Battery: Las Vegas TV show

[Battery]

No comments on last night's episode?

The role of Senator Henderson last night was a joke.

And I guess if you are looking for comps, you should now seek out the casino security chief.

One identifiable pattern is for the writers to leave unanswered questions making you want to tune in again next week. I'm not going to committ to watching Las Vegas every Monday night just to keep up to date, especially if that knight becomes a regular character.

I'll predict we will not have to worry about this completely implausible show very long.

[Norm Wattenberger]

The Senator was clearly Bill Bennett. Bet he was grinding his teeth. So far, all players are jerks, suckers, bums and cheats and the city is full of whores. I know this is how Vegas looks at visitors. But, I don't see how this helps tourism.

> No comments on last night's episode?

> The role of Senator Henderson last night was
> a joke.

> And I guess if you are looking for comps,
> you should now seek out the casino security
> chief.

> One identifiable pattern is for the writers
> to leave unanswered questions making you
> want to tune in again next week. I'm not
> going to committ to watching Las Vegas
> every Monday night just to keep up to date,
> especially if that knight becomes a regular
> character.

> I'll predict we will not have to worry about
> this completely implausible show very long.

[Don Schlesinger]

> The Senator was clearly Bill Bennett. Bet he
> was grinding his teeth. So far, all players
> are jerks, suckers, bums and cheats and the
> city is full of whores. I know this is how
> Vegas looks at visitors. But, I don't see
> how this helps tourism.

This show is absolutely dreadful. I've watched both episodes, just because it's Las Vegas, but I don't think I'll last much longer. Then again, I don't think the show will, either.

Don

[Parker]

As Norm mentioned, the slimeball senator was obviously directed at Bill Bennett.

In the first episode, the "bunny slippers" guy was equally obviously the bum who had a million-dollar winning streak (and gave most of it back) at Treasure Island in 1995, right down to him starting by cashing his social security check. They just made him more likeable - the actual guy was a bad-tempered foul-mouthed old man.

Also, having James Caan's character submit to blackmail, even temporarily, was totally out of character and didn't ring true.

Our local TV critic, Robert Lawrence, hit it squarely on the head when he called the show, "A cat and mouse show in which viewers are expected to root for the cat."

And therein lies the problem. Whether they are chasing down errant whales, busting a cheat or dealing with a blackmailing senator, it is hard to empathize with, or even care about, any of the characters.

The scenes of the strip at night are pretty, though.

[ES]

Would a prime time TV show have a story about a northern liberal senator who loses millions gambling or who partakes of T & A in a strip joint?

[Norm Wattenberger]

> Would a prime time TV show have a story
> about a northern liberal senator who loses
> millions gambling or who partakes of T &
> A in a strip joint?

Well, let me try to maintain the non-polit level of discussion here. The answer to your question is most probably yes if it made sense. But, like it or not, this show is borrowing the incredibly successful technique of Law and Order of ?ripping stories from the headlines.? Law & Order is so popular, my street has been blocked off three times for filming this year alone

I?m certainly not going to argue the sanity of network television programming. But, the point of the LV show was showing the hypocrisy of a person that would write a book denigrating people for acts that he himself commits. And, it was clearly aimed at Bill Bennet, a person that wrote books denigrating ?northern liberals? for their lack of ?family values,? while he himself owes millions to LV casinos.

I?m not making any judgments here. I know the damage of gambling. I have a Gamblers Anonymous link on nearly every page of my site. That?s why I, and many others, spend so much time and emotion fighting anyone that pushes guaranteed systems. But, anyone that sets himself as a guardian of virtue better be careful about his own habits.

[Sun Runner]

> .. the point of the LV show was showing the
> hypocrisy of a person that would write a
> book denigrating people for acts that he
> himself commits.

I have not read Bennet's book. Did he in fact denigrate people for gambling?

> .. aimed at Bill Bennet, a person that .. owes millions to LV casinos.

Does Bennet "owe" millions to LV or did he "lose" millions to LV?

Just curious.

[Norm Wattenberger]

> I have not read Bennet's book. Did he in
> fact denigrate people for gambling?

Don't know. I was talking about the character in LV. I do think Bennett's 'Empower America' organization opposes casino expansion. If LV is following the Law & Order paradigm, large doses of reality are mixed with fiction. Although they did show the character at a high-roller slot machine, and Bennett supposedly lost much of the $8,000,000 at $500 slot machines. Rather unusual for a whale.

> Does Bennet "owe" millions to LV
> or did he "lose" millions to LV?

Should have said lost. No idea what he might owe. Although I have heard that he plays on credit.