BobTard on "Map of the Heart"
BobTard
A few thoughts on "Map of the Heart," the April 26, 1996 episode of
"Homicide: Life on the Street"
1. THE ILLUSION OF KNOWLEDGE - When I was unemployed four years ago, I
spent my daytime hours -- what was left after I rolled out of bed at 3
p.m., that is -- typing up resumes, sending out letters, making phone
calls, doing all the stuff that, when you're 23, you THINK will get you a
job. But I spent my evenings and nights chewing through the Clancy
collection. "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger," "Cardinal of the
Kremlin," "Red Storm Rising." While I'm kind of torn as to the proper
role the CIA, NSA and their intelligence compatriots ought to play in the
modern world, I love stories about them and I especially love the way
Clancy weaves a tale.
I think that's why I loved this episode so much, and I tell you, I liked
this episode more than I liked "Full Moon," more than I liked "Scene of
the Crime," and more than I liked anything since "Charm City," the first
part of the "Law & Order" crossover and "A Doll's Eyes."
I am fascinated by intrigue, by veiled threats that may be statements of
fact or that may indeed be threats. I am fascinated by the intelligence
community, whether theirs is a true intelligence or the sustained illusion
of intelligence.
Now that you understand my bias, perhaps you understand why I enjoyed this
episode so much.
I'm a pretty straightforward kind of guy. My wife says that I have a
tough time lying, and I admit that I don't do it very well. When someone
starts to yell at me, I feel my ears turning crimson and my face starting
to flush. And in these situations I find myself at a loss for words,
stumbling like Brodie in his interrogation of an imaginary killer in the
box. I'm one of those guys who never has trouble coming up with something
snotty, sarcastic or funny to say, but anger and strong emotion clog up
the brain-to-mouth interface.
The scene in the box with Gaffney, Felicity Fenwick, Giardello, Bayliss
and Pembleton is one that I relished, probably because I could never spar
with someone like that, at least not without a great deal more practice
than I have. The rapid-fire exchange, the double meaning, the requests
that sound like threats, the threats that sound like apologies -- it's a
verbal style that eludes me, but one that I appreciate nonetheless.
About the only guy in there that I could match is Gaffney. "This is
insubordination." That's me. Master of the obvious. Actually, what I
probably would have said to Gee was, "He's not leaving, is he?"
I think this episode had a wonderful underlying tension throughout, with
the spectre of the NSA hanging above all the characters. Pembleton's and
Bayliss' stubborn refusal to cooperate from the get-go, Bayliss' fear for
his own life, Bayliss' feeling that he was being watched at the National
Aquarium and pointing an imaginary gun at the upper walkways. It brought
to mind a lot of recent events and made me wonder -- how much knowledge
and power do entities like the NSA and the CIA REALLY have?
Obviously, it is important to them to maintain the ILLUSION of knowledge
and power, as was evidenced by the continuous reference throughout this
episode to supposedly confidential matters that the NSA personnel already
had knowledge of. "I already knew that." "He is in NO way connected with
the death of Edward Clifford." "You will have the information that will
clear him." It's all a fascinating little game that they play, to make us
THINK that they're incredibly perceptive and intelligent. But are they
really?
It was amazing to me to watch the front page of the newspapers the week
after the FBI busted in on Walter Kascynski's shack in Montana. Every day
there was a new revelation. First, they found bomb-making supplies. The
next day they found the original Manifesto manuscript. Then three
typewriters. A day later, proof that he'd been on the West Coast at the
same time of some of the bombings. Every day, there was a new element
that focused the blame, and I just laughed at the whole thing, because the
public relations people at the FBI were playing this one by the numbers.
The FBI can't be perceived as being a bunch of bumbling idiots, people who
stumble into solving crimes. They have to be perceived as being the ultra
law enforcement professionals, with high-tech surveillance gear, secret
scientific diagnostic tests, unique insights into the psychology of
criminals. And then here in Montana, every day brought a new morsel of
evidence to put this man behind bars. I'm sure the FBI had all this
public information shortly after they burst into the cabin, but they had
to release it piece by piece, bit by bit, day by day, to give us the
impression that they were scouring the cabin an inch at a time, being
careful not to overlook any shred of paper, any strand of fiber, and any
lock of hair that could prove damning to the man in custody. To give us
the impression that they can find stuff that we can't even IMAGINE would
be evidence, but which on its own would put a man in prison for the rest
of his natural life.
We place a lot of confidence in the FBI, CIA, NSA -- hell, the entire
federal government -- to have knowledge that is not commonly knowable,
wisdom that is rarely attainable, and power that is unquestionable. Many
people think that all the federal government needs to do is to wave its
hand, and everything will be better. The cure for AIDS, a halt to the
movement of professional sports franchises, the elevation of the homeless
from a life of squalor, a permanent solution ending the war in Bosnia, the
apprehension of serial killers -- all these are possible if the feds
merely WANT to make it possible.
I ain't buying it.
The feds are no smarter, wiser, brighter, faster, stronger, more ethical,
more perceptive, or more able to solve life's problems than any of the
rest of us.
I will give them this -- they are more powerful. But only because we
allow them to be.
2. FAFFAMEN ALERT -- This episode was FULL of them. There were lines of
dialogues that raced past me which I couldn't pick up even when I ran the
tape back two or three times.
For those of you who don't know what a "Faffamen" is, the term derives
from alt.tv.homcide regular "Bug," the NBC promo editor. An executive
walked past the editing suite while the staff was reviewing a show, and a
piece of dialogue was uttered that was totally unintelligible. This
executive walked in and said, "What did he say? 'Faffamen?'"
The best example of a faffamen is Carroll O'Connor, in the program "In the
Heat of the Night," saying "Wegosh dagid daguy," when what he's trying to
say is "We've got to get the guy."
I counted seven "faffamens" in this episode:
> After Kay Howard assails the punching bag, she says something as she
walks away. I ran it back three times and STILL couldn't make it out.
> Pembleton and Bayliss are in the medical examiner's office for the
initial look at Edward Clifford's body. Dr. Shiner ambles into another
room and Pembleton says, "Imagine Shiner in a bathing suit." Had to play
it twice to get it.
> Munch and Howard are looking at his VCR, and Munch mentions that he
bought it from Kellerman. Kay says something like "I bet he's from DOE."
What? I don't know WHAT she was trying to say. What the hell is a doe?
Is this deparment of evidence? Evidence control? What?
> As Kellerman explains about the theft of his lunches, Giardello slushes
out, "Start thinking like the bandit." Please, someone get this man a
glass of water before he does his scenes!
> When Munch walks into the exercise room to confront Kellerman about the
dubious acquisition of the VCR, Kellerman says, "That VCR is NOT hot, OK,
it's just, it's was linked to arson from evidence control. Now when the
squad SKWUM SKWUM, got some more equipment I volunteered to take care of
it." What? SPEAK UP! Just because you're whispering, it doesn't mean
you have to whisper.
> As Bayliss storms out of the box after meeting with Gaffney and Ms.
Fenwick, Gaffney screams at Gee and says "This is insubordination!" Gee
retorts: "God bless, huh?" It's a borderline faffamen. If it's not,
then let's just say it's slushy.
> In the aquarium as Frank is marveling at the sea creatures, he says that
he believes we're related to the ray. Bayliss says something to the
effect of "I don't know what we're from , but we're not from these things
in there." However, he mumbles a total of seven or eight syllables when
it should only take him four to say "I don't know what..."
I will happily entertain any thoughts you have as to what was said. I'll
warn you in advance -- you're gonna wear out the heads on your VCR.
3. GEE'S MANAGERIAL STYLE -- This happened for the second time in
consecutive first-run episodes, so I thought I should mention it.
In "Scene of the Crime," Gee, Lewis and Kellerman are meeting with the
Muslim leader to finally extract the name of the person who pushed the
drug dealer from the ledge. The Muslim states, "I will tell you, and I
will tell you, but I won't tell HIM," as he points to Kellerman. Gee
just grins at the Muslim as Kellerman leans to Meldrick and says "Just get
the name." But it's Meldrick -- and not Gee -- who says "No. He stays."
And in this episode, Gee stands silently as Pembleton and Bayliss exchange
words with Felicity Fenwick. Pembleton says, "C'mon Gee. What is this?"
Gee responds dutifully, "We have been ordered to assist Miss Fenwick in
finding Richard Laumer."
"That's all you're gonna say?"
Gee looks down, closes his eyes, pauses, and then looks up at Frank.
"Yes."
And as he's leaving, Bayliss looks imploringly at Gee and asks, "Since
when do we start making deals, Gee?" Gee doesn't answer.
I am trying to reconcile whether this is Gee's managerial style or his way
of dealing with politics in the department. Is he trying to encourage his
detectives to stand up for themselves, to take the initiative, the handle
the situations on their own? Or , is it when Gee is faced with an issue
of political sensitivity, he'd rather let his detectives shoot off their
mouths, saying what he would like to say but can't because of his command
responsibilities? Or is he just covering his ass, knowing that he can't
REALLY control what his detectives do, so he allows them to do it without
a peep from him so that he can't take the fall if things go south?
As I write this, I am thinking back to the episode where Frank was
investigating the politician who wanted to press charges for kidnapping or
assault when no crime took place. Frank made a deal with the politician
with the permission of the bosses, and then the newspaper caught wind of
it and the bosses left Frank out to dry. I think it was all reconciled
when Frank swallowed his pride and committed perjury to protect his
superiors. To the best of my recollection (I don't have the tape), I
think Gee did the same thing -- he let Frank take the heat instead of
stepping in to protect him when Frank got screwed over by the bosses.
Is Gee a genius motivator, or is he a merely a functionary protecting his
position? I know what we'd LIKE him to be, but on the basis of these
examples (the first two, anyway), what is he, really?
4. OTHER SUBTLE THINGS -- It's the details, stupid. Two things that
struck me in particular:
> If you have a tape, watch the scene where Gaffney and Fenwick are
leaving Gee's office for a lunch of steak and crabcakes. Megan Russert
approaches the group and smiles at them. After she passes, Gaffney turns
his head ever slightly and frowns in her direction. The camera doesn't
focus on it, but you can pick it up. Subtle, but beautiful.
> Richard Laumer's appearance at The Waterfront. Frank shakes his hand,
slaps him on the back as he sits at the bar, and Laumer reaches to shake
Bayliss' hand too. Tim ignores it. Laumer leaves it out. Tim goes about
his business. Laumer finally reluctantly pulls it back, setting the tone
for the conversation that it about to take place. Again, there's no need
for the camera to have a focused shot on the unacknowledged hand. It's
there, we can see it's there. That's all that's needed.
5. I LOVE BRODIE -- I really do. An ordinary guy among these
extraordinary characters. The boxing lessons from Kellerman. His faux
interrogation of a killer in the box. Memorizing people's shoes (must
spend quite a bit of time looking at the floor when talking to these
folks). Slamming the door again after Munch slams it in anger. The
pathetic doublespeak in the face of Kay's questions about the purloined
VCR.
"See what you're doing to me? I could lose my job over this."
This guy is me. As much as I think in my mind that I could be one of
these Homicide detectives, or even one of these actors, Brodie represents
how things would probably work out for me. Spouting gibberish while
people look at me like I'm some kind of chattering chimpanzee at the zoo.
Brodie, we love ya. You've got a certain...quality.
6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
Shiner: "I'm ready to go fishing."
Bayliss: "Yeah, all right. Check the top of his head for a blowhole. I
think our floater here was part dolphin."
Pembleton to Fenwick: "Don't touch that door. That's my door."
She closes the door.
"Now you pissed me off. You and I? We're NEVER gonna be friends."
And Brodie: "I mean I've got torque. I've got MOUNDS of torque. And
I've got some of this too!"
----------
There you go. You've got plenty to chew on until next week....
Bob Chase, aka Bob...@aol.com
The BobTard Archive: ftp://members.aol.com/bobtard/HLOTS
It's my life. Somebody's got to hate it.
JimAKing
In article <4ltsgn$5...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, bob...@aol.com (BobTard)
writes:
>> After Kay Howard assails the punching bag, she says something as she
>walks away. I ran it back three times and STILL couldn't make it out.
>
"Not a bip in the bunch." Bip is how Kellerman described her punches.
Her kicks were the bunch.
>> Munch and Howard are looking at his VCR, and Munch mentions that he
>bought it from Kellerman. Kay says something like "I bet he's from DOE."
>What? I don't know WHAT she was trying to say. What the hell is a doe?
>Is this deparment of evidence? Evidence control? What?
>
"I'll bet he's from dough." Reference Kay's conversation about family
wealth later in the episode.
I noticed the mumbled dialog, too. I thought I had missed a reference to
Lambert since it disappeared on the final board scene.
I would put the blame on the director for not getting a good take. Does
anyone know if Clark Johnson has directed before? Maybe he should stick
with Meldrick.
~ Jim
hymie!
And lo, there was much rejoicing among the people, as
bob...@aol.com (BobTard) writes:
>> Munch and Howard are looking at his VCR, and Munch mentions that he
>bought it from Kellerman. Kay says something like "I bet he's from DOE."
>What? I don't know WHAT she was trying to say. What the hell is a doe?
>Is this deparment of evidence? Evidence control? What?
"I bet he's from dough." That is, his family has money.
>> As Kellerman explains about the theft of his lunches, Giardello slushes
>out, "Start thinking like the bandit." Please, someone get this man a
>glass of water before he does his scenes!
That line was crystal clear to me.
..hymie http://www.smart.net/~hymowitz hy...@lactose.smart.net
pgp public key -- finger hy...@lactose.smart.net@publickey.com
===============================================================================
>Cats make lots of assorted noises. They can all be roughly translated to mean:
>"Feed me. Love me. Feed me."
^^^^ You misspelled "feed".
--Steve Caskey (all...@schools.minedu.govt.nz)
===============================================================================
Henry Walter Nunes
BobTard (bob...@aol.com) wrote:
: A few thoughts on "Map of the Heart," the April 26, 1996 episode of
: "Homicide: Life on the Street"
: It brought
: to mind a lot of recent events and made me wonder -- how much knowledge
: and power do entities like the NSA and the CIA REALLY have?
The NSA makes the CIA look like a boy scout troop. And of course
there are the groups we don't know about that get billions with little
resistance. How 'bout that wacky NRO?
: Obviously, it is important to them to maintain the ILLUSION of knowledge
: and power
We have a winner!
: 2. FAFFAMEN ALERT -- This episode was FULL of them. There were lines of
: dialogues that raced past me which I couldn't pick up even when I ran the
: tape back two or three times.
You know, if it weren't for me figuring out why someone might perceive
Yaphet "Mumbles" Kotto as being a poor actor, you would have never got
that great tid-bit from Bug. "Wegosh dagid daguy" is a classic.
: I counted seven "faffamens" in this episode:
: > After Kay Howard assails the punching bag, she says something as she
: walks away. I ran it back three times and STILL couldn't make it out.
Okay, Kellerman is trying to explain to Howard why when she hits the
bag it goes "bip" and when he hits the bag it goes "BOOM!" Well,
Howards comback after the silly kicking display is:
"Not a 'bip' in the bunch."
You were probably focused to much on what she was saying that not the
context she was saying it in... I got it when I first watched the
epsiode. <show off>
: > Pembleton and Bayliss are in the medical examiner's office for the
: initial look at Edward Clifford's body. Dr. Shiner ambles into another
: room and Pembleton says, "Imagine Shiner in a bathing suit." Had to play
: it twice to get it.
It's "Imagine Scheiner in a swim suit."
: > Munch and Howard are looking at his VCR, and Munch mentions that he
: bought it from Kellerman. Kay says something like "I bet he's from DOE."
: What? I don't know WHAT she was trying to say. What the hell is a doe?
: Is this deparment of evidence? Evidence control? What?
CONTEXT!!! Howard comments that that's an expensive VCR for Munch to
have on a detective's salary. Munch says he got it from Kellerman, to
which Kay responds:
"I bet he's from dough."
And, no, Kay's not referring to Mike coming from a long line of
bakers. Remember later in the episode Kay confronts Mike about coming
from a rich family? This makes her now wonder why Mike had such a
high end VCR.
BTW: At what point in the series did Kay Howard start doing her full
Columbo? Scratch the back of your head, cock your neck, look down,
walk forward... Of course, Peter Faulk used more makeup.
: > As Kellerman explains about the theft of his lunches, Giardello slushes
: out, "Start thinking like the bandit." Please, someone get this man a
: glass of water before he does his scenes!
Ah, Mumbles strikes again.
BTW: Nacho Mamas is a *GREAT* name for a Mexican place.
: > When Munch walks into the exercise room to confront Kellerman about the
: dubious acquisition of the VCR, Kellerman says, "That VCR is NOT hot, OK,
: it's just, it's was linked to arson from evidence control. Now when the
: squad SKWUM SKWUM, got some more equipment I volunteered to take care of
: it." What? SPEAK UP! Just because you're whispering, it doesn't mean
: you have to whisper.
"It was loaned to arson from evidence control and when the squad-team
got some more equiptment we had to pass it on and I volunteered to
take care of it."
You know stereo makes a world of difference in seperation and definition.
: > As Bayliss storms out of the box after meeting with Gaffney and Ms.
: Fenwick, Gaffney screams at Gee and says "This is insubordination!" Gee
: retorts: "God bless, huh?" It's a borderline faffamen. If it's not,
: then let's just say it's slushy.
Bob, I think you have a head cold or something... maybe alergies. ;)
: > In the aquarium as Frank is marveling at the sea creatures, he says that
: he believes we're related to the ray. Bayliss says something to the
: effect of "I don't know what we're from , but we're not from these things
: in there." However, he mumbles a total of seven or eight syllables when
: it should only take him four to say "I don't know what..."
"No, no, no, no -- I know where I'm from, I'm not from those things in
there."
: Brodie, we love ya. You've got a certain...quality.
Hopefully they'll bring him back next year... from what I hear, it
probably won't happen, though.
: 6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
: Shiner: "I'm ready to go fishing."
: Bayliss: "Yeah, all right. Check the top of his head for a blowhole. I
: think our floater here was part dolphin."
: Pembleton to Fenwick: "Don't touch that door. That's my door."
: She closes the door.
: "Now you pissed me off. You and I? We're NEVER gonna be friends."
: And Brodie: "I mean I've got torque. I've got MOUNDS of torque. And
: I've got some of this too!"
Munch's skinny tough guy line of the week:
Kellerman: You'd give me up?
Munch: On a platter with an apple stuffed in you mouth.
And, of course, Brodie had loads of torque in is episode:
Brodie: I'm not here?
Kellerman: Right.
Brodie: You're not talking to me?
Munch: Right.
Brodie: O.K.
Munch: Are you O.K. with this?
Brodie: Yeah, sure. I mean, reality is just a guess for me... most of
the time, I think.
hwn.
BobTard
In response to the faffamens...
All right, all right. Maybe I'll just make an excuse and say that I'm
getting used to a new dose of thyroid medication and just leave it at
that. And I will admit, some of the faffamens I listed here don't exactly
fit the definition.
But please, PLEASE! Someone else tell me that at least one or two of
these lines slid past without an ounce of recognition. Please? The Snow
Princess and I exchanged looks on a couple of these lines, but she might
be doing it just to make me feel better.
And now that I've had some time to think about it, I think I might be a
little harsh on Yaphet Kotto. Let me say for the record that I DID
understand what he had to say when I heard his lines the first time. They
just came out a little more "tongue-y" than usual.
I find that when he was a long line of dialogue that he's perfect. It's
just when he has these little bursts of a word or two when I start saying
"Whuh?"
And let me also say that I'm not complaining about the faffamens. I love
a little muddy dialogue -- it makes things more life-like. How many
people do you know enunciate everything crystal clear?
Excuse me while I take another shot at my lobes with a Q-tip...
Monty D. Martin
Hey, Everybody!
I'm kinda new to the group but have been a big fan of HLOTS since the
beginning of last season (1994). I was hooked by the very first ep
and wouldn't miss a new episode for my best friends funeral.
There were a lot of things I liked about 'Map of the Heart' and a few
things I didn't. Overall it was a pretty good ep.
I thought that Johnson did a pretty good job for his HLOTS directorial
debut, but I'd much rather see him in front of the camera. There were
a few minor technical glitches that would have been his responsibility
but none that are worth mentioning.
The close-ups in the scene with Munch, Kellerman, and Brodie were
inspired. I know that's a rather hackneyed style of the spy thriller
genre. Being so, it served to emphasize the satirical nature of the
scene.
I had a little problem with the plot development. I didn't feel the
urgency of the case that Frank and Tim were working on like I normally
do. For that reason I thought the confrontation with the NSA agent
was a little overplayed. If she had been in Pembleton's face from the
first time she got there it would have been more plausible. Also, if
she was so important, would she really have been handed over to
Gaffney? Barnfather should have been the one to inform Gee and the
detectives that they were making a deal.
I loved the scene with Kay and the punching bag. Let's see
R-u-s-s-e-r-t do that in her dress and high heels. Kay actually
should have used those moves on Mikey instead of the heavy bag. Her
line was great, too. "Not a bip in the bunch." Kay cracks me up
sometime.
The other thing I really liked was Frank and Tim interogating Laumer
in the Waterfront instead of the box. Since they couldn't officially
interogate him at the station why not 'move the box to the bar'?
Finally: I think Gee is the refrigerator bandit. He had such a
'pleased with himself' look on his face when Mikey was bitchin' about
his lunches. Also, he would be the least like likely suspect, but the
most likely person to see the humor in these detectives not being able
to find the culprit.
Monty
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Demonstrating once again that subtle difference between creativity and complex stupidity" -- Dogbert
Monty D. Martin
bob...@aol.com (BobTard) wrote:
[Insightful psychological analysis of covert law enforcement and
espionage deleted]
>3. GEE'S MANAGERIAL STYLE -- This happened for the second time in
>consecutive first-run episodes, so I thought I should mention it.
>In "Scene of the Crime," Gee, Lewis and Kellerman are meeting with the
>Muslim leader to finally extract the name of the person who pushed the
>drug dealer from the ledge. The Muslim states, "I will tell you, and I
>will tell you, but I won't tell HIM," as he points to Kellerman. Gee
>just grins at the Muslim as Kellerman leans to Meldrick and says "Just get
>the name." But it's Meldrick -- and not Gee -- who says "No. He stays."
In this case I think it is part of Gee's managerial style. He has to
let them figure some things out on their own. I think lewis knew that
the Muslim really had no choice but to give up the shooter and he
called his bluff. If Lewis hadn't stuck up for Kellerman and this
affected there partnership, Gee might have pointed out to Lewis where
he went wrong. Or at least help Lewis figure it out on his own.
>And in this episode, Gee stands silently as Pembleton and Bayliss exchange
>words with Felicity Fenwick. Pembleton says, "C'mon Gee. What is this?"
>Gee responds dutifully, "We have been ordered to assist Miss Fenwick in
>finding Richard Laumer."
>"That's all you're gonna say?"
>Gee looks down, closes his eyes, pauses, and then looks up at Frank.
>"Yes."
In this case I think it's just a matter of picking your battles. Gee
knows he can't confront Barnfather and Gaffney everytime he disagrees
with them and that every disagreement isn't worth the risk of losing
his job over.
Remember, in the episode you sighted earlier (Scene of the Crime) he
went to the newspaper with the Muslim security guard story. I think
he knew that Barnfather would immediately suspect him . Also, his
confrontations with Barnfather are probably the reason he was passed
up for captain twice, once when Russert got it and then when Gaffney
got it. I don't think Gee's afraid of being fired as much as he's
concerned of what would happen to the squad if he was.
>And as he's leaving, Bayliss looks imploringly at Gee and asks, "Since
>when do we start making deals, Gee?" Gee doesn't answer.
>I am trying to reconcile whether this is Gee's managerial style or his way
>of dealing with politics in the department. Is he trying to encourage his
>detectives to stand up for themselves, to take the initiative, the handle
>the situations on their own?
I think both, depending on the situation. When it involves their
interpersonal dynamic he lets them figure it out on their own. When
it invovles sensitive department politics, he assesses the importance
of the situation and the risk of confrontation. In the case of the
Muslims, there was a danger to the public and he figured that he could
affect the situation without much political risk. OTOH, he probably
felt that in a confrontation with Gaffney and Fenwick, he couldn't
win. He could lose his job and the situation wouldn't change. In
'Map of the Heart' there really wasn't any public danger. Well, there
is, but he can't arrest the entire federal governmet.
>Or , is it when Gee is faced with an issue of political sensitivity, he'd rather
>let his detectives shoot off their mouths, saying what he would like to say
>but can't because of his command responsibilities? Or is he just covering
>his ass, knowing that he can't REALLY control what his detectives do, so
>he allows them to do it without a peep from him so that he can't take the
>fall if things go south?
Gee knows, in fact we all know, he can't really control what the
detectives do. But I think he has enough confidence in them to know
that they won't get to far out of line once they see how resigned to
the issue he is. And if they don't, then he's in a better position to
fight for their careers.
>As I write this, I am thinking back to the episode where Frank was
>investigating the politician who wanted to press charges for kidnapping or
>assault when no crime took place. Frank made a deal with the politician
>with the permission of the bosses, and then the newspaper caught wind of
>it and the bosses left Frank out to dry. I think it was all reconciled
>when Frank swallowed his pride and committed perjury to protect his
>superiors. To the best of my recollection (I don't have the tape), I
>think Gee did the same thing -- he let Frank take the heat instead of
>stepping in to protect him when Frank got screwed over by the bosses.
If I remember correctly, he advised Frank beforehand and Frank went
into it with his eyes open. He did everything he could to disuade
Frank from playing politics with the bosses short of outright telling
him not to. While Frank is an excelent investigator, Gee knew he
didn't have the skills or the stomach to play politics with the big
boys.
>Is Gee a genius motivator, or is he a merely a functionary protecting his
>position? I know what we'd LIKE him to be, but on the basis of these
>examples (the first two, anyway), what is he, really?
I just can't believe you're talking about Gee. You gotta have faith,
man. Gee might steal someone's lunch out of the refrigerator just for
the shear fun or tormenting his detectives but he would never sell
them out to protect his position. If it was important enough and he
knew he could win the battle even though he would lose his job, I
think he would fight.
[More major snipage]
>6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
>Pembleton to Fenwick: "Don't touch that door. That's my door."
>She closes the door.
>"Now you pissed me off. You and I? We're NEVER gonna be friends."
This was also one of my favorite lines. Although, didn't Frank say
something similar about never being friends to Pratt in the third part
of the trilogy where Kay, Stan, and Beau got shot? Anyway, I just
loved the WAY he said it.
Peter Ryan
>>6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
>
>>Pembleton to Fenwick: "Don't touch that door. That's my door."
>>She closes the door.
there was all sorts of door play - didn't Brody (sp?) open and re close
the door after the latest Munchie attack? Tim played doors as well...
Also... is that where Munch gets his nickname? Anyone?
cirwin
hwn...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Henry Walter Nunes) wrote:
>
> BTW: Nacho Mamas is a *GREAT* name for a Mexican place.
>
My first post and it really has nothing to do with the show.
Just to let ya'll know. There really is a restaurant here in San Antonio,
Texas that is called Nacho Mamas. The food is tremendous. It's not
the normal tex-mex food that most places serve. They call it "Mexican-
Mexican" food.
I was going crazy when it was mentioned on the show. Of course, no body
I know watches so I was forced to celebrate alone :-(
Peace
Chad
*************************************************
* Donuts. Is there anything they can't do? *
* GO SPURS *
*They say an hour is full of a thousand choices,*
* mine's to get drunk in Mexico-Soulhat *
* cir...@txdirect.net *
*************************************************
Michalle S Gould
cirwin <cir...@txdirect.net> writes:
>hwn...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Henry Walter Nunes) wrote:
>>
>> BTW: Nacho Mamas is a *GREAT* name for a Mexican place.
>>
>> hwn.
>My first post and it really has nothing to do with the show.
>Just to let ya'll know. There really is a restaurant here in San Antonio,
>Texas that is called Nacho Mamas. The food is tremendous. It's not
>the normal tex-mex food that most places serve. They call it "Mexican-
>Mexican" food.
>I was going crazy when it was mentioned on the show. Of course, no body
>I know watches so I was forced to celebrate alone :-(
There's also one in (!) Des Moines, Iowa, of all places. Don't know if they're
connected though. The one in Des Moines seemed more like part of a chain.
Michalle
Pax33
There is a restaurant in LA called JoeMama's Pizza...
Jacob White
>6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
>
>Shiner: "I'm ready to go fishing."
>Bayliss: "Yeah, all right. Check the top of his head for a blowhole. I
>think our floater here was part dolphin."
>
>Pembleton to Fenwick: "Don't touch that door. That's my door."
>She closes the door.
>"Now you pissed me off. You and I? We're NEVER gonna be friends."
>
>And Brodie: "I mean I've got torque. I've got MOUNDS of torque. And
>I've got some of this too!"
>
>----------
My personal fav LOTW:
Laumer: "Over? The Cold War isn't OVER--it's just half-time."
Though, I didn't much care for the rest of his half-boiled dialog.
Amelia1996
There's also a "Nacho Mama's" in Garberville, a tiny towne in Northern
California.
I can't attest to the food, since I was only passing thru when I saw their
adorable storefront sign, (and snapped a photo of it...)
Pax33
I had a teacher in LA schools who every time a kid left a mess at his desk
would yell,,,"hey, I'm NachoMama!"
:)
Pa...@aol.com
"Wouldn't this be a great world if desperation and
insecurity made you more attractive?"
Albert Brooks in Broadcast News
Norman J Landis
On 27 Apr 1996 15:28:23 -0400, bob...@aol.com (BobTard) wrote:
>5. I LOVE BRODIE -- I really do. An ordinary guy among these
>extraordinary characters. The boxing lessons from Kellerman. His faux
>interrogation of a killer in the box. Memorizing people's shoes (must
>spend quite a bit of time looking at the floor when talking to these
>folks). Slamming the door again after Munch slams it in anger. The
>pathetic doublespeak in the face of Kay's questions about the purloined
>VCR.
>
>"See what you're doing to me? I could lose my job over this."
>
>This guy is me. As much as I think in my mind that I could be one of
>these Homicide detectives, or even one of these actors, Brodie represents
>how things would probably work out for me. Spouting gibberish while
>people look at me like I'm some kind of chattering chimpanzee at the zoo.
>
>Brodie, we love ya. You've got a certain...quality.
>
Well, let's start a Brodie Fan Club! I was really concerned earlier in the
season that they were gonna kill him off real quickly. He seemed like such a
loser. But they were smart, and kept the quirkiest character this side of
Munch. Max really shone in this episode. His role in the show is become better
and better defined.
Personally, I view him as an idealist in a den of cynics. Not that the squad is
entirely cynical, but they certainly do display a certain "street wise"
weariness. Brodie has always tried to do the right thing, even if it did gall
the likes of Munch. But do we see him now getting more cynical himself (if
that's possible)? Playing along with the double-speak. Tsk, tsk.
The other thought I had was the parallel between the double slamming of the door
by Pembleton (this is a cinematic trick HLotS has been playing since its
inception) and Brodie's re-slamming after Munch. It seems almost like an inside
joke.
--
There must be kinder dispositions in far-off gentler lands.
I'm outta here....
Cliff Brown
mgo...@ux7.cso.uiuc.edu (Michalle S Gould) wrote:
>cirwin <cir...@txdirect.net> writes:
>
>>hwn...@leland.Stanford.EDU (Henry Walter Nunes) wrote:
>>>
>>> BTW: Nacho Mamas is a *GREAT* name for a Mexican place.
>>>
>>> hwn.
>
>>My first post and it really has nothing to do with the show.
>
>>Just to let ya'll know. There really is a restaurant here in San Antonio,
>>Texas that is called Nacho Mamas. The food is tremendous. It's not
>>the normal tex-mex food that most places serve. They call it "Mexican-
>>Mexican" food.
>
>>I was going crazy when it was mentioned on the show. Of course, no body
>>I know watches so I was forced to celebrate alone :-(
>
>There's also one in (!) Des Moines, Iowa, of all places. Don't know if they're
>connected though. The one in Des Moines seemed more like part of a chain.
There's a Nacho Mama's also in the small East Texas town of Nacogdoches
where I live. This one definately is not part of a chain.
____________________________________________________
Clifford B. Brown III cbb...@tcac.com
P.O. Box 633301 cbb...@ix.netcom.com
Nacogdoches, TX 75963 72337,3007 Compuserve
<http://www.wp.com/cbbrown>
Bug
bob...@aol.com (BobTard) wrote:
>2. FAFFAMEN ALERT -- This episode was FULL of them. There were lines of
>dialogues that raced past me which I couldn't pick up even when I ran the
>tape back two or three times.
I'm pleased to see this term go into the vernacular - at least
around here... Forgive a quibble, it's "faffameM." Not that it makes
any difference.
>For those of you who don't know what a "Faffamen" is, the term derives
>from alt.tv.homcide regular "Bug," the NBC promo editor. An executive
>walked past the editing suite while the staff was reviewing a show, and a
>piece of dialogue was uttered that was totally unintelligible. This
>executive walked in and said, "What did he say? 'Faffamen?'"
Close enough.
>The best example of a faffamen is Carroll O'Connor, in the program "In the
>Heat of the Night," saying "Wegosh dagid daguy," when what he's trying to
>say is "We've got to get the guy."
>I counted seven "faffamens" in this episode:
Uh... yeah... speaking of lines going by WAY too fast (and this we
can lay at the feet of the director) was the final analysis of the
crimes in the bar by P. & B. I was frowning and tilting my head as I
tried to follow this.... Oy, and here I thought I had been paying
attention, too.
If anyone would like to upload a transcription of this speech with
some annotated explanations, I for one would be grateful.
>6. LINES OF THE WEEK -- There were loads. Among the ones I liked:
>Shiner: "I'm ready to go fishing."
>Bayliss: "Yeah, all right. Check the top of his head for a blowhole. I
>think our floater here was part dolphin."
Although the promo for this week's show was a good one, I thought it
made the ep. look a lot like a Law & Order episode. I don't know if I
could have done a better job on it, since often the actual content of
the show dictates how you promote it. Not always! <evil grin>
But when this line came on, Mrs. Bug turns to me and says, "Sounds
like the kind of smart-ass crack you hear Briscoe make on Law &
Order." Yeah...
James Lloyd Hill
B...@cris.com (Bug) writes:
>bob...@aol.com (BobTard) wrote:
>>2. FAFFAMEN ALERT
> I'm pleased to see this term go into the vernacular - at least
>around here... Forgive a quibble, it's "faffameM." Not that it makes
>any difference.
I guess Bob didn't understand you the first time around.
Jim
--
j-h...@coewl.cen.uiuc.edu http://www.cen.uiuc.edu/~j-hill5/
"Now you pissed me off. You and I are never gonna be friends." -- Frank
J J Greene
bob...@aol.com (BobTard) writes:
>A few thoughts on "Map of the Heart," the April 26, 1996 episode of
>"Homicide: Life on the Street"
>1. THE ILLUSION OF KNOWLEDGE -
[snip]
>I think this episode had a wonderful underlying tension throughout, with
>the spectre of the NSA hanging above all the characters. Pembleton's and
>Bayliss' stubborn refusal to cooperate from the get-go, Bayliss' fear for
>his own life, Bayliss' feeling that he was being watched at the National
>Aquarium and pointing an imaginary gun at the upper walkways. It brought
>to mind a lot of recent events and made me wonder -- how much knowledge
>and power do entities like the NSA and the CIA REALLY have?
>Obviously, it is important to them to maintain the ILLUSION of knowledge
>and power, as was evidenced by the continuous reference throughout this
>episode to supposedly confidential matters that the NSA personnel already
>had knowledge of.
[snip]
The episode's movement definitely painted the whole scenario in the murky,
sluggish watercolors of uncertainty. Many people apparently didn't like this
episode -- most probably because Gee, Frank, and Tim were moving around like
ants caught in honey, knowing what was going on, but ineffective in changing
it. The shot through the distortion of the fish tank was the obvious visual
metaphor for the situation. I personally liked it, though I was also
unsettled by the whole thing.
This episode was built on several matches between Frank, Tim and the NSA,
and Munch, Kellerman, and Brodie's mess. The one that slipped most unnoticed
was the shades of "nonhappening events" in both the NSA case, and Brodie's
confused doublethinking.
These two threads tie together very well, but most of us were unaware of it,
simply because Max Perlich(sp?) and Richard Beltzer were able to make their
side very funny. The funny scene in the coffee room, focussing on the eyes
and mouths of Munch, Kellerman, and Brodie, in the conversation that never
happened, stated quite blatantly what was happening, but made us laugh; the
same thing was happening in the box, but we weren't told that. I think it
was so unsettling because we were blinded by the outrageousness of Brodie's
situation, and then, eyes blinking out the spots, we watched the same thing
happen, but couldn't see the connections because they were different and
subtle.
Other doublings -- Munch and Brodie slamming the door to Brodie's
(equipment) room, Felicity Fenwick closing Frank's (interrogation room)
door; finding the swimmer floating in a pool, then meeting the mapmaker in
the aquarium; Brodie interrogating the camera (I loved that scene), or
rather no one, then Frank and Tim interrogating Felicity (or were they?);
the Lunch Bandit stealing Kellerman's lunches, Kellerman selling Munch a
stolen VCR; the DNA test results and, and... either the serial numbers being
scratched off the VCR, or Kellerman boobytrapping his food (okay, I'm
reaching now).
>It was amazing to me to watch the front page of the newspapers the week
>after the FBI busted in on Walter Kascynski's shack in Montana. Every day
>there was a new revelation. First, they found bomb-making supplies. The
>next day they found the original Manifesto manuscript. Then three
>typewriters. A day later, proof that he'd been on the West Coast at the
>same time of some of the bombings. Every day, there was a new element
>that focused the blame, and I just laughed at the whole thing, because the
>public relations people at the FBI were playing this one by the numbers.
>The FBI can't be perceived as being a bunch of bumbling idiots, people who
>stumble into solving crimes.
[snip]
An interesting twist to the Kacszynski case was when his lawyer protested
that it would be impossible to hold a case with an unbiased jury in America
now, because of the carefully constructed image the FBI was painting, with
the media's help. After that well-deserved spanking, new information on
Kacszynski died to a trickle, or so I remember. I don't think we've even
seen anything new on him that is the media's own speculation.
>2. FAFFAMEN ALERT -- This episode was FULL of them. There were lines of
>dialogues that raced past me which I couldn't pick up even when I ran the
>tape back two or three times.
>For those of you who don't know what a "Faffamen" is, the term derives
>from alt.tv.homcide regular "Bug," the NBC promo editor. An executive
>walked past the editing suite while the staff was reviewing a show, and a
>piece of dialogue was uttered that was totally unintelligible. This
>executive walked in and said, "What did he say? 'Faffamen?'"
>The best example of a faffamen is Carroll O'Connor, in the program "In the
>Heat of the Night," saying "Wegosh dagid daguy," when what he's trying to
>say is "We've got to get the guy."
I love this stuff, though I apparently have better reception or hearing than
you, Bob.
[snip]
>5. I LOVE BRODIE -- I really do. An ordinary guy among these
>extraordinary characters. The boxing lessons from Kellerman. His faux
>interrogation of a killer in the box. Memorizing people's shoes (must
>spend quite a bit of time looking at the floor when talking to these
>folks). Slamming the door again after Munch slams it in anger. The
>pathetic doublespeak in the face of Kay's questions about the purloined
>VCR.
Ditto.
>Bob Chase, aka Bob...@aol.com
>The BobTard Archive: ftp://members.aol.com/bobtard/HLOTS
>It's my life. Somebody's got to hate it.
Ah well, enough blabbery -- loved your dream though, Bob. Six-inch
cartridges, collapsing pistols, BB guns... hmmm.
Jim Greene
Janetlittl
There is truly a Nacho Mama's in Baltimore, and it's excellent indeed -- I
would be pretty tee'd off if my leftovers/lunch from there got stolen,
too.
I end up there at least once a month. If you're ever in Baltimore, check
it out -- it's on O'Donnell St in Canton.
Good margaritas, too. YUM.
BunchyDC
There's a Nacho Mama's bar next door to the La Bamba's restaurant in
Merced, Calif. (pop. 50,000). I watched a hockey game there once.