Law & Order: "Personae Non Grata" (spoilers)

[The Nth Doctor]

This episode should have been called "Creepy" because it was nothing but. From the online dating where BOTH members of the couple were lying each other about their age and appearance to Cutter's most unorthodox act yet.

While I was initially amused by how both people were lying to each other (I figured Donna was pretending to be Chrissy immediately), the whole thing became a twisted, sick scenario, largely from Donna's side. She killed her daughter then used her name and appearance to scam men for money. Then she further used that scam to twist Bob into committing perjury by convincing him that, while she wasn't Chrissy, she was protecting Chrissy in some way.

But all of this was topped by Cutter's unorthodox act to reveal the truth to Bob. At first I didn't think he actually had Chrissy's arm (despite telling Connie to go to where the body was found and take a box), but when he revealed the skull, I was convinced. And my skin began crawling.

Finally, I liked the scenes with Jack in the governor, although it appears to be merely a set-up for next week's grand season finale.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Yeah, I thought the appearance of the governor was a setup. (Using a fairly big-name actor like Tom Everett Scott? Not a coincidence) We'll see him again. I wonder if it will be an Elliot Spitzer rip?

And, crazy though she was, Donna was a major MILF.

Also I love that bit where Van Buren is chatting with Bob, as part of the 'sting'. The detectives arrest Bob, then Bernard takes over the chat and says something like "Not a chance, Loo". (Loo = Lieutenant)

 

[Christopher]

Cutter is really creeping me out lately. Using a dead girl's skull and armbone to break a murderer? That's kind of sick. What with this on top of the cult episode the other week, I'm starting to think he's actually evil.

As soon as I saw the scenes of Jack meeting with a fictitious governor (in contrast to having the real Mayor Bloomberg appear in an earlier episode), I guessed that they were setting up an Elliott Spitzer-type story for later. The preview at the end seemed to confirm it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

As soon as I saw the scenes of Jack meeting with a fictitious governor (in contrast to having the real Mayor Bloomberg appear in an earlier episode), I guessed that they were setting up an Elliott Spitzer-type story for later. The preview at the end seemed to confirm it.

AFAIK, the show has used real NYC mayors (Giuliani, Bloomberg) but all the NY governors depicted have been fictional.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Also I love that bit where Van Buren is chatting with Bob, as part of the 'sting'. The detectives arrest Bob, then Bernard takes over the chat and says something like "Not a chance, Loo". (Loo = Lieutenant)

Yeah, that was a great scene.

Cutter is really creeping me out lately. Using a dead girl's skull and armbone to break a murderer? That's kind of sick. What with this on top of the cult episode the other week, I'm starting to think he's actually evil.

I doubt he's actually evil, rather the writers are just trying to make him even more unorthodox and radical than Jack, although Cutter seems a bit more liberal than McCoy (who I would say is in the middle).

 

[Christopher]

Also I love that bit where Van Buren is chatting with Bob, as part of the 'sting'. The detectives arrest Bob, then Bernard takes over the chat and says something like "Not a chance, Loo". (Loo = Lieutenant)

Yeah, that was a great scene.

Except for the conceit of having the characters recite everything they're typing or reading out loud. Why do shows and movies always do that -- insist on having characters read any text out loud even when it's shown on the screen? Are they catering to illiterates? Or is it a concession to the way many people "watch" TV by having it on in the background while doing something else, and heaven forbid they should actually be asked to invest any attention or mental effort into being a TV viewer?

Or maybe it's more to do with pacing. It used to be, in old movies or cartoons, when there was a letter or telegram or sign that was significant to the plot, you'd get a single, static shot of the text accompanied by silence (or music) holding a reasonable length of time for the audience to read it. No filmmaker today could tolerate such a lengthy, static shot, since nobody has an attention span anymore, so they have it read aloud because that can go faster or at least be less static.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I think it's mostly a pacing and dramatic issue. Can't stop the flow to stare at a screen for 10-15 seconds. It's almost the equivalent of dead air for a radio show.

 

[Dayton3]

I gave it "mediocre" at best.

Because the movie was basically about two pathetic losers scamming each other over the internet while one of them is also a complete psychopath.

One of the things is this is not a "ripped from todays headlines" story.

It is a story that has been repeated countless times over the last ten years. Someone pretending to be someone else over the internet.

Pretty much a "filler" episode and laying the groundwork for the Elliot Spitzer episode next week.

That shows promise because the governor in his brief scenes appears to be a pretty good character.

 

[Christopher]

I think it's mostly a pacing and dramatic issue. Can't stop the flow to stare at a screen for 10-15 seconds. It's almost the equivalent of dead air for a radio show.

Still, it's ridiculous. It's unnatural. Real people don't usually read out loud, especially when they're alone. And it feels like it's talking down to the audience, assuming viewers are too stupid or inattentive to be able to comprehend something that isn't read out loud to them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

One of the things is this is not a "ripped from todays headlines" story.

It must have been, since it had a disclaimer at the beginning. The only reason they do that is to avoid lawsuits from whoever the headline was ripped from.

 

[ATimson]

Except for the conceit of having the characters recite everything they're typing or reading out loud. Why do shows and movies always do that -- insist on having characters read any text out loud even when it's shown on the screen?

Not so much movies, but with TV you can't assume that text on a screen which is perfectly legible on a 50" HDTV is going to be anything but a blur to anybody watching on their old 20" SDTV in their bedroom.

 

[Christopher]

^^Okay, if it's a whole long letter, but the single sentence "In your dreams, Loo" could easily be shown at legible proportions even on a cell-phone screen. It's four bloomin' words.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

^^Okay, if it's a whole long letter, but the single sentence "In your dreams, Loo" could easily be shown at legible proportions even on a cell-phone screen. It's four bloomin' words.

Well, for that particular line, Bernard said it out loud to Lupo who was moving away from the computer.