MovieChat Forums > Tommy (2020) Discussion > A worthwhile premise, squandered

A worthwhile premise, squandered


Edie Falco as an NYPD deputy chief transplanted to run LAPD ... potentially great idea, spoiled by lazy, predictable writing. I've lived all my life in either LA or NYC, & I've always been intrigued by the contrast between the two departments. Even before leaving LA for NYC in '96 I expected the NYPD by & large to have better people skills, & my direct experience confirms this.

Only recently I learned that many of the principle differences were initiated by Bill Parker in '50s, eg. taking cops off the sidewalks & putting them into radio units, or reducing the overall number of police vis a viz citizens all in an effort to reduce the corruption he believed was endemic to the department.

So here's an opportunity to highlight & explore some of the contrasts between both the departments & the cities ... but no. They'd rather update McMillan & Wife, where the top brass gets involved in every quotidian bit of police work, essentially solving every case with native wisdom the rest of the 10,000 or so other cops lack. Tommy's got nothing to learn, but everything to teach—how did they ever get along without her?

Sure, Tommy's gay (one thing that hasn't changed is that the woman in the man's job has to have the man's name); there #metoo & plenty of social justice.

Five episodes in & despite my love of shows set in LA—an ever shrinking subset of the total—I don't think I care to continue.

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Only a woman can do a man's job. Men have all lost it. None are brave anymore. None are smart anymore. Thank God womerns are here to save the day.

Bows to female supremacy.

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But only as long as they're called "Tommy" or "Mack" or "Steve" or "Vic" .... lol!

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