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« Standoff
December 5, 2006
Angela was great tonight. Maybe even the best guest star of the season so far. She was a nice addition to the show because she actually made me see the hostage norms that I have come to take for granted in the last several weeks in a different light. Now I think I’ve written “Poor hostage taker” nearly every week, but it was new to hear it coming from the negotiation end. I suppose it’s a necessity for negotiators to keep some amount of emotion distance from the HTs, though. They can’t sympathize to the levels that Angela did; of course they have to choose the safety of the innocent bystander first. That said, maybe it is important to understand both the bad and the good in a criminal. Angela seemed to have a special talent for that. Even Matt and Emily pointed that out.
And while her ability to empathize was touching, my jaw hit the floor at the audacity of her call to bring in an armored truck. Now I’ve been told once or twice that I’m a smidge bossy (patently untrue, by the way), but never in a million years would I decide I know better than the F.B.I., as much as I may disagree with their decisions. Holy cow. Unfortunately, Angela soon regretted her rash decision after one of the hostages was killed. The actress who played Angela, Kym Whitley, really showed her range here, shifting from defiant to helpless to sympathetic to pigheaded to noble. I’d find that fluctuation in character hard to believe in most cases, but she really pulled it off. I especially enjoyed when she told Matt and Emily, “This is a hit,” when they wanted her to get the HTs in position for the snipers. It was one of those moments that made me stop and think, “Oh, yeah, she’s right.” I imagine the guilt she felt over that won’t soon be forgotten. What a tough decision to make.
In the midst of all this drama, Matt and Emily were again sorting through their own. I’m not sure I really understood the whole thing, though. Emily left early in the morning before Matt woke up. Got it. But what was the deal with the jackhammers? Office Space reference? I did enjoy how the various units of the hostage rescue team were gossiping amongst themselves. It’s true that we never really leave high school. I wasn’t so convinced, however, by the ending. I’m not sure “I got spooked” would be a good enough resolution for me. Matt seemed to accept it, though, so maybe the two of them are on the same page. Or maybe the fact that the situation was resolved with very little discussion is a bad thing. Talking is what they do best! Could the lack of communication point to the two of them losing interest in their relationship?
Finally, I’ll end with one last bit of Angela praise. She should win the award for the most apt statement of the year: “Your job sucks.” Very, very well said.
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Dec 5, 2006 9:41 PM
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Totally agree. Kym's performance was nothing short of brilliant.
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Dec 6, 2006 12:50 AM
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You're right Brie, that was the best line of the night. Angela went from telling Emily what a cushy life she has as a negotiator to seeing the reality of death that she faces every single day. Excellent performance.
As for the Matt/Emily "fight," it was pretty pathetic. You'd think communication would be a strong suit for those two. But love messes everyone up and I think that was the real point. Neither of them expected to actually fall in love, it was supposed to be a casual fling. Now they're scared to death because love puts you at the other person's mercy completely. That's a real problem for control freaks like them.
But they shouldn't be gossiping to their co-workers. I thought they'd already agreed to be discreet. Stupid, stupid. Liked the last line though. "Will I be getting into Portugal tonite?" Maybe he should ask if Portugal will still be there in the morning instead. 
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Dec 6, 2006 10:25 AM
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