1:1 - "Hollywood" 2010-09-29

[trisha]

So, what did everyone think?

I think they hit the right mix between doing something new and staying true to those L&O roots. It was a little shiney at times, but I'm hopeful that was part of the theme for the episode and we'll see the gritty side of LA soon enough.

[Moonbeam]

I was not impressed. I don't know why they couldn't have had the same story set in New York. A waste of my time.

[trisha]

Well, I agree that they could have done the same plot in NY or anywhere, really. Most of the 'ripped from the headlines' stuff on the original was not native to NY. Were you hoping for a different premise?

[mimi]

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in New York anymore!

I had the exact same reaction as Moonbeam. But after a few minutes of discomfort, I fell right back into the "cozy sweater" mode (that's how the Mothership used to make me feel).

I believe the essence is there, only the scenery changed. True to the original series, I felt Los Angeles was as much a character as New York was on the Mothership.

Lights, Camera, Action!! Even the DA is concerned of how he looks in front of the camera : You wanna raise it up a little, from this angle you're only scare the kids. Priceless!

I had mixed feelings towards the mom. Yes she used her daughter, but she truly wanted to spare her the pain of knowing how deceitful a mom she had been. On the other hand, she could've just want to stay in her daughter's good graces and keep her in the dark, but the actress playing the mom didn't convey that.

Even though, the young actress is 20 year old, at the end, she looked like she was a 3 year old kid that lost her mom in the mall.

A first episode that started with a bang! I'll continue watching to see how it unfolds.

[DonnaJo]

I liked it.

Like Trisha, it was a nice blend of traditional Law & Order and a new crime series. It wasn't a gritty type of plotline, so I also hope that the next episode shows the seedier side of LA.

The acting - excellent! Especially Alfred Molina, who I knew but haven't really seen in anything. I also like the taller, bald cop. His side long glances to his partner are reminiscent of Eames with Goren.

I thought the mom was a good multi-faceted character. For her, life through her daughters success was so ingrained, that she didn't even realize it. I like how she pointed out to the DA that his parents also lived some of their life through his success. As a parent, I know that you take your child's successes and failures into your own heart. You cry when they cry, and cheer when they succeed. Of course, this "not" Dina Lohan character went way too far and turned into a selfish murderer.

Looking forward to next week. I do miss Lupo and Bernard. Why couldn't those characters have been transferred to LOLA?

[trisha]

Mimi, that line about raising the camera killed me, too And, yes, the acting was great. I was a little suspect over being pushed toward having sympathetic feelings for a girl that just screamed "Lindsay Lohan," but this girl did seem to be living in a more carefully constructed and maintained bubble.

DonnaJo, I also felt that Goren/Eames vibe! The whole episode had more of a CI feel to it than a mothership feel. I read a review on TWoP where another person felt the CI vibe and attributed it to Rene Balcer running the show. Maybe he/she didn't know how much of mothership was molded by Balcer, as well. All I can say is that, as someone who loves both shows but has a special fondness for CI, this was a welcome feeling.

A little off topic ... is it just me, or is the nbc page for this show all screwy and impossible to navigate?

I went there to find the names of the characters. All I remember is that Skeet's character has a name that sounds like it's straight out of a Raymond Chandler story, but I digress. Do I need to do updates or does the site not function correctly for you, too?

[trisha]

linky ...

www.nbc.com/law-and-order-los-angeles/

none of the buttons work for me

[mimi]

Oct 1, 2010 7:46:24 GMT -5 DonnaJo said:

I also like the taller, bald cop. His side long glances to his partner are reminiscent of Eames with Goren.

Tall, bald with a mustache! It doesn't take much to please me. I have a thing for mustache. You know, me and Tom Selleck!

I'm sure all warm-up to Det. Rex Winters (Skeet Ulrich) boyish charm soon. Can you believe he's 41!

Trisha, all the links and buttons worked for me, but it takes awhile to load.

[DonnaJo]

Trisha, the videos worked when I clicked on "watch video." The side bars along the main photo don't work if you click on them, but do work if you bring your mouse down to the bar, and then click on the bigger picture in the middle. Does that make sense?

The fact that this took me some time to figure out makes me agree with you - the site isn't user friendly. But I am surprised that NBC is allowing the episodes to be watched at no cost on the site. Guests can view "Hollywood" in its entirety, not just clips like before, until 11/11. I don't recall that being allowed for the mothership on the NBC site?

[trisha]

Rex Winters! Thanks! I also think Skeet looks great at 41. I warmed up to him years ago, and I already like TJ, too, though I'm not sure about the mustache. It looks good on him, but I have a sinking feeling he's going to get nic-named Det. Pornstache on places like TWoP.

I tried the nbc site again, and some of the links do work for me, but the buttons on top don't seem to do anything. I give up for now. If they end up posting anything good over there, I trust you guys to let me know about it.

[jeffan]

I enjoyed this first episode from beginning to end. It had a good tempo and as Mimi wrote “the cozy sweater” syndrome. I also liked the LA backdrop. I learnt a lot of the geography of New York from the mothership, so I’m hoping to do the same with LOLA.

I liked the way the storyline was constructed and there were some great one-liners. I particularly liked -

TJ -

"Moma shoots a burgler,

daughter holds a press conference,

I love LA."

Skeet Ulrich was stand-out for me. Loved the smirk on his face when he was leading the blonde into the police precinct.

I think Dick Wolf has another hit show and I’m looking forward to the next episode.

[idget]

"Det. Pornstache" ;D I love it Trisha! That had me laughing out loud. Count me in as one who liked it. I generally liked the characters and also felt they were easy on the eyes. Although to me it felt more like a CSI Miami episode than Law and Order, what with all the beautiful people and lavish homes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I generally like CSI Miami, but I have always felt the Law and Order brand was more gritty and realistic than other crime shows. As for it being free to watch on the NBC site, I think they are going to great lengths to get people to watch it, I noticed that it is also on during the Bravo marathon of LOCI this weekend.

[maherjunkie]

Who was the bald headed guy?

[alliehalliwell]

I liked it but not 'in love with it'. But at the same time, after watching the first episode of LOCI 'one', I never 'loved it' either. I fell in love with LOCI after episode two. So, I'm giving this show a chance.

Overall, plot was good, surprised to see the old intro (The doink-doink thingie) was back. Seriously it surprised me - big time. I think my tv was too loud because I jumped a mile when it did that the first time during this episode.

Besides, I've always liked Skeet Ulrich and I like him in this. I like the balding mustache guy too - the one my mom said was a Kevin Spacey clone. I liked most of the other actors too, except I wasn't a huge fan of the DA (I'm iffy on that actor). I just hope this LA show isn't too flashy like CSI:Miami. I don't mind a little flash now and again but sometimes its too much. As long as the show doesn't use it constantly as a gimmick to win viewers, then I'm fine with it.

And, I liked this episode for another reason...which is silly. I love Jim Beaver (Bobby) from Supernatural so I was excited to see a scene with him in it (as the father of the dead guy).