Week of March 8 - The Pilot

[maggiethecat]

Oh, what the heck — I’ll start.

I’m filled with both the rosy glow of nostalgia and a lovely feeling of anticipation. This, as Hayley Mills so famously said, is a scathingly brilliant idea. Although, in my case, it will involve some maneuvering and thereby hangs a tale:

When we moved house back in November, we had very nice moving men who, on the day, helped me pack up some things that weren’t packed when they arrived (of course), including a computer set-up. These ever-so-helpful minions went around pulling the cords out of the back of things and handing them to me to put in a bag, which thankfully I didn’t lose. Fine . . . except one of them blithely pulled the antenna connection out of the back of our one and only TV, neatly rolled it up, and handed it to me. So when the cable guy came to hook us up, he took one look and said, “Lady, you got nuthin’ back here but a hole.” (You never want to hear a technician with droopy jeans and a butt-crack start a sentence with, “Lady . . . “) After I stopped shrieking about how I couldn’t afford a new TV and good luck getting the moving company to buy me a new one, he figured out how to use the DVD connectors to hook the TV to the cable box. It works a treat.

Only thing is, when I want to watch a DVD I have to pull out the TV cart and then crawl around behind the TV with a flashlight and unhook the connectors and hook them up to the DVD player, and then do the reverse when I’m through watching the DVD. Needless to say, I’ve only watched about three DVDs in the four months we’ve been here. (Apparently the same technique doesn’t work with the VCR, so there’s a whole cabinet of tapes sitting useless until such time as I buy another TV. Which I sincerely hope is no time soon.)

But at great damage to my knees and my sanity, you bet I’ll be playing with wires for The Blind Justice Third Anniversary Re-Watch Party. ;D

I’m just sorry my old nemesis Kyt fell by the wayside so I won’t get to re-address the burning question,”Marty Russo, alpha male or mean streak?” Then again, we do have some new members who weren’t around for that little barn-burner of a discussion. I triple-dog dare you . . . .

Ooh ooh ooh, Week of March 29th is “Up on the Roof!”

That sound you hear is a sigh of pure pleasure.

See you all on the 8th!

[mlm828]

It's party time!

I've just finished re-watching the Pilot, and I came away thinking, first, how incredibly rich it is. There is so much crammed into this hour (or, more accurately, 45 minutes) of television. And nothing is wasted; every line, every scene is meaningful, and many are memorable. Where to begin? With the shot of Jim in the subway station, waiting for the train?



Or the silence that falls on the squad room when he appears:



Or Lt. Fisk telling him the hard truth, which he already knew but probably didn't want to hear so starkly on his first day back: the cops in the squad room respect him, but no one wants to go out on the street with him:



Or the moment when Karen confronts him with her knowledge of his infidelity:



Or ditzy Kim Chenowith, who provides comic relief but also gives Jim a chance to show his sense of humor and quick thinking:



Or the moment at the stolen car, when Jim is certain it's a crime scene and tells Karen, "trust me":



And that's just the first part!

One further thought, and then I'll let others add their comments or add to the list of memorable moments (with screencaps, I hope). It struck me, on re-watching the Pilot, how beautifully it sets up so much of what is to follow it. Of course, you expect a pilot to introduce the characters and the basic situation, but there was so much more here -- everything from Marty and the gun to pissing standing up.

[Colorado girl]

Even after three years and countless times of watching the pilot, it still is enjoyable for me. From the first scene of the gunfightto those eyes staring out in the darkness,
I knew that this was going to become an instant favorite.
Every scene like mlm said had so much emotion in it. I like how at first Karen smirked when he ran into the desk. (I could not find the screen cap of her but did find the one of Tom smirking)
second, how she knew by the look on her face that she would end up babysitting the blind guy


Finally she began to understand him and be a partner to him going out of her way to help him.
I could go on and on but will let someone else have a chance.

[shmeep]

First of all, many thanks to mlm for coming up with this idea. This board was set up so we could have a safe place to discuss the show without being mocked for still liking it so much. It was hard to find a place like this out on the web because there were always people out there who didn’t get it and it’s no fun to play if you’re going to be mocked for it.

That said, I am not here to gush. It’s been so long since any of us have analyzed the show as we used to that I found myself watching with a more critical eye than I might otherwise have done and I found it wanting in some ways. I know, I have a lot of nerve coming here and not loving every minute of the Pilot, but…I can’t help it.

Maybe I watched it too many times right off the bat and built it up too much in my head. I watched it today with Kenina and we were, admittedly, in a snarky mood so that may have affected my take on things. Overall, I came away still loving the things I loved initially.

Those of you who were here in the beginning know I’m not a fan of police procedurals and this is a particularly clunky one with some poorly-thought-out cases. The saving grace has always been that Jim Dunbar and his unique situation was thrown into the mix and watching how he dealt with things made the negatives worthwhile. The first time around, I watched each episode with baited breath, hoping for glimpses of Jim’s personal life and his adjustment and his vulnerability. Oh, and I always wanted to catch a glimpse of him in his wife beater. Just an added bonus. Whenever an episode didn’t quite fulfill my quota for how much personal life I wanted shown (which happened every week), I saw something in the previews that made me think the next episode was about to delve deeper and it kept me going. The moments were always too brief and never quite showed me what I wanted to see, but I loved them and I still think they were very well done.

Watching the Pilot now, I find I still love the characters, but I also find myself wishing the gun was never an issue and that if it HAD to have been a police procedural, Jim could have come back as a consultant, like Monk. It would have been far more realistic and would have quelled many of the insults that sank the show in the first place and prevented it from getting the audience it deserved. I think this story would have been even more compelling—at least for me—had he been anything other than a cop, or if his job hadn’t been the point of the show so much as his overall life after blindness was. Maybe that’s just me.

I really wish they had never tried to show us how Jim imagined things looking. It was poorly done and gave the impression to those who didn’t pay proper attention that Jim could see a little. I think Ron Eldard’s acting was more than equal to the challenge of letting us know he was picking up mental images along the way.

Favorite extra in the Pilot? That guy with the dog collar crouching next to a cop in the opening sequence.

[Deleted]

admin said:

Watching the Pilot now, I find I still love the characters, but I also find myself wishing the gun was never an issue and that if it HAD to have been a police procedural, Jim could have come back as a consultant, like Monk. It would have been far more realistic and would have quelled many of the insults that sank the show in the first place and prevented it from getting the audience it deserved. I think this story would have been even more compelling—at least for me—had he been anything other than a cop, or if his job hadn’t been the point of the show so much as his overall life after blindness was. Maybe that’s just me.

No, shmeep, that's me too and I know others who feel exactly the same way. Well said here.

[mlm828]

admin said:

That said, I am not here to gush. It’s been so long since any of us have analyzed the show as we used to that I found myself watching with a more critical eye than I might otherwise have done and I found it wanting in some ways. I know, I have a lot of nerve coming here and not loving every minute of the Pilot, but…I can’t help it.

Oh, shmeep, be as snarky as you wish! I never intended or wanted the discussion here to be limited to gushing.

admin said:

Those of you who were here in the beginning know I’m not a fan of police procedurals and this is a particularly clunky one with some poorly-thought-out cases. The saving grace has always been that Jim Dunbar and his unique situation was thrown into the mix and watching how he dealt with things made the negatives worthwhile. The first time around, I watched each episode with baited breath, hoping for glimpses of Jim’s personal life and his adjustment and his vulnerability. Oh, and I always wanted to catch a glimpse of him in his wife beater. Just an added bonus. Whenever an episode didn’t quite fulfill my quota for how much personal life I wanted shown (which happened every week), I saw something in the previews that made me think the next episode was about to delve deeper and it kept me going. The moments were always too brief and never quite showed me what I wanted to see, but I loved them and I still think they were very well done.

Watching the Pilot now, I find I still love the characters, but I also find myself wishing the gun was never an issue and that if it HAD to have been a police procedural, Jim could have come back as a consultant, like Monk. It would have been far more realistic and would have quelled many of the insults that sank the show in the first place and prevented it from getting the audience it deserved. I think this story would have been even more compelling—at least for me—had he been anything other than a cop, or if his job hadn’t been the point of the show so much as his overall life after blindness was. Maybe that’s just me.

I always had mixed feelings about the whole "blind cop" thing. On the one hand, there was a lot of drama flowing from the fact that he was doing a job which, realistically speaking, he probably shouldn't be doing. On the other hand, it was a job he probably shouldn't be doing. So it's a double-edged sword. I totally agree they should have "lost the gun."

As for the cases, I have a somewhat different take. For a show that was criticized for being unrealistic, many of the cases, in my opinion, were more realistic than the complicated whodunnits seen on other cop shows. Most crimes -- real crimes, that is -- are pretty simple.

admin said:

I really wish they had never tried to show us how Jim imagined things looking. It was poorly done and gave the impression to those who didn’t pay proper attention that Jim could see a little. I think Ron Eldard’s acting was more than equal to the challenge of letting us know he was picking up mental images along the way.

I totally agree. The only time it was somewhat effective was at the first crime scene, where he visualized people appearing and disappearing. To me, this evoked how he would be aware of people around him. They weren't there to him until they spoke or made other sounds, and they disappeared when they were silent.

[Dreamfire]

Ahhh, He's so pretty!

Just watched the pilot with Anita and Lindy. It's been ages since I saw my favourite blonde dude. (oops gushed)

Thoughts?

What did Lyman do with the tongues?

Best moment?

When Lyman says "If you don't lower that barrel I'm taking you both out." Jim smiles a little smirky smile and I LOVE IT.


New thoughts on seeing it again after so long? This episode makes me think Jim can see shapes and strong lights. The jujitsu sequence with the sparring partner in red, Lyman in the kitchen and the lights on the way down that corridor, even his confidence in stepping out without Hank in the "shooting gallery". When he holds the gun aimed beautifully at Lyman and maintains the stare it also reinforced the "maybe he can see a shape" idea for me and rationalises Lyman not feeling he can do anything but mouth off.


The sequence where Jim visualised who and what was in the crime scene was v. good however, I like how it showed him building up thepicture in his mind's eye.

When I first saw this show ( mind you I started on ep 10) I thought, "Oh yeah this is possible, good on him." This time, I find myself more sympathetic to Marty's viewpoint.

Still in awe of Ron's ability to portray a blind man so convincingly. You guys sure he doesn't normally wear coke bottle contacts and just took them out for the shooting?

[matilda]

Been away for a couple of weeks, busy bee.

Am all inspired again to get right to it.

But Maggie, a third option - alpha male with a weird empathetic streak?

Be back after the viewing.

Cheers!

M

[rducasey]

admin said:

Favorite extra in the Pilot? That guy with the dog collar crouching next to a cop in the opening sequence.

Now I must go back and watch it again. I never noticed that.

Two things that stand out to me in the pilot is first the description of Randy Lymon that Karen gives him. I can't remember the words exactly but she tells him how tall he is. I always feel it is the writer's way to offset any criticism of someone saying. "How would he know where to aim the gun?"..Randy could have been 5'2" and he would have been aiming over his head. And let's pull up N's pic here just to see it again.



The other thing that has always bothered me is the confrontation about the gun in the squad room. It always made me squirm since NO detectives would ever do that in front of a room full of people. I am sure they have had numerous inservice trainings about gun safety. OK, have some under the breath whispers about it...but not a full confrontation where people on the other side of the room have their attention .(There is a woman in the background who is in on the drama,,,not to mention our favorite perp who gave Ron the nickname "blonde dude".) That could have been a reason to get a reprimand or a rip on his first day back. Oops i mean second day, isn't it? But then again it gave us an opportuntiy to have the "Do the pants fit properly?" conversation"
(I have been trying to find the picture of Jim's backside, but I can not locate it. Perhaps Maggie has it framed on her wall. So return it Maggie.)

[shmeep]

ashatan said:

This episode makes me think Jim can see shapes and strong lights. The jujitsu sequence with the sparring partner in red, Lyman in the kitchen and the lights on the way down that corridor, even his confidence in stepping out without Hank in the "shooting gallery". When he holds the gun aimed beautifully at Lyman and maintains the stare it also reinforced the "maybe he can see a shape" idea for me and rationalises Lyman not feeling he can do anything but mouth off.

From things I read at the time and from my own take on the show, I always thought the red/blue images Jim "saw" were just to show how his other senses and his instincts were showing him information. Ron Eldard once said he disagreed with the choice to show this to the audience and I think it would have been much stronger without it. I seem to remember the Jujijitsu guy in blue and Randy Lyman in Red. I think this was supposed to indicate the level of real danger he sensed from whatever he heard. When he pointed his gun directly at Randy, it was after flailing about a bit first, then Randy made a noise and Jim aimed straight at what he heard and kept it there.

I really don't think Jim is supposed to have any real vision at all, since the situation and injury of the character were based on what happened to Lynn Manning, who was an advisor on the show and who lost his own signt completely.

Mlm, interesting take on the cases. You do know more of that world than I do. I guess I'm not going on how realistic they may be, but on how entertaining I find them and I don't really like the procedural aspect of the show in any way, except for when it further develops the characters. I find myself resenting the cases because they eat away at the time I want dedicated to character development. I love The Closer and Saving Grace because both shows, while involving cops and cases, focus heavily on the lives of the main characters and bring me into a different world. Blind Justice didn't really hit me like that. Yeah, I would have been just as happy if Jim had been a gym teacher or a dentist. Yikes! Imagine him as a dentist! THAT might have been a bit scarier than watching him wave a gun around.

[Katryna]

rducasey said:

But then again it gave us an opportuntiy to have the "Do the pants fit properly?" conversation"

And let us not forget that this scene led to the thought-provoking chest hair survey...



establishing me as the most superficial member of the board. (I still say he waxed for this series).

[bjobsessed]

rducasey said:

But then again it gave us an opportuntiy to have the "Do the pants fit properly?" conversation"
(I have been trying to find the picture of Jim's backside, but I can not locate it. Perhaps Maggie has it framed on her wall. So return it Maggie.)

She can't because I have it!

[bjobsessed]

I watched the pilot with Natascha and Lindy. I still really enjoyed it. Yes, some things were unrealistic and I'm sure the confrontation would never have happened that way, but it created tension between Marty and Jim. It also brought too much attention to the gun, but I personally really like that scene. I don't know why but I always have.

[maggiethecat]

Since you all know I have a serious Pilot addiction -- starting with my original recap and innumerable posts in the analysis threads -- it is just about killing me not to be participating in this discussion. I'm on deadline with two, count 'em two, articles this week, and my life just is not my own.

But, like Arnold, "I'll be ba-a-a-a-a-ack."

[Chris]

maggiethecat said:

Since you all know I have a serious Pilot addiction -- starting with my original recap and innumerable posts in the analysis threads -- it is just about killing me not to be participating in this discussion. I'm on deadline with two, count 'em two, articles this week, and my life just is not my own.

But, like Arnold, "I'll be ba-a-a-a-a-ack."

I know how you feel. I haven't managed to watch the pilot yet this week and I might not be able to. But just like you Maggie, I promise; "I'll be baaaack"

- Chris