Watched a detective show recently and found myself sighing and harrumphing a lot. The dynamic between the male private detective lead and the female police inspector was frustratingly one-sided: he barked, she jumped. It just reminded me of the following kind of scene that we’ve seen a million<\/strike> few times already:<\/p>\n
(Following a budget-straining action set-piece in which our foolhardy hero cop shoots a mid-level baddie who tried to bushwhack him:)<\/p>\n
INT. APARTMENT – DAY<\/p>\n
Our off-duty female cop – we’ll call her SALLY – is watching “Sleepless in Seattle” when there’s a KNOCK at the door.<\/p>\n
INT. BATHROOM, APARTMENT – MOMENTS LATER<\/p>\n
Our foolhardy hero cop – call him STONE – sits on the edge of the BATH and touches a cut on his forehead; he grimaces.<\/p>\n
STONE<\/p>\n
– sorry I didn’t tell you ’bout the meet but it was for your own protection –<\/p>\n
SALLY<\/p>\n
I can handle myself.<\/p>\n
He braces himself as Sally approaches with a BAND-AID --<\/p>\n
SALLY<\/p>\n
This might sting.<\/p>\n
-- and she gently places it on the cut on his forehead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Y’dig? The wounded hero cop whose only safe emotional place is with his partner, a female who is not a love interest, who’s always there to pick up the pieces, who’s really just a cop version of a 1950s housewife.<\/p>\n
But what if…<\/p>\n
INT. APARTMENT – DAY<\/p>\n
SALLY is watching “Sleepless in Seattle” when there’s a KNOCK at the door.<\/p>\n
INT. BATHROOM, APARTMENT – MOMENTS LATER<\/p>\n
STONE sits on the edge of the BATH and touches a cut on his forehead; he grimaces.<\/p>\n
STONE<\/p>\n
– sorry I didn’t tell you ’bout the meet but it was for your own protection –<\/p>\n
SALLY<\/p>\n
Shut it.<\/p>\n
She rips open a BAND-AID.<\/p>\n
STONE<\/p>\n
Watching “Sleepless in Seattle” again, eh?<\/p>\n
Off her look he raises his hands in mock surrender.<\/p>\n
The band-aid bounces off him and flitters to the floor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Nothing groundbreaking here.<\/p>\n
But I feel better now.<\/p>\n
Do you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Watched a detective show recently and found myself sighing and harrumphing a lot. The dynamic between the male private detective lead and the female police inspector was frustratingly one-sided: he barked, she jumped. It just reminded me of the following kind of scene that we’ve seen a million few times already: (Following a budget-straining action … <\/p>\n