alibi up too. Next they turn their investigation towards his wife. She had a separate cellphone that she used to call only one number. Upon confronting her she admitting having an affair with her brother in law Eli. She said that she broke up with him that night. Eli said he met her that night and broke up with her for a different girl. The other girl confirms meeting him that night as well. They got the results back from the blood back at the scene. There were three sets of blood found. One was the victim’s obviously, and one was the brother Eli’s. They knew about those two, but the third was a surprise. The DNA test showed that it was a blood relative of theirs. I know what you were thinking, but its not the son. The DNA test showed that it was Eli’s son. This is kind of weird considering Eli made a point to say that he was sterile. They question one of his old friends only to find out that he just used that line on girls. He went on to say that Eli made regular contributions to the sperm bank. When they look it up, he has over a dozen kids through the donor program. This doesn’t make it any easier to find the killer. Long story short one of his son’s looked up Eli and tried to convince him to help his brother with a bone marrow transplant. Eli was a match but refused to do it. The son tried to get the victim to talk some sense into his brother. The victim said Eli would never care and that caused the boy to snap. He admitted to the crime only under the condition of the transplant being done. Another case is closed, and we’re all sated until next week. By the way check out my last post ‘Let Her Go’.

Well the season premiere is here. The episode opens with two cops on a stakeout. One of the cops takes a bathroom break, and while he is gone his partner is shot. Detective Eames and Goren pick the case up. It turns out that the cop killed was Eames’s husband’s partner and was there when he was shot in the line of duty. Goren and Eames are my favorite detective’s on ‘CI’. The detective’s start looking into a possibility that this murder is connected to Detective Dotton’s death. The next day the other witness in her husband’s death was shot too. The other cop in the stakeout said he saw who killed his partner, but Goren proved that he was wrong. They go and talk to the man convicted in her husbands murder. He proclaims his innocence, saying that the drug dealer that said he saw him was lying to protect somebody. Goren with his holmes’esque style of detective work seems to believe him. He reluctantly tells Eames that he has to look into her husbands case to try to find the truth. Using modern DNA techniques they find a piece of trace DNA that doesn’t match the man convicted or the witness. The witness had testified that the killer was smoking the cigarette that was found at the scene. The gun that killed the cop and the witness was found dumped near where the witness was shot. It turns out to be a standard issue gun for Vietnam soldiers. While interviewing the convicted man’s father they find out that he was a Vietnam veteran. After a little detecting Goren figures out that the killer is the wrongfully convicted man’s son. So all that is left now is to solve the husbands murder. The detectives start by shaking down the witnesses posse. On of his friends is now an ex-con so they lean on him with the threat of revoking his parole. He tells them that the witness had a kid following him around that was waving around a glock. They go to inform the family that they have caught the man that murdered their son. It was there that they found out that during the time of the old murder his cousin was visiting with them. The cousin is a emergency room doctor in Queens now, so they go to question him. With the right questioning he gives himself up. Hey check out my last post ‘Tear Asunder’.

Tonight is the premiere of season 9 of ‘law and order SVU’. I’m very excited to see what’s in store for us. For a while season 9 seemed to be in doubt when Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay entered into negotiations for more money. All the disputes have been settled. Now the ninth season promises to be more exciting than ever before. With strong story telling, the already superb cast, and tons of new guest appearances this season I’m prepared to be in awe. I have always thought that the formula of ‘SVU’ and ‘CI’ was a successful one. Keep your eyes here for the episode recap as well as information on upcoming episodes as well. In other ‘law and order’ news ‘CI’ returns on October 4 with their new season. Actress Julianne Nicholson will be on maternity leave as the season starts. It is going to be interesting to see how they write Detective Wheeler’s temporary departure from the show. Her temporary replacement will be the accomplished actress Alicia Witt as Detective Nola Falacci. Her acting credits include the films ‘Two Weeks Notice’ and ‘The Upside Of Anger’. Make sure to check out my other latest posts Brushing Up and Coming Monday.

Last night I watched an episode of CI on USA. The story revolved around a double murder that was staged to look like a murder suicide. Everything is not as it seems though when we learned that a piece of art that the art dealer certified as authentic was in fact a very clever forgery. This is only found out after after it comes to light that the real painting sank in a nazi submarine. On top of everything else it turns out that there numerous other paintings sank as well. All the while dopplegangers of these paintings have been spread around quite thoroughly. The detective not only topple the forgey ring but also catch the murderer.

Today I watched the original crime drama Law and Order on tnt today. Like an old reliable friend I know that law and order will always come thru with a good strong story built on the strong formula that made law and order the crime drama to watch. While I do thoroughly enjoy watching CI and SVU nothing beats the original. Starting with a little glimpse of the crime to be, and then straight to the beat cops we go. They collect evidence, interveiw witnesses, and follow leads in the steady pattern of logic until they find a good suspect. Then they hand it over toi the D.A. who will build the case from there. With twists and turns both on the streets and in the courtrooms I get all the suspence without having to watch them do an autopsy(CSI) or the other grossout moments in most of the newer shows. I guess that was the golde

No, I’n not talking about Mary Kay the cosmetics queen, I’m talking Mary Kay LeTourneau. Remember that high school teacher who made headlines by having sex with her 13 year old student? Well, it was sick then, and with an head-shaking Law and Order CI ending, it’s sick now.

What do you get when you mix an emotionally stunted high school teacher, the abusive husband of the high school teacher, an ego maniac plastic surgeon father who tapes and catalogs his sexual escapades and the teenage product of said father in one twisted plot? A murder, the likes of which you will only see on a Law and Order franchise.

That ever hunky Chris Noth, better known as renegade Det. Mike Logan is joined by yet another partner, short haired, boyish looking Det.Wheeler. To regress a moment, I loved the chemistry between Logan and Annabella Sciorra as Det. Carolyn Barek. And now Logan is breaking in another partner. The same disease seems to be making the rounds on all the Law and Orders right about now. Anyway, back to the episode.

These jaded detectives are stunned to find that a grown woman could find a 16 year old boy to be the most noble man she had ever met. The operative word here being man. Immediately after her conviction of rape and her part in the murder of her young lover’s father he could still professes his misplaced love for her. And this upon confessing to being pregnant by this boy’s father. Reminds me of Villi and Mary Kay. Married and living in the burbs of Seattle.

Law and Order. Ripped from the headlines crime tv drama.

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