kate_nepveu | Supernatural, "Folsom Prison Blues"

[Written Thursday night when Internet-less.]

So there I was, in a hotel room surfing TV channels for acceptable background noise, and there was an episode of Supernatural, the show which it seems like half my reading list watches. Heck, why not?

Of course I would land on an episode that required stupid legal stuff for its plot—and I assure you, it was very stupid. First of all, the privilege applied. Now that I have the Internet: see the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. And even in a state that doesn't follow the model rules, I assure you that no reasonable attorney could think that she had to tell the FBI about the conversation with Dean.

Second, you think she wasn't aiding and abetting by what she actually did? It will be trivial for the FBI agent to determine that she deliberately lied [*], and that's a much bigger pile of trouble than standing on attorney-client privilege. Granted, this means the show would have had to create tension in the last act some other way, and also miss a chance to see a non-dead woman again, but surely something less stupid could have been done.

[*] Unless she didn't actually tell them the nurse's name, but still, how many nurses could've died in that particular year?

That said, I definitely noted some appealing bits about the show, though I doubt I'll watch, partly because I'm not much for spooky and partly because I just don't watch TV often. I really liked the shot of the pivoting cell doors when they first get into prison, and the actors playing the Winchester brothers are watchable (though it seemed to me that Dean stole this episode something awful). And I didn't foresee the twist about 3/4 through, though I lacked the context to know that there needed to be a twist, if that makes sense. I did catch some of the significant sibling interaction, thanks to skimming spoiler posts, which I suspect kept the episode from being just filler?

Anyway: didn't suck, not highly motivated to watch more (I'll be looking for people's spoiler posts about the next episode based on the preview, though).

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dean often steals the episode, though this one more than most: Sam was very low-energy.

Many other lawyers had the same reaction to the legal issues you did, but the writers in this show pay as much attention to legal reality as they do to the price of gas, given the car they have the Winchesters drive (especially given they're on the run in a highly distinctive car with license plates they have yet to change...).

In order to enjoy the show one is obligated to close one eye to reality and logic, and focus on the pretty and the character moments, which are rich and emotional. (Although not so much in this one, I feel.)

Just saw you on friendsfriends so I'm butting in uninvited, but I think technically the A/C privilege doesn't apply because Dean wasn't seeking legal advice from her. Perhaps she could/should have still hidden behind the broader Rule 1.6 re: confidentiality, but even then, he wasn't exactly seeking advice related to his representation. Still, yes, she "caved" way too easily, and then outright lying to a federal agent was incredibly stupid, and no, she does not rock for doing that as I've seen many people say.

But mostly that whole sequence annoyed me because I persist in thinking that Sam should know jackshit about the law: a) that's not what the LSAT tests, and b) Stanford doesn't have a pre-law major.

I dunno, I admit I was only half-listening, but ISTR that he said it was the best thing she could do to help, and she didn't *know* that it wasn't related to the representation, so I think in the absence of more information her obligation was to keep her mouth shut.

My undergrad didn't have a prelaw major either, but I was polisci and got some legal stuff--took a course on the Bill of Rights, like that. And I did some work in law offices--obviously I don't know if that's a possibility for this canon.

However, if he *should* know jackshit about the law, well then, that would explain his being wrong about the privilege, wouldn't it? =>

(And you're not uninvited; everyone's invited to public posts. Hello! And why don't I have a "law" icon?)

That's fair -- my first instinct was to say, what on earth, it does so apply, and then I tried to think why it wouldn't. But I agree, she should have kept her mouth shut.

The show's been vague about Sam's Stanford years/summers, but I think I'm also just reacting against widespread fannish inaccuracies re: his whole deal with being an aspiring lawyer. For an undergrad to grasp the concept of when privilege does and doesn't apply, I'm sort of "hmmm" about that. But I could see him taking courses like yours.

Thanks for letting me argue at you. ;-)

Though I should have said that in the law offices, I didn't learn anything about privilege! That waited until studying for the MPRE.

I dunno, is Sam a gunner? I wouldn't expect ethical obligations to be the kind of thing one learns on one's own before law school, but if in reaction to family stuff (based on my sketchy knowledge of their history) . . . ?

Anyway, Sam's still wrong. =>

In order to enjoy the show one is obligated to close one eye to reality and logic

And that, more than the spooky bits, pretty well confirms that it's not for me, as it's exceedingly difficult for me to do that. Ah well, I don't regret the hour, and at least now I get what people are liking, even if it's not for me.

Of course I would land on an episode ...

It seemed as if every time I watched TNG I would land on an episode with Q. I grew so sick of him ... one Squire of Gothos was enough, and that was in the original series! TNG fans assured me that Q only appeared half a dozen times, but I found that hard to believe.

On the other hand the only episode I've ever seen of "The Sopranos" is often hailed as the best ever. (The "Tony drives his daughter to look at colleges" episode.) It was pretty good, but if it was the best ever I don't want to see any more.

I've only seen the first season of _Sopranos_, and it wasn't my kind of thing; but just to play Devil's Advocate for a bit, is it possible that it was only the best ever if you already knew the characters some?

I feel like I've seen a disproportionate share of Q episodes too, and I don't watch the show; perhaps they get re-run more often because he's (it's?) popular?

is it possible that it was only the best ever if you already knew the characters some?

Possibly. Certainly when the subject is BTVS, which is my show, I don't recommend that beginners start with the very best episodes because they're not the best introductory episodes.

But there was nothing cryptic about the Sopranos episode, and I suspect that it's just not my kind of show. Gangsters don't appeal to me, and I found The Godfather both boring and repulsive, a fatal combination.

Maybe the Q shows do get re-run more, but I think I saw these on first run. I also saw the episode with the first appearance of the Ferengi. At this point they were nothing more than Munchkins from Hell. Oh, the pain, the pain ...

See, with me and TNG it's Barclay. I can't STAND Barclay and his creepiness, and yet every time I have seen an TMG episode but one, he was in it. And he's NOT a regular, right? How often was he in the dang show?

Incidentally, the one night I turned on Voyager and it was a Barclay episode, i screamed.

And I have no idea even who Barclay is. With me and TNG, it's like ships passing in the goldurn night.

Barclay is basically this creepy nerd who spends WAY WAY WAY TOO MUCH TIME on the holodeck, having fantasies where everyone on the ship loves him. He's the TNG Arnold/Ace Rimmer.

In the Voyager episode, he even has holodeck fantasies of showing up on Voyager and having everyone love him THERE, too. Gawd.

Ah, the holodeck. The lazy writer's easy out, whereby he can write any unrelated story he wants to and pretend it's Star Trek. Admittedly TOS did the same thing too often, but now it's a systematic excuse!

The only thing I liked about the holodeck was Worf's objection at being transported to Sherwood Forest: "Sir, I must protest. I am not a merry man." Besides "fully functional" and "I feel pain ... great pain", that's just about the only line I remember from that show.

Supernatural, "Folsom Prison Blues"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject