I like how after three episodes of watching this show, I totally agree.

this is no longer true.

halfway through season 3. "the city that bleeds" and the episodes after were excellent. if i can, im going to take a break after this season just so i can draw it out for a while. been watching 2 or 3 a day and i like having 'new' ones to look forward to.

what happened?

this happened

http://www.theskyiscrape.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=93103&start=0

platy is the man.

I received Season 1 Disc 1 in the mail yesterday via netflix after introducing myself to the show by watching Season 3 Disc 1 on Skitch's recommendation. I've only watched the first episode so far, but here are a few thoughts:

-If it wasn't clear before, it's crystal clear now that this is not a crime drama but a character drama. The crimes in the first episode are barely even mentioned and I loved how the resolution to each case in episode one was handled by erasing red names on the board and writing them in black (unsolved/solved I assume).
-I wonder what finding that little girl at the end of the episode is going to do to our bright-eyed rookie, Bayliss?
-Pembleton's a real dick in this episode. Having seen a few episodes in season three, I look forward to watching him evolve and adapt to life with a partner and life in a unit.
-

Spoiler: show

Watching Crosetti and Bolander is like trying not to get too attached to a terminally ill patient. Skitch spoiled it for me that both would be leaving the show early in it's run, so I'm trying not to love them. I do love them though, especially Bolander. He's like Bateman, but fat and old. You can tell that he just needs a hug and somebody to vent to.

-Munch is lol
-The way this show is filmed, to my eyes, is great. It makes the show work. The jump cuts are especially nice.

I have more thoughts, but these are quickly coming to my mind.

Yes. Homicide is about the detectives. Not the crimes, and rarely the criminals or the victims. Its about Pembleton, Bayliss, Munch, Lewis, Bolander, Crosetti, Howard, Felton, and Giardello. Its about their conversations in the idle times staking out, or the drive to a scene. Its about the feelings they encounter when notifying the family of murder victims. Its about being real PO-lice.

I never looked at Pembleton as a dick... he's a loner in the true sense of the word. He is cocky about his ability, and is worried that someone will weigh him down. He is 100% confident in his thoughts and beliefs- which makes the 3 episode arc at the beginning of season 3 more powerful. Frank Pembleton doesn't question- he knows. I imagine you'll truly enjoy 3 men and Adena more than any episode of television you've ever seen. I can pretty much say that without hyberbole.

Rumor is, during a couple of the law and order crossover episodes, that a lot of the homicide actors had a hard time adjusting to "hitting spots" and the like, since pretty much all the motion on homicide was free form hand held, etc. You're right though, it feels right. It changes the way you view police departments- at least it did for me- until Homicide it was all sharp pressed suits, and it felt "bright". Homicide makes you realize that you don't solve all the murders. A lot of people get away with it, and that to these detectives, people arent people.. they are a name in red, or a name in black, with few exceptions.

I like the Bateman comparison to Bolander. I did not appreciate him fully until i read the book, but yeah, he is a very real guy and portrayed incredibly by Ned Beatty. I also love Munch's desperate attempts for approval from the big man. Crosetti i never was that attached to, but still a vital part of the early days of the show. One thing I'll say about their departures is that they dont feel forced. Unlike Law and Order- Hey New Big Name Cast Member!!!!, homicide it just feels like a regular rotation that goes on in real police departments. Some guys retire, others move, and some get transferred. One thing i think that really makes special is the evolution of Tim Bayliss. In the first episode he feels like, the fresh faced rookie. Almost a cliche as orpheus has pointed out. But watching him grow, outside of a few random things, is probably one of the most compelling elements of the show.

Is it okay if I don't always respond to your posts about this show but enjoy reading them?

I will say that I'll bet that many viewers' initial reaction to Pembleton is probably intended to be the same as many of his co-workers' reaction to him. They don't understand him and mistake that confidence and loner personality as simply being kind of a, well, a dick. I can't recall any scene in Episode 1 where we are privy to Pembleton's thoughts or actions in a scene by himself, and I get the feeling that the first season will be spent building up that personality and allowing the viewer to see the shades of grey. The same with Bolander.

The conversations on this show around the office and in the cars are not lost on me one bit here, skitch.

I get the feeling that the interrogation room on this show has the potential for some really stimulating psychological drama on both sides of the table.

Of course. You say 2 sentances every 4 weeks and ill probably chime in with 14 paragraphs. Which is okay with me. I don't remember who was talking about it (argonaut maybe?) in one of the GD threads. It may seem like forcing it etc, when really its just being happy to share something I'm passionate about.

And i think your right about the pembleton thing. And that is one thing discussing the show that is difficult for me, is initial impressions. First and foremost I was first exposed to this show when it first came on... 17 years ago. So its been a long time. Factor in the fact i have seen everything that happens to these characters (2 or 3 times), characters similar to them on the Wire, and read the stories of their real life counterparts, its hard for me to remember how i felt the first time i saw them.

"So I'm eating one of those lunches on a plastic tray that they give you when you fly domestic. I'm about to take a bite out of the little salad in the plastic cup, when the woman next to me says, 'I know that this is going to sound perverse, but I like to make love iguana-style'"

I'd be getting disc 2 of season 1 in the mail next on netflix if the S3 finale of the sopranos wasn't so damn good.

The is next in my queue.

I am watching another episode of this right now.

when ever i see "last post: washing machines" in this thread, i smile a little.

I enjoy this show for things other than the crimes, which should go without staying. Still, I get the feeling that we're never going to find out who killed Adeena Watson, are we?

So what did you think of that episode in particular?

I'm keeping my thoughts to myself until I get your dvd set in the mail.

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