MovieChat Forums > Blind Justice (2005) Discussion > Bittersweet nostalgia -- and a highly un...

Bittersweet nostalgia -- and a highly unofficial poll

posted 19 years ago by jkendaljr
39 replies | jump to latest

To Zuzuu and Shmeep, drkalgren, birdofire, printsofdarkness, angel, and all of you who have been far too quite for the past few days . . . .

We've written the letters, we've signed the online petition, and it's time to open the dialogue again. With two more episodes to go, there is still much to say and discuss.

I'll start. Favorite episodes, anyone?

Zuzuu would probably vote for "Seoul Man," and I'd love to hear her thoughts. For me, looking back, it is still "Up on the Roof," and here's why. Although "Seoul Man" was instrumental in resolving any number of issues -- Galloway pronounces Dunbar fit for duty, Dunbar and Marty start to resolve their complex (and highly entertaining) working relationship, each starting to pay credence to each other's POV -- "Up on the Roof" still has a powerful resonance that cannot be denied. As important as Jim's conflict with Marty was, far more important, and central, to me was Jim's coming to terms with Terry Jansen's betrayal at the bank, that one act of perfidy and cowardice that changed everything. "Up on the Roof" was tautly and sensitively crafted -- and acted -- with flashes of the kind of somber, reflective stillness that sets "Blind Justice" head and shoulders above all other network fare.

If I had to describe it in one word I would say haunting.

The dream sequence opening, reworking in slow-mo nightmare the good days with Christie, and then the shootout. "We really need you out there, Jimmy." The bitter argument with Galloway: "Is this who you are, Jim?" The scene where Karen pulls the "rag" out of the tar bucket, and Dunbar's face when he, quietly, says, "This isn't a rag: this is a handkerchief." The AMAZING scene by the river with Terry Jansen. (Great work by Sonny Martinelli.) That heartstopping moment when Jim pulls out the handkerchief and holds it up, and you just know that, for one brief painful moment, he is so wishing he could see the expression on Terry's face. So well written, so well directed, so subtly played. And the final scene -- again, written and played with such restraint and stillness -- with that KILLER last line, murmured so you almost had to strain to hear it: "I'd rather lose my sight than my courage." Incredibly strong and lovely, and just reinforces why we will all miss this show terribly.

I have to say I miss some of the darkness and complexity of the earlier episodes, although "Doggone" was definitely there. It is Dunbar's journey of expiation and redemption that fueled this show -- and, of course, Ron Eldard's charismatic and utterly persuasive performance -- and, as much as we all want the character to "heal up" and get it right . . . in purely dramatic terms the journey is always more interesting than the destination.

That said, I'm sure we'll be back to dark and conflicted next week with "Under the Gun." And there is the last (sob) episode, in which I'm hoping Bochco & Co. will once again give us the layered intensity of the pilot -- which has got to go down as one of the tightest, most amazing 40 minutes ever. It should win an Emmy for editing, if for nothing else . . . and here's hoping the Emmy voters, sitting at home watching their DVDs, will realize the true value and brilliance of "Blind Juctice."

Thoughts, anyone?

[–] randjplu 19 years ago

There are some moments in the episode that just stick with me. First when they meet Titus at the church. The reverend stops Dunbar and tells him he senses that Dunbar knows what it is like to be treated unfairly. Jim gives him his word he won't do that to Titus then they show him touching each one of the pews on his way out.

When Jim goes to see Terry at his house. He is sitting there trying to get Terry to admit he shot himself when Terry starts to get angry. He looks at Jim and tells him he is not the same guy he used to know. When Eldard looks at him and says "ya, tell me about it" it is just dead on and an amazing moment. In the same scene as Jim is leaving and Terry smacks him and tells him not to come back.

In one of the last scenes before Terry shows up to talk to the boss, Marty walks up and asks Jim to go bowling then to shoot pool. If you watch closely you see Karen looking daggers at Marty. Yet, for the first time Jim seems to be lightening up a little. He says "Put those bumpers in the gutter and I'm a killer." Then when Marty asks if he shoots pool Jim answers "Probably not as well as I used to Marty."

And absolutely I agree the last scene where Jim says he'd rather lose his sight than his courage. It was during this scene where I first noticed the "Eldard lip bite." He does it a lot and everytime it is effective. ***sigh*** I am going to miss this show so much. Ron Eldard is amazing. Still holding out hope, the petition is over 600 now!

I gotta go watch Up on the Roof while I have a few minutes.

[–] Shmeep 19 years ago

Sorry for being so silent! That's not like me...although I do have a tendency to lurk, especially when everyone else is already expressing so many of my opinions.

I don't know if I can just blurt out a favorite episode because every time I think of one, another comes to mind that I like for different reasons. I will say that the only one I didn't much care for was Rub a Tub Tub...and even that one was still pretty good.

I really love Up on a Roof and Seoul Man, of course, but each episode has at least one scene I want to watch repeatedly because something about it resonates with me. In the Pilot, it is the Jim/Christie conflict in the kitchen. ("You're going to do this NOW?") In Four Feet Under, I love the scene with Jim describing his blindness to the kid, the whole party scene, and the fight when they got home ("I guess 'cause I can't see I got no balls!") In Rub a Tub Tub, I love the Jim/Marty exchanges...particularly relating to dandruff shampoo (especially when Fisk asks about it) and his reconnection with Sonny (I love it when people who knew him as sighted have to deal with him as blind). In Up on a Roof, I love the awkwardness between Jim and Terry, the scene in the church, really everything that others have already described better than I can do here.

Marlon's Brando was moving to me in that the whole episode was about how emasculated Jim feels. When Marty says, "better send Karen and Jim. I think she'd feel more comfortable talking to women--a woman," Jim's face is heartbreaking. And he gets hit repeatedly during that episode with the theme of being helpless and not a real man. I love his visit with Galloway when Galloway reassures him that he experienced the same trauma as Karen, whether he saw it or not. (I think it was worse for him because he didn't know what was happening until after Marlon shot himself. He spent the moments before that thinking that Karen might get shot and he was helpless to protect her.)

Seoul Man was just great. The three-legged dog comment was classic. My one-legged friend used to hear things like that all the time. "You have one leg? Well, my aunt's retarded." But of course the best part was the final showdown between Jim and Marty and the look on Jim's face when Marty told him no one wanted him there. (you can see it here: http://photobucket.com/albums/y8/blindjusticecaps/Seoul%20Man/more%20caps%20here/?action=view&current=bscap619.jpg)

Leap of Faith showed us Jim feeling comfortable in a social setting. I didn't like him beating the guy up, but I love the moment we get to see Russo watching it through the mirror with a little-boy "whoa!" expression on his face. Past Imperfect is one of my favorites. We got to see a whole different side of Jim through his interactions with Greg (I think that was his name...blanking right now). We saw him showing great compassion and being strong when someone needed him. It may have been the first time since losing his sight that someone needed him to be strong in that way and I think it gave Jim confidence and showed him how much worth he still has. That moment in the bar at the end was beautiful...Jim describing his mental image of Greg and then summing it up with, "I still see you that way." In Your Face stands out because of the Chess scene and the way the squad was crazy to learn what was up with Jim and Karen. The mouthing was rude, but very funny...especially when Jim caught them at it. The "drink and walk" comment seemed like a turning point with those guys. There was a moment of uneasy silence and the feeling of "uh-oh. Are we on joking terms with this guy about THAT yet?" and then the comfortable laugh and Jim's "That's not right" that set them all at ease. Even better was the next moment when Tom said, "Can you imagine that?" and Marty replied with a firm "No" accompanied by an expression that said a lot more than his verbal response. The haunting Moon River sequence elicited a "wow" from me when I first saw it.

Doggone had a lot of nice moments. I loved Jim reading the sign. (you can see it here: http://photobucket.com/albums/y8/blindjusticecaps/Doggone%20it/more/?action=view&current=bscap558.jpg) (Sorry...I don't know who posts all these screencaps, but it's fun to go through them.) I also loved how he protected the others in the squad while telling the Chief of D's about how he came to be lost in NJ. The looks exchanged by Selway and Russo at that moment said it all. Jim could easily have saved face at the expense of the others and he chose not to do it. And I'm sure I join everyone else in loving the whole Hank Reunion scene.

Dance with Me was also full of nice moments for me. Jim really came into his own throughout his interaction with Pete. He was shown how far he had come and was thrust into the position of mentor. The scene with Selway ("How could you not feel my blackness?") was the funniest so far.

Sorry I couldn't pick just one.

[–] drkallgren 19 years ago

Thank goodness jkendaljr & shmeep have the words to express much I what I feel about this show. But as silly as it sounds, I am mourning my favorite show (and weekly appearances by my favorite actor -- Ron Eldard) and I just don't have the words.

I do have to say that I think the pilot really stands on its own as a mini-theatrical movie. From the quick cuts at the bank to the camera's eavesdropping on Jim's first day. Jim's reaction to seeing Terry for the first time after the accident, Jim having to defend himself to everyone, the snap crackle pop of the argument with Christie..... But there are so many moments in all the eps (so far) that are so great that I, too, am compelled to watch them over and over.

I hope everyone boycotts ABC tomorrow (May 24) night. Serves them right.

[–] jkendaljr 19 years ago

So many moments, so many . . . .

Back to the pilot. After the argument with Christie -- "Now, you want to do this now?! -- when Jim walks across the living room, takes off his jacket and hangs it on the chair, gets the ball out of the desk drawer, and then sits down and starts flipping it against the wall. Did anyone else notice (and here's to the brilliance of the set designers) that the wall is scarred, pitted, the green paint almost gone? How much time has this guy spent spent over the past year, flipping that damned ball against that same spot in the wall, brooding and honing his reflexes?

The tiny, telling moments.

In "Marlon's Brando," when Karen askes him to "play up the blindness" and talk to the women whose face has been slashed. The resoluteness on his face -- "I'll give it a shot." -- and then the expression of compassion on Karen's face, so quick it's almost lost, when he shakes out his cane and fumbles for the door latch. And later, in that episode, in the scene with Galloway, the amazing close-up when Galloway askes him if he's starting to question his ability to do the job. Maybe the best scene with Galloway of all, and they were all nuanced and compelling and, ultimately, heartbreaking.

So many moments.

More, anyone?

[–] mlm828 19 years ago

A single favorite episode? No way. Here are my top four, in no particular order.

"Up on the Roof" -- for the same reasons others have stated here.

"Seoul Man" -- probably the most powerful episode to date. It's hard to call it a "favorite," when it's so difficult to watch Jim getting slammed from all directions throughout the episode, but it's a very important episode in the development of the characters and the overall story line of the series. I won't repeat what's already been said, but will offer one additional observation about the Dunbar-Russo conflict. The writers drew out the conflict to the point where everyone, viewers included, was thinking, "This cannot continue," then resolved it brilliantly, at exactly the right time.

"Doggone" and "Dance With Me" -- for the way they show Jim beginning to reconcile who he is since losing his sight. It's no longer about showing he can do the job and being accepted by the rest of the squad, but defining his new identity as a blind person.

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] jkendaljr 19 years ago

Come back, Zuzuu/Shane, come back!

You can always say what hasn't been said before, in your own and amazingly perceptive way.

Here's something to talk about . . . am I the only one who misses the pissed-off, angry, and utterly conflicted Dunbar from the first half of the show? I know, I know, we all want Jim to make the journey safely and "heal up." But where does that put us in terms of compelling drama? Isn't that what first drew all of us to "Blind Justice" initially, the fact that it was dark and gritty and uncomfortable and so very un-network? The fact that Dunbar was a conflicted mess with enough baggage to fill the hold of the QMII?

Wasn't it really that, for the first and perhaps only time, we were being treated to a prime time "hero" who was really an anti-hero?

If Dunbar gets it all together: "embraces his blindness," as Stephen Bochco said would happen by the end of the 13-episode arc; works out his troubled relationship with his wife (Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, Zuzuu, I am liking her more with every viewing, as I have come to appreciate Rena Sofer's performance); comes to terms with himself as blind man first and a cop second, as witness his counseling Pete in "Dance With Me"; has attained, through much sturm und drang, solid working relationships with and the respect of everyone in the squad, Russo included . . . .

Where does that leave us in terms of conflict?

The more I think about it, Zuzuu, the more I think you were dead on when you said that the folks at Bochco & Co thought, "We've got thirteen, we may not get another shot, so let's really, really go for it."

Not that I wouldn't KILL (or slash Stephen Macpherson's tires) for a second season. If ABC sticks to their plan and we get reruns in August (which, for all I know, may have been a condition of their taking the show in the first place), wouldn't it just be plain sublime if the ratings went up? (The ABC show "Less than Perfect" is coming back mid-season. Who knows? It would have to be network for "Blind Justice" to live or nothing -- the buzz says it's too expensive for cable.) But, as I've said here before, at least it gives us another chance to pester ABC with letters and emails of support.

I'll bet you fifty cents and an unopened box of Cracker Jacks that Episide 13 concludes with an echo of the end of the pilot, Jim and Hank walking off confidently . . . how did they ever get that flock of pigeons to rise up at the perfect moment?

Thoughts?

[–] randjplu 19 years ago

OK, since you are still talking about Up on the Roof, I have to add two more scenes. They are ridiculously subtle, barely noticeable, but they moved me. While Jim is in Galloway's office talking about the situation with Terry. Galloway gets up and changes chairs while Jim is talking. He sits down and responds, Jim snaps his head around. In the same scene, the camera cuts to a long shot of Jim sitting in the chair. He is talking to Galloway and taps his feet ever so slightly. I have no idea why, but these two things stuck out to me.

Oh and one more. When he is in the hospital speaking to the husband. The husband says it is his wife in there, Jim says he understands. The husband tells him he doesn't and Jim responds that he has been married five years. The husband says it is a "little different" for Jim. The look on Eldard's face is priceless. He plays Jim as flabbergasted and (as someone said earlier in the thread) totally emasculated. But he keeps his cool, and keeps on going. It reminded me of the earlier episode where he worried that his anger might boil over when it starts to heat up.

[–] randjplu 19 years ago

Oops, I mixed a little Marlon's Brando into that post. I just re-watched that and it was a great episode. I love the end where Christie tells him he's her man and he's still got the gun. Oh that smile!

The petition is up over a thousand and still growing!

[–] jkendaljr 19 years ago

Another moment from "Marlon's Brando" that completely blew me away -- and truly, wasn't this episode about Jim's frustration? -- was when, after he and Karen burst into Marlon's apartment and he crashes into the perp (forget his name for the moment). They're down on the floor, and the guy sees his cane and scornfully says, "A blind cop?" And Jim, who is clearly at the end of his string, whips the cane in two and bashes the guy across the shins with it. Lightening fast, and, to me, almost as shocking to many others as his laying into Warren Doyle in "Leap of Faith." But, as in "Leap of Faith," in my view entirely warranted.

Which only goes to reinforce -- yet again -- that this show is made up of the small, telling momemnts that need to be seen repeatedly, and which resonate.

Oh, how they resonate.

Re "Dance With Me": Am I the only one who thought Jim looked 100% uncomfortable in the dance class, and was only going through it for the sake of Christie? Did he ever look relaxed, even for a moment? Don't think so, any more than he truly looked pleased when she first presented the idea to him, Fred Astaire quip notwithstanding.

And why does Christie Dunbar insist on filling their apartment with lighted candles? I'm guessing she probably wants to maintain a "normal" atmosphere, but . . . uh . . . doesn't this seem a bit hazardous with a blind man in the house, even one who knows the space as well as he does?

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] kcandkids3 19 years ago

The candles do seem dangerous for Jim but I guess he's used to them. The other annoying thing I've found is the common use of the phrase "I guess I'm just not in the mood for a conversation." or "I wasn't looking for a conversation." I have heard that line in probably every other episode. It was in the pilot when he's sitting on the counter after work, a few episodes ago when he's at home sitting at the counter using that machine that reads his money, and the last episode when Christie was getting ready for work and had answered Jim's cell phone. I'm sure there have been more but after hearing that phrase so often I find it annoying now. If there is anyone that needs to have a conversation it's Jim and Christie.

[–] Masseyleerose 19 years ago

So they have candles. It's for Christie's benefit. She wants a romantic setting, and Jim knows they are there. He can smell them, and feel the heat they give off, they make it more romantic for him too.
Did anybody notice in the episode where Karen was asking Jim how he liked Nick, that he was drinking his coffee next to the window where he could feel the sun.
Candles give off heat, I think they are a nice touch, and Jim and Christie are trying to keep that romance.

[–] angel_6445 19 years ago

Actually I have a friend who is blind. She loves to have candles lit in her house. My friend is careful about the type of candles though...She only uses jar candles and they are in the middle of tables where they won't be knocked over.

[–] dogma01 19 years ago

i give up,, i have registered for photo bucket,, but i get stuck going in circles,, i can't get the blind justice albums,, no matter how i try,, i just get asked for the names of my albums,, i copy and paste the info listed in above posts,, but i'm stuck

what's the secret? would love to ck it out,, am going thru withdrawal,, i did survive this tues at 10 pm,, but not well,, sigh,,,

<< your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries >>

[–] Birdofire1 19 years ago

They were all my favorites although I had my favorites amongst favorites... I would have to watch them all again to come up with a decent post. Unfortunately I probably won't be able too, I have the next two weeks pretty well filled and won't have the time to watch any of them. I'm a bit worried that I'm gonna miss an episode too, I'll have to dismantle my TV & VCR while I'm at it :( Be sure to watch it for me in case I have questions!! :):):)

Ladies don't start fights... but we can finish 'em!

[–] angel_6445 19 years ago

Hey gang...sorry so quiet these days. My disappointment with ABC as a network mounts with each passing day and my disappointment over Blind Justice being cancelled increases along with it. (AND I've been having some computer issues since Thursday...couldn't stay connected for more than like 5 minutes if I was lucky, but problem seems to have fixed itself).

I can't pick a favorite episode =O) I have favorite moments from each one. I love all of the interaction between Marty and Jim...they have that "I wanna be the bigger bully" mentality with each other. Like two little kids each wanting to be the big dog. Reminds me of two little boys my mom used to watch. The bickered right up until they realized that they had common ground...baseball =O). I'm reminded of those two every time I see Marty and Jim together. My all time favorite Marty and Jim moment was in Doggone when Marty offered to take Jim to look for Hank. Such an amazing moment that hits home the fact that they're on the right track.

I'm even growing to like Christy better, believe it or not. When I've gone back and re-watched episodes I try to look at Christy as the victim of her husband's infidelity (which she is), and have a little more sympathy for her. My mom gave me some interesting perspectives on Christy that I just don't have the energy to go into right now. (This is another major disappointment for me...my mom had JUST started watching Blind Justice, although we run errands together on Wednesdays and she knows exactly what happened the night before. Now the show is cancelled...so sad for me).

I really wish we had more time to get into Tom. I think he is an interesting character who has been somewhat "forgotten" in that we know very little about him. I like Tom for the simple fact that he always had that willingness to give Jim a chance. He didn't immediately write him off as "useless" or "crippled" or any of the other standard brush offs.

I will very much miss Blind Justice when it officially ends. The petition was up to over 900 at 6:45 when I checked it. I hope that fans keep signing. I wouldn't even mind seeing Blind Justice go to cable or even another network (everything I watch is on CBS anyway, except for Blind Justice and Lost (and I'm considering giving up Lost in protest =O) ]). Sorry, I know I sound a little blue...I'm just disappointed...It's hard to hide =O(

[–] lisaast 19 years ago

HI! I am new to this message board, but I felt I had to join and say somthing about Blind Justice. I started watching the show mid-way through and haven't stopped thinking about it since. When I found out it was cancelled last week, I just about died! I have signed the petition and pray ABC will reconsider.
There is so much to explore in this show with the characters and I thought their developement was just beginning. When I re-watch an episode I see something I didn't see before. Speaking of.. Somebody mentioned re-runs in August? Is this true? I haven't heard anything. I didn' tape the the 1st 8 episodes, and I am dying to see them! If anyone taped them and would be willing to share...
As far as my favorite episode, everyone seems better than the last to me. As I get more involved in the characters, I like each one better. I absolutely can't wait for episode 12! I love it whan Jim gets mad, and for the honor of his wife! It will be a good one.

[–] dogma01 19 years ago

well,, i've been hoping people would hop back in,,, after a brief period of denial,, i still am bummed,, too many personal unpleasantries these past few months,, and my tues nites w/ the 8th squad was my brief escape from all that,, thank god for vcr's,,

i have no favorite episode,, but i have so many moments that i like,, too many to go into right now,,

it would be fantastic to have re runs,, that would give the "powers that be" time to reconsider,, but like someone else mentioned,,who knows what projects the actors will be committed to if they do indeed decide to renew the show,,

i fart in your general direction

[–] jkendaljr 19 years ago

Hey, Lisaast, check out the listings at www.abcmedianet.com, which is ABC's public relations/press site. According to what they have listed, "Blind Justice" will air Episode 13 on June 21, then go on break for six weeks. Reruns start on Tuesday, August 2, in the ten o'clock time slot. If, presumably, they start with the pilot, Episode 1, that should get a lot of new fans hooked.

Fingers crossed!

[–] dogma01 19 years ago

ya know,, i've been doing alot of pondering about the negative comments people have posted about the reality of the show,,and the likelyhood of a blind cop carrying a gun,, i don't read other web posts about other shows,, but i do enjoy CSI when i remember to watch it.

looks like i've gotten out of the denial stage,, and now enntering the anger stage

what is the reality and likely hood of a CSI being kidnapped,,buried in a nursery,being eaten by fire ants, and having explosives under his plexiglass box he's buried in? that show is for enjoyment, not the absolute reality,, and look at ER,,,my friend works in a large hospital in a major city, and they never deliver babies in the er, when the power fails, there is an emergency back up generator,, come on,, all you negative butts,, just enjoy blind justice for what it's worth,, and realize there is at least one message in every show, and you might just walk away a better person,

<< i'm not dead, yet >>

[–] AlexMorgan13 19 years ago

Christie SUCKS! and Jim and Karen should hook up since the show is gonna be cancelled anyway...

___________________
People always leave.

[–] lisaast 19 years ago

Thanks, jkendaljr., I 'll definately check the abc website out.
I think we are supposed to hate Christie. It only makes you love Jim more and sympathize with him. If he had the right wife, there would only be half a show!

[–] BenAfflecksLover 19 years ago

Hi! I have been lurking here for a while, and felt the need to post.

My favorite episode? Don't have any... All of them are so great on their own! I love the show for precisely those little special moments eveyone has been talking about. And it only gets better with repeted viweings! There are so many nuances to all the characters that it is impossible to pick favorites, although my love goes to Jim. Ron Eldard should win an award for this show! His work is truly amazing and the best I have seen. His acting is so real that you would have though he is really blind!

Lisaast, I don't think we are supposed to hate Christie. At first she does come across as selfish and cold, but look closely, she does flirt with Jim and gives him little smiles, even if he can't see them. She is actually very cute now that they have fleshed her character a little better. True, she has her issues, but then Jim cheated on her, and closes up when the arguments just get too intense, like in the pilot, with that ball and when he forgot to call her for the Boston trip. She does have a reason to be angry sometimes.

I love that she mantains the apartment beautifully and that she seems to care about Jim. The dancing classes may have been an impulse, but I love Jim more for agreeing to them. And they looked so cute dancing together!

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] carl51 19 years ago

I new in this forum. I want to sum-up in one word why ABC did not renew "reality." Accept it or not, people do not want to come face-to-face with the reatlity of a "disabled" person. The general viewing audience does not want to see people less than perfect. I'm visually impaired and use a cane, but I had the discriptive of the show and I have just enough vision to "see" some of the show. The episodes don't "solve" everything in onw night. It is a continuing, flowing story that requires thinking and I don't believe people in general want to be bothered by that. Blind Justice is the best show to come along in a decade. Will ABC air in August?, who knows, I don't even think ABC knows what's up. Blind Justice should go to USA, Spike, or one of the cable networks. Seems the cable viewers handle the gritty reality of life. Just a side, most of the wounded from Iraq are coming back blinded and visually impaired. Talk about irony. What a time to cancel a show that deals with rehab and the visually impaired and blind. The question of Dunbar and the infamous "gun" and can he carry it. If you remember, he put it in the locker during his "discussion" with Marty. I think he realized he can't carry it anymore or less and less. A person who loses their sight does have a difficult time letting go of things they took for granted-driving, reading, not relying on other people or help. (Just a side: Is anyone aware of the fact that Mr. Eldard attended a school for the blind. How do you think he learned how to use the cane properly. And by-the-way, the folding cane are sturdy enough to pack a whollop. Hoping ABC "Sees" the error of their ways and renews the series.

[–] BenAfflecksLover 19 years ago

Carl, those are some very good comments there. I have read, and even watched Ron on TV, talking about how he went to blind school, and that he used to venture out blindfolded to get a sense of what his character must go through. He even mentiones falling down at a shopping mall once.

I also hope we get those reruns. They might bring in more fans to the show! And I'm also crossing my fingers that we get a DVD set. My homedade DVDs are getting worn already.

[–] Birdofire1 19 years ago

Carl51, I am so glad you posted. I had often wondered how Ron Eldard got the 'blind effect' down so well and while I do have a cousin who is legally blind I would never even think of claiming to be an expert in the whys and hows though I know a tiny bit about it; I still wondered how he did it. Whether he did it all himself or if he had help such as when his eyes don't quite track right. Do they use contacts to limit his vision or does he just do it?
I find it impressive whenever I hear of actors going to the extent he did to get it right and I think that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did.
Anyway, I appreciate your comments as you know what you're talking about first hand and I have to say I agree with much of your asessment of the watching public and it's a shame. Thanks for speaking up!

Ladies don't start fights... but we can finish 'em!

[–] randjplu 19 years ago

I read an interview where Eldard said he unfocuses his eyes. He said he didn't really "see" any of the episodes until they were all done filming.

[–] Birdofire1 19 years ago

Wow, he did a good job... that's not an easy thing to do consistantly especially if someone startles you at all. I've tried it LOL That's why I wondered if they used contacts... to get a consistant effect.

Ladies don't start fights... but we can finish 'em!

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] carl51 19 years ago

Glad to join the discussion. Just an added observation. I thought the funniest part of any of the shows is where Everyone in the squad is concerned if he can watch their backs. Yet, in "Doggone" , 3 sets of eyes lost him! Now that's comedy. The whole shows runs the from tragedy to comedy. I still hold out maybe the reruns, if there is reruns, will increase the popularity. But, i am of the same thought, people can't face or cope with less-than-perfect people sitting in front of them. Carl51

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] angel_6445 19 years ago

I suppose it can't hurt if they're going to show the reruns beginning with the pilot, but the question is will they show ALL 13 episodes or only a few and then decide to put some other garbage on? I'm just so freakin' annoyed with ABC right now. Even Jeopardy was a waste of time. Maybe I'm just so annoyed that nothing ABC does will make me happy. Does that make me a bad person? =O(

[–] carl51 19 years ago

Sorry: I didn't reply sooner. My JAWS went out on me. It's the talking program for the computer. Maybe the show can get picked up by cable. I still stand by my original: Cable handles the grit. ABC is for non-thinkers. Any other observations?
Also, I have all the episodes on tape except for the pilot. I'm willing to share.

[–] carl51 19 years ago

I'm hoping they rerun in August. But, I, bet it's going to be "Boston Legal" (a boring show). Getting back on track, if they rerun in August, maybe the summer crowd will watch it and it might gain the popularity it deserves. Let's hope. I have to say this one show that eliminates the "Pity" for the visually-disabled. I enjoy the reality. Carl

[–] lisaast 19 years ago

This is kind of off topic, but has anybody gotten any flack from friends or family about watching BJ? I have one friend that loves the show like me, but the rest of them think I'm nuts! They've told me I'm stupid to watch such a stupid show. I've seen people make fun of the show, walking around like their blind with a gun. This REALLY irritates me. Could people be so insensative and ignorant? I don't think people like to face the facts about people with disabilities. This show makes them face that, and it makes them uncomfortable. All the more reason why it shouldn't be canceled.

[–] carl51 19 years ago

It is not about a "Blind" guy carrying a gun. It is a show for thinking, intelligent people. Unfortunately, most of the viewing public don't think. They are mesmerized by glitz, all show, and no brainers. People who say it is a stupid show, don't have the patience to take the time to understand. But, I bet these are the same people who are thrilled with "American Idol" a show for Einsteins, I'm sure.

[–] kcandkids3 19 years ago

I thought this was an interesting comment that I read in another message board. Someone wrote and asked why would ABC show reruns of a canceled show? If the ratings were poor and ABC didn't think that it did well then why would they show it again during the summer? This person said her daughter was under the impression that ABC would show the reruns in hopes of getting more viewers during the summer and get the ratings up. Then when a show in the fall fails miserably ABC will put Blind Justice back on with new episodes and use it as a filler for the canceled show. I'm not sure if this is how it works or not. It sounds good but then again I'm just repeating what I read somewhere else. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed:)