# Is Major Crimes totally predictable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 27, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116 "2017-03-27T02:14:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/1 "2017-03-27T02:14:35Z")
Does anyone else watch this show? I just got done watching an episode on the DVR, and it seemed to follow a pattern that all the episodes have followed for the last maybe, season and a half. It opens with the squad at a crime scene, discussing incongruities, which there always are. Then, before the first commercial, they interview witnesses or family members who fill them in on the background of the victim. Next, we are introduced to increasingly more likely suspects, until it looks like one is going to be arrested-- the DA is even there talking plea bargains. Then, surprise! It’s the family/friend/neighbor who was interviewed in the first 15 minutes. Is it just confirmation bias, or do a lot of episodes really follow this pattern? I know they have some stories that go on for several episodes, and sometimes there’s a departure-- they sometimes even follow a “Prime Suspect” pattern where we know who did it, they just can’t arrest him, because they don’t have the evidence. But it really seems like lately the self-contained episodes have been following this one pattern. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/2 "2017-03-27T04:32:21Z")
I think it has gone downhill really bad, but I’d say it has a different pattern. A crime is committed. Rusty has a personal crisis Someone is suspected (Provenza: It’s always the spouse.) They never get a lawyer. Rusty pouts over his personal crisis. He and Gus may break up. The Constitution is shit on Rusty solves his crisis. The original accused is guilty. They confess (if they didn’t confess, there’s no evidence for a trial). Rusy does something heartwarming. Seriously, there’s no subtlety or surprise anymore. And if it isn’t the specific intention of the show to portray the LAPD as a bunch of bullies and thugs, well, they’re doing a good job anyway. I had my problems with Brenda Leigh and her tactics, but not to the extent of this show. And they have a former IA captain as their boss. Maybe she should pay more attention to her squad. And now that her and Flynn are involved, are they going to go to different departments, or is the show going to ignore that? ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/3 "2017-03-27T17:01:27Z")
Yes, but I still watch it, just as I still watch NCIS. Sometimes I am comfortable with predictability and use the show almost as background noise. And it relaxes me. Sometimes I do want some unexpected drama, though. So if someone rushed in and said, “Rusty was hit by a bus and died at the scene!” , you can bet I’d sit up and really start watching! Probably with a huge smile on my face. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/4 "2017-03-27T17:34:54Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > Sometimes I do want some unexpected drama, though. So if someone rushed in and said, “Rusty was hit by a bus and died at the scene!” , you can bet I’d sit up and really start watching! Probably with a huge smile on my face. You have to realize, MC isn’t a police procedural, or even a cop show at all. It’s a drama about a young gay man living in LA told from his perspective. Whose mom only happens to be a cop. The episodes are told from Rusty’s POV, which is why the crime part makes little sense. Rusty barely understands half of what is going on. (Imagine _Flowers For Algernon_ except in a police station with Rusty narrating.) He’s just describing things the best he can. Lack of evidence? Illegal procedures? Killers with stupid motives? Just blame Rusty - he’s the one telling the story. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/5 "2017-11-09T15:23:39Z")
Anyone watching the new, final, season? It’s a one-crime season long arc. (well, technically at this point, it isn’t even a crime yet. Two missing teens, and one dead of natural causes. Probably.) Oh, plus a useless tacked on Stroh arc that I just fast forward through. Rusty’s life is threatened! He’s our only hope to get Stroh. Rusty wants a gun. He’s the best assistant DDA Hobbes ever had! Just call him Rusty Stu. The police are shown to be even more bullying and constitution shredding than last season. And do the show runners hate the Catholic church _that_ much? Plus, this isn’t Fritz’s FBI anymore. The Feds are shown to be a hindrance and inept at best., actively counter productive and tools of the trump admin policies at worst. It’s not so much a show any more as it is a political screed. I never thought I’d long for the subtle investigative skills and tact of Brenda Leigh. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/6 "2017-11-09T16:09:06Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Someone is suspected (Provenza: It’s always the spouse.) They never get a lawyer. > Rusty pouts over his personal crisis. … I find the Provenza maxim charming. The _very predictable_ Rusty stuff, however, is just a flat out show killer. Anyway, this is the last season. Maybe Rusty will get offed in A Very Special Episode. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/7 "2017-11-09T21:42:45Z")
Plus two new characters we didn’t need, and where the hell is Julio? (I know — his mother died.) I want to see Sharon kill Stroh; I don’t want to see Rusty do it. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/8 "2017-11-09T22:43:47Z")
Anyone else think Sharon is going to die at the end? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/9 "2017-11-09T22:48:59Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Plus two new characters we didn’t need, and where the hell is Julio? (I know — his mother died.) I want to see Sharon kill Stroh; I don’t want to see Rusty do it. I missed missing him. What is the real story? Where is he, and why isn’t he on the show? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/10 "2017-11-13T03:24:41Z")
It’s my understanding that Raymond Cruz was shooting a couple of episodes of another show (is he on “Better Call Saul?” I don’t watch it) and therefore unavailable. I hope that when he returns, these new, superfluous folks will fade back into the Formica. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/11 "2017-11-13T05:32:33Z")
I watch it. It has gotten quite hokey lately. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > A crime is committed. > Rusty has a personal crisis > Someone is suspected (Provenza: It’s always the spouse.) They never get a lawyer. > Rusty pouts over his personal crisis. He and Gus may break up. > The Constitution is shit on > Rusty solves his crisis. > The original accused is guilty. They confess (if they didn’t confess, there’s no evidence for a trial). > Rusy does something heartwarming. That about sums it up. It’s still not as bad as it’s predecessor. It’s hard for a LEO to watch any cop show, but “The Closer” was really, really factually incorrect. I thought these types of shows had police consultants or something? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2017, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/12 "2017-11-13T06:18:12Z")
Actually, I think your question should be “ARE Major Crimes totally predictable?” And no, they’re not. _Minority Report_ was just a sci-fi film, not a documentary… ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/13 "2017-11-16T05:40:41Z")
Tonight they intermingled the terms “suppressor” and “flash suppressor”. What they meant to talk about is a “sound suppressor” (AKA silencer) but used the term “flash suppressor” first. A suppressor and flash suppressor are not the same thing. Don’t know the regs in California, but there are no federal licensing requirements I know of for simple flash suppressors. Also, the FBI doesn’t perform warrantless inspections of gun dealers. Those duties are performed by the BATFE. I’ll have to look at the regulations but I honestly don’t know if I even have to show an FBI agent my bound book without a warrant or court order… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/14 "2018-01-11T15:59:59Z")
Well, it ended. Surprises? None. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Anyone else think Sharon is going to die at the end? Not at the end, but two before. But not murdered, instead, heart failure. (one could interpret that she committed suicided by cardiomyopathy). Of course, by dying before the end, she couldn’t express her extreme displeasure at the (effectively) police-sanctioned murder of Stroh. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but how does this show make LAPD look that everyone in MC, plus the chief, were all for murdering a suspect (excuse me, “threat actor”. What a stupid term!) in cold blood. > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I hope that when [Julio] returns, these new, superfluous folks will fade back into the Formica. Sorry, no. They were not only all there at the end, but they are apparently going to stay, and continue to shit on the constitution into the future. > [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I want to see Sharon kill Stroh; I don’t want to see Rusty do it. Sorry, not even Lt “By any means necessary” Provenza could kill him. What a wuss. Provenza for episodes is promising to kill Stroh, but when it came down to it, he couldn’t do it. It took Rusty outright murdering him (including literal overkill) to end it. But Provenza will take the blame/credit. Whoopie. > [@ftg](#): > > Anyway, this is the last season. Maybe Rusty will get offed in A Very Special Episode. Nope, just contrived forced romance with Gus, lots of pouting, too much Rusty not listening nor following orders, and now he’ll get a job working in the DA’s office, as a prosecutor! Well, considering both the fictional and actual LA prosecutors, he can’t be much worse than what they already have. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/15 "2018-01-11T16:35:31Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It took Rusty outright murdering him (including literal overkill) to end it. But Provenza will take the blame/credit. Whoopie. Stroh was reaching for the gun in his ankle. Provenza would not be able to see it because Stroh was partially shielded by the counter. If Rusty had NOT shot Stroh, pretty good chance that Provenza would end up shot. I’m not sure that qualifies as “outright murder”. It’s problematic because he is not a LEO, so the “easier” path is for Provenza to claim he did it. But from an ethical framework, Rusty potentially saved his life. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/16 "2018-01-11T16:53:02Z")
> [@beagledave](#): > > Stroh was reaching for the gun in his ankle. Provenza would not be able to see it because Stroh was partially shielded by the counter. If Rusty had NOT shot Stroh, pretty good chance that Provenza would end up shot. > > I’m not sure that qualifies as “outright murder”. It’s problematic because he is not a LEO, so the “easier” path is for Provenza to claim he did it. But from an ethical framework, Rusty potentially saved his life. I agree mostly with your post. I’m not sure it was clear Stroh was actively going for his gun, rather, that Rusty shot him anyway, and Stroh just happened to be carrying. It might be clearer if I rewatched it, but I’m never going to watch MC again. 🙂 In reality, Provenza could have shot Stroh without him having the knife in his hands. All he had to do was say he was carrying it, and dropped it after being shot. Not even a purely honest, no “thin blue line”, review board would say the shooting was anything but justified. Despite my being against state sanctioned murder, I still think Brenda Leigh should have shot Billy Croleick when he showed up at her house to “say goodbye”. It would also have been approved by the shooting board (if she planted a knife or similar, easy to do). And it isn’t like she hadn’t already “murdered” a couple (deserving) folk by then. I may be a hypocrite, but I see a storytelling difference between one lone “bad actor” and institutionalized corruption in the entire department. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-major-crimes-totally-predictable/783116/17 "2018-01-11T18:37:54Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I agree mostly with your post. I’m not sure it was clear Stroh was actively going for his gun, rather, that Rusty shot him anyway, and Stroh just happened to be carrying. It might be clearer if I rewatched it, but I’m never going to watch MC again. 🙂 > . They spent some time earlier showing Stroh trying to decide whether to have his gun or knife out…and then leaving the gun in the ankle. I have a hard time thinking it was just to kill 10 seconds of the series finale 😉