I’ve been nervous about what this “A Good Shoot” might bring to the table as I watched the previews after last week’s Rookie Blue. I was concerned it might be a little too ripped-from-the-headlines for my tastes. My fears were almost confirmed when SIU started to interview Epstein, and he made the comment about Tyler Marks wearing a hoodie. I know Epstein was nervous – I sure would be – but there were several indicators that things were amiss. To me, the most obvious clue was exactly how much he was startled when Epstein came around the corner, and the look of guilt/confusion on his face. Context clues are king, boys and girls.
For the most part, however, I thought the story was handled well. I’m always fascinated with stories where characters have to live with choices they regret. I doubt Epstein, even though his life was threatened, wanted to kill Tyler. I’m sure that there are cops in this world that might get off on the power – though I think that particular “archetype” has been exaggerated in both the media and in fiction – but Dov Epstein is not one of them. This is an event that will live with him for a long time to come; I’m glad it looks like the show will be treating it as an ongoing storyline.
I’ve talked about how much I enjoy Swarek and McNally as a couple for some time now, but there were two moments that really stood out in this episode. Both times, it was a look that Swarek gave his girlfriend without her seeing. The first was when she dashed across the road to get ice cream, and the second when she was pushing the witness. On one hand, there was a side of Andy that showed a kind of joy and innocence. Then, there was a glimpse of a serious cop, good at her job. Swarek is impressed by both, and in love with both.
I haven’t really delved into my disliking the Nash/Detective storyline, because we really haven’t seen much of it – just quick mentions and the like – until tonight. But am I being unfair? My biggest objection was that it just seemed way to early for any of the original rookies to be promoted to detective that quickly, but whatever this “rotation” label is, it seems to offset that complaint. Am I out of line here?
Speaking of which, do you think Frank has been out of line with his treatment of Noel? She is easily one of my favorite characters, and I’m looking forward to how she handles becoming a mother when she lived in a world were the job always came first.
Notes & Quotes
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Jun 08, 2012 @ 08:47 EST5EDT
This was filmed way before the Trayvon Martin incident happened, I think this was back last Sept so I’m pretty sure all the similarities are a coincidence.
*POST AUTHOR*
You’re right, but I’ll do you one better. The episode was actually written last spring, and shot in August.
Mea culpa; in retrospect, the coincidences are freaky.
Theres no way this was filmed before Trayvon Martin. The script is almost exactly the same as the real story except for maybe 3 or 4 details. I dont believe that it was filmed over a year ago as theyre saying
Umm, this was filmed way back in August of last year, a LONG time before the Trayvon Martin shooting even happened, let alone made the news. All the similarities in details are pure coincidence.
*POST AUTHOR*
Indeed they were, as I mentioned in my comment above.
Eerily coincidental.
This episode was shot in August…way before the Trayvon Martin shooting. You should change the details because you’re totally off base.
*POST AUTHOR*
Cyth: I mentioned in my comment above — which was posted before you left your comment — that you are right. I even went as far as to confirm when the episode was both written and shot.
Crazy coincidences!
If u go to you tube there is a video called one day of a fan who got to take pictures of this episode and it was dated bk in August there is proof cause I watched that video tons getting my blue fix for the fall :)
You don’t really expect people to read all the comments before they post reactions to your reviews, do you? Just wondering based on your replies, because that strikes me as a pretty unrealistic expectation for the general involvement level of the basic TV blog reader, even super fans of a show who follow details more closely than a blogger who covers multiple shows can be expected to do. Just a thought.
Why not, I do!
I read the replies before commenting, and if someone has already said what I want to post, I won’t say it because it’s become redundant. I like to read a variety of POVs.
Nice to see Von Flores again. It’s been a long time since Degrassi and Earth:Final Conflict.
Re Nash and the detective rotation: The group is starting their third year on the force, senior to the extent that they get to babysit the new recruits like Peck’s ex. As Diaz said, being a beat cop and being a detective call for two different skill sets. If Nash wants to be a detective and is willing to bust her ass taking every course she can in order to get there to the extent of having her son spend his summer with his father so she can do it, I don’t have a problem with that. I would have a problem with Peck getting the position without the courses because she has connections.
Frank is getting on my nerves trying to force Noel to stay in the safe zones instead of letting her do her job as she wants to, and I may have to stop shipping them. Ironically, it’s much the same attitude that Swarek has towards Andy which also rankles me. Last week Swarek broke down the gate while she was trying to do her job and arrest the guy because she wasn’t coming to open it fast enough (would he have done the same with Diaz? I think not). This week it wasn’t as bad although he was patronizing her when she was saying that Nash was going to get the detective rotation position and he was telling her to expect the worst. There are three relationships on this show where the woman is subordinate to the man, but only with Jerry/Nash does he treat her like someone who is an equal. Frank and Swarek are both putting down Noel and Andy respectively, and it bothers me that the show is telling me that the men are in the right. (But we’re not going to agree on Swarek/Andy, are we?)
It was a good episode, and foretelling not only in the Trayvon Martin case. Since the G8 summit in summer 2011, the situation with the Toronto police has deteriorated to an extent that I wouldn’t have predicted. When Andy started threatening to harass the shop keeper. I wanted someone to come down on her for it because that’s the attitude that got the police ignoring people’s civil rights.
*POST AUTHOR*
I generally try to stay away from gender issues (Because I’m so long past being told I’m wrong just because I’m a guy), but I’m not sure I can agree with your second paragraph.
I think every training training officer has a similar relationship to the “Rookies;” just look back to the first episode this season, with Noel and Diaz/Epstein. None of the TOs trust the younger class like they would trust each other in similar circumstances — the odd, and very specifically drawn, exception to that is Shaw and Collins. Swarek pushed through the fence because his partner was in an unknown degree of danger. I do think he’d have done the same for Diaz, and even if he wouldn’t, I never saw it as “I don’t trust Andy to do the right thing,” but as “My partner is in danger” or even “My girlfriend is in danger.”
We probably won’t agree on whether or not what Andy did was good police work, but Swarek did, and didn’t prevent her from doing it.
Frank and Noel are a different story altogether; he’s definitely been inappropriate. Right, wrong or indifferent, I personally think it is a lot more about poor reaction to having no control over a situation and less about the “lessening” of Noel, but he’s still in the wrong no matter the reason.