mr. peasant
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I've recently started watching this little known series called Flashpoint, which is a police drama that focuses on a hostage negotiation team (though they do handle other cases as well). Admittedly, the reason I first started watching it was because it featured Eric Colantoni (Veronica Mars' dad) and original Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson (who is now running around with a sniper rifle!! 
).
But after watching a few episodes, I've gotta admit... the show's really grown onto me. First off, it's a nice change of pace from the CSI-style crime procedurals now dominating the genre. Rather than spending the episode playing whodunnit, there's no question who the criminal is. Instead, they spend time letting us get to know the perp-of-the-week.
Which brings me to the second reason why I like the show. It's unique in that the show highlights how criminals are often victims of their own situation (and not in the namby pamby psychology way), a theme that is often (purposefully) downplayed in other crime shows (and the media in general). In Flashpoint, the criminals are often pushed to commit crimes out of desperation, wanting to do right by someone, etc. In some episodes, you can really empathize with them and possibly might even do it yourself if placed in such a situation. One good example was in the second episode where a father holds a hospital hostage because his dying daughter got bumped down a heart transplant list when it was supposed to be her turn.
Finally, one last reason to like it is that it is fairly realistic. By this, I mean that while the good guys still always 'win', they don't always save everybody. Also, unlike CSI, they highlight the fact that killing an armed threat is not the end of the story. Rather, it's the start of a long, annoying investigation and paperwork.
All this added together makes for a very good (not to mention underrated) television series that I feel people should give a chance.
).But after watching a few episodes, I've gotta admit... the show's really grown onto me. First off, it's a nice change of pace from the CSI-style crime procedurals now dominating the genre. Rather than spending the episode playing whodunnit, there's no question who the criminal is. Instead, they spend time letting us get to know the perp-of-the-week.
Which brings me to the second reason why I like the show. It's unique in that the show highlights how criminals are often victims of their own situation (and not in the namby pamby psychology way), a theme that is often (purposefully) downplayed in other crime shows (and the media in general). In Flashpoint, the criminals are often pushed to commit crimes out of desperation, wanting to do right by someone, etc. In some episodes, you can really empathize with them and possibly might even do it yourself if placed in such a situation. One good example was in the second episode where a father holds a hospital hostage because his dying daughter got bumped down a heart transplant list when it was supposed to be her turn.
Finally, one last reason to like it is that it is fairly realistic. By this, I mean that while the good guys still always 'win', they don't always save everybody. Also, unlike CSI, they highlight the fact that killing an armed threat is not the end of the story. Rather, it's the start of a long, annoying investigation and paperwork.
All this added together makes for a very good (not to mention underrated) television series that I feel people should give a chance.
.
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