This is a set of reviews of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I’ll often do no more than make brief notes about an episode, although occasionally I’ll go deeper. Also, often there are dissenting main characters on almost any political issue, but you can usually tell what the general position of the show is. All the rest of the reviews are available by clicking on the l&osvu label at the bottom.
(Now that I’m getting into some of the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Street Revenge” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “A string of rapes in West Soho inspires a group of vigilantes to organize against both neighborhood crime and the NYPD. While a reporter (Gavin Lee) takes every opportunity to publicly criticize police efforts, the squad struggles to find a lead in the case until one of the vigilantes (Hani Furstenberg) is attacked and another (Keir O'Donnell) claims to be in love with her. As Cragen and Benson fight for control over the investigation, Amaro becomes sidetracked with his wife's involvement with a man from her unit in Iraq.”
There’s a critical reference to the NYPD’s old policy of “Stop and Frisk,” a policy of frequently searching people on the street that resulted in Black and Latino people being searched disproportionately, which lead to it being declared unconstitutional and stopped. There’s also a weak statement against the murderer of Trayvon Martin, the Black teenager killed in Florida 2012 by a white man. It's a weak statement because it didn’t say anything about the racial nature of the crime. But it’s still better than nothing.
“Father Dearest” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “Benson and Amaro investigate the disappearance of a teenaged girl named Cate Avery (Shannon Maree Walsh) after her young brother (Jake Katzman) calls 9-1-1. While Tutuola and Rollins look into a possible abduction, they discover the girl had been searching for her biological father, an anonymous sperm donor (Eric Close). The investigation takes a startling turn when a suspect (James Van Der Beek) is found to be targeting several young, vulnerable women, all with the same personal connection. The returning Dr. Huang (BD Wong) must delve into the suspect's past to save the other women in similar situations.”
Although it might have been mentioned in an earlier episode, this is the first I remember hearing that the character Dr. Huang (an FBI forensic psychiatrist who was a main character seasons 4-12 and who showed up here and there before season 4 and since season 12) is gay. The actor is gay, but I must have missed this when I first watched this episode about 10 years ago. It’s pretty significant that such a high profile character is gay.
“Learning Curve” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “As Tutuola's son Ken (Ernest Waddell) seeks out Munch's help to tell his father that he is getting married, his fiancé (Miguel Govea) is brutally assaulted by a local street gang. He becomes the latest in a string of recent hate crimes against gay men, and before SVU can make an arrest, a school teacher (Tony Hale) is similarly brutalized even though he does not fit the pattern. As the detectives search for a connection, they learn that he was dismissed from an elite private school for having an inappropriate relationship with a student (Dylan Minnette). In trying to help Cabot make her case, they quickly realize that the facts do not add up and that another teacher (Jane Adams) may hold the clues to what really happened.”
This episode is largely about homophobia.
“Strange Beauty” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “While off-duty, Rollins spots a young woman (Morgan Lynch) screaming in the back of a moving taxi. The unit quickly identifies the victim as a rebellious teenager, estranged from her family and experimenting in the world of tattoos and self-mutilation. The case takes an unexpected turn when Dr. Warner presents the detectives with a cleanly severed leg, reminiscent of a similar finding in an old unsolved case. The detectives are drawn into the psychological elements of self-mutilation and ritual amputation as they investigate two brothers (David Eigenberg and Patrick Fischler) and a one-legged acquaintance of theirs (Britt Lower) in order to link the cases and find the missing woman.”
One of the suspects, the innocent one, is a gay man
“Terrorized” season 18. Wikipedia summary is: “When Lt. Benson finds a boy alone in Central Park, he draws a gun on her. The SVU team finds the boy's parents as they execute a planned terrorist attack at the park. When the father is killed by police in a shootout in Central Park during an event, the boy's mother (Natia Dune) says that she was forced to carry out the attack, as she was raped and beaten for five years by the father and his brother. Benson and Barba are at odds over the mother's claims, with Benson pushing for leniency. Meanwhile, a distraught Deputy Chief Dodds accuses Benson of getting his son killed. “
At one point a building super says something anti-immigrant and Finn says something critical of that comment.
Monday, September 14, 2020
Roseanne Reviews K
This is a set of reviews of Roseanne episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I will focus only on the political aspects and will mention what percent of lines spoken by non-family members are spoken by people of color.
“Valentine’s Day” Episode 17, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne anticipates a special Valentine's Day gift from Dan; Darlene is disappointed when her crush instead invites Becky to a school dance. First appearance of Martin Mull as Leon, Roseanne's new boss, and Bonnie Sheridan as Bonnie, the new waitress at the diner.”
Of about 30 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Communicable Theater” Episode 18, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is “Roseanne lends more than moral support when Jackie lands a part in the community-theater presentation of “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Jackie finds herself unprepared when she has to step in for the sick lead actress.”
Of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Vegas Interruptus” Episode 19, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A snowstorm threatens Roseanne and Dan's trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, but saves Roseanne's job.”
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Troubles with the Rubbles” Episode 21, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne meets her new neighbors, Kathy and Jerry Bowman and their young son, Todd. Kathy is snobby and aloof to Roseanne, while Jerry and Dan hit it off, and D.J. and Todd become fast friends. After a particularly nasty argument with Kathy, Roseanne has to eat some crow for D.J.'s sake.”
Out of about 35-40 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Dances With Darlene” episode 23, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “When Darlene is invited to the school dance, Roseanne brings home fancy dresses for her to try on, annoying Darlene. Meanwhile, it is evaluation time at work for Roseanne and Bonnie, but the inspector seems more interested in seducing Leon. Roseanne and Bonnie learn that Leon is gay when his boyfriend stops by the restaurant.”
In this episode we learn that Leon is gay. Although during his first several appearances he and Roseanne are definitely in conflict, he is not a “bad guy” and eventually becomes close to Roseanne and her family. This was around 1991 and was a pretty big step forward for efforts to oppose homophobia.
Out of about 25-30 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Valentine’s Day” Episode 17, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne anticipates a special Valentine's Day gift from Dan; Darlene is disappointed when her crush instead invites Becky to a school dance. First appearance of Martin Mull as Leon, Roseanne's new boss, and Bonnie Sheridan as Bonnie, the new waitress at the diner.”
Of about 30 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Communicable Theater” Episode 18, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is “Roseanne lends more than moral support when Jackie lands a part in the community-theater presentation of “Cyrano de Bergerac.” Jackie finds herself unprepared when she has to step in for the sick lead actress.”
Of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Vegas Interruptus” Episode 19, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A snowstorm threatens Roseanne and Dan's trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, but saves Roseanne's job.”
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Troubles with the Rubbles” Episode 21, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne meets her new neighbors, Kathy and Jerry Bowman and their young son, Todd. Kathy is snobby and aloof to Roseanne, while Jerry and Dan hit it off, and D.J. and Todd become fast friends. After a particularly nasty argument with Kathy, Roseanne has to eat some crow for D.J.'s sake.”
Out of about 35-40 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Dances With Darlene” episode 23, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “When Darlene is invited to the school dance, Roseanne brings home fancy dresses for her to try on, annoying Darlene. Meanwhile, it is evaluation time at work for Roseanne and Bonnie, but the inspector seems more interested in seducing Leon. Roseanne and Bonnie learn that Leon is gay when his boyfriend stops by the restaurant.”
In this episode we learn that Leon is gay. Although during his first several appearances he and Roseanne are definitely in conflict, he is not a “bad guy” and eventually becomes close to Roseanne and her family. This was around 1991 and was a pretty big step forward for efforts to oppose homophobia.
Out of about 25-30 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Law and Order SVU Reviews H
This is a set of reviews of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I’ll often do no more than make brief notes about an episode, although occasionally I’ll go deeper. Also, often there are dissenting main characters on almost any political issue, but you can usually tell what the general position of the show is. All the rest of the reviews are available by clicking on the l&osvu label at the bottom.
(Now that I’m getting into some of the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Scorched Earth” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “The detectives of the Special Victims Unit are called to the scene when a hotel maid (Anika Noni Rose) reports being assaulted by an Italian diplomat (Franco Nero). Bureau Chief ADA Cutter and ADA Cabot prosecute the high-profile case, which quickly grows more complicated as the maid's credibility is publicly questioned. Detective Amanda Rollins joins the Manhattan SVU from Atlanta, while Detective Benson struggles to cope with the fall-out from the shooting in the precinct.
Inspired by the New York v. Strauss-Kahn case.”
There’s a lot of stuff about the Sudan that I’m going to ignore because I don’t know which conflict it’s about and I’m no longer familiar at all with any of them. There is some good class stuff. The rapist says about the charges against him: “on the word of a maid?” and Finn says “my grandmother was a maid.”
“Personal Fouls” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “As a long time coach (Dan Lauria) is inducted to the Metro Basketball Hall of Fame by former students, an ex-player (Aaron Tveit) accuses the coach of sexually abusing him as a child. Detective Nick Amaro transfers into the SVU squad from narcotics and is thrown onto the case. The detectives interview former players but no one admits to abuse, forcing Detectives Benson and Tutuola to dig deeper into the coach's most successful player (Mehcad Brooks) and his manager (Heavy D).”
There’s one significant anti-homophobic statement by Finn and Rollins (Finn mentions that his son is gay and is the bravest man he knows for being out), with Finn saying that it’s still a big problem in the Black and Latino communities. I’m not sure why it is worse in those communities but I’ve gotten that impression before. I think it might be the strength of homophobic churches in such communities.
“Official Story” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “The CEO (John Doman) of a private military contractor is confronted by Occupy Wall Street protesters and later found drugged and sexually assaulted in a park. Benson and Amaro begin their investigation, but find the victim unwilling to cooperate. A much larger crime and conspiracy in Iraq is unveiled when the SVU squad and the new Executive ADA, David Haden (Harry Connick, Jr.), learn that the attack was retribution by a father (Holt McCallany) for the rape of his daughter (Megan Ketch). Meanwhile, Benson begins to develop feelings for Haden as they work the case.”
This is an episode where a corporation becomes the bad guy, and even better, it’s one taking over military functions from the military, something that I oppose. It’s responsible for a horrible crime and and is referred to as being “above the law” and commits serious crimes in its efforts to cover-up its original crime.
“Child’s Welfare” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “Benson's half-brother Simon Marsden (Michael Weston) turns up in New York after a five-year absence and says that Child Services is threatening to take his children away from him. Benson asks defense attorney Bayard Ellis to represent her brother, but the seemingly simple case turns into a disaster for Ellis and his client. As Olivia tries to balance her personal life, the unit lands a case where a homeless couple finds a newborn baby abandoned near a hospital. Munch, Tutuola, Amaro and Rollins follow the evidence to a shocking discovery: a couple (Danielle Straastkad and Graham Anderson) abducting women and imprisoning them so they can give birth to girls, while abandoning boy babies.”
Racial Profiling
The part of the episode about Benson’s half-brother is anti-racist because he’s married to a black woman (and is the step-father of her son and the father of her daughter) and that plays a role in his problems because she's present when he gets stopped by police. His problems with social services begin when he is stopped for a traffic issue and the police officer learns that he has a joint on him, and there’s a pattern of non-white people getting treated more harshly in that situation than white people are. There’s also a judge with a similar attitude. There’s even talk by a civil rights attorney about a class-action lawsuit in relation to part of this.
“Justice Denied” Season 13. Wikipedia summary is: “A rape victim (Cynthia LaForte) is brought to the hospital after a harrowing hours-long ordeal, and Benson recognizes the suspect's M.O. from a case she solved eight years ago. The jailed suspect (Guillermo Diaz) confessed to Benson after a tough interrogation in 2004, but has been claiming his innocence ever since his conviction. The SVU is forced to reopen Benson's old case to determine if they are dealing with a copycat or a case of wrongful imprisonment. Re-interviewing a past victim (Samantha Soule) reveals that she may have been raped by someone else, causing Benson's detective work to be challenged and scrutinized. Olivia's personal relationship with Haden is also placed in jeopardy when Bayard Ellis gets involved with the case.”
Wrongful Convictions
It turns out that the man originally convicted IS innocent. It’s an important episode because it shows that even good detectives like the characters on this show can get innocent people prosecuted and convicted. On the other hand, it wasn’t done intentionally and although I’m sure that frequently it IS intentional, with a TV show like this there’s no way that Benson would do that. It kind of reminds me of the John Grisham book “The Confession” about a young black man wrongfully convicted and executed based on a confession that was gotten after several hours of questionable interrogation techniques. Apparently the police can lie to people they’re interrogating. Although I’ve heard of worse, that seems very questionable, if not just wrong- it seems like the goal is to manipulate someone into a confession based on nothing but the suspect allegedly having motive instead of using an interrogation to sort out the facts and determine guilt (in this episode they did have other evidence, but in the Grisham book all they had was an alleged motive). At the very least I would say lying to suspects should be done sparingly and there should be publicly-known criteria for when it can be done. In the Grisham book it was wrong. I wonder how often rich people with a team of high quality lawyers are wrongfully convicted? I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the time when someone is wrongfully convicted they have a public defender.
Roseanne Reviews J
This is a set of reviews of Roseanne episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I will focus only on the political aspects and will mention what percent of lines spoken by non-family members are spoken by people of color.
(After the episode review of “The Wedding” below, I will stop considering Crystal a non-family member)
“Bird is the Word” Episode 7, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Becky is suspended for allegedly making an obscene gesture in her class photo, earning her popularity at school, but making Roseanne angry that she has to visit the principal. Dan has plans for Becky's suspension.”
Out of about 40 lines by non-family members, about 35% are by people of color.
“Dream Lover” Episode 10, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “When Dan starts dreaming about the woman who works at the mall hardware store, Roseanne feels threatened. She decides to meet the woman.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“The Courtship of Eddie, Dan’s Father” Episode 13, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “It is Ed Conner's turn to favor the family with a surprise visit, resulting in a short-lived truce with Dan that ends when he announces that he and Crystal are planning to marry.”
Out of about 30 lines by non-family members none are by people of color.
“The Wedding” Episode 14, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan struggles to accept the unlikely pairing of Ed and Crystal, especially when Crystal announces that she is pregnant. Dan refuses to attend their wedding.”
Out of about 55 lines by non-family members, about 5-10% are by a person of color.
“Home-EC” Episode 16, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne is upset that Darlene's home-economics class only invited fathers to discuss their careers. She visits the class to talk about being a working mother, then takes the students on a field trip to the supermarket, followed by them preparing a meal at the Conner home. Meanwhile Dan is helping DJ's bullying problem but it turns out DJ hired a bodyguard to defend him.”
It recognizes the WORK done by housewives as valuable, as valuable as that done by the spouse who works outside the home. That's important.
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, about 10-20% are by people of color.
(After the episode review of “The Wedding” below, I will stop considering Crystal a non-family member)
“Bird is the Word” Episode 7, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Becky is suspended for allegedly making an obscene gesture in her class photo, earning her popularity at school, but making Roseanne angry that she has to visit the principal. Dan has plans for Becky's suspension.”
Out of about 40 lines by non-family members, about 35% are by people of color.
“Dream Lover” Episode 10, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “When Dan starts dreaming about the woman who works at the mall hardware store, Roseanne feels threatened. She decides to meet the woman.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“The Courtship of Eddie, Dan’s Father” Episode 13, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “It is Ed Conner's turn to favor the family with a surprise visit, resulting in a short-lived truce with Dan that ends when he announces that he and Crystal are planning to marry.”
Out of about 30 lines by non-family members none are by people of color.
“The Wedding” Episode 14, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan struggles to accept the unlikely pairing of Ed and Crystal, especially when Crystal announces that she is pregnant. Dan refuses to attend their wedding.”
Out of about 55 lines by non-family members, about 5-10% are by a person of color.
“Home-EC” Episode 16, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne is upset that Darlene's home-economics class only invited fathers to discuss their careers. She visits the class to talk about being a working mother, then takes the students on a field trip to the supermarket, followed by them preparing a meal at the Conner home. Meanwhile Dan is helping DJ's bullying problem but it turns out DJ hired a bodyguard to defend him.”
It recognizes the WORK done by housewives as valuable, as valuable as that done by the spouse who works outside the home. That's important.
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, about 10-20% are by people of color.
Friday, September 4, 2020
Law and Order: SVU Reviews G
This is a set of reviews of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I’ll often do no more than make brief notes about an episode, although occasionally I’ll go deeper. Also, often there are dissenting main characters on almost any political issue, but you can usually tell what the general position of the show is. All the rest of the reviews are available by clicking on the l&osvu label at the bottom.
(Now that I’m getting into some of the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Hate” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “The team find themselves threading on a thin line when a man (Reynaldo Rosales) murders two Arabs (plus a third while in custody) and claims his genes and biology enforced the hatred and violence in him. However, Detectives Benson and Stabler discover a different reason for his Islamophobia and are determined to discredit his claims of genetic predisposition to violence.”
Hate Crime Laws
I’m not going to say anything about the psychology involved, but this is a pretty good episode about hatred. One thing it touches on is the racist theory that the “others” are getting all the economic opportunities. It does suggest a theory that hate crimes laws could be used on, for example, black people that kill KKK members. I think that’s ridiculous, it’s completely different than the other way around. I think hate crime laws are a good idea. Hateful violence is more terroristic towards the community targeted than violence in general and is certainly closer to being genocidal, which is a special crime and deserves special laws (if we’re talking about murder or attempted murder, you could say it’s inching towards being genocidal).
“Ritual” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “A young boy is killed in a ritualistic manner which Fin identifies as that of Santeria and the detectives question the leader (Barry Shabaka Henley) of a local chapter. Their attention turns elsewhere, however when they learn that the victim was one of many slave children smuggled from Nigeria.”
Modern-day Slavery
This has a little to say about modern-day slavery. As far as I can tell it happens outside the world of SEX slavery trafficking, which is the kind of trafficking that the detectives found when they found the killer. It’s very similar to the kind we’ve studied in history books- slaves are separated from their family members and it seems that there is no schooling of slaves who are children, possibly in part to keep them from rebelling. it also appears in this episode to be racial, although there’s at least one other SVU episode about slavery and that one focuses on a different kind, where a white woman is brought to America by a single individual and not a network of criminals. At the end the highest member of the network they get their hands on is a Nigerian and I think it would have been better and perhaps even more realistic if it had been a white American.
“Lowdown” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “A prosecutor (Dean Strange) is found dead with HIV in his system. Suspicion points to another attorney (Michael Beach) who was secretly in a sexual relationship with his co-worker. Casey Novak puts her job on the line and involves the suspect's wife (Bethany Butler) to get a confession.”
This episode is about homophobia, especially in the Black community.
Roseannne Reviews I
This is a set of reviews of Roseanne episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I will focus only on the political aspects and will mention what percent of lines spoken by non-family members are spoken by people of color.
(After the episode review of “The Wedding” below, I will stop considering Crystal a non-family member)
“Like A Virgin” Episode 3, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan think it is time to talk to Becky about birth control, then later catch Darlene making out on their couch.”
Out of about 15 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Like A New Job” Episode 4, season 3, Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne quits her hair-salon job for a waitress job at the luncheonette in Rodbell's Department Store. Becky and Darlene fight over their room yet again. After Dan sends Darlene to live in the basement, Roseanne has trouble letting Dan resolve disputes between the kids.”
Out of about 20 lines by non-family members, about 2/3 are by a person of color.
“Goodbye Mr. Right.” Episode 5, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Becky and Darlene think DJ's a psycho when they find his under-the-bed secret stash of dismembered dolls; Jackie is injured in the line of duty and Gary gives her an ultimatum.”
Out of about 40-45 lines by non-family members, about 5% are by people of color.
“Becky, Beds, and Boys” Episode 6 Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan shop for a new mattress. Becky starts dating Mark, a rebellious teen who Dan and Roseanne dislike. First appearance of Glenn Quinn as Mark.
Out of about 15-20 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Trick Or Treat” Episode 7, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne dresses as a male trucker for Halloween and mingles with some guys at the Lobo Lounge. Dan is upset because DJ wants to be a witch for Halloween.”
Out of about 60 lines by non-family members, about 5% are by people of color.
(After the episode review of “The Wedding” below, I will stop considering Crystal a non-family member)
“Like A Virgin” Episode 3, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan think it is time to talk to Becky about birth control, then later catch Darlene making out on their couch.”
Out of about 15 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Like A New Job” Episode 4, season 3, Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne quits her hair-salon job for a waitress job at the luncheonette in Rodbell's Department Store. Becky and Darlene fight over their room yet again. After Dan sends Darlene to live in the basement, Roseanne has trouble letting Dan resolve disputes between the kids.”
Out of about 20 lines by non-family members, about 2/3 are by a person of color.
“Goodbye Mr. Right.” Episode 5, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Becky and Darlene think DJ's a psycho when they find his under-the-bed secret stash of dismembered dolls; Jackie is injured in the line of duty and Gary gives her an ultimatum.”
Out of about 40-45 lines by non-family members, about 5% are by people of color.
“Becky, Beds, and Boys” Episode 6 Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan shop for a new mattress. Becky starts dating Mark, a rebellious teen who Dan and Roseanne dislike. First appearance of Glenn Quinn as Mark.
Out of about 15-20 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Trick Or Treat” Episode 7, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne dresses as a male trucker for Halloween and mingles with some guys at the Lobo Lounge. Dan is upset because DJ wants to be a witch for Halloween.”
Out of about 60 lines by non-family members, about 5% are by people of color.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Law and Order: SVU Reviews F
This is a set of reviews of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I’ll often do no more than make brief notes about an episode, although occasionally I’ll go deeper. Also, often there are dissenting main characters on almost any political issue, but you can usually tell what the general position of the show is. All the rest of the reviews are available by clicking on the l&osvu label at the bottom.
(Now that I’m getting into some of the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Nocturne” Season 1. Wikipedia summary is: “After a pharmacy turns over some disturbing photos of a young boy, Benson and Stabler arrest a piano teacher (Kent Broadhurst) for child molestation. After the boy claims to have seen other pictures of young boys at the teacher's house, the detectives get a warrant and discover a series of videos that document the life of a young boy named Evan (Wilson Jermaine Heredia). Believing he can make or break their case, the team searches for him, only to realize that his testimony may not help at all because Evan is scarred far more deeply than they realized.”
One of the detectives at one point distinguishes between homosexuality and pedophilia. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American College of Pediatricians, which doesn’t make that distinction, is a much smaller group than the American College of Pediatrics, which is anti-homophobic. The former has a membership in the low hundreds and the latter had a membership around 67,000 around 2019.
“Manic” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “Detectives Benson and Stabler learn that an alleged victim (Rory Culkin) of a school shooting that claimed two lives, was in fact the perpetrator. After learning about the boy's psychiatric problems from his mother (Mare Winningham), the squad realizes that a major pharmaceutical company is also responsible. “
There are a few things about health care insurers and HMOs denying therapy and generally getting in the way of people’s health. This turns into one of the episodes where a business is the bad guy- it’s a drug company that irresponsibly mailed out samples of an anti—depressant without a doctor’s supervision of the patients. It was a pretty messed up marketing scheme and got two kids killed.
“Coerced” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “A homeless and schizophrenic man (Leland Orser), desperate to see his son (Spencer List), kidnaps a different boy (Dylan Bluestone) from his bed at night. After being attacked by the man, Detective Stabler begins to contemplate the factors that caused him to snap. This investigation exposes further crimes at an adult group home.”
Mental Health and Class
This is slightly about class gaps in the mental health care system, where some of the lowest income patients are treated by institutions that are corrupt and treat them poorly. I’m not sure how common that sort of thing is and it might have more to do with corruption than with class. The mental health center I get my treatment at wouldn’t do anything comparable to what is talked about in this episode and treats low income people and homeless people. But I know that some homeless and low-income mentally ill people can’t get benefits like SSI and SSDI (that are run by Social Security) and some of them probably end up in places like the group home illustrated in the episode.
“Choice” Season 5. Wikipedia summary: “A man (Rick Aiello) is arrested for attacking his pregnant wife (Josie Bissett) in protest of her drinking during pregnancy. Detective Benson finds out that she also overindulged in alcohol while pregnant with an earlier child (Katherine Roberts). The wife is taken to family court by her husband, who accuses her of endangering the fetus by putting it at risk of developing fetal alcohol syndrome.”
There’s some good pro-choice stuff in here. In fact, to a large degree it’s more about abortion than it is about rape.
“Abomination” Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “The homosexual poster-boy of a sexual re-education group is found murdered. After a local fundamentalist is cleared, the detectives turn their attention to the victim's thesis about the failure of sexual re-education groups. An opposing professor (George Segal) is found who has a dysfunctional relationship with his son (Jonathan Tucker).”
Conversion Therapy
This is about homophobia and specifically “conversion therapy,” the idea that gay people can become straight through prayer and therapy. It reminds me of a movie called “Boy Erased” which is a true story about a young man who tries to complete such a program. It’s a fairly brutal program and doesn’t work (because sexual orientation is not a choice) and at the end of the movie we learn that the head of the program is now married to another man. It’s a great movie and illustrates what’s wrong with conversion therapy and like I said, it’s a true story.
Roseanne Reviews H
This is a set of reviews of Roseanne episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I will focus only on the political aspects and will mention what percent of lines spoken by non-family members are spoken by people of color.
“Fender Bender” Episode 21 Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne is rear-ended by Mrs. Wellman, injuring her neck, and must rest for awhile. When Mrs. Wellman does not apologize, Roseanne considers suing her.”
There is definitely a class dimension to this and although it doesn’t seem like a crushing defeat, it’s about the rich winning. Roseanne gives up on the idea of suing Mrs. Wellman when the latter asks if Roseanne has a good lawyer. Roseanne knows that Mrs. Wellman, as a rich person, has a good lawyer and that she and Dan don’t have a good lawyer. There’s also the issue of respect. Mrs. Wellman doesn’t apologize after the accident because her lawyer advised her it would be admitting guilt. But, when Roseanne considers responding to that lack of respect by suing her, Mrs. Wellman, as I said, wins.
There’s about 65-70 lines by non-family members and only about 10% are by people of color.
“April Fool’s Day” Episode 22, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “It is tax season and Roseanne and Dan contemplate how to make the process easier. Dan eventually stresses out when he is unable to complete the tax form. Roseanne tries her hand but they end up traveling to the IRS office.”
This is kind of mixed. There’s a lot of non-partisan criticism of the tax system. There’s one very brief apparent suggestion for a flat tax. But there is also a part where Roseanne talks for about half a minute about how rich people pay less tax than the working and middle-classes because they have accountants and tax lawyers that can identify the loop-holes in the tax code.
There’s about 40 lines by non-family members and about 20% are by people of color.
“Happy Birthday” Episode 24, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne, though only turning 37, feels she has hit a dead-end in her life. Always wanting to be a writer, Roseanne makes a wish on this birthday that she had more time to write. Dan and the kids surprise Roseanne with her own writing studio in the basement and leave her alone so she can write. Unfortunately, Roseanne is hit with a severe case of writer's block.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“The Test” Episode 1, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Set in the middle of a hot summer day Dan is reluctant to give Becky driving lessons. Meanwhile, the whole family awaits the results of a more serious test being taken by Roseanne.”
There’s a very brief argument about abortion, with Jackie taking a pro-choice position and Crystal taking the pro-life position. Roseanne appears neutral but later in the series expresses a pro-choice position at least once. As I have said elsewhere on this blog, my thoughts about abortion are:
“I’m pro-choice for the following reasons: I don’t know whether or not the fetus is alive but I am sure that A) women should control their own bodies, B) without the right to choose they can’t have full equality, and C) if men could also get pregnant there would be a massive pro-choice majority in this country.”
“Friends and Relatives” Episode 2, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan lends Arnie $1,500 to buy Nancy an engagement ring. He instead spends it on her breast implants. When Dan falls behind on the bills, Jackie wants to lend him money, but he refuses because she is a relative. DJ starts peeping on his sisters.”
Out of about 15-20 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Fender Bender” Episode 21 Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne is rear-ended by Mrs. Wellman, injuring her neck, and must rest for awhile. When Mrs. Wellman does not apologize, Roseanne considers suing her.”
There is definitely a class dimension to this and although it doesn’t seem like a crushing defeat, it’s about the rich winning. Roseanne gives up on the idea of suing Mrs. Wellman when the latter asks if Roseanne has a good lawyer. Roseanne knows that Mrs. Wellman, as a rich person, has a good lawyer and that she and Dan don’t have a good lawyer. There’s also the issue of respect. Mrs. Wellman doesn’t apologize after the accident because her lawyer advised her it would be admitting guilt. But, when Roseanne considers responding to that lack of respect by suing her, Mrs. Wellman, as I said, wins.
There’s about 65-70 lines by non-family members and only about 10% are by people of color.
“April Fool’s Day” Episode 22, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “It is tax season and Roseanne and Dan contemplate how to make the process easier. Dan eventually stresses out when he is unable to complete the tax form. Roseanne tries her hand but they end up traveling to the IRS office.”
This is kind of mixed. There’s a lot of non-partisan criticism of the tax system. There’s one very brief apparent suggestion for a flat tax. But there is also a part where Roseanne talks for about half a minute about how rich people pay less tax than the working and middle-classes because they have accountants and tax lawyers that can identify the loop-holes in the tax code.
There’s about 40 lines by non-family members and about 20% are by people of color.
“Happy Birthday” Episode 24, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne, though only turning 37, feels she has hit a dead-end in her life. Always wanting to be a writer, Roseanne makes a wish on this birthday that she had more time to write. Dan and the kids surprise Roseanne with her own writing studio in the basement and leave her alone so she can write. Unfortunately, Roseanne is hit with a severe case of writer's block.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“The Test” Episode 1, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Set in the middle of a hot summer day Dan is reluctant to give Becky driving lessons. Meanwhile, the whole family awaits the results of a more serious test being taken by Roseanne.”
There’s a very brief argument about abortion, with Jackie taking a pro-choice position and Crystal taking the pro-life position. Roseanne appears neutral but later in the series expresses a pro-choice position at least once. As I have said elsewhere on this blog, my thoughts about abortion are:
“I’m pro-choice for the following reasons: I don’t know whether or not the fetus is alive but I am sure that A) women should control their own bodies, B) without the right to choose they can’t have full equality, and C) if men could also get pregnant there would be a massive pro-choice majority in this country.”
“Friends and Relatives” Episode 2, Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan lends Arnie $1,500 to buy Nancy an engagement ring. He instead spends it on her breast implants. When Dan falls behind on the bills, Jackie wants to lend him money, but he refuses because she is a relative. DJ starts peeping on his sisters.”
Out of about 15-20 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Reviews E
This is a set of reviews of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I’ll often do no more than make brief notes about an episode, although occasionally I’ll go deeper. Also, often there are dissenting main characters on almost any political issue, but you can usually tell what the general position of the show is. All the rest of the reviews are available by clicking on the l&osvu label at the bottom.
(Now that I’m getting into some of the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Closure Part 1” Season 1. Wikipedia summary is: “Benson does her best to help a rape victim (Tracy Pollan), who is able to describe her attack, but not the attacker (Neil Maffin) in perfect detail. When the detectives revisit the case a few months later, they find the woman even less willing to talk about what happened, as she claims she has moved on. Things turn uncomfortable within the squad when Benson and Cassidy, who spent a night together, argue over whether the relationship should be continued. “
They somehow know that she smokes pot and decide to not bust her for it (this is 1999 or 2000)
“Bad Blood” Season 1. Wikipedia summary is: “The death of a young gay man initially leads Benson and Stabler to investigate his homophobic father, but once they start looking into the young man's living arrangements, they realize the person they're looking for may be closer than they think. Munch tries to help Benson find the man who raped her mother. “
There’s some stuff about homophobia in this episode. The detectives promise to respect the confidentiality of a gay NYPD witness, and in the show (maybe in real life?) there’s something called the “Gay Officers Action League.” There’s also a swipe taken at former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s ethics problems.
“Limitations” Season 1. Wikipedia summary is: “At the request of a victim, the police commissioner comes to Cragen with a special request: close the case of the man who raped three women (Jenny Bacon, Judith Hawkins and Seana Kofoed) nearly five years ago before the statute of limitations expires. The detectives finally get a lead when they realize one of the victims knows the rapist, but she is not willing to talk. Following Cassidy's departure, Munch is partnered with Jeffries.”
There are two political aspects to this. The survivor who gets the police’s attention is clearly a successful businesswoman and that might have something to do with her getting their attention. The second one is that the progressive Quaker religious community comes close to being endorsed by the show.
“Misleader” Season 1. Wikipedia summary is: “After the pregnant daughter-in-law of a prominent Christian right leader (Robert Foxworth) is found murdered in her hotel room, the detectives investigate a rash of hotel burglaries, only to discover that her adultery (and the probable father of her child) was what led to her death.”
A small aspect of this is the moral hypocrisy that exists in some members of the religious right.
“Remorse” Season 1. wikipedia summary is: “Television reporter Sarah Logan (Jennifer Esposito) refuses to let her recent rape get her down, and talks about her experiences on the air, leading to the arrest of a young man that the team feels is responsible. Over the course of the investigation, Munch and Jeffries become unusually affected by the case, albeit in different ways.”
There are two progressive elements to this. First, East Timor is referred to (East Timor was occupied by Indonesia between 1975 and 1999 or 2000 and it was a cause taken up by progressives in America). Second, one of the detectives is a fan of Noam Chomsky.
Women's Equality in Ireland
At one point one of the detectives says that Irishmen are raised to respect women. I’m not sure exactly where that line comes from, but there is some truth to it. Although I don’t know exactly what the current situation is, abortion has been in recent decades about 99% illegal in the Republic and before that it was completely illegal. But as far as I can tell, women there do okay in terms of equality. For 21 years starting in 1990 three Presidential terms were filled by women. During the last 30 years half the time the Deputy Prime Minister was a woman. I generally got the impression that Irish women do okay in terms of equality. Unfortunately, I think a majority of them are pro-life. I’m pro-choice but the point I’m trying to make is that there are pro-lifers who nonetheless are feminists or at least believe in equality for women, as flawed as such a combination of stances is. And I think it’s found in Ireland because a lot of Catholic pro-lifers don’t want women to “stay in their place” or something like that, they just believe that the fetus is alive, THAT’S why they’re pro-life, not sexism. (you see something similar with the membership of Sinn Fein, a party that is or was basically pro-life but which has also seen a lot of women involved as party activists or politicians and whose current leader is a woman) (You might see it a little bit with some other religious groups that are pro-life, but I think it’s mostly a Catholic thing)
Monday, July 27, 2020
Roseanne Reveiws G
This is a set of reviews of Roseanne episodes. My general thoughts about that show are here. I will focus only on the political aspects and will mention what percent of lines spoken by non-family members are spoken by people of color.
“One for the Road” Episode 14, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan and Roseanne are not home, leaving Becky in charge. She invites her friend, Dana over to do homework. When they take a break, Becky whips up a few 'Tornadoes' from the Conner's liquor cabinet, resulting in the girls getting drunk. A hung-over Becky is left to explain herself when Dana's mother arrives the next day demanding an explanation.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Born to be Wild” Episode 16, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “The Conners' old biker pal Ziggy (Jay O. Sanders) roars into town, making them feel old, fat, and trapped. In the end, they realize that while their lives are not what they had planned, they still feel fulfillment.”
There’s a negative reference to the chemical DDT, which could be considered an environmental statement.
Out of about 50-75 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Hair” Episode 17, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Crystal recommends Roseanne for a job at the beauty shop that she frequents, doing the same tasks that she does at home for free. Roseanne is hesitant, but once interviewed, is persuaded into the position by the shop owner. After a short time on the job, she is given a raise, and more responsibility.”
Out of about 60 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“I’m Hungry” Episode 18, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan reach the point where they realize they must lose weight. Roseanne takes charge and puts strict restrictions on their diet, but she has the most trouble adapting to the new regime.”
Out of about 35 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“All of me” Episode 19, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Jackie has finally found 'the one,' but Roseanne continues to meddle.”
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“To Tell the Truth” Episode 20, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Jackie gives Roseanne the silent treatment when she has had enough of her meddling in her love life, but the sisters reconcile. Gary proposes to Jackie on a whim, and Roseanne goes into overdrive with wedding preparations, but Gary and Jackie soon realize they're not ready for marriage. As the ending credits roll there are photographs of the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales.”
Out of about 40 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“One for the Road” Episode 14, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Dan and Roseanne are not home, leaving Becky in charge. She invites her friend, Dana over to do homework. When they take a break, Becky whips up a few 'Tornadoes' from the Conner's liquor cabinet, resulting in the girls getting drunk. A hung-over Becky is left to explain herself when Dana's mother arrives the next day demanding an explanation.”
Out of about 25 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Born to be Wild” Episode 16, season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “The Conners' old biker pal Ziggy (Jay O. Sanders) roars into town, making them feel old, fat, and trapped. In the end, they realize that while their lives are not what they had planned, they still feel fulfillment.”
There’s a negative reference to the chemical DDT, which could be considered an environmental statement.
Out of about 50-75 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“Hair” Episode 17, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Crystal recommends Roseanne for a job at the beauty shop that she frequents, doing the same tasks that she does at home for free. Roseanne is hesitant, but once interviewed, is persuaded into the position by the shop owner. After a short time on the job, she is given a raise, and more responsibility.”
Out of about 60 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“I’m Hungry” Episode 18, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Roseanne and Dan reach the point where they realize they must lose weight. Roseanne takes charge and puts strict restrictions on their diet, but she has the most trouble adapting to the new regime.”
Out of about 35 lines by non-family members, about 20% are by people of color.
“All of me” Episode 19, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Jackie has finally found 'the one,' but Roseanne continues to meddle.”
Out of about 50 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
“To Tell the Truth” Episode 20, Season 2. Wikipedia summary is: “Jackie gives Roseanne the silent treatment when she has had enough of her meddling in her love life, but the sisters reconcile. Gary proposes to Jackie on a whim, and Roseanne goes into overdrive with wedding preparations, but Gary and Jackie soon realize they're not ready for marriage. As the ending credits roll there are photographs of the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales.”
Out of about 40 lines by non-family members, none are by people of color.
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