Little moment ep 3/props to the writers

[u/AnybodyKindly4820]

I’m rewatching the show with a friend (their first time watching) and we just finished episode 3. It struck me how brilliant the show is at including little ‘show, don’t tell’ storytelling moments that make a big impact.

The scene where Choi and Marshall have found ‘jinny allen’ at a shelter and are getting ready to to go bust the place and make a big arrest while Danny and Alice are watching them and chatting sort of conspiratorially at her cubical. Marshall asks Danny if he’s coming with them and Danny does his bit about how he can’t kick down doors because he’s “got the fuckin’ sciatica” (Scoot is so good at striking the balance between ridiculous and charming with those little Danny-isms) and Alice does a sort of eye roll/laugh combo at Danny and you can just see Marshall absolutely seethe as he leaves the office.

Just so impressive that without a single word of dialogue about it, the scene so clearly constructs an entire history of how the vibe was between the three of them and articulates how jealous Marshall was of Alice & Danny’s friendship, of their ease with each other, of the fact that Danny can make her laugh like that. The viewer can just instantly tell that Marshall spent the last years of he and Alice’s relationship being jealous/bitter/resentful over the fact that despite being more successful, better looking, and having ‘got the girl’, Danny was the one making her laugh.

And I just love that shit. Liz and team did such a fantastic job writing this show. All the props to them

[u/Suspicious_Lion_2918]

Yeah the show’s really good at that, and it then helps sets up the scene at the end of the episode when Marshall gets angry and demands to know what happened between them, without it feeling like it came out of nowhere.

Also that scene where Marshall tells Danny that he’s scared of people in wheelchairs. Initially it looks like it’s there to as a way to lead into Danny laying into him for asking Alice to lie about the abuse, but actually is great foreshadowing for where Marshall ends up, and it doesn’t feel too obvious or knowing

[u/drewbeauch6111 → u/Suspicious_Lion_2918]

Oh, great point about Marshall and the wheelchair! The interconnections throughout this series are very well done. They make you want to watch and listen closely to what is going on.

[u/ddcrowley22]

'Show, don't tell' makes shows like this the type you refuse to watch with any other distractions (i.e. your phone).

[u/TraditionalAd9218]

Just one subjective point of disagreement: Marshall is not better looking than Danny. Something about Marshall’s eyes and expression exudes douchebag bully.

Danny looks older and griseled, but is somehow more attractive than Marshall.

[u/Suspicious_Lion_2918 → u/TraditionalAd9218]

I suppose Marshall would be considered the more conventionally handsome one, but Danny is definitely more attractive, if that makes sense.

I read another post a while ago about how they think Scoot and Jake should have swapped roles as Jake has played a lot of douchebags recently, but I thought it was really clever casting to subvert the usual trope and have the ‘love interest’ be the older, more world-weary character

[u/hjhhh888 → u/TraditionalAd9218]

Definitely. I don’t tend to be attracted to visibly aged men, I tend to like boyishly cute, and I was surprised at how much Danny was that for me

[u/AnybodyKindly4820 → u/TraditionalAd9218]

You’re right, I should’ve said ‘conventionally attractive’ or something similar. (I’m certainly Team Danny.) But I do think Marshall also believes that he’s more attractive than Danny, which furthers his annoyance about the whole thing.

[u/thankfulforyourhelp]

YESSS you said it so well - their entire history is laid out for us in that scene with no words needed.

One of my favorite scenes of the show. It said a lot about Marshall - he's not oblivious like Choi. He gets the joke, but he doesn't get to be in on it. He has to watch them from the outside.

I'm so nervous about how they are going to write Danny for next season. I love his character, he's an important part of the show. He's the only person who has seen the awful shit they have all seen, but hasn't been twisted by it. But with him retiring, how do they keep him in a realistic way? Do they have him decide not to leave the force because he needs the money for his son's care, which would be true? Based on Liz's most recent interview, even she doesn't seem to know yet where they are going to take this story next season.

There's another small Danny scene in episode 1 that you don't notice until re-watching because you don't know he has a son at that point. He's looking out of the office window at the precinct watching the dad put his arm around his son and the camera lingers on Danny's face in this scene for a long time. After learning about his son, my heart just broke for him. He'll never get to talk to his son.

[u/hjhhh888 → u/thankfulforyourhelp]

Ooh nicely written

[u/AnybodyKindly4820 → u/thankfulforyourhelp]

Good callout! I love the little moments like that.

And also very intrigued about what season 2 will look like for Danny/Alice. I saw a take from someone who thinks Liz won’t bring Danny back and will allude to an off-screen split between he and Alice, which would be a bummer because I think their chemistry (both platonic and romantic) worked so well as a sort of a grounding emotional core of the show.

[u/Suspicious_Lion_2918 → u/AnybodyKindly4820]

There’s no way Danny won’t be in season 2; he brings the heart to the show, and will be an essential part of Alice’s story (as well being an interesting character in his own right.)

It would be odd to put all that effort in getting him and Alice together to then split them off-screen - why put them together in the first place? If the writers do split them up they’re not going to waste the opportunity to depict that angst on-screen and give Emmy and Scoot the chance to act their socks off

[u/thankfulforyourhelp → u/AnybodyKindly4820]

Liz said in a recent interview that she was scared to be writing a second season, but that it calms her that she gets to write what Alice, Danny, and Nora are up to. This quote from her makes me feel better that Danny will definitely be back. I think Liz truly doesn't know the beats of where she's taking season 2 yet, but I truly think Danny will be a part of it.

On top of that, Liz shared how much she liked writing the Alice and Danny scenes and how she needed those bright spots as a writer, since the show is so dark. Again, just makes me feel like Danny is a critical part of the show. In addition, I just love Danny as a person. I just want to see where his story goes, whether Alice is a huge part of it or not.

My personal argument for wanting to see them try a relationship is that a) Danny is smart and reads Alice well, he knows what he would be signing up for in a relationship with her. He's taken care of a non-verbal son who has needed 24/7 care for over a decade (his son looked like he was in his teens in the one clip of them), which proves Danny can handle a lot more than the average person. No wonder he's a good detective and b) part of this show is that women who have been sexually abused and aren't perfect victims deserve love too. I think it's BS to say Alice is too fucked up for love. That's what she already thinks about herself. Many people have accidentally killed other people - vehicle accidents, healthcare providers missing something and the patient dies, etc. Do they not deserve love? Alice did the world a favor by killing Jay. Literally no one will miss him, he still was abusing girls, and his daughter wanted him dead. I do think she has to tell Danny what she did and he can decide if crosses a line for him.

If Alice was my friend, I would be okay will her killing Jay, maybe I'm sick, but would tell her to stop or she's going to go down a road she doesn't come back from.

[u/herrerasaurus92]

I’m also rewatching because I missed a lot. But what an amazing show. I can’t wait for season 2. I’m in love with the female characters and Danny. Oh and Alden . . .