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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
(I’m temporarily skipping the publication of 4 reviews from Seasons 4 and 6 that I’ll come back to in about a week)
“Venom” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “Tutuola's son Ken Randall (Ernest Waddell) calls Benson for help after he is picked up in an alley late at night. He claims that he was looking for a corpse after overhearing a man talk about murdering a woman and dumping her body. Although Tutuola and his ex-wife (LisaGay Hamilton) are sure that Ken is not a killer, they are puzzled about why he refuses to take a DNA test. Tutuola suspects that this has something to do with Ken's cousin, Darius Parker (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) who has a long criminal record. When Ken eventually submits his DNA, it reveals a shocking family connection. Darius confesses to having murdered the woman and her baby but he is clever enough to get this confession thrown out. He vows revenge upon the family that has been humiliating him for his entire life.”
At one point one of the detectives says: “Prisons are full of innocent people and we both know what color most of them are.”
“Fat” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “With Benson transferred to the Computer Crimes Unit, Stabler is temporarily partnered with Detective Lucius Blaine (Anthony Anderson). Blaine is first to arrive on the scene of a girl (Rooney Mara), who was brutally assaulted by two overweight teenage culprits (Wallace Little and Shahidah McIntosh). The suspects are later discovered to be the siblings of an older brother (Omar Benson Miller) who has diabetes and needs a wheelchair. The detectives find out that the victim, along with her friend (Billy Wheelan) were victimizing obese people and had surprising motives for doing so.?”
There’s a couple items worth noting.
1. A black detective says of a black family, “they have no reason to trust the law.”
2. A detective says that homosexuality is not a choice.
“Infiltrated” Season 8. Wikipedia summary is: “Casey Novak is forced to get Olivia Benson, still undercover with the FBI, to come back to New York to testify on behalf of a woman who was raped in a bank. While undercover with an Oregon environmental group, she and her group members (Maria Thayer and Chris Bowers) are injured by an overzealous deputy sheriff (Steven Rishard) and charged with assault. She is eventually released but is questioned about her group's involvement with a murder. She then sets out to clear her group's name and investigates the murdered man. Despite the efforts of his widow (Debra Jo Rupp) trying to shield her daughter from the truth, Benson learns that he was a pedophile with a room under his garage that he used for kidnapping. The local sheriff (Charles Martin Smith) finds two sets of prints at the scene, the murdered man's and those of a ten-year-old girl (Molly Camp) who went missing seven years ago. Benson's case agent (Vincent Spano) tells her that she is indeed spending time with harmless activists and that her undercover work is no longer needed. As she is still unaware of the urgency of Novak's case, she decides to stay and help the FBI find the missing girl. In the end, Benson finds the girl, who had developed Stockholm syndrome and makes it back to New York just in time to testify.”
Although it’s a little mixed, this episode is sort of environmentalist and sort of critical of police who use unnecessary force. It seems like the environmental group that Benson infiltrates is a little more militant than most environmental groups and yet Benson says that they don’t deserve the label “eco-terrorist.” She defends them while being interrogated by the cops or debriefed by her FBI case agent. She also got assaulted and arrested by a cop for no reason. This highlights such behavior by a lot of cops in the real world.
“Choreographed” Season 8. Wikipedia summary is: “The body of an attractive woman (Kristine Szabo) with a mysterious cause of death is discovered in Central Park. Detective Stabler begins the investigation by talking to the victim's husband (Chris Sarandon) as his friends (Bob Saget and Catherine Bell) pay a condolence visit. Stabler's investigation unravels a case of drugs, infidelity and an elaborate plot that impacts everyone involved in the troupe. Stabler also discovers that Detective Benson is back in town and she is assigned to be his partner once again.”
There’s a brief appearance by a gay character.
“Loophole” Season 8. Wikipedia summary is: “Stabler is injured by a drug-crazed suspect (Bill Goldberg) and Benson follows up on an anonymous letter which leads to an apparent child-pornography case and the testing of pesticides on unwitting apartment tenants. After arresting the landlord (Wayne Duvall), Olivia is exposed to the pesticide and develops medical symptoms similar to those exhibited by the victim (Marquis Rodriguez) and his mother (Karen Olivo). Despite the health risks, an official (Casey Siemaszko) informs the squad that this was done legally. Casey Novak eventually pursues the CEO (Ray Wise) of a pharmaceutical company and his lawyer (James Naughton) in order to challenge a controversial United States Environmental Protection Agency rule that allows intentional dosing of human beings in pesticide experiments.”
First, there’s a moment where one of the detectives assures a victim’s mother that she’s not going to get in trouble with SVU for being an undocumented immigrant.
About 1/3 of the story is about something that’s not a sex crime. Some of the residents of an apartment building in a low-income and diverse neighborhood are used to test the effects of a new pesticide. Several people get really sick and it might be the cause of cancer in a little boy. The EPA, of George W. Bush’s administration, is also criticized by the detectives. The Tuskegee experiments, which involved Black men and Syphilis, are mentioned as another example of that sort of thing.
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews V
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews U
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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
(I’m temporarily skipping the publication of 4 reviews from Seasons 4 and 6 that I’ll come back to in about a week)
“Raw” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “A six-year-old boy who was adopted by parents (Myk Watford and Marin Hinkle) of a different race is killed in a school shooting. When detectives trace the rifle used back to a gun shop, Munch and Tutuola face hatred from a neo-Nazi group using the shop as its headquarters. The group consists of a white supremacist (J.C. MacKenzie), his son (Cody Kasch) and a woman (Marcia Gay Harden) who is not what she appears to be. When detectives arrest the shooter (Joel Marsh Garland) and put him on the witness stand, the group retaliates by starting a shootout in the courtroom that claims the life of a judge (John Rubinstein).”
In this episode the bad guys are neo-Nazis.
“Name” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “After the bones of a boy who disappeared in 1978 are found at a playground, Stabler, still visibly recovering from a recent gunshot wound, teams up with a CSU technician (Paula Garcés) who is taking the case personally. When a woman (Lisa Emery) comes forward, claiming that the boy was her brother, they reopen a cold case involving three murdered Puerto Rican boys in which the prime suspect (Richard Bright) worked with an accomplice (Ruben Santiago-Hudson).”
A crime scene tech believes that the disappearance of 4 Puerto Rican boys in 1978 wasn’t thoroughly investigated because they were Puerto Rican. It’s also stated that a lot of undocumented immigrants don’t report crime because they’re afraid of being deported. That’s one more reason to reform immigration policy in this country and until that happens it’s another reason for local governments to instruct local law enforcement to ignore the immigration status of people they interact with.
“Rockabye” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “A sixteen-year-old (Keri Lynn Pratt) loses her unborn child due to a severe abdominal beating. Her father (Skipp Sudduth) insists that she must have been raped and this leads detectives to the baby's father (John Patrick Amedori). The squad later learns that the girl was an active party in her own beating and that the teens found it necessary to do this after an abortion clinic deliberately stalled for time.”
This episode is about something I have never heard of before but which might exist- fake abortion providers. Clinics that stall for time with patients until the fetus is so old that an abortion is illegal. When two teens (boyfriend and girlfriend) get that treatment they decide to try to abort the fetus by hitting (with fists and a lamp) the girl’s belly. I think the point is that those who deny women an abortion force a lot of such women into doing something that must be even more difficult than having an abortion.
A few other notes:
1. The teens travel to NY from VA because in VA minors have to get parental approval to have an abortion, something I oppose.
2. The girl says that she was suicidal. In Ireland in recent decades if two psychiatrists agree that the female is suicidal, she is allowed to get an abortion. It’d be nice if something like that were done here if (or when) access to abortion is restricted.
3. One of the detectives implies that an OH high school that saw a lot of teenage pregnancies taught abstinence-only sex ed, which doesn’t include encouraging teens to practice safe sex.
“Alien” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “A school boy (Daniel Manche) becomes paralyzed after being stabbed in the back and detectives learn that the alleged perpetrator (Sasha Neulinger) was trying to protect his half-sister (Raquel Castro). While attending a Catholic school, the girl had been tormented continuously for having two mothers. One of her guardians (Amy Pietz) who never legally adopted her, is accused of sexual molestation by the girl's biological grandparents (Edmund Genest and Mary Beth Peil). While trying to decide if the claims are real or frivolous, Novak begins to suspect that their lawyer (Stephen Bogardus) is committing perjury.”
This is largely about homophobia and sort of about the Catholic Church. The detective Stabler says that being a Catholic means agreeing with the homophobia of the Church. First of all, the priest in this episode seems anti-homophobic. But more generally, the Church hasn’t in recent decades gone after anti-homophobic or LGB Catholics. It’s even more tolerant of such Catholics than it is of pro-choice Catholics, and as far as I can tell, the Church rarely THREATENS to go after pro-choice Catholics, and even then it’s just aimed at those who are elected politicians (and they don’t go through with the threats to ex-communicate).
“Manipulated” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “The body of a young woman is found and when Benson and Stabler delve into her private life, they learn that in addition to being a respected lawyer, she was also a stripper. Her co-worker at the club (Faina Vitebsky) is later found murdered as well. Surveillance footage and DNA evidence implicate the lawyer's boss (Chris Potter) who appears to live with a disabled wife (Rebecca De Mornay). Further investigation reveals that the wife is living a lie and that she exacts revenge on her husband by hiring a hitman (Holt McCallany) to kill his sexual partners.”
Two notes.
1) There’s a fairly positive reference to efforts to unionize the dancers at strip clubs. That’s been tried in real life in at least one case- there’s a documentary about it called “Live, Nude Women Unite.”
2) There’s a less-than flattering reference to private military contractors (mercenaries of the sort used by the US government).
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Movie Reviews B
Emperor (IMDB Wikipedia)
I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, but overall it’s a fairly good movie. I’m glad that we defeated Japan in that war and it’s great that afterwards we became friends with Japan. I also liked how one character, a senior Japanese politician who got along with the allies, pointed out that the British and Americans were roughly as imperialistic as Imperial Japan was.
I give it 2 stars out of 5.
Dr. Strange (IMDB Wikipedia)
Not anything political in this movie, but I do like super-hero stuff. I focus mostly on DC Comics stuff, but I also watch the live action movies about Marvel super-heroes.
I give it 2 stars out of five.
The Best of Enemies (IMDB Wikipedia)
This is an amazing movie. It’s a true story about a KKK leader rejecting racism. I missed the very ending when I saw it in the theater, but when I watched it at home recently, I learned that after CP Ellis transformed, he worked as a union organizer for the AFL-CIO. In general I was a little surprised at how class-conscious the Klan leader is but not that surprised. Obviously we have plenty of reasons to fight racism, but there’s one more- a lot of racists will become progressives when they reject their racist beliefs. And we need to recognize the role that unions have to play in fighting racism, as I’ve written elsewhere on this blog. We need to convince fiscally moderate and conservative Dems to support unions as a way to combat racism.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
Easy A (IMDB Wikipedia)
This movie is about a teenage girl who lies about having sex for various reasons- for example a gay boy gets her to lie about them having sex so that he won’t be outed. She kind of enjoys having an (inaccurate) reputation as a promiscuous young woman, but she also says towards the end that she doesn’t know when she’ll lose her virginity- but that it might be the next day or it might be on her wedding night or somewhere in between.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.
The Color of Freedom (also known as “Goodbye Bafana") (IMDB Wikipedia)
It’s based on a true story, although I’m not sure how historically accurate it is. It’s inspirational to see a racist journey through life to a point where he is friends with Nelson Mandela. This movie also highlighted the fact that Mandela was a driving force behind the armed part of the ANC’s strategy. In all honesty, the ANC’s military wing did a better job of not killing civilians than the IRA did, but the IRA wasn’t too far behind the ANC as I explain here.
Monday, April 5, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews T
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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
(I’m temporarily skipping the publication of 4 reviews from Seasons 4 and 6 that I’ll come back to in about a week)
“Blood” Season 6. Wikipedia summary is: “A young woman (Lauren Hodges) reports that her baby has been tossed out of a car. Benson and Stabler learn that she is addicted to prescription pain killers and this leads them to an elderly woman (Melinda Dillon) who lives with her son (Matt Schulze) and daughter-in-law (Christine Elise). The young woman identifies the daughter-in-law as the one who sold her the drugs, but when the detectives go to confront her, they find the drug dealer dead. Stabler uses his influence as a police officer when his daughter, Kathleen, is arrested for drunk driving.”
Although I generally like the character Eliot Stabler, in this episode he uses his position as a cop to help his daughter when she gets arrested for DUI. His superior officer criticizes him for this and he argues back, defending what he did. I agree with Captain Cragen, who asks Stabler, “is that the message you wanna send your kids? That the law only applies to certain people?”
“Goliath” Season 6. Wikipedia summary is: “After the wife (Amy Landecker) of a police officer (R. E. Rodgers) claims her husband raped her, Benson and Stabler arrest the man and come close to believing his version of events when he attacks his captain (Ronni Lieberman). When another officer (Brian Hutchison) murders his wife and attempts to kill himself that same night, the whole force gets involved and soon realizes that the two men both recently returned home from Afghanistan, where they were given the drug Quinium, an anti-malarial. With the reluctant help of a reporter (Jon Bernthal) and a base doctor with an attack of conscience (John Dossett), Novak takes on the U.S. Army.”
I’m commenting on this episode because it illustrates corruption in the military, in this case forcing an officer to lie on the witness stand. Both the drugmaker and the military look pretty stupid manufacturing and prescribing (respectively) a medication that’s has extremely serious side effects for one of every 140 people who take it when a much safer drug just has to be taken more often than once a week.
This is based on a scandal in the real world with at least one suicide I heard about.
“911” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “Benson is on her way out for the evening when a call comes in from a little girl named Maria (Jeanine Monterroza and Rachel Diaz-Stand), who says she is all alone in a locked room. While trying to draw the girl out, Benson is drawn deeper into the little girl's life. Although the other officers begin to suspect that the whole thing is some sick joke, Benson is convinced that the little girl is telling the truth. By talking to Maria, Benson is able to ferret enough information to get a place to start, but Maria's captor (Christopher Evan Welch) has an affinity for electronics and has done everything he can to make sure that no one can find the little girl he bought and paid for.”
It wasn’t real clear that a coyote (someone who, for money, helps undocumented immigrants cross the US-Mexico border) was involved, but since she was sold to a pedophile after she crossed the border without documents, it occurred to me that this is another reason we need regulated but unlimited immigration into this country (I mean, there should be paperwork and some criminals should be kept out, but there shouldn’t be limits on how many people can come here, that way something like 99% of immigration will be legal and not in the shadows where things like selling children to pedophiles can happen).
“Ripped” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “When the teenage son (Paul Wesley) of Stabler's old partner (Noah Emmerich) comes under suspicion for attacking a classmate, Stabler is caught between his boss, who thinks he is cutting the kid too many breaks, and his friend, who thinks he is not doing enough to help. Stabler seeks counselling from another friend (Mary Stuart Masterson) when the case starts to bring out the worst in him.”
In this episode, Captain Cragen has to again come down on Elliot pretty hard when he (Elliot) goes real easy on a suspect who is the son of his old partner. Benson is also unhappy with Stabler about it.
“Strain” Season 7. Wikipedia summary is: “Police discover the bodies of two young gay men who were both methamphetamine addicts as well as victims of a new strain of HIV that can kill its victims in less than a year. Tutuola learns that his son Ken (Ernest Waddell) is gay, and has difficulty accepting it. Ken helps Benson and Tutuola infiltrate an anti-meth group and they learn that the leader (Brian Bloom) killed people who were spreading the virus. The father (Bill Smitrovich) of one of the victims realizes that this crime saved lives and asks that it be punished with a lenient sentence.”
The gay community is a major theme of this episode. First, one of the detectives learns that his son is gay. Straight drug dealers who steal drugs from gay men say that they target gay men because they (gay men) won’t go to the police because they’d be outing themselves. To whatever degree that happens in reality, it’s just one more reason to fight homophobia.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Movie Reviews A
This is a new part of my blog. I’m going to start typing up some thoughts about the movies I watch.
Hidden Figures (IMDB Wikipedia)
I don’t know historically accurate it is, but it is a good story. I’m a little surprised that as long ago as the early 1960s black women were allowed to contribute that much to NASA but apparently they were and it’s so inspiring that these three women overcame the barriers of racism and sexism to such a degree that they succeeded as much as they did. I also love this movie because I love stories about space exploration, whether it’s Star Trek, Star Wars, Aliens or stuff like Apollo 13 and this movie.
I give it 4 stars out of 5.
Foxfire (IMDB Wikipedia)
I found this at a video store in 1997 and watched it a few times. I think it’s an independent film that did very well in the theaters. It’s basically about friendship among a group of high school girls who fight back against a sexually abusive teacher and get suspended. They encounter more sexism among their male peers.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
On the Basis of Sex (IMDB Wikipedia)
I don’t know historically accurate it is, but it is a good story. This is about the early career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court Justice. It’s one of the best and most inspiring movies I have ever seen. I didn’t appreciate her as much as I should have when she was still alive. I got the impression her husband wasn’t as progressive as she was, but he still seemed like a cool guy, giving her some help with her first attempt at changing this country in a progressive direction. And her daughter also seemed pretty awesome- she verbally fought back as construction workers were harassing her, and earlier she ditches class to go to a rally that Gloria Steinem spoke at. In 10th grade I walked out of my 3rd period class to join other students protesting the 1992 Rodney King verdict (King was brutally assaulted by LAPD officers in 1991 and the officers were acquitted, sparking protests and rioting).
I give it 5 stars out of five.
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews S
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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Risk” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “When a baby dies after drinking baby formula found to be laced with cocaine, the detectives clash with Sgt Ed Tucker (Robert John Burke), who has been pursuing a drug syndicate smuggling cocaine in baby formula. Tutuola's experience in the Narcotics Division proves useful and Stabler is sent undercover as a potential dealer. The team is led to one of their own, Detective Greg Kendall (Matt Mulhern), a highly-decorated cop who has gone rogue. However, the operation hits a snag and Stabler is faced with a choice to either kill or be killed.”
This is about a corrupt cop.
“Rotten” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “In their investigation of a prisoner's death, Benson and Tutuola learn that he was assaulted before being incarcerated. They subsequently discover several killings of drug dealers in the precinct where the man was arrested, and that two cops (William Mapother and Terry Serpico) from this precinct had a connection to every case.”
First, there’s a gay jail guard.
This story was obviously inspired by the real-life NYPD assault on Abner Louima in 1997 (they raped him with the handle of a toilet plunger or a broom- he survived and the cops who attacked him were convicted). SVU pursues not just the cop easiest to convict, but another cop who they believe was also involved. While investigating that officer they learn that the two suspects were killing drug dealers in summary executions and that one of them was getting paid for it by drug dealers. In this fictional version, SVU successfully indict both cops.
“Mercy” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “When the body of a baby girl is found inside a cooler, the detectives need to investigate just who she is, and how she got there. They soon learn that the little girl had a genetic disorder known as Tay–Sachs disease that would lead to a painful death in childhood. When the parents (Elizabeth Mitchell and Gregg Edelman) admit to having killed their daughter humanely to spare her that fate, Cabot has to prosecute them for murder, despite reservations. Taking an interest in the case, Detective Munch sits in on the trial.”
There are two minor things I want to note:
1. A character who’s innocent mentions that he has a high-paying union job. I wouldn’t say that people will be surprised to learn that union jobs pay well, but at the same time it can’t hurt to mention that here and there.
2. One of the detectives reminds people, positively, that in NY a teen doesn’t need to tell their parents that they want an abortion, they can just get it.
“Tortured” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “A Tibetan woman who was tortured in her home country is found murdered, with her foot missing. After an exhaustive search of potential suspects, the killer (Charlie Hofheimer) is found to be a victim of torture at the hands of his mother (Margaret Colin) who tried to use violence to cure him of his shoe fetish.”
There are two minor things and one big thing.
1. The FBI psychiatrist tells us that he’s a member of something called “Physicians for Human Rights.”
2. There’s a small aspect of the story that involves a gay couple.
3. Although it turns out to be irrelevant to why the victim was killed, she was Tibetan and there’s a lot of stuff about Tibet in the first half of the episode and you get the impression that most of the main characters are pro-Tibet. There’s talk from various sources about how bad China is to Tibet (for example the use of torture). To be honest until about 5-10 years ago I didn’t care much about Tibet. Then I watched the movies “Seven Years in Tibet” and “Kundun,” and I read a small amount about it when events there were big enough to be reported on by the BBC. I’m concerned about Tibet and believe they should have independence. I believe I have read that the Chinese are forcing some Tibetans to move elsewhere in China and are moving Chinese settlers into Tibet, which is pretty genocidal.
“Fallacy” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “Benson and Stabler try to prove self-defense when a rape victim (Katherine Moennig) kills her attacker. Events take an unusual turn when they learn that the victim is transgender. The victim's boyfriend (Chad Lindberg) is shocked to learn this and commits suicide. When the woman's lifelong anguish is detailed in court, Cabot begins to feel guilty about sending her to prison (which would be a male prison for a pre-op transgender woman). “
If you include the DA (a regular character on the original Law and Order show) most of the main characters are sympathetic to the transgendered woman who killed a man who had learned she had male genitals. At one point the ADA offers her a fairly good deal considering a man died, but when she realizes she’ll be in a male prison, she has the deal cancelled and goes to trial. She’s convicted. Her lawyer seems a little unethical and looking forward to the publicity he’ll get for defending her, but I don’t think that takes anything away from his statement that when people learn the truth about a transgender person they’re often just killed.
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews R
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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Denial” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A drug addict (Martha Plimpton) is sexually assaulted. In her purse, detectives Benson and Stabler find a decomposing baby's finger. When looking for both her attacker and the baby, they suspect she might be withholding information to protect her mother (Mary Steenburgen) or grandmother (Estelle Parsons). Tutuola tries to help by getting her clean.”
The detectives don’t pursue her for doing drugs.
“Competence” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A woman (Lois Smith) reports her twenty-two-year-old daughter with Down Syndrome (Andrea Fay Friedman) is pregnant because a rapist (Matt DeCaro) took advantage of her innocence about sex. Detectives Benson and Stabler have to make sure that it is not just her mother being overprotective and in denial of her daughter's sex life. The girl's boyfriend (James Badge Dale) who also has Down Syndrome offer to help raise her baby. ADA Cabot then has to interfere and take on her superior, to settle the mother–daughter dispute on whether the daughter should have an abortion or not.”
In another season 3 episode there’s something that makes me think some of the people calling shots behind the camera are pro-union. With that in mind, when the character who got the woman pregnant brags that he pays union wages in his business, it’s a pro-union statement even though he’s sort of the “bad guy” in the episode.
“Silence” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A murder takes place in a church. Detectives Benson and Stabler learn that the murderer (Sean Dugan) had been paid off by the church to stop him from reporting how he was sexually abused by a priest as a child. He blames the church for taking away his innocence and accuses a priest from his youth, Father Michael (Eric Stoltz) of molesting him.”
First, there’s one little bit about a nun (I assume a Catholic nun) who supports prostitutes by, for example, giving them free condoms. Catholic nuns tend to be a little bit to the left of the church.
This episode is mostly about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. As I explain in some sections of a post here, I believe there is anti-Catholic bigotry in this country and sometimes I think that’s a small part of some peoples’ reaction to that scandal. But it’s a horrible scandal and it often really pisses me off and probably 99% of all Catholics. I haven’t heard of a mass exodus of victims and their families and I assume most of them are still Catholics. On the other hand, if I do leave the Church at any point it will be partly because of the scandal (but mostly other things (the second to last section of that post has more information)). Between the fact that lots of reasonable people criticize the Church about the scandal and the fact that one of the main characters is very Catholic, I don’t think it’s an anti-Catholic show. I just think that some people take a reasonable criticism of the Church too far and think that the Church was okay with what those priests were doing. They weren’t okay with it but their solution (transferring pedophile priests) was horrible.
“Chameleon” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “The detectives go on the trail of a recently paroled rapist responsible for the murder of a sex worker during a raid at a men's club and are called to the scene where he was shot in self defense by his own gun. However, the murder weapon was also used in another crime while he was still in prison, leading the detectives to investigate the victim (Sharon Lawrence) through a trail of previously unsolved cases, a spending spree and another victim.”
I’m not sure if this is liberal-progressive the way that opposing racism or homophobia is, but I should mention at least once that the detectives make it clear that they’re not Vice. I don’t know what Vice does except going after prostitutes but I believe that prostitution should be legal, safe and unionized, so I don’t think I like Vice very much.
There is also some opposition to the death penalty. Two ADAs support it, but the DA (a main character on Law and Order who gets along with the two ADAs in that show) and the FBI agent helping SVU oppose it.
“Juvenile” Season 4. Wikipedia summary is: “A cancer patient who was growing marijuana in her apartment is found raped and murdered, sending the detectives on a hunt for two junior-high students (Shane Lyons and Connor Paolo), each blaming the other. The prosecution team is faced with the dilemma of trying the older boy as an adult, despite evidence that he was not mentally capable of being able to carry out the crimes.”
The average reaction of the main characters to the fact that she was growing and selling (or distributing) marijuana is slightly positive. It’s very pro-medical marijuana.
Roseanne Reviews R
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.
“Good Girls, Bad Girls” episode 10, season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “Molly has an extra ticket for a rock concert in a neighboring town, and Roseanne reluctantly allows Darlene to go. When Darlene arrives home in a cab at 4:00 a.m., Roseanne initially doubts her explanation that Molly ditched her to smoke pot in a stranger's van.”
Out of about 30 lines by non-family members, none are spoken by people of color.
“It’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays” Episode 12, Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “A snowstorm forces the Conners to be far-flung on Christmas Eve: Roseanne, Jackie, Bev, and Nana Mary are stuck at the Lunchbox; Dan, DJ, Nancy and Nancy's Girlfriend Maria (Morgan Fairchild) are trapped at the Conner house; and Darlene is stranded at David's, witnessing his abusive home life.”
Dan mis-interprets something the gay couple the family is friends with and thinks that they said something too sexual for the ears of his young son. I think there’s a problem with even good allies having an exxagerated sense of how sexual LGBTQ+ people are and I’m sure that if it had been a heterosexual couple, Dan wouldn’t have objected to what they said in front of his son.
“Crime and Punishment” and “War and Peace” Episodes 13 and 14. Wikipedia summaries are: “The Connors are called to DJ's school to discuss the "obscene" reading material he brought to class. Dan and Roseanne are shocked to learn it is one of Darlene and David's comic books. Later, Darlene accidentally walks in on Jackie in D.J.'s bathroom, finding her covered with bruises. Roseanne presses Jackie for an explanation and learns that Fisher assaulted her. Dan beats up Fisher and lands in jail. Ed Begley, Jr. appears in this episode. Brice Beckham (Mr. Belvedere) appears.” And “As Roseanne takes Jackie to the hospital, and Darlene bails Dan out of jail, the news of Dan hitting Fisher quickly spreads through town. Meanwhile, Fisher begs Jackie to come back. Roseanne is shocked to hear this was not the first time Fisher hit Jackie, but learns that Jackie is strong enough to make her own decisions.”
This two-parter is about Jackie being physically abused by her boyfriend. I don’t have much to add except that that’s horrible.
In “Crime and Punishment” there were 40-50 lines by non-family members and about 10% were by people of color.
In "War and Peace" there are 20-30 lines by non-family members and 20% are by people of color.
“Lanford Daze” Episode 15, Season 5. Wikipedia summary is: “Vegetarian Darlene vandalizes the Lunch Box as a protest against eating animals. To punish Darlene, Roseanne forces her to sell loose-meat sandwiches at the diner's Lanford Days festival concession stand.”
Out of about 20-25 lines by non-family members about 10% are by people of color.
LTE On Anti-Asian Racism and Donald Trump
Below is a letter to the editor that I sent to a couple papers. I got the info about unemployment rates here. (UPDATE 4/2/21 The unemployment rates I looked at are not OFFICIAL figures, they are adjusted by Pew Research and I assume they're more accurate than the official figures) UPDATE 8/23/24 this was published April 25th 2021 in the Daily Camera and March 25th in the Boulder Weekly.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Law and Order: SVU Reviews Q
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 watching the episodes that involve the character John Munch, I’m going to ignore most of his political statements)
“Sacrifice” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “An unidentified man (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is found shot and sexually assaulted in an alley outside of a gay bar. Detectives Benson and Stabler learn that the victim and his wife (Elizabeth Banks) have a young daughter (Audrey Twitchell) with cystic fibrosis and that they worked in the porn industry to pay for her medical bills. The lead witness (Kevin Geer), who is a recovering drug addict, angers Fin, causing him to re-think his police role.”
A witness at the beginning is an off-duty detective exiting a gay bar. The SVU detectives offer to keep his name out of their report if he’s worried about people learning that he’s gay. And he’s Black (I mention that because of the significance of intersectionality- he's both Black and gay).
Another witness is a homeless man who sleeps near the gay bar and who says that the patrons of the establishment treat him well. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s true. I imagine that even today a lot of gay teenagers either run away or are expelled by their parents and they spend a lot of time homeless.
“Inheritance” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A young Asian woman (Lynn Chen) is severely beaten and raped at a burglary site. Benson and Stabler initially suspect rival Asian gang members, who are in dispute over the victim's loyalty. This theory is disproven when they find another Asian victim and track down serial rapist Darrell Guan (Marcus Chong). Guan was ostracized throughout his childhood and feels that even his own mother (Wai Ching Ho) did not love him. The case hits close to home for Benson because Guan is also the product of a rape. The trial focuses on the impact of genetic predisposition versus environmental upbringing on the nature of violence.”
There are four things worth a note each.
1. An Asian-American detective says “Chinatown’s got no love for cops.” If that’s true, it’s very interesting to me. I have heard very little about conflict between (East) Asian-Americans and the police, and about 1/3 of my Bachelor’s degree is Asian-American Studies. Asian-Americans DO overwhelmingly vote Democrat, but I had no idea there was widespread hostility towards the police among Chinese immigrants. If this is true it just means that the internal problem police have to overcome (racism) is even bigger than I thought.
2. At one point the detectives assure an Asian-American man they need help from that they’re not Immigration. I haven’t spelled this out when doing a comment like this before, but the point I’m trying to make is that they’re acting like the cops of a sanctuary city, which is what NYC is.
3. There is a fair amount of material about racial conflicts between Blacks and Chinese in America. I think there is some evidence of that in reality and I think it’s partly because the right-wing part of the establishment want to create a schism between Asian-Americans and other people of color, by, for example, pushing the model minority theory and pushing the idea that the former don’t need or support Affirmative Action (in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of a post here there’s some info about Asian-Americans and Affirmative Action). There’s also the fact that a significant minority of Blacks are anti-immigrant.
4. This episode also brings up the issue of abortion and rape. I am 100% pro-choice but if I were pro-life I would make an exception for rape- if a woman chooses to avoid being frequently reminded of such a nightmare by having an abortion, she should have that right.
“Monogamy” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A pregnant woman (Tricia Paoluccio) is attacked and has her baby ripped from her womb. Detectives Benson and Stabler quickly look for the baby hoping he's still alive. The woman's husband (John Ritter) seems shocked, but it is soon discovered she may have had an affair with a construction worker (Bobby Cannavale). In the resulting trial, ADA Alex Cabot tries to find a way to charge the husband while avoiding the controversial territory of reproductive rights.”
You get the impression that all the main characters (the detectives and the ADA) are pro-choice.
“Prodigy” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “A man and a woman are stabbed during a supposedly romantic park encounter. The woman's head as well as her hands are missing, which makes it difficult for detectives Benson and Stabler to identify the victims. They soon learn that the crime scene was staged and that the woman was an officer of the Manhattan Federation for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This leads them to various people from her organization, as well as its opposers, and a young sociopath (Michael Pitt) who had a troubled relationship with the woman. However they soon uncover a more violent suspect (Brian Sullivan) much more close.”
This is almost entirely about cruelty to animals.
“Popular” Season 3. Wikipedia summary is: “Detective Stabler's wife (Isabel Gillies) tells him that her nurse friend (Laura Duncan) at a local hospital treated a fourteen-year-old rape victim (Brittany Slattery), who refused to report the crime to the police or her family. Stabler decides to investigate her unofficially with the help of Detective Benson. They find out she and her classmates were involved with drugs and alcohol, a fact which troubles her family.”
In a Teacher’s Lounge at a Jr. High there’s a bulletin board below the words “Union News.”