Wow. That really brings it home. What a great job of shining a light on so much of what I've found enormously disturbing, right from the first episode. Really effective.
It's been weird for me, watching this show, since I have three close friends who are retired cops, and I occasionally watch the show with one of them, and have discussed it with all three. They all LOVE it. They recognize that it's completely unrealistic, but they love it for the id vortex wish-fulfillment fix.
As they've put it (I'm paraphrasing, of course), cops are so often prevented from bringing about real justice by the many strict limits on what they are allowed to do. They recognize that this is necessary, as is the justice system and [at least most of] due process, but it's almost unbearably frustrating to watch so many bad guys get away with so much and be unable to do anything about it -- and that's compounded over many years of service, with ever escalating bitterness and cynicism.
I don't have any of that background, so the only way I've been able to watch and enjoy the show is to switch my critical brain all the way to OFF before turning it on. Zero relationship to reality. Fantasy world la la la ad infinitum. Look at the pretty slashy boys, oh my.
Anyway, yeah. Powerful vid, enormously effective. Awesome. I'm very glad that you made this and that fandom is talking about it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 02:38 am (UTC)It's been weird for me, watching this show, since I have three close friends who are retired cops, and I occasionally watch the show with one of them, and have discussed it with all three. They all LOVE it. They recognize that it's completely unrealistic, but they love it for the id vortex wish-fulfillment fix.
As they've put it (I'm paraphrasing, of course), cops are so often prevented from bringing about real justice by the many strict limits on what they are allowed to do. They recognize that this is necessary, as is the justice system and [at least most of] due process, but it's almost unbearably frustrating to watch so many bad guys get away with so much and be unable to do anything about it -- and that's compounded over many years of service, with ever escalating bitterness and cynicism.
I don't have any of that background, so the only way I've been able to watch and enjoy the show is to switch my critical brain all the way to OFF before turning it on. Zero relationship to reality. Fantasy world la la la ad infinitum. Look at the pretty slashy boys, oh my.
Anyway, yeah. Powerful vid, enormously effective. Awesome. I'm very glad that you made this and that fandom is talking about it.