Law And More

Empathy for Serial Rapist - What Gives "Law & Order SVU" Its Depth

Finally, after decades, serial rapist Infinity is captured. Meanwhile, an oddball who revered him commits a copycat rape.

Part of the depth of "Law & Order SVU," detective Olivia Benson reflects on the reality that the original Infinity who had victimized more than 20 women was himself a victim. When a child he witnessed his brutal father raping his mother. In his twisted mind, he positioned and packaged the law enforcement official who was obsessively pursuing him as a kind of father figure. 

The meme - hurt people hurt - has become commonplace, of course, in spiritual programs. It's through that mindset that those in emotional distress are supposed to come to forgive themselves - as well as those whom they perceive did them wrong.

Sometimes that works.

In last night's episode, the prosecutor is able to forgive his father. It was that father who missed his child's baseball games and other important events because he was consumed, in "Moby Dick" fashion, with catching Infinity. 

That frees the prosecutor to get out of himself and reach out to others. At the end of the episode he comes over to play baseball with Noah, Olivia's son. The child's biological father, a criminal, is not in his life. 

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CBS Les Moonves Show Not Over - Former CEO Opts for Arbitration to Shake Loose All/Some of $120 Million Possible Severance

The dark drama of the Les Moonves alleged sexual miscount gets a sequel. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that instead of going away, Moonves is challenging the CBS board of directors' decision to deny him the possible $120 severance package. He is taking the option, specified in his severance package, to have the dispute submitted to arbitration. 

This was expected. Moonves' lawyer - Andrew Levander of Dechert - denied that his client was guilty of any inappropriate sexual behavior.

The revival of the Moonves show is an ugly development for CBS. As it searches for a new CEO it wants a fresh start. 

But this move by Moonves could also impair his own comeback. He could be perceived as an obstructionist. Who wants that type in their business? 

The usual first step in a comeback after a scandal is to lay low. 

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Booze Sales Down - Bad News for SmallLaw, Solos, AA Could Die of Natural Causes

A predicable piece of business for SmallLaw and Solos has been the DUI. 

But that could go poof, like so many other B2C niches in the legal sector.

The Wall Street Journal documents how the sale of booze keeps declining.

During 2018, it went down another 0.08%. Beer got hit the worse, with another 1.5%.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, those in alcoholic beverages are diversifying. Soon enough they could be opening spas in southwestern Arizona. 

Without the DUI, SmallLaw and solos could be even more in a pickle to land enough work to keep the lights on. 

Another institution to take a hit - maybe even collapse - is 12-step program Alcoholics Anonymous. For several years its effectiveness has been questioned. Membership is down worldwide. And, critics frequently quote from the hatchet job done by the now iconic anti-AA article in The Atlantic.

Without a nation of boozers, AA would lose its reason for being. Of course it could rebrand as Opioids Anonymous but that's not what it is about at its core. The "trusted servants" who oversee AA probably wouldn't allow that. The organization tends to be fundamentalist.

How will America be as post-boozing nation?

Could be we will sip herbal tea while watching the Superbowl. Since there is already an epidemic of loneliness we will likely be experiencing that sporting event alone. Instead of bros and sistas, there will only be our dog next to us, along with our smartphone. 

Overall we seem to have given up on socializing, unless it has a definite professional agenda. Sure, I will meet you for a drink - only one - if there is a possibility of business. 

Several years back I took my last shot at the joys of human companionship. Somehow four former college classmates and I found our way back into each other lives. It should have been predictable that would be a disaster + BigTrauma.

My father bowled alone. I will do the SuperBowl alone.

Tonight we will watch another episode of supposed friends' saga "A Million Little Things." Could be we could pick up some tips about getting back into the human interaction game.

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"S.W.A.T." - The Shemar Moore Brand in Play

Shemar Moore is iconic for portraying Derek Morgan on "Criminal Minds."

He left that series, which has been renewed for one more and its final year, to star in "S.W.A.T." His role is head of the elite team in the LAPD - Hondo Harrelson.

From the streets of LA, Hondo is supposed to play out a conflicted character whose loyalty is divided between his people back on the streets of LA and law enforcement. All that never really gelled.

Moore seems unable to get his talent around who Hondo is. There is nothing unique in his portrayal of Hondo. Also there was a desperate attempt to seduce viewers with a shot of Hondo without his shirt. On a talk show, Moore lifted his shirt to put his fitness on display. That took away from the brand equity Moore had built in the Morgan role.

So, fans wonder if Moore made a serious error or judgment leaving "Criminal Minds." There he was an anchor character.

The ratings for the second season of "S.W.A.T." have been down 19% in the key 18-49 demographic and down 9% overall. 

It's iffy if the show will make it to a third season. If it's saved it will be something Moore pulls off.

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"Blue Bloods" - Bring on the Darkness

"Criminal Minds" has been renewed for 2019-2020 but that will be its last season. 

The fate of "Blue Bloods" is still up in the air.

During its 9th season the ratings in the important 18 to 49 demographic have been down 10% and in general down 5%. Average viewership is about 8.61 million.

Initially we can be charmed by the old-line family values of the Reagan law-enforcement clan.

But then we hunger for the tragic flaws in crime-show characters like Amanda Rollins of "Law & Order SVU" and David Rossi of, yes, "Criminal Minds." 

Audience preference has tilted to the out of the box.

Otherwise "The Good Doctor" would never have made it through the first season. In real life, autistic Shaun Murphy MD would have had his license yanked the day or two after he received it. On the next episode of that series that will exactly be the plot line - the threat that he will lose his license to practice medicine.

In contrast, the wholesome and self-righteous Reagans can become tedious. I have already tuned out, both from new episodes and from the re-runs. 

The tormented souls among us, though, wonder: Suppose we grew up in the Reagan family, instead of our wildly dysfunctional ones. 

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"The Good Doctor" - In-House Counsel at the Hospital Would Yank Dr. Murphy's License

If the goings-on in "The Good Doctor" were occurring in real life, Shaun Murphy MD would have lost his license to practice medicine a few weeks into his residency.

Given his autistic syndrome, he does get distracted during medical procedures. When his mentor was diagnosed with cancer what was going on in his head interfered with treating the patient who almost died. 

That puts him and the hospital at risk for  malpractice lawsuits. Also at risk, of course, are patients' lives. 

But, "The Good Doctor" is fiction. So, Dr. Murphy might survive the ordeal in next week's episode.

Tonight was the second half of the quarantine emergency at the hospital. Because of a SARS-like virus, the ER and surrounding areas were off-limits. No one could leave or enter. Among those trapped were some with medical emergencies.

No surprise, Dr. Murphy had a meltdown during the chaos. A power that be videoed him on the floor in a fetal position. His medical colleagues knew how to get him back on his feet and serving patients. He went on to deliver a baby, saving the infant and the mother both.

Meanwhile, in another part of the quarantined area, the doctors ignored a DNR. They saved the man and got him ready for a transplant. That went fine for him but his estranged father, the donor, died after the procedure.

Two of the doctors involved are also on the hot seat, just like Dr. Murphy. The previews show that there is a push to have all three lose their licenses.

It will be interesting to see if art mirrors life.

In real life, no medical institution could "afford" both in terms of malpractice insurance and branding to have those three retain their licenses. Yes, all three are outstanding, caring medical doctors.

But there are laws. There are also expectations that medical doctors will abide by patients' wishes. Another expectation is that the surgeon won't become preoccupied during a procedure. 

Next week's episode should be interesting from a legal and public relations point of view. It could also be soul-wrenching since we know the doctors meant well. 

Surprisingly, despite this absurd plot line, "The Good Doctor" is popular. 

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Employment Contracts - Non-Disclosure Clauses and Other Mandates Which Must Be Made Bullet-Proof

The negotiation part of Megyn Kelly's exit from NBC ended last Friday. The former Fox political commentator got her full $69 million, despite an early departure from her contract. 

But the negative consequences of its ill-fated hire will play out for probably much longer than the television network could have anticipated.

At the top of the list of the fall-out could be the influence, power, and very career of network head Andy Lack.

In the New York Post article about the payoff to Kelly, Lack is cited for poor judgment. Among his "sins" was hiring this abrasive personality for a soft newsmagazine in the evening (which had been pitted against hard-hitting "60 Minutes") and the folksy late-morning segment of "Today." Kelly couldn't engage an audience.

Another error in judgment was allowing Kelly's compensation to be public. Success in television broadcasting requires team work among talent. Once the $69 million number reached insiders, it became the night of the long knives. Kelly was frozen out. That was when she had no depth of understanding of softball television. 

Could Lack wind up the scapegoat? That probably depends on how much mischief Kelly could indirectly cause.

The negotiations took so long because of the battle over what Kelly could disclose about her ordeal at NBC. That means she has an agenda to push back. She is also determined for a comeback through her strength: political reporting. With the 2020 election on the horizon, she should be receiving job offers. Any success she produces in her Next will reflect poorly on how NBC managed this star. 

A third negative spinoff could be a hit to the collective confidence at NBC. It's not difficult to conclude that it hasn't yet healed from the allegations surrounding the forced-out Matt Lauer.

Meanwhile, ABC keeps hitting homeruns.

With David Muir as anchor, its evening news programming is number-one.

Muir has taken on the mantle of a comforting Walter Cronkite for these unusual times.

Aging "20/20" is keeping the juices flowing with blockbuster two-hour segments about real-life puzzles.

Among the winners had been the probing of why Colorado husband and father Chris Watts might have committed the triple murder of wife and children. A smart move, there was no definitive explanation. More recently, we were left to connect the dots if "Baretta" actor Robert Blake was guilty of murdering his wife Bonny Bakley. 

The bottom line on the Kelly mis-hire is that she is proving to be no one to mess with. She seems to combine a Machiavellian mindset with training as a lawyer. For a while, she had been an associate at BigLaw firm Jones Day. Any organization hiring her better create a bullet-proof contract for everything ranging from the mandate to be a team player to non-disclosure before, during, and after the hiring.

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"20/20" Presented Robert Blake Saga as Legal Drama - Neglected Psychological Undertow

Big trials are big drama. 

So, no surprise, last week ABC's "20/20" featured a two-hour presentation of the criminal and civil trials connected with the murder of grifter Bonny Bakley.

She was also Robert Blake's wife and mother of his daughter.

Blake became a household name playing Perry Smith in film "In Cold Blood" and a hard-boiled detective in television series "Baretta." 

ABC parachuted in lawyer Dan Abrams to discuss the legal complexities associated with Blake's acquittal in the criminal trial and conviction in the civil one. Because of the multi-million dollar verdict in the latter, Blake went bankrupt. Currently he lives in a simple two-bedroom apartment.

What could have been a downright public service is if ABC also had included a psychological expert. Abrams noted in passing that Blake is an angry man. Most human beings who have endured deep hurt as children do carry rage. 

As "20/20" mentioned, Blake's mother and the man married to her wanted him to be aborted. But at the time it was difficult to get that medical procedure done. Blake was conceived during an affair his mother had with her husband's brother. The brother vanished. Therefore, Blake faced a life in which both his caretakers despised him. The husband beat him and later derailed his career, at least temporarily, by messing with a major studio head.

The kind of life Blake lived seemed to be a stereotypical version of those who had never learned to love themselves because of severe early trauma.

Those of us also in that pickle sure recognize the syndrome. Beneath rage is usually hurt. Top on the list of the victims of that rage are ourselves. 

For years, after a big success, such as "In Cold Blood," he would then drop out. Although he had the resources to vet Bakley before taking up with her, he didn't. 

In the current film "Bohemian Rhapsody," we see that same playout of the lack of self-love. After making it to the top of the music world, Freddie Murphy gets lost. In the process he acquires AIDS. But he is one of the rare souls who finds he can love himself and can live out the rest of his life without self-destruction. 

Blake is 85 years old. It's never too late to acknowledge the hurt from childhood and take the first steps on the journey to learn to love himself as he is. 

Currently, though, Blake remains locked in his pain. 

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BAU Gets 15th Season - We "Criminal Minds" Fans Will Get 10 More Episodes, Then Be Cut Off Forever

We got what we wanted: One more season of "Criminal Minds."

The media reports that the long-running series about totally deranged serial killers will run for a 15th season, then it's a wrap. 

There will be 10 episodes for 2019-2020. A promo tells us that in that final season a BAU member will be in serious danger. I hope it isn't JJ who has two children and already had been through the wringer with the bad guys.

Then, it's over, forever. All we will have are reruns. 

Meanwhile, some of us are still mourning the loss of the two anchor characters - Aaron Hotchner and Dexter Morgan. 

Those obsessed with work bonded with the shut-down Hotchner. Those determined to bring balance into our lives identified with Morgan's courage in establishing a solid relationship. That led to marriage and a son. 

A sad thought is that there will come a generation who never experienced how "Criminal Minds" educated the world about human pathology - and how it could be activated when there were "stressors." They may never become as hyper-cautious as some of the fans became. With all those bad guys out there, I decided not to buy the RV and travel the world. If I got a flat on a snowy night on a deserted road, some Mountain Man could show up to help - and torture me for years.

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Yesyesyes, Love Yourself As You Are

The plot line was complex. 

Last night's episode of "Law & Order SVU" began with a distraught young woman running barefoot, ringing doorbells, asking for help. She claimed she had been raped. Medical staff reports physical signs of either that or rough consensual sex.

The number-one suspect is a twosome: a high-profile plastic surgeon and his off-the-cover-of-beauty-magazine companion. They assert the woman was up for a threesome.

That contention is hard to shake. Then the SVU finds an encrypted video of the suspect, when a medical student, having sex with a minor. Eventually, a body is found in the basement of the house in which the medical student was staying. It's not that of the minor, who had disappeared from the area.

An interview with the minor's father turns out that she was distraught because she didn't see herself as pretty. No surprise, she fell under the spell of the man who had the training to make her beautiful. 

SVU gets her to crack and rat out the medical doctor. Justice is done. 

The takeaway is how vulnerable human beings become to whomever and whatever if they don't feel good about themselves. 

Meanwhile, Amanda has decided not to terminate the pregnancy and is growing large carrying her second child.

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