Let me take a moment to applaud The Closer

I've complained a lot about how television shows involving the criminal justice system tend to get the law wildly wrong - and not just wrong, but consistently wrong in a direction that makes it seem like it's a lot easier for criminals to get away than is actually the case. And it's galling, because it contributes to ideas in the public mind that defendants have too many rights, and we need to eternally restrict them.

A lot of the time, these stories play out by having the criminal sue, or threaten to sue, the police - thus creating a lot of drama over whether a good cop will end up getting fired or being bankrupted because of a frivolous lawsuit. Once again, the reality is, it's very very hard - often impossible - to sue the cops or other law enforcement people, but these shows make it look like the courts are eternally tilted in favor of criminals.

Which is why I'm so pleased about this ongoing storyline on The Closer.

( Spoilers )

Today's XMFC Rec

A Degree of Hope. It's a massive, 77k words, always-a-girl!Erik AU in which Shaw has no role; instead, Charles and Erika meet at Oxford. But Erika is just as fierce as Erik from the movie. The characters are very well-developed and - to be honest - often very unlikeable in a way you don't usually see in fic; it's Charles/Erika and the author labels it "fixit," but it's not the kind of id-vortex romance I usually go for.

Anyway, it's really engrossing and a fascinating read.