Episode Notes: Sentinel "Spare Parts"
That squeaking sound you hear, as I'm getting prepared for watching here, is me flossing all of my preconceptions about Naomi right out of my head. I'm trying to go into this episode without *anything* cluttering up my reading of her here. So ::squeeksqueek::, I'm forgetting everything that comes up in later episodes, fanfic, etc.
There's *plenty* of pretty in this episode (75 screencaps worth, oy!), but also a lot to think about, Naomi, Blair's childhood, whether or not Jim's actually interested in Naomi, Blair's position in the PD, etc. etc.
On the whole I want to like this episode more than I actually do. Part of it maybe is that it's just not as wonderful as The Rig. No overall grade this week, I'm still not certain about my opinion of some parts of the episode.
Notes on watching Spare Parts:
--God, Bilson and DiMeo are obviously such *boys*! They're having such fun with these fast cars.
--Oh, oh, I *love* Jim educating Blair about why they're not moving in on the suspected auto thieves or calling for backup. I love Jim teaching Blair to be a cop.
--I so wish the action sequences screencapped better, because I love Jim clotheslining this truck driver (who was totally just abandoned to face the music by his skeezy partners).
--How did the truck driver hurt his arm anyway?
--Sigh, they're back in the land of dumb exposition scenes. Simon and Blair both know all this stuff, Jim, you don't need to explain it to them. On the other hand, Blair's undoubtedly enjoying watching you walk around and rant.
--Oh, those jeans are a happy thing on Jim. ::grumble:: Stupid camera-man's not focusing in the right place though. Hrmph!
--Jim's being a little unfair to their guy about "blowing the setup". He got *made*, but he didn't do anything wrong.
--Did Simon just call someone a putz? Hey, he's Yiddish. ;D
--Why is this switchboard routing this call for Blair to the Captain of the Major Crimes Division's desk? That's poor work on their part.
--Love Blair and Jim talking something over in the background while Simon's on the phone. They seem to be enjoying themselves.
--Poor Blair!! He's clearly not used to being barked at yet.
--Jim is so disgusted (but not surprised) by Sandburg giving out the police station number for personal calls. Obviously Blair doesn't deserve the reaction he's getting from either Simon or Jim, but it seems as though Jim was expecting just this sort of thing from him.
--Naomi's coming into Cascade on her way from LA to a spiritual retreat? I wonder where that retreat's being held.
--I'm deeply amused by Jim talking about belching guys throwing their underwear on the floor, because I'm pretty sure that's not how they live.
--Jim: "I just don't feel like monitoring my behavior in my own home." ::hugs Jim:: This is why I hate having my parents visit too.
--Pretty!
--Naomi is one of the original hippies and she used to live with Timothy Leary. Okay.
--Love them walking through the station together. :) Would 'twere them holding hands had made it into the final cut. Sigh!
--I've never been entirely sure what to make of the fact that Blair doesn't have any idea who his father was. He's obviously thought about it and he's clearly wanted to know. And as a kid, he must have *asked*.
--Blair: "I did have a lot of candidates to consider. It seemed like every man Naomi met would fall in love with her. She never stayed with any of them for very long." He sounds so wistful on that last line.
--Obviously this isn't the first time Jim found out that Blair doesn't have a father, or even that Blair never knew his father. I think it is the first time that he's realizing the Blair doesn't even know who his father *was*, no name, no "he was a guitarist in Reno", nothing. He seems so sympathetic about it. ::hugs Jim::
--I swear this thing with Blair going on about how great it is that he went to all these World Series games and NBA playoffs etc. sounds *so* much like he's putting a brave face on things. He's doing his best to make it sound *good*.
--And that just derails Jim's sympathy. I actually think he sort of ticked Jim off there.
--World Series games? NBA playoffs? Naomi travels in some rich circles for one of the original hippies.
--Oh, yeah, Alpha!Jim's pretty! I'm getting such a thing for commanding men. (I think it's your fault, sassyinkpen. :))
--Francine's kind of an interesting adrenaline junkie character.
--It's a good system they've got. Shades of Knight Rider with the fancy sports cars going into the big trucks and getting driven away. :)
--Jim does a good job of selling the most unappealing and improbable things to Simon. I mean he knows he can't drive a big rig, right? So why did he even come up with this idea??
--Jim's telling Simon he drove a little bit after high school. Is he telling the truth or bulshitting like woah?
--Oh, ouch this is so *painful* watching him torture that poor transmission.
--Blair's clearly *not* impressed!
--Apparently he didn't lie, he just greatly exaggerated his experience. :D
--Oh, *MAN* that's pretty!!
--How much do I love Blair taking over teaching Jim here?? :D And Jim is resenting this more than just a little bit. :D Though he does seem a little impressed about what Blair knows.
--Oh, yeah!! (And another bit of Blair backstory--he spent a summer driving around the country with his uncle in his rig. Must have been after he was...what is the legal age to drive a semi? I'm guessing they won't let just any 16 year old get a license for that.)
--So Naomi, who hangs with folks who can afford to go to World Series games and can afford to go to spiritual retreats, has a brother who's a trucker. Apparently her economic status is *not* the same as that of the rest of her family. Or, alternatively, this was an honorary "uncle" and not a real uncle at all.
--Heee!! Blair's so amused by Jim's snit! :D
--I'm surprised Blair's not more pleased about the fact that Jim's trying to think of novel uses for his senses, even if he's not right about hearing the gears mesh. (Though why isn't he--my dad taught me to drive a stick shift by sound, that's how I know when to change gears. Why couldn't Jim use his hearing to get an edge here?)
--Apparently Blair lost his cell phone, because Naomi keeps calling him on everyone else's phone. Which I have a little trouble with--Blair has a home phone number, which he has undoubtedly given her, so why is she tracking him down all over town calling numbers he's genuinely surprised she knows? She should call and leave a message on the number she has. She's being a more than a little bit Stalker!Mom here.
--Oh, God, I *love* Blair just totally waving away Jim's concerns about having company. :) Heee! And he's totally baring his teeth here--channeling his inner wolf. :)
--Okay, Naomi's just making this harmonic convergence shit up. I was actually heavily involved in New Age *stuff* at the time of the Harmonic Convergence. Bad feng shui would be a reason to move the furniture. The Harmonic Convergence is a reason to move to the Pacific Northwest. Honestly. And Blair's totally going along with her. Humoring her?
--Oh, Jim! I'm so with you offering to pay for the hotel, sweetheart! She's just bulling her way right on in there, and she's bringing out the bossy in Blair too. Making him harder to live with.
--Poor Jim!! This sage burning thing is *not* guest behavior. I'd be *pissed* if my mom came to visit and started pulling that shit. Naomi really is just being very inconsiderate here. It's like she knows what's right and it's right for everyone and she doesn't care who she inconveniences.
--No wonder all the men are drooling over her.
--Blair didn't seem all that enthused to be talking to her on the phone, but he's quite pleased to see her now.
--Blair: "Jim, you like tongue?" Jim: "I usually make it a point not to eat anything that comes from the head of an animal."
--Blair hasn't always had the long hair, because his mom's admiring it and commenting on it.
--She's not letting him out of her sight for two days? God. I love my mom, but...damn...And she's here planning on monopolizing Blair's time with absolutely no warning--like she called this morning and now she's here this afternoon. What if this was a bad time for her visit? Is he just supposed to drop everything to spend time with her? Sigh.
--Naomi: "How do you stay clean?" Jim: "I shower." Naomi: "No, I mean, I mean how do you get rid of the negative energy?" Jim: "Ah, ha. I shower." Naomi: "Oh, I hear that."
--From our first introduction to Naomi it doesn't sound as though she has a brain-cell that survived the 60s.
--I love Jim here. Skeptical, unimpressed, but basically polite to this person who's invaded his home and made herself rude there.
--I like the layout of the room. And I love him calling Sandburg over to look at it.
--Okay, in my mind Jim has a grievance here, not just against Naomi but against Blair. And maybe this is evidence that, despite all the slashiness in The Rig, they haven't hooked up romantically yet. Because, see, if my roommate (or partner) had a guest come in and rearrange the furniture, burn incense, cook without permission and generally take the place *over*, I'd want the roommate to be on my side in this. Not siding with the interloper. Maybe there's nothing that can be done to prevent it, but Jim has reason to expect Blair to at least commiserate with him here. And he's just getting Blair liking where she put the sofa.
--Adore the tummy pat!! Maybe that makes up for a certain amount of Blair letting his mom visit.
--Okay, I know my husband loves tongue. But he only ever gets it in its proper form (made into sandwiches). That whole boiled tongue on the slab there is just *yuck*!!
--What a thoughtless little dip. "I've spent so much time protesting against the tyranny of the pigs." And then she suddenly realizes that Jim is a cop--except that's why she brought it up at all, because she was talking about Blair's work with the police.
--She can't talk civilly about the police to a *detective* but she wants to go with them when they're rolling out on a case??????????
--Oh, Jim's suddenly absolutely certain that he's not going to like having Naomi around. Any lingering doubts have just completely evaporated.
--Naomi hasn't seen Blair in six months. I'm surprised it's only that long. Am I to take from this that Blair's been riding with Jim for less than 6 months? Clearly she and Jim have never met.
--They really shouldn't have to explain to her that the police can't afford to have just anyone hanging around. Even if Blair's research were safe (which it's not), a criminal investigation is delicate. Naomi's got all the delicacy of a whale.
--Love Jim standing his ground and saying no.
--Blair's little jealous snit about Jim noticing that Naomi's attractive is cute as heck!! "Take a cold shower, man. That's my mom."
--Jim doesn't seem interested in her to me. He's making an aesthetic, not a romantic, observation, so to speak.
--Pretty!!
--Okay, so Naomi *flew* into Cascade from LA. Which means she's driving a rental car. Which means she's the sort of person who puts "Save the Rain Forest" bumper stickers on cars that *do not belong to her*. Which is pretty much of a piece with the impression I've been getting of her.
--And she followed Jim and Blair even when she was told specifically not to. ::shakes head::
--Oh, their plan is going so totally pear shaped. And Jim doesn't know how to drive this rig worth *crap*!! Not good!
--"You cops slay me, you know that?" :)
--Okay, Naomi on the phone with the cops, though *intrusive* and not her place, is the first moment when I've actually liked her. "I'm letting this go. I'm letting this go. I'm letting this go....God, why can't they play good music?" Heee!!
--Jim's lucky they didn't shoot Sandburg while waiting for him to get there. Blair seems to be thinking that as well.
--Oh, Blair's not happy at being thrown to the wolves here as their driver.
--Okay, I realize that Blair's trying to kill the deal here, he doesn't *want* them to do it and that's why he's demanding equal shares. But I *do* love how he's being so beautifully in character. And his jaw. (Though the light on his eyes in this screencap is more than a little creepy. :) )
--Love DeLucca pointing out that they'll "eat the little guy for breakfast". :)
--I *so* love Simon trying to put the kibosh on this undercover thing.
--Okay, there has been much discussion of why Blair's opposed to this undercover gig, when he's generally (as Jim points out) gung-ho about these things. I think his point that he's going to be stuck in the truck with psycho-Gary is a good one. We don't know how long Blair was there with Francine and Gary holding a gun on him, but it was apparently a while (given the relative speeds at which they were travelling). He does know these bad guys better than Jim does.
--Please someone pick up the missing scene plot bunny there and write about what happened to Blair while they were waiting for Jim and DeLucca to arrive!!
--Oh, man, Jim's doing the guilt here. "I need you on this one." And then he starts talking, ostensibly to Simon, about how this may be their only chance to get Petrie. Poor Blair. Jim's laying it on *thick* here. Loyalty test??
--Pretty Blair!!
--Okay, Naomi's gone from being annoying to being really *way* over the line here. It is so *completely* not her place to talk about her 29 year old ADULT son like this in front of his friends and colleagues. She's basically demeaning and belittling him here, and this would be something that I would have trouble forgiving her for, both as her child and as someone who cares about her child.
--Jim's clearly wishing he (or she) were somewhere else.
--I do love Simon jumping in to defend Blair here.
--"You're not cut out for this kind of work." What a fucking bitch!! She has *no* idea about her son. None whatsoever.
--And how much do I hate him turning to *Simon* for backup rather than to Jim? What's up with that? And why isn't Jim jumping in to defend Blair. It's not like Naomi's going to be hung up about hierarchies and, consequently, give more weight to the Captain's opinion.
--Blair seems so *pleased* by Simon's defense of him though. ::hugs Blair::
--Jim's very interested in the answer to Naomi's little loyalty test, when she's making it clear Blair can choose her or the cops. Suddenly he's checked back into the conversation.
--And now Blair desperately wants things to be *right* with her, even after that appalling display (and I swear if this were me and my mom she'd be lucky if I talked to her for *months*).
--I love Simon being all tough and wanting the emotional moment to just *end* and sending Blair away. So very Simon. But I want to hug Blair. He needs a little closure...a punching bag to hit...something.
--Love them walking along together. Love Blair demonstrating the flashing lights. :) Not sure I love Jim laughing at Blair's expectation that they're going to have them.
--Clearly, Blair hasn't been fully briefed on this plan.
--Pretty!
--Oh, that's a nice picture, even if I haven't managed to find my way to the slashy happy place yet this episode. ::pouts::
--So where have they stashed Naomi?
--Nice!
--I love Jim not letting the guy die! ::hugs Jim:: Undercover, yeah, but he just can't totally lose himself. ::loves Jim::
--Okay, so obviously Francine and Gary are dumb as bricks because, in theory Jim's totally blown his cover here. I mean, Heart Attack dude here could absolutely ID him. And he just doesn't have the instincts of a hardened criminal.
--But OMG he's gorgeous!
--And again!
--I love the distinction Jim's character here is making. Time's one thing, but doing life (or getting executed, since Washington does that) is an entirely different thing.
--Love Blair peeking around Jim while Jim's listening. Keeping an eye out maybe. Watching Jim's back while he's working his deal? Nice!
--::shakes head at Jim:: I love Jim really truly I do. He's a very decent and honorable man. A good guy. Usually he's a good cop. He was clearly a good soldier. But he's *not* always on top of things. I mean leaving something with this address in the front of his truck where just anyone could see it while he's UNDERCOVER??? ::sighs:: Maybe he's just too decent and honest to be at all good with the undercover thing. But then how did he do Special Forces??
--On the other hand, I love to watch him walk because he's got this gorgeous springiness going on. And I love the fact that Blair's trotting to catch up with him. Yay! Not screencappable, so you're going to have to watch for yourselves.
--Oooh!! I forgot we got a Shirtless!Jim scene in this episode!! Skippie!! That's happy!
--Naomi's sitting in meditation and, in theory, not really paying attention to the *outer* world because she is so focused on her own inner reality. Yes? So how is it that she comes out of her meditation (with a distractingly sexy stretch) just at the perfect moment to correct Blair's statement of her personal best meditation record (and OMG what an incredibly bizarre thing to even be trying to have a personal best at, like *totally* missing the point). I think she's playing him like a violin.
--Okay, so Jim's watching the distractingly sexy stretch, because that's totally what *she* intends for him to do, right? I can't blame him, though I'd be far less calm about her presence in my home after her little display at the station. But maybe that's me.
--Love Blair smacking him to stop him from watching. :) That's cute!
--Naomi's at least *saying* that she doesn't know why she suddenly turned into SuperMom (though honestly, most mothers *would not* do that). ::shakes head:: I think this is the point in the episode at which I'm supposed to start liking her. I guess because she looks so swell (and boobilicious) in her stretchy top.
--Jim looks so calm about having Gary's gun pointed more or less at his heart.
--Oh, I love love love Jim disarming Gary and being all decisive and gorgeous!!
--Icky!! HATEHATEHATE Jim calling Gary "Chief"!! That's so gross!!
--"Nice meeting you?" Oh, GOD, Naomi's such a fucking moron!!
--Okay, I'm going to try very hard not to hold it against her that she's a closet adrenaline junky like Blair. But, but her whole telling embarrassing childhood stories thing...so not right!
--Really finding it a little hard to read Jim here. He's not amused, he is amused, he's just pretending to be amused. I can't tell.
--I totally love the little look back at Love & Guns here. Jim: "Maybe you should get to know her better." Blair: "Ah, forget it. I've been down that road before, remember? I'm no good at that seduction stuff."
--Love truck pics!
--Okay, so Jim's offering the promise of getting out of this undercover gig (well, nailing Petrie, but it's the same thing) as a way of getting Blair to go and get more friendly with Francine.
--Blair is *such* a smooth liar. So slick. There's absolutely nothing to give away that this is all BS.
--So is Jim *really* building this plan around Naomi as their potential buyer, because, seriously, including Naomi (who only intermittently seems to have a measurable IQ) is dumb as fuck! No joke and no kidding this is a *bad* idea.
--Blair's awfully pretty though!
--Did Blair know about Naomi's inclusion in the plan? He seems pretty surprised.
--Naomi's failing to suck as a hardened international trafficker in stolen cars. But, Lord, I wouldn't want my life in her hands.
--Oooh!! I love it when I hit pause for random reasons and pretty things are left on screen!!
--Oh, man, that's just devastatingly pretty!
--Love Blair shaking his head "No" at the idea of Naomi staying to see the operation through.
--Okay, the little looks between Jim and Blair are *sweet*! Now they're on the same page. :) They both want her to *go*.
--Icky! Jim's being all flirtatious with Naomi. :::GAG:::
--Love Blair stopping her from hitting on Jim.
--Eee!! Love Jim chasing after Gary in the truck.
--That is a very sleek looking car. :)
--Blair's trying to hard to get Francine to let Naomi go! ::hugs Blair::
--They're planning on stealing the Lamborghini from the docks? What, these things ship internationally with the keys in them?? Sigh!!
--Love Blair running after his mom!! That's nice! Love the way his hair moves.
--That's a heck of a good truck, it's not even getting bullet holes as it's getting shot at. Of course getting hit by a semi's a bit much for it
--OOO!! Hot, sexy, commanding Jim again!! Nice!!
--And yay for all the cops showing up!! Skippie!
--So after seeing Jim standing there being so gorgeous and sexy and in her defense, I bet Naomi steps up her seduction attempts with Jim despite the fact that Blair doesn't want her to.
--Oh, gorgeous!
--Okay, so where was Blair that he comes in to find Naomi and Jim possibly canoodling up in Jim's room. Man that would be disturbing.
--And why are they going over the scrapbook on Jim's bed.
--Jim: "Next we'll have some esophagus." Heeeee!!
--And to end on something pretty again! (And why does it always seem to be pictures of Jim's chest? :D)
All screencaps are my own feel free to use them however you like. Unless you like to use screencaps by hotlinking, in which case, please don't do that.
Sentinel Episode Notes
Switchman
Siege
Killers
The Debt
Cypher
Night Train
Rogue
Love and Guns
Attraction
Vow of Silence
Flight
Out of the Past
Deep Water
Reunion
Payback
True Crime
Iceman
The Rig
There's *plenty* of pretty in this episode (75 screencaps worth, oy!), but also a lot to think about, Naomi, Blair's childhood, whether or not Jim's actually interested in Naomi, Blair's position in the PD, etc. etc.
On the whole I want to like this episode more than I actually do. Part of it maybe is that it's just not as wonderful as The Rig. No overall grade this week, I'm still not certain about my opinion of some parts of the episode.
Notes on watching Spare Parts:
--God, Bilson and DiMeo are obviously such *boys*! They're having such fun with these fast cars.
--Oh, oh, I *love* Jim educating Blair about why they're not moving in on the suspected auto thieves or calling for backup. I love Jim teaching Blair to be a cop.
--I so wish the action sequences screencapped better, because I love Jim clotheslining this truck driver (who was totally just abandoned to face the music by his skeezy partners).
--How did the truck driver hurt his arm anyway?
--Sigh, they're back in the land of dumb exposition scenes. Simon and Blair both know all this stuff, Jim, you don't need to explain it to them. On the other hand, Blair's undoubtedly enjoying watching you walk around and rant.
--Oh, those jeans are a happy thing on Jim. ::grumble:: Stupid camera-man's not focusing in the right place though. Hrmph!
--Jim's being a little unfair to their guy about "blowing the setup". He got *made*, but he didn't do anything wrong.
--Did Simon just call someone a putz? Hey, he's Yiddish. ;D
--Why is this switchboard routing this call for Blair to the Captain of the Major Crimes Division's desk? That's poor work on their part.
--Love Blair and Jim talking something over in the background while Simon's on the phone. They seem to be enjoying themselves.
--Poor Blair!! He's clearly not used to being barked at yet.
--Jim is so disgusted (but not surprised) by Sandburg giving out the police station number for personal calls. Obviously Blair doesn't deserve the reaction he's getting from either Simon or Jim, but it seems as though Jim was expecting just this sort of thing from him.
--Naomi's coming into Cascade on her way from LA to a spiritual retreat? I wonder where that retreat's being held.
--I'm deeply amused by Jim talking about belching guys throwing their underwear on the floor, because I'm pretty sure that's not how they live.
--Jim: "I just don't feel like monitoring my behavior in my own home." ::hugs Jim:: This is why I hate having my parents visit too.
--Pretty!
--Naomi is one of the original hippies and she used to live with Timothy Leary. Okay.
--Love them walking through the station together. :) Would 'twere them holding hands had made it into the final cut. Sigh!
--I've never been entirely sure what to make of the fact that Blair doesn't have any idea who his father was. He's obviously thought about it and he's clearly wanted to know. And as a kid, he must have *asked*.
--Blair: "I did have a lot of candidates to consider. It seemed like every man Naomi met would fall in love with her. She never stayed with any of them for very long." He sounds so wistful on that last line.
--Obviously this isn't the first time Jim found out that Blair doesn't have a father, or even that Blair never knew his father. I think it is the first time that he's realizing the Blair doesn't even know who his father *was*, no name, no "he was a guitarist in Reno", nothing. He seems so sympathetic about it. ::hugs Jim::
--I swear this thing with Blair going on about how great it is that he went to all these World Series games and NBA playoffs etc. sounds *so* much like he's putting a brave face on things. He's doing his best to make it sound *good*.
--And that just derails Jim's sympathy. I actually think he sort of ticked Jim off there.
--World Series games? NBA playoffs? Naomi travels in some rich circles for one of the original hippies.
--Oh, yeah, Alpha!Jim's pretty! I'm getting such a thing for commanding men. (I think it's your fault, sassyinkpen. :))
--Francine's kind of an interesting adrenaline junkie character.
--It's a good system they've got. Shades of Knight Rider with the fancy sports cars going into the big trucks and getting driven away. :)
--Jim does a good job of selling the most unappealing and improbable things to Simon. I mean he knows he can't drive a big rig, right? So why did he even come up with this idea??
--Jim's telling Simon he drove a little bit after high school. Is he telling the truth or bulshitting like woah?
--Oh, ouch this is so *painful* watching him torture that poor transmission.
--Blair's clearly *not* impressed!
--Apparently he didn't lie, he just greatly exaggerated his experience. :D
--Oh, *MAN* that's pretty!!
--How much do I love Blair taking over teaching Jim here?? :D And Jim is resenting this more than just a little bit. :D Though he does seem a little impressed about what Blair knows.
--Oh, yeah!! (And another bit of Blair backstory--he spent a summer driving around the country with his uncle in his rig. Must have been after he was...what is the legal age to drive a semi? I'm guessing they won't let just any 16 year old get a license for that.)
--So Naomi, who hangs with folks who can afford to go to World Series games and can afford to go to spiritual retreats, has a brother who's a trucker. Apparently her economic status is *not* the same as that of the rest of her family. Or, alternatively, this was an honorary "uncle" and not a real uncle at all.
--Heee!! Blair's so amused by Jim's snit! :D
--I'm surprised Blair's not more pleased about the fact that Jim's trying to think of novel uses for his senses, even if he's not right about hearing the gears mesh. (Though why isn't he--my dad taught me to drive a stick shift by sound, that's how I know when to change gears. Why couldn't Jim use his hearing to get an edge here?)
--Apparently Blair lost his cell phone, because Naomi keeps calling him on everyone else's phone. Which I have a little trouble with--Blair has a home phone number, which he has undoubtedly given her, so why is she tracking him down all over town calling numbers he's genuinely surprised she knows? She should call and leave a message on the number she has. She's being a more than a little bit Stalker!Mom here.
--Oh, God, I *love* Blair just totally waving away Jim's concerns about having company. :) Heee! And he's totally baring his teeth here--channeling his inner wolf. :)
--Okay, Naomi's just making this harmonic convergence shit up. I was actually heavily involved in New Age *stuff* at the time of the Harmonic Convergence. Bad feng shui would be a reason to move the furniture. The Harmonic Convergence is a reason to move to the Pacific Northwest. Honestly. And Blair's totally going along with her. Humoring her?
--Oh, Jim! I'm so with you offering to pay for the hotel, sweetheart! She's just bulling her way right on in there, and she's bringing out the bossy in Blair too. Making him harder to live with.
--Poor Jim!! This sage burning thing is *not* guest behavior. I'd be *pissed* if my mom came to visit and started pulling that shit. Naomi really is just being very inconsiderate here. It's like she knows what's right and it's right for everyone and she doesn't care who she inconveniences.
--No wonder all the men are drooling over her.
--Blair didn't seem all that enthused to be talking to her on the phone, but he's quite pleased to see her now.
--Blair: "Jim, you like tongue?" Jim: "I usually make it a point not to eat anything that comes from the head of an animal."
--Blair hasn't always had the long hair, because his mom's admiring it and commenting on it.
--She's not letting him out of her sight for two days? God. I love my mom, but...damn...And she's here planning on monopolizing Blair's time with absolutely no warning--like she called this morning and now she's here this afternoon. What if this was a bad time for her visit? Is he just supposed to drop everything to spend time with her? Sigh.
--Naomi: "How do you stay clean?" Jim: "I shower." Naomi: "No, I mean, I mean how do you get rid of the negative energy?" Jim: "Ah, ha. I shower." Naomi: "Oh, I hear that."
--From our first introduction to Naomi it doesn't sound as though she has a brain-cell that survived the 60s.
--I love Jim here. Skeptical, unimpressed, but basically polite to this person who's invaded his home and made herself rude there.
--I like the layout of the room. And I love him calling Sandburg over to look at it.
--Okay, in my mind Jim has a grievance here, not just against Naomi but against Blair. And maybe this is evidence that, despite all the slashiness in The Rig, they haven't hooked up romantically yet. Because, see, if my roommate (or partner) had a guest come in and rearrange the furniture, burn incense, cook without permission and generally take the place *over*, I'd want the roommate to be on my side in this. Not siding with the interloper. Maybe there's nothing that can be done to prevent it, but Jim has reason to expect Blair to at least commiserate with him here. And he's just getting Blair liking where she put the sofa.
--Adore the tummy pat!! Maybe that makes up for a certain amount of Blair letting his mom visit.
--Okay, I know my husband loves tongue. But he only ever gets it in its proper form (made into sandwiches). That whole boiled tongue on the slab there is just *yuck*!!
--What a thoughtless little dip. "I've spent so much time protesting against the tyranny of the pigs." And then she suddenly realizes that Jim is a cop--except that's why she brought it up at all, because she was talking about Blair's work with the police.
--She can't talk civilly about the police to a *detective* but she wants to go with them when they're rolling out on a case??????????
--Oh, Jim's suddenly absolutely certain that he's not going to like having Naomi around. Any lingering doubts have just completely evaporated.
--Naomi hasn't seen Blair in six months. I'm surprised it's only that long. Am I to take from this that Blair's been riding with Jim for less than 6 months? Clearly she and Jim have never met.
--They really shouldn't have to explain to her that the police can't afford to have just anyone hanging around. Even if Blair's research were safe (which it's not), a criminal investigation is delicate. Naomi's got all the delicacy of a whale.
--Love Jim standing his ground and saying no.
--Blair's little jealous snit about Jim noticing that Naomi's attractive is cute as heck!! "Take a cold shower, man. That's my mom."
--Jim doesn't seem interested in her to me. He's making an aesthetic, not a romantic, observation, so to speak.
--Pretty!!
--Okay, so Naomi *flew* into Cascade from LA. Which means she's driving a rental car. Which means she's the sort of person who puts "Save the Rain Forest" bumper stickers on cars that *do not belong to her*. Which is pretty much of a piece with the impression I've been getting of her.
--And she followed Jim and Blair even when she was told specifically not to. ::shakes head::
--Oh, their plan is going so totally pear shaped. And Jim doesn't know how to drive this rig worth *crap*!! Not good!
--"You cops slay me, you know that?" :)
--Okay, Naomi on the phone with the cops, though *intrusive* and not her place, is the first moment when I've actually liked her. "I'm letting this go. I'm letting this go. I'm letting this go....God, why can't they play good music?" Heee!!
--Jim's lucky they didn't shoot Sandburg while waiting for him to get there. Blair seems to be thinking that as well.
--Oh, Blair's not happy at being thrown to the wolves here as their driver.
--Okay, I realize that Blair's trying to kill the deal here, he doesn't *want* them to do it and that's why he's demanding equal shares. But I *do* love how he's being so beautifully in character. And his jaw. (Though the light on his eyes in this screencap is more than a little creepy. :) )
--Love DeLucca pointing out that they'll "eat the little guy for breakfast". :)
--I *so* love Simon trying to put the kibosh on this undercover thing.
--Okay, there has been much discussion of why Blair's opposed to this undercover gig, when he's generally (as Jim points out) gung-ho about these things. I think his point that he's going to be stuck in the truck with psycho-Gary is a good one. We don't know how long Blair was there with Francine and Gary holding a gun on him, but it was apparently a while (given the relative speeds at which they were travelling). He does know these bad guys better than Jim does.
--Please someone pick up the missing scene plot bunny there and write about what happened to Blair while they were waiting for Jim and DeLucca to arrive!!
--Oh, man, Jim's doing the guilt here. "I need you on this one." And then he starts talking, ostensibly to Simon, about how this may be their only chance to get Petrie. Poor Blair. Jim's laying it on *thick* here. Loyalty test??
--Pretty Blair!!
--Okay, Naomi's gone from being annoying to being really *way* over the line here. It is so *completely* not her place to talk about her 29 year old ADULT son like this in front of his friends and colleagues. She's basically demeaning and belittling him here, and this would be something that I would have trouble forgiving her for, both as her child and as someone who cares about her child.
--Jim's clearly wishing he (or she) were somewhere else.
--I do love Simon jumping in to defend Blair here.
--"You're not cut out for this kind of work." What a fucking bitch!! She has *no* idea about her son. None whatsoever.
--And how much do I hate him turning to *Simon* for backup rather than to Jim? What's up with that? And why isn't Jim jumping in to defend Blair. It's not like Naomi's going to be hung up about hierarchies and, consequently, give more weight to the Captain's opinion.
--Blair seems so *pleased* by Simon's defense of him though. ::hugs Blair::
--Jim's very interested in the answer to Naomi's little loyalty test, when she's making it clear Blair can choose her or the cops. Suddenly he's checked back into the conversation.
--And now Blair desperately wants things to be *right* with her, even after that appalling display (and I swear if this were me and my mom she'd be lucky if I talked to her for *months*).
--I love Simon being all tough and wanting the emotional moment to just *end* and sending Blair away. So very Simon. But I want to hug Blair. He needs a little closure...a punching bag to hit...something.
--Love them walking along together. Love Blair demonstrating the flashing lights. :) Not sure I love Jim laughing at Blair's expectation that they're going to have them.
--Clearly, Blair hasn't been fully briefed on this plan.
--Pretty!
--Oh, that's a nice picture, even if I haven't managed to find my way to the slashy happy place yet this episode. ::pouts::
--So where have they stashed Naomi?
--Nice!
--I love Jim not letting the guy die! ::hugs Jim:: Undercover, yeah, but he just can't totally lose himself. ::loves Jim::
--Okay, so obviously Francine and Gary are dumb as bricks because, in theory Jim's totally blown his cover here. I mean, Heart Attack dude here could absolutely ID him. And he just doesn't have the instincts of a hardened criminal.
--But OMG he's gorgeous!
--And again!
--I love the distinction Jim's character here is making. Time's one thing, but doing life (or getting executed, since Washington does that) is an entirely different thing.
--Love Blair peeking around Jim while Jim's listening. Keeping an eye out maybe. Watching Jim's back while he's working his deal? Nice!
--::shakes head at Jim:: I love Jim really truly I do. He's a very decent and honorable man. A good guy. Usually he's a good cop. He was clearly a good soldier. But he's *not* always on top of things. I mean leaving something with this address in the front of his truck where just anyone could see it while he's UNDERCOVER??? ::sighs:: Maybe he's just too decent and honest to be at all good with the undercover thing. But then how did he do Special Forces??
--On the other hand, I love to watch him walk because he's got this gorgeous springiness going on. And I love the fact that Blair's trotting to catch up with him. Yay! Not screencappable, so you're going to have to watch for yourselves.
--Oooh!! I forgot we got a Shirtless!Jim scene in this episode!! Skippie!! That's happy!
--Naomi's sitting in meditation and, in theory, not really paying attention to the *outer* world because she is so focused on her own inner reality. Yes? So how is it that she comes out of her meditation (with a distractingly sexy stretch) just at the perfect moment to correct Blair's statement of her personal best meditation record (and OMG what an incredibly bizarre thing to even be trying to have a personal best at, like *totally* missing the point). I think she's playing him like a violin.
--Okay, so Jim's watching the distractingly sexy stretch, because that's totally what *she* intends for him to do, right? I can't blame him, though I'd be far less calm about her presence in my home after her little display at the station. But maybe that's me.
--Love Blair smacking him to stop him from watching. :) That's cute!
--Naomi's at least *saying* that she doesn't know why she suddenly turned into SuperMom (though honestly, most mothers *would not* do that). ::shakes head:: I think this is the point in the episode at which I'm supposed to start liking her. I guess because she looks so swell (and boobilicious) in her stretchy top.
--Jim looks so calm about having Gary's gun pointed more or less at his heart.
--Oh, I love love love Jim disarming Gary and being all decisive and gorgeous!!
--Icky!! HATEHATEHATE Jim calling Gary "Chief"!! That's so gross!!
--"Nice meeting you?" Oh, GOD, Naomi's such a fucking moron!!
--Okay, I'm going to try very hard not to hold it against her that she's a closet adrenaline junky like Blair. But, but her whole telling embarrassing childhood stories thing...so not right!
--Really finding it a little hard to read Jim here. He's not amused, he is amused, he's just pretending to be amused. I can't tell.
--I totally love the little look back at Love & Guns here. Jim: "Maybe you should get to know her better." Blair: "Ah, forget it. I've been down that road before, remember? I'm no good at that seduction stuff."
--Love truck pics!
--Okay, so Jim's offering the promise of getting out of this undercover gig (well, nailing Petrie, but it's the same thing) as a way of getting Blair to go and get more friendly with Francine.
--Blair is *such* a smooth liar. So slick. There's absolutely nothing to give away that this is all BS.
--So is Jim *really* building this plan around Naomi as their potential buyer, because, seriously, including Naomi (who only intermittently seems to have a measurable IQ) is dumb as fuck! No joke and no kidding this is a *bad* idea.
--Blair's awfully pretty though!
--Did Blair know about Naomi's inclusion in the plan? He seems pretty surprised.
--Naomi's failing to suck as a hardened international trafficker in stolen cars. But, Lord, I wouldn't want my life in her hands.
--Oooh!! I love it when I hit pause for random reasons and pretty things are left on screen!!
--Oh, man, that's just devastatingly pretty!
--Love Blair shaking his head "No" at the idea of Naomi staying to see the operation through.
--Okay, the little looks between Jim and Blair are *sweet*! Now they're on the same page. :) They both want her to *go*.
--Icky! Jim's being all flirtatious with Naomi. :::GAG:::
--Love Blair stopping her from hitting on Jim.
--Eee!! Love Jim chasing after Gary in the truck.
--That is a very sleek looking car. :)
--Blair's trying to hard to get Francine to let Naomi go! ::hugs Blair::
--They're planning on stealing the Lamborghini from the docks? What, these things ship internationally with the keys in them?? Sigh!!
--Love Blair running after his mom!! That's nice! Love the way his hair moves.
--That's a heck of a good truck, it's not even getting bullet holes as it's getting shot at. Of course getting hit by a semi's a bit much for it
--OOO!! Hot, sexy, commanding Jim again!! Nice!!
--And yay for all the cops showing up!! Skippie!
--So after seeing Jim standing there being so gorgeous and sexy and in her defense, I bet Naomi steps up her seduction attempts with Jim despite the fact that Blair doesn't want her to.
--Oh, gorgeous!
--Okay, so where was Blair that he comes in to find Naomi and Jim possibly canoodling up in Jim's room. Man that would be disturbing.
--And why are they going over the scrapbook on Jim's bed.
--Jim: "Next we'll have some esophagus." Heeeee!!
--And to end on something pretty again! (And why does it always seem to be pictures of Jim's chest? :D)
All screencaps are my own feel free to use them however you like. Unless you like to use screencaps by hotlinking, in which case, please don't do that.
Sentinel Episode Notes
Switchman
Siege
Killers
The Debt
Cypher
Night Train
Rogue
Love and Guns
Attraction
Vow of Silence
Flight
Out of the Past
Deep Water
Reunion
Payback
True Crime
Iceman
The Rig