7:08 - "Offense" 2007-11-29

[Patcat]

It must say something that we're more excited by the preview of next week's episode than in discussing last night's show (g).

And it's a shame in some ways. I wouldn't say this was a great LOCI episode, but I found myself watching it with interest. Part of this, admittedly, was comparing the story with the real life incident it was based on, but it was also because the story was mostly well acted and full of twists. (I'd pegged the ADA's wife as a bad influence at least, but the involvement of the football player's mother got an "Oh, no, not her!" from me.)

Peri Gilpin was solid, and I loved the way she acted like a lioness protecting her family. I actually liked Falacci in this episode and Witt's performance--the character and actor's indignation and anger rang true for me. Bogosian was suitably smooth in depicting Ross' cautious stepping. But I was especially impressed by Chris Noth's portrayal of the older, wiser, been there and I'm tying my damndest not to get there again Logan. I've been moving to being a Logan fan, and this episode has definitely placed me in his camp.

Andrew McCarthy is really good at portraying shallow characters, but I don't think he had the acting chops for the final scene, but my perception of Mr. McCarthy may be blurred.

I don't want to overpraise this episode. Parts of it seemed rushed, and there was an exploitive element about it. But it was a solid outing, and I'm probably going to watch it again, something I rarely do with a Logan episode.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

Yes, the preview for "Untethered" shelved my thoughts about this episode. Also, I do have some mixed feelings about it.

All in all, I thought it was an excellent take on the Duke rape scandal. This wasn't another "Bombshell" Thank God. All the actors did an outstanding job & I was surprised by who ultimately did the dirty deed. For a while I thought it was the former cop turned bodyguard, an act of loyalty to his boss.

My only complaint is that we didn't get enough scenes or back info about the DA's B***hy wife to make her a viable suspect, at least in my eyes. They needed to show her being all aggressive & take charge with her hubby about mid episode for me to buy her part in all of this. And her acting during the aria, talk about facial expressions! Her sneering during the aria made Witt's acting seem subtle.

I loved loved loved Ross in this episode, torn between his friendship with the DA & knowledge of the politics involved along with his dedication to finding out the truth. I didn't think his head butting with Falacci was bad at all. If anything, I felt that he believed her to be right & was trying to work with her to get info from the DA.

I know Logan is supposed to be going through a life crisis, but he's looking very depressed & dejected to me. Even mustering up that anger in the interrogation room seemed forced. Like he was on auto pilot. He's losing his edge, his snark, and it's getting worst as the season progresses. I don't see him as maturing as more like slowly fading. That scene in the strip club was telling.

I hope when Wheeler returns, she knocks some sense into him. And I think he needs someone to share his feelings with. Now, more than ever, he & Goren should go out for a drink together.

[Patcat]

I agree with your point about not having enough background about the wife, a point I put to the lack of time to develop it.

I didn't see Ross as having a friendship with Hoyle as much as a professional familiarity. I do think Ross played Hoyle somewhat. And did everyone catch the line, "According to Hoyle,"?

It was refreshing to see Logan play the arbitrator between Ross and Falacci.

Patcat

[Summerfield]

I chuckled at "according to Hoyle." I missed the first fifteen so I can't completely comment on the enitre show. RFTH stories always bother me, but I think this was well done. I think we can thank the acting for that. I'm in the minority here. Falacci gets on my nerves. While I understand her attitude, her bombastic delivery grates on me. Must she be so over the top in defending her stance every single time? All in all, an entertaining forty-five for me.

Now on to "Untethered!"

[ragincajun]

Guess I am the only one who was disappointed. I don't like sad endings, Just like Seeds, when the good guy or gal ends up being the bad guy. In Seeds, all the brother was trying to do was save his sick brother and ends up being the murderer, but the evil father doctor, gets away. In this one, everyone is lieing, and even the other rich kids are picking on the the poor kid who has a pro career ahead of him, and the father is in a wheelchair, his mom loves him soooo much, and she ends up being the murderer. At the end of the show, I end up feeling sad. Poor Logan gets all the feel bad shows. Now the Greedy boyfriend, the lieing girl, the bad DA, and his Social Climbing wife, all can go on with their lives and I know she murdered a girl, but now the mom is going to jail, who is gunna take care of the man in the wheelchair.

[nosee]

I enjoyed last nights episode! Hee-hee, I'm still so surprised how much I've enjoyed all the Logan episodes this year. But I have to admit that I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the "Untethered" preview which sent my heart down to my feet. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to make it through that one.

I loved the way they handled this story, but I do agree that they needed to show us more interaction with the ADA's wife for us to see her as a suspect in the murder. I was surprised at the twist in the end. I didn't expect the mom to be the one who killed her.

I do have a question about that. Could they charge the ADA's wife as an accessory to the murder since she put the fear into the mom about losing her son?

I loved Ross. Not just the fights with him and Fallacci, which are always fun. I loved that they showed him defending his detectives. You could tell that he was on their side. He's fitting into the role of Captain much better.

It also touched me when Logan took out the news clipping of the story that sent him to Staten Island. He carried it in his wallet all that time. It was an "oh my" moment for me.

nosee

[madger]

My problem with this was the ADA's pushing for an indictment with all the evidence pointing elsewhere, he ignored evidence and witnesses and outright manufactured evidence that would fit his theories, just because he didn't like rich kids? So why pick on the one kid on the team that wasn't a spoiled white brat? Doesn't fly with me.
Falacci, I find her voice annoying and grating and her facial acrobatics too much. Would Ross really put up with her? He would can her ass in real life, or just send her to do time in Staten Island.
The story was fun, I had a hard time keeping track of the two girls and who was what where, but then again I'm notoriously bad with names, and they actually surprised me with the ending.
I'll watch it again, I'm having a problem staying up that late to watch the show. I'm half asleep and Fat Aggie (cat) keeps squatting in my line of vision so's I'll pet her instead of paying so much attention to that silly box.

[Patcat]

I agree that the ADA's continued push for the indictment is pretty ridiculous, but in the Duke lacrosse case which OFFENSE is clearly inspired by, the ADA did equally and even more outrageous things. His motive, it seems, was entirely political.

Patcat

[Metella]

I thought it was a solid episode. I am thinking we have had enough of the bits dropped in about Logan's past - that is getting tired now.

I know what you mean ragincagin - about not liking sad endings. But I do think it was believable - her son was so close & we all have heard about the justice system going wrong .... that she felt she couldn't depend on his innocence being enough to give them a happy ending. I think Goren or Eames should have done some verbal blasting to the wife - since they couldn't cuff her and arrest her.

[Summerfield]

I'm in the same camp as madger. Falacci's voice is annoying.

[Summerfield]

One page of "Offense." Six pages on an episode that hasn't even aired. That's impressive.

[nwchimom]

donna said:

I know Logan is supposed to be going through a life crisis, but he's looking very depressed & dejected to me. Even mustering up that anger in the interrogation room seemed forced. Like he was on auto pilot. He's losing his edge, his snark, and it's getting worst as the season progresses. I don't see him as maturing as more like slowly fading. That scene in the strip club was telling.

DonnaJo, could the depression be a combination of Holly's suicide/his inability to protect her, and Freckles leaving? I think that's what we're seeing with Logan.

I agree, again, with those who complain about Falacci. The facial tics/weird expressions were back in this ep as was the forced delivery. I just don't get it and I can't stand to watch her on screen.

I've noticed this season that the Logan eps are going after the "why"....complete with arias....where in the previous two seasons his shows were more like the Mothership. There's a BIG difference, though: Logan and his partner aren't really in control of the aria. They don't have any deep psychological insights. Seems like they bring all the suspects together, get them talking, and the truth comes out without help from the detectives.

[ragincajun]

It occured to me, and not sure if I said it here, or elsewhere. I don't know if they meant for Falacci to be this way, but maybe she is like Logan in his younger years. Quick to go off, wants things now. The way on the steps how she called him out, about how he had punch out the other politian and how he wasn't doing that now. Then he pulls out the clipping like showing her you have to pick your battles, or look what can happen. Maybe Logan can see that she might end up going down the road he did, and maybe we might see her end up going off like he did. Maybe that might get her kicked out of MCS when Wheeler gets back. Who knows, Just a few thoughts that hit me after watching and thinking about the episode.

[Techguy]

I thought this was a solid, enjoyable episode but not on a par as the earlier Logan episodes of this season. I felt the change in direction from suspect to suspect, from the rape victim and her boyfriend intent on scoring a civil judgment, to ADA Hoyle, to his B***hy wife and then to the mother of one of the accused football players was a bit too much and too rushed. I was more confused than surprised at the revelation of the killer.

I bought the premise of how Hoyle was so intent on going after the football players despite the evidence to the contrary. District attorneys are notorious for selectively choosing which evidence to accept and which to reject, as the real Duke lacrosse case is one of the most extreme examples. But I didn't know enough about Hoyle's wife to accept how she was so obsessed with encouraging and supporting her husband's political ambitions she could display such a cavalier attitude and lack of ethics to lie so blatantly to the football player's mother. Mrs. Hoyle was way too one-dimensional a character, and I would have preferred more background on her to be able to understand her actions and attitude. Peri Gilpin as the football player's mother was in only a few scenes, but was very impressive and believable as the mother who was provoked by a cruel lie to protect her son and family the way she did.

What made this episode for me was Mike Logan and Captain Ross. After all the sturm und drang over Goren's personal issues, I find the revelations about Logan's past much more welcome by comparison. When Logan shows Falacci the newspaper clipping of the story of how he ended up on Staten Island, it told me volumes about how Logan has been living under a cloud since his exile. Yes, Logan does seem to get more cases with unhappy endings, or at least with much more sympathetic killers, it's no wonder he looks and acts so world-weary. I hope Logan finally comes to terms with his past and starts to live more in the present. I also enjoyed how Ross interacted with his detectives, and walked a professional tightrope as he tried to get Hoyle to see the big picture--the murder of a witness about to testify in a rape case--and not be blinded by the rape case itself to the exclusion of the murder. These were some of the best scenes in this episode.

[nwchimom]

ragincajun said:

It occured to me, and not sure if I said it here, or elsewhere. I don't know if they meant for Falacci to be this way, but maybe she is like Logan in his younger years. Quick to go off, wants things now.

I still watch the early eps of the Mothership...Logan might be a hothead, but he is almost always respectful of his commanding officer and his senior partner. In no way is Falacci respectful. Logan also is willing to learn from others. He might not have learned from his mistakes until it was too late, but he was teachable.