Comments on the latest trends in TV detective series
GO FIGURE or please bring back Sam Spade. Roger Loff pen name Aaron T Knight
It's fascinating how the viewer, watching mystery scenes in today’s crime movies and TV series, is supposed accept the most ridiculous actions in scenes.. Here are a few examples:
1. Anybody, policeman or character, points a pistol at the villain within arm’s length. Predictably the bad guy grabs the gun. This is used universally. Common sense tells you holding a dangerous criminal at gun point means, unless the person is a nitwit, be more than arm’s length away from the bad guy.
2. Most. TV police series have changed to include a “pole dancer” as the partner of the hero. Many of the series have the woman detective wearing low cut, tight blouses. Hard to believe. Invariably this actress has about two lines of dialogue in the entire story. If police forces around the country had these beauties on the force, the line of men waiting to sign up for the Police Academy would be around the block.
3.Unbelievable gun fights. I saw a movie recently where the cop and the bad guy stood about ten feet away from each other pumping lead. Finally the villain was shot in the head while the hero miraculously was nicked in the shoulder. If you want to be kind to the movie company you could imagine the bad guy was Mr. Magoo’s father.
4. No one hardly ever gets wounded in the gun fights in which hundreds of bullets are fired. The bad guys know the policemen are wearing bullet proof Kevlar vests. It would be more believable if they shot cops in the head, knees or shoulders. Instead the cop is shot numerous times in the chest which only causes him to stagger backward then fall.
5. A professional killer often leaves something behind as a clue. Please. No pro would ever do such a careless thing. It is often silly, like he stopped to drink a glass of milk and left his fingerprints on the glass. I believe it. I believe it.
6. A woman has called 911 to report a break in. She is taken to police headquarters to make a report. In a later scene the detective drives her home. Parked, he asks her if she wants him to go into the house with her. She bravely tells him “no”. He drives away without watching her enter the house. Of course the killer is still in the house waiting for her. Really?
7. Throughout the story the detective is always packing at least one pistol. Now in the final showdown with the bad guy the detective somehow left his pistol at home or in the car or something. Anyway he faces the bad guy empty handed who never just blows the detective's head off. Endless dialogue ensues so one wonders if the ploy is to out talk the bad guy until he falls asleep.
8. Someone gets shot and is lying on the floor in agony. A cop rushes over and says the classic line “are you ok?” Needs no more comment.
9. Honest to God. There have been cop shows where a female assistant DA or a woman police commander searches an outdoor crime scene wearing, get this, spike high heeled shoes. Some have been six inch heels. Must be actresses with a great sense of balance.
