ktofbvb

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts on Tracker Season 1 Episode 3: Springland

Spoilers Ahead

Colter is in Springland, Idaho, during this episode but was originally on his way to track down a stolen vehicle against his rival Billie. He stops at a diner and is interrupted by a man yelling at a woman searching for her missing sister. The man pulls out a knife and slashes one of Colter's tires before further threatening him. Colter gets hurt during the fight, which leads to him going to the town's clinic. The doctor asks about his collection of scars, with Colter being evasive about his childhood. At this point, we have not seen much of his childhood, but we can pick up on neglect, abuse, and fear, most likely being highly present in his youth. When asked about van life influencer missing Mia, the doctor clams up a bit.

The concern about 1 missing woman scaring off tourists is false and a lie. One missing woman would barely be on any tourist's radar when checking where to go travel. Crimes happen in every town, city, village; what have you so the discussion being centered on tourism is classist, elitist, and damaging to reporting crimes if reputation and money is all you care about. It makes the town look more horrible since everyone is putting their morals aside in the hope of making it a resort town where crimes could occur with more people passing by.

The sheriff then pulls up to send Colter packing and guilts Kira. Everyone in this town wants this woman not to be found, implicating the whole town as guilty and accomplices. Colter and Kira have a talk about rough childhoods with Colter being the Mia of his siblings. Van life is also such a late 2010s-2020s experience, it will be interesting to see how this episode ages. The Winslows, hoping to set the town into a resort town, are the employers of half the town, and the men in the diner fight. The last known location of Mia's van is also on a Winslow property, where Colter is investigating the area. Knife man returns with and threatens now to shoot Colter before revealing his hatred of van lifers. Mia hadn't been sleeping in her van, according to the man.

Velma and Robin discover Mia was with a man called Gecko before meeting with the Dr. again. Gecko is really Matt Winslow, heir to the Winslow town empire. Colter goes to talk to Matt at his house before Matt tries to take off. Matt claims they were talking about a future together before ghosting him and skipping town. The Winslows make further threats, showcasing the power and fear they hold over people, especially over Matt, who looks petrified of his parents. Bobby finds her van on the property with Kira demanding to come with to help identify the van or Mia if needed. Kira confirms it's her van before shooting starts, and they run before Kira trips, hurting her arm. Colter shows off his first aid skills again and how much care he takes to wrap her arm. It helps humanize Colter and shows how much he cares about his work beyond just payment but rather helping people.

Colter and Kira discuss regretting not telling their siblings they love them. We have only seen flashbacks of Colter's siblings at this point, so the moment helps show the audience that some regrets are there and that distance is the problem. When Colter brings the Sheriff to the van site, its gone, with the Sheriff telling him to get out of town. The Sheriff knows something and is hiding it; he is much too focused on getting this out and not talking about it. Colter's van is broken into by Reenie, with some fun banter between the two. The Winslows love to sue but got sued by a man who died shortly after filing. That is highly suspicious behavior and certainly worth a further look at, but the Sheriff isn't going to do that. Mia was on the witness list for the prosecution, leading to why she may have been killed and furthering that he might have been killed by the Winslows as well. Matt is confronted by Colter and Reenie before leaving, distraught with the two. The mom had Mia killed eerily reminesict to me of Law and Order Criminal Intent Season One Episode Smothered where the mom kills her son's girlfriend to protect the socialite family.

This episode gives more insight into Colter's past and that Russell is trying to find a way to contact him. Colter can be seen in Mia, with the van, traveling and trying to run away from his past. He's also similar to Kira with having regrets about his siblings. I think that the episode was fun; the town and Sheriff pissed me off and weren't explored enough to explain why the focus was on hiding it by everyone. If everyone wanted it hidden, that would mean everyone knew it was the Winslows. 7/10

[ktofbvb]

Law and Order Season 1 Ep 1

Spoilers Ahead

I bought the first twenty seasons of Law and Order on DVD and decided to write little blurbs about them for myself to see how they evolved. Did I watch any of the original show before buying the box set? No, but I love collecting DVDs and thought it would be a cool addition to my collection. I did these a bit over breaks and on weekends, so they are not always done to the same extent as my other reviews. Some of the analyses are longer, and some are short. I'm in season 2 right now, but graduate school takes precedence as this is my last semester. I figured I would post them since I have them written out. I also skipped some episodes, so not every episode will be here.

Episode 1: Prescription for Death

North's analogy is odd since he came in drunk and didn't just run into a mugging. Max makes good points throughout the episode. Leon Vance's actor makes an early appearance and he has not aged a day, it's incredible.  The whole of the staff knowing and covering for the famous doctor who is drunk and has caused near patient deaths before is disheartening. Auster is an egomaniac and a drunk who deserves to be locked up. The standard drinking test used at DUIS to catch him drinking during his trial was phenomenal.  It's a memorable episode.  8/10

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts on NCIS: Sydney Season 2 Episode 1: Heart Starter

SPOILERS AHEAD

This episode continues the cliff hanger from the season 1 finale with the mystery of who organized the kidnapping of AFP's JD's son. NCIS Agent Mackey and JD are suspended from their agencies after Neimus escapes. DeShawn is placed in charge of the remaining unit with some friendly banter between the team to DeShawn, who did not want the position but is doing his best. Neimus was the big bad of season one, but in the final moments of that season's finale is discovered to be nothing more than a pawn in a larger game. Colonel Rankin of the U.S. is the number that Neimus's phone calls, pushing him as a traitor. While Mackey questions him, he has a heart attack, and she carries him to a hospital and provides him a fake name. I did find the speaker magnet disabling the pacemaker a fun way to show how much knowledge Doc has without exposition. The AFP being so insistent on suspending JD, the day that his son was recovered was a choice. It's a choice that paints the AFP in the best light. I'm not sure if the choice is purposefully painting the AFP in a negative light compared to the American NCIS, but it does make me pause and think about it. DeShawn is incredibly loyal even when pressured that someone is being blamed, and he can make it Mackey while keeping his career. "Momentarily more than you" is such a good line from JD. I laughed when he said that. JD escapes into a football crowd upon realizing the AFP agents who suspended him are following him, which was a cool moment since it seemed natural. I did read the showrunners comments that DeShawn and Evie are similar to Tony and Ziva from the original NCIS but that is simply an inaccurate comparison, Evie hasn't tried to kill DeShawn once. They have cute banter that doesn't feel rude or demeaning, unlike Tony and Ziva.

JD and Mackey meet in the ICU unit for Rankin, and it seems that for a second, JD considers murdering Rankin. Mackey comments that anyone else but JD would feel comfortable with the man gone but JD wants answers more than comfort. I enjoy the team dynamic in the autopsy room with Doc asking if now is a good time to discuss raises with DeShawn. The tech tattoo is an interesting device both for storytelling and in life to learn about. Mackey and JD are having a moment at her place, and she reveals that she has a son. That revelation comes out of nowhere as there are no foreshadowings or clues leading to it, except for the child-like drawing next to a family picture that we see in the apartment moments before. Blue and Doc are still my two favorite characters in the show, as they have found family vibes a bit but work so well off each other. Crypto wallets then make an appearance as a means of finding out who hired Neimus. Heart Started packs a lot of story in one episode without getting lost or feeling bloated but without a dull moment, making it an engaging episode regardless of rewatching. JD breaks more laws to hunt down Neimus and find out why his son was targeted, but the prey/pursuer dynamic between Neimus and the teamwork. She has been a step ahead of them, and she is confident that she can escape again, but now JD has nothing to lose, and the team has become a family willing to do anything for him. I loved how the team all took responsibility for Niemus's escape, so if one was going to get fired, all of them would get fired. I also enjoyed the mention of Vance, as it helps position the show in the NCIS timeline.

This was a fun episode to watch, and I even rewatched it, which tied up loose ends from the finale of season 1 while leaving bread crumbs for where season 2 can be heading. It did get renewed for a third season, which is also exciting news, as I love this spin-off. 10/10

[ktofbvb]

REUPDATE

So I finally finished grad school for the semester and submitted my first research paper/thesis so this summer will be working on stuff for next semester and shows. I'm excited to catch up with Tracker and watching CSI and All rise some more. I'm sad about NCIS Hawaii as it looked awesome but I never got around to watching it weekly.

Update

I know I am behind on Tracker and haven't posted in a bit, but Grad school is a bit busy with paper drafts, so I will post when I can take a small break to watch shows.

[ktofbvb]

Seth Rollins died for our sins

[ktofbvb]

NCIS has had some big new updates in the past few weeks. The announcement of NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Europe. The biggest announcement for me is the renewal for a second season of NCIS: Sydney. A backstory for Gibbs sounds interesting if they can pull it off right without ruining some of the mystique that he had throughout the show. The Tiva spin off show is one I will watch but I'm not excited for. I'm not a fan of Tiva personally so having a spin off focused on just them isn't that exciting. I like Tony Dinozzo as a character but the pairing of him with Ziva never made much sense to me.

[ktofbvb]

Update

I know I am behind on Tracker and haven't posted in a bit, but Grad school is a bit busy with paper drafts, so I will post when I can take a small break to watch shows.

[ktofbvb]

In case you haven't heard Tracker got renewed for season 2. I'm super excited it got renewed as it is a really fun show and unlike other series getting canceled after one season it gets a second. I only hope it's not cancelled prematurely after to cut costs. I'm tired of studios and streaming services cancelling beloved shows or not releasing them to save tax money.

[ktofbvb]

My thoughts on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S1 E4 Spoilers Ahead

Spoilers Ahead for CSI S1 E4 and CSI NY Season One

Pledging Mr. Johnson finishes the Judge Cohen and Warrick Brown saga that started back in the pilot. The cases involved in the episode are a fraternity pledge who is murdered by those in the frat and a limb found in Lake Mead.

The pledge is found hanging and through the episode it is discovered that in order to make it into the frat, he had the girlfriend of the president sign his dick which upsets the president. The fraternity attempts to lie that they gave him the Heimlich maneuver, but his body has no signs. It is soon discovered to be a murder. This is so far in my opinion the least interesting case that CSI has presented thus far as it is easily thought out by the audience.

The limb from in Lake Mead is believed to be have been removed from a living person but it is soon discovered that the limb belongs to a missing but not missing woman. The woman is never reported missing by her husband, as he appears rather nonchalant about his missing wife. It is discovered that she was having an affair. The husband eventually kills the boyfriend thinking that he killed his wife but it is discovered her death was an accident. Thus the husband had killed an innocent man.

The last section of the episode focuses on Warrick and Judge Cohen, with Cohen demanding that Warrick tamper with evidence in a case where the defendant's family is connected to Cohen. It sounds like it is related to his gambling. Warrick contemplates doing it throughout the whole episode before admitting to Grissom what he got himself into. Grissom helps him and with Brass they set up a sting to bring down Judge Cohen. This tampering with evidence is seen again in CSI NY with Aiden who also considers contemplating with evidence but instead of releasing the suspect it would damn the suspect. While Grissom helps Warrick when he admits what he almost has done, Mac fires Aiden from thinking about tampering. It showcases the two different bosses in two different lights and while I still believe that Warrick could have been fired at any point in these first four episodes up against Aiden's firing it seems more unfair. Aiden and Warrick both contemplated messing with the same type of evidence in the same type of case, but one stays, and one is fired. I think that if CSI wants to show that thinking about tampering with evidence is something that will not be tolerated they had to have been consistent but they were not.

[ktofbvb]

My thoughts on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S1 Ep 3 Spoilers ahead

The two cases involved in this episode is a kidnapped woman and a hit and run. The episode also introduces another key arc for Warrick Brown with that of James, the young boy he semi mentors. Crate 'n Burial with the two separate cases are able to show multiple types of forensics while keeping the audience interested in both cases. Nick and Gil have an interesting dynamic that becomes more apparent in future episodes of them not being as close as Gil and Warrick but not entirely distant. It is a somewhat more father expecting more of his son who he knows can be great and expects 100% of him at all times. Catherine and Warrick are shown to be close but able to disagree without going to far and damaging their relationship. Sara and Gil are close and while they are still in the early flirting stage that leads to the long while they won't they that the couple engages in it is fun to see them interact.

The kidnapping case is found out to be faked as Laura is wanting to run away with her accomplice with some of her husband's riches. This case hits differently after the publicity of other fake kidnappings over the past few years. The hit and run is an important case introducing James and his grandfather who tries to cover for his grandson. This episode highlighted many of the characters internally relationships with each other while highlighting two cases with one important side character makes his first appearance.

[ktofbvb]

My thoughts on All Rise S1 Ep 5 Spoilers Ahead

This episode is wedding day where multiple couples go to get married. This is Judge Carmichael's first wedding day. The couple needs to be married as the wife is in labor which does annoy me as the pregnancy trope is overdone in procedurals but instead of being a stress tactic it is for a marriage scene. Lola decides to go see what court costs are and then gets ambushed by an angry citizen. The woman is angry about her husband being thrown in jail and now her son is up on charges. The Church is shown is a good light pretty heavy handedly in the episode.

Emily is dealing with a case involving the Catholic Church and stealing. The defendant is a nun but does have dyed hair which is feared to be a detractor for her in front of the jury. Emily has an issue with her engagement ring being asked to give back to but got stuck on her finger. It is also discovered that Emily had a rosary as a child from baptism thus also connecting her to the Catholic Church. The defendant is covering up for another nun who is guilty but because of her faith she is unwilling to throw Sister Miranda under the bus. Emily is dealing with her religious guilt over her divorce and breaking her promise in front of god. We get to see more of Emily and Lola's friendship as they discuss Emily's guilt.

Mark is dealing with a dine and dasher who leaves men with large bills. The court case is between Mark and his rival and framed as a love interest Amy Quinn. The defendant Margo is flirting with the Judge and the Judge responds to the flirting with flirting back. It is a preliminary hearing so it is for the State to make their case.

This was a difficult episode as you understand where Sister Phoebe is coming in regards to defending Sister Miranda and her faith is common in individuals. Mark got crushed in court by Quinn as a result of his witnesses being asked argumentative questions.

[ktofbvb]

My thoughts on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S1 E 2 Spoilers ahead

This episode introduces Sara Sidle to the team as she is brought in to investigate Warrick Brown after Holly's shooting in the previous episode. Holly does pass away off-screen as a result of her injuries, thus putting more of an emphasis on where Warrick was. Warrick is threatened to bring Judge Cohen money, and because he does not have the total amount, he is gambling to make the difference. Sara finds him gambling when she tells him that Holly is dead. It is a great scene to set up the friction between Sara and Warrick that is present throughout some of their interactions. The two prominent cases of the episode are a jackpot winner found dead; the question is, was it suicide or murder and Holly's death. The jackpot winner is seen to have been killed by his ex-girlfriend, whom he broke up with after winning the jackpot. The best part of the episode was the dummy being tested to see if he was pushed, jumped, or shoved from the ledge. I thought that it was very interesting to see how it works and how much work goes into discovering how someone from a falling death dies.

Warrick should have been fired for derelict of duty and gambling during work hours. I am a Warrick fan, but he should have been fired because he wasn't. We get a really good character arc from him. It is a good episode but not one of the better episodes of the season, as it is still setting everything up. It is still a fun episode and sets up Sara Sidle.

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts on All Rise S1 Ep 4 spoilers ahead

The A plot is following Judge Carmichael on a jury field trip to the scene of the crime. She is advised against it by fellow Judges. They are investigating a shooting in an alley and this is an aiding and abetting case. It seemed like a lot for a case and then an active crime makes the trip more dangerous. It makes the jury more fearful and truthfully the trial should be thrown out. You can say throw out the crime but it still will affect some members of the jury some members are relieved. I'm still not convinced it was enough. Lisa Brenner is a good advisor to Lola and she still acts somewhat like Catherine Willows so it might also be affecting my thoughts on Lisa. I felt for Mr. Frank throughout the whole case as he is fighting for his life but is vulnerable to make it meaningful. His passion talking about his studies in urban policy was really intriguing and I wish it went longer honestly. I'm studying for my master's in history but I did get a bachelor in political science as well and took an urban politics class and it really is fascinating. Mr. Frank being found not guilty was a nice moment to see his tears after all of his fear.

The B plot is following Mark as he attempts to investigate the evidence provided by him in a high profile drug ring. The video evidence is all they have on the defendant and it becomes an issue if the video is thrown out, the case is ruined. Mark struggles with his ability to stay impartial as he wants Mabbit in prison but is trying to figure out the right way to do that. Probable cause is the issue with the warrant which harkens back to the pilot to CSI which I discussed earlier as the toe nail evidence from Warrick Brown in the breaking and entering case which gets him in trouble with gambling again. Detective Leyland is going to be investigated and decides to call her union and lawyer. While it is set up to show she is immediately guilty but again she is just using her rights that everyone has. She is not immediately guilty because she asks for a lawyer. Mabbit does walk due to the illegal gathering of the surveillance video.

I really liked this episode it was the best of all of them so far for me personally.

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts on Tracker S1 E2 Spoilers Ahead.

I think I'm going to wait a week before posting these so they will be a week behind for spoilers.

This episode focuses on a mother and a father trying to find their son who disappeared after emptying his bank account and saying he met a woman named Rebecca Smith. Jackson is an accountant which plays a role in his position in the cult. He is ensnared in a self-help cult where Colter finds a house full of camera footage of people wanting out and others just working. How quickly Jackson left was a bit dramatized I think as it usually takes quite a while for someone in a high control group to realize what is really going on. I wish it delved more into the cults beliefs as it barely touched on it and it could have been a really good worldbuilding piece and it felt like a missed opportunity. The song choice during the reunion scene between Jackson and his parents was very fitting for the moment as it felt like it was both about what has happening and Jackson coming to more realizations about his own past. The opening scenes with the mother again pointed out how odd his mother acts to me but again it is the second episode. I do wonder about the younger sister, as Colter's older brother has been playing a role but what about his younger siblings. Where are they? Are they okay? I think the cult episode for a second episode while slightly unusual for other procedural shows makes a lot of sense for a show like Tracker. I imagine that people who do this kind of work do have a lot of people joining high control groups and families wanting information. It was a good interesting episode setting up more of Colter's past while having an intriguing story to have it all housed in.

[ktofbvb]

My review of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation S1 EP 1 Spoilers Ahead

I love the CSI universe but I've never finished any of the whole series. I made it to season 3 of the original and season 3 of CSI NY and nothing of Miami and Cyber. I do own all of CSI the original now so I have decided to watch them all now.

So this will be a rewatch for me but some previous thoughts I have that should be shared are that I really like Warrick Brown as a character. I read the novels as a kid as I couldn't watch the show due to being too young but the books were okay. I was devastated when I read about Warrick's death but I also like Greg Sanders. Since I only have seen through season three and then episodes on TV here and there I know some future stuff but not much.

The pilot is entirely different from the rest of the show in terms of its cinematography and coloring. It is darker and grittier than what occurs. Also the number of cases shown in one episode is higher than the others. Typically it is two cases maybe three but this has five. The first case shown being the bathroom murder sets up a recurring killer who manages to outsmart the CSIs. Nick also starts a recurring plot line with the robbery of a hotel guest which continues throughout the season. Catherine is set up as a single mom who cares deeply for her daughter and struggles with cases involving children. Warrick is set up for his gambling addiction, anger issues with this one being towards Brass and the Judge owning Warrick which sets up the major conflict of the next few episodes. Nick and Warrick are also established to be nearing CSI level Three and being good friends. Holly is shot and is suspected not to make it through putting Warrick on administrative leave. It is wild to have what you assume to be a new main character be shot and potentially die in the pilot episode.

Overall this does a great job of setting up the show and while it has a completely different look and feel than the rest of the show it captures the vibe well. It is a well done pilot and sets up the type of show it is as forensic based crime shows were modeled after CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts of All Rise S1 EP 3 Spoilers Ahead

This episodes A plot was Judge Carmichael examining a case of in game murder. The defendant is accused of murdering the friend's avatar in a popular video game. As a result of the nature, Lola allows the victim to testify in game before it is decided that it is not a criminal case but a civil trial. The case was fun with an interesting look into how the judicial system could look at in game crimes brought out into the real world.

The B plot focused on Mark dealing with a racial motivated crime that the victim won't testify and the evidence isn't very clear. Victims not wanting to testify is not an uncommon phenomenon with the episode taking a decent approach to it. Emily and Luke continue their growing relationship with tension from Luke being racially profiles by a fellow deputy. Emily and Luke are a cute couple potentially as Luke seems like a good guy so far that we have seen. The show has had some cool plot ideas but it doesn't feel like it's found it's unique view all of the way yet as the stories are all fairly simple to understand before the end without any big twists that are shocking. But again this is the third episode.

[ktofbvb]

My Thoughts on All Rise S1E2 Spoilers Ahead

This episode focuses on witness intimidation and ICE intimidation in the court. While Judge Carmichael deals with ICE appearing in her courtroom to deport the defendant who was warning people about the rotten food being sold at a grocery store. Mark the defense attorney is dealing with witness intimidation from a father who intimidates a witness to grand theft auto before Mark looks into her father. The father intimidates his daughter during the interview.

Having to choose between being deported or spending four years in a state prison is not a fair choice for someone seeking asylum. Neither option is good and it goes into the debate about immigration but the episode does a good job of portraying the hardships of getting an immigration lawyer or asylum. The charges going from a felony to a misdemeanor because the Judge looks up the crime wasn't a good look on the DA office.

The daughter being a subplot made sense as the story we saw did not have much plot for an A plot. It was a solid B plot but a lot of it was missing and could have been further explained. The father going from threatening his daughter to attempting to spin himself as remorseful was an interesting turn around but not unusual in procedurals.