» Standoff: Because Hostage Negotiations are so Romantic! Options

[irishlulu]

I agree. I would have been much angrier if I was Emily. Especially when Matt told Anya it was a "bureau thing" that he couldn't meet her, as opposed to "I'm seeing someone else" which he should have said, and stopped it right then and there. He must have been somewhat flattered by the crush. But yeah, if it were me, Matt would have suffered for a while.

Oh, I definitely think she wrote that note on her windshield herself. She certainly turned into a bit of a psycho, but I'm sure it was all to do with PTSD, and the fact that she didn't get medical or mental health help.

I also think she wrote the note on the windshield herself, but I thought her intent was to keep Matt around by playing the damsel in distress card.

[Pop Culture Frea...]

I agree. I would have been much angrier if I was Emily. Especially when Matt told Anya it was a "bureau thing" that he couldn't meet her, as opposed to "I'm seeing someone else" which he should have said, and stopped it right then and there.

I agree. If I were her, I'd have given him a hell of a lot more shit for both that and for jumping to the conclusion that Emily was asking tough questions because she had a crush on Matt. That's her job! I would've been all over him for both of those things.

But I guess that also just goes back to my overall complaint about this show so far: There's no depth. Yeah, they're sleeping together, but we never see any depth to their relationship. It's annoying because there's a lot of potential.

I also think she wrote the note on the windshield herself, but I thought her intent was to keep Matt around by playing the damsel in distress card.

Me too. But I think the weird facination she had with him was still a part of the PTSD. But I agree that the windshield was just so she could call him again.

[ersatzreality]

Of all the shows this year...this turns out to the one of the few that I'm staying current, albeit a few days late.

Matt picking up a reverse-stalker was amusing, and Emily's restraint was a bit hard to believe. I guess the lack of depth in the Matt/Emily relationship doesn't bother me, especially since so many characters are television sterotypes. Plus, this show doesn't appear to have legs, i.e. if it lasts more than a couple of seasons I'd be amazed.

Then again, Matt and Emily might turn into celebrity negotiators - jetting from city to city in the US and later internationally. Yes, that's the ticket.

[Pop Culture Frea...]

I agree ersa. If Standoff continues as it is, it won't last more than a few seasons. However, I do think if they'd allow us to get a little more depth in the characters, it could have promise.

This show reminds me of Bones at the beginning. It could've just been a pseudo-procedural. It's like they want it to be a procedural with a little more heart/personal storylines. But with Bones, they've really grasped the fact that it's the personal storyline that makes it stand out and it has really been successful. I think that's what Standoff needs to do.

[Inperfect]

So it looks like I'm in the minority around these parts but I cringe whenever Cheryl Carrera appears. Her part is just so useless (as is the part of the pretty computer girl). I DVR the show but I find myself groaning when I see it on there. I don't think it's a particularly bad show, it's just not good.

[toomanysides]

So someone tell me has the series gotten better, I dropped it totally a few episodes ago (even before I only saw every other episode). I think the main problem is that there really isn't any direction to the show. The show is confused about what the focus is... Also the show is too Matt-centered. There is alot of backstory to him but I simply don't care. You can tell from the beginning this is a procedural that is going to get very old very fast. Feel free to disagree with me.

[toomanysides]

So someone tell me has the series gotten better, I dropped it totally a few episodes ago (even before I only saw every other episode). I think the main problem is that there really isn't any direction to the show. The show is confused about what the focus is... Also the show is too Matt-centered. There is alot of backstory to him but I simply don't care. You can tell from the beginning this is a procedural that is going to get very old very fast. Feel free to disagree with me.

[Pop Culture Frea...]

You're not alone, Inperfect. I feel the same way.

From TV Guide today:

Question: I was very upset to hear that Fox is canceling Justice, one of my favorite shows. One of the unique parts of this show is that at the end you are given the details on exactly how the person was killed. While at the end of other crime drama episodes, you still wonder exactly how "it" happened. Why is it that Fox is dumping Justice while going all out to save Standoff? I have tried to watch Standoff on three different occasions and have only found poor acting and even worse story lines. I feel that Fox has not even tried to help Justice with promos and advertisement but is continually doing this for Standoff.— Maribel

Matt Roush: The fact is, Fox had another lousy fall, with not even a Prison Break-sized breakthrough this year. Justice was given two chances. When it was clearly getting clobbered by Criminal Minds on Wednesdays (don't ask me why — that's the most inexplicably popular show on TV), Fox moved it behind Prison Break, which was about as good a shot as Justice was going to get. Ratings continued to stall, and given the procedural nature of Justice, there wasn't that much to promote beyond the case of the week. Whereas with Standoff, I guess Fox feels there's some potential in the mix of weekly crises and the leads' personal relationship. I don't see it, either, much as I like Ron Livingston. But Fox probably couldn't afford to cancel everything from the fall, which is why Standoff and 'Til Death got a reprieve. (And why Fox doesn't try that comedy in The War at Home's Sunday time slot is beyond me.) I understand that people get upset anytime a show gets canceled, but the writing was on the wall for Justice pretty early on. It wasn't a terrible show, but (climactic gimmick aside) it was a pretty ordinary one. At least Fox is planning to burn off some of the remaining episodes on Fridays in December.

[valsadie]

Maybe director Robert Duncan McNeill (that's "Tom Paris" to you Star Trek: Voyager fans) was just being artistic, but tonight's episode, "Peer Group,"--whose guest cast was excellent as the troubled teens, by the way--planted Gina Torres sideways behind w-i-d-e-screen LCD computer monitors and kept her in either tight closeup or distant shadowed reaction shots. Was it art--or is it pregnancy? Anybody heard anything about Gina possibly being pregnant??

[arc]

"Peer Group" was a great episode all-around. I figured Owen was the real ringleader, but the other twist, of going along because he was planning on the hostage taking going bad, did catch me by surprise.

[MAO Inhibitor]

Peer group was quite good. Stating the obvious, but the two approaches by the leads based on their experiences as teens was effective, at least for me - though I'm not sure I buy Ron Livingston as a bully. (Maybe as the smart ass kid who taunts you as his bully friend roughs you up, but not the bully himself.) Aside from that, it was a nice twist on the standard geeky kids pushed to far plot that shows up every so often...

[Richard Burns]

I liked the episode too. It had a little bit of Emily backstory and Lia defended being a nerd.

The kids were surprisingly good and the storyline was interesting. Now if only Lia could wear frameless thin glasses... I'll be in my bunk.

[Pop Culture Frea...]

I agree that it was a good ep, and also agree with MAO about the approaches of the two leads. And I also liked the bit of Emily backstory.

I also like that their boss knew they'd be together on a Sunday. Hee.

[irishlulu]

GREAT episode. It's not easy to do a Columbine type copycat well, but this one was good. I liked how Matt and Emily did a "tag team" with the negotiating. One of the best episodes so far.

[Inperfect]

Yeah clearly this isn't the show for me because I was coming to gripe about how this episode moved them one step closer to cancellation. I wish I could just stop watching but I can't do it with movies either. Once I start I have to finish no matter how awful is it.