There are some things I've picked up with some of these episodes that could lead to the the show revealing that before Charlie went to prison he was a "dirty" cop.

The first thing that struck me was when Charlie was invited over to his ex partners house the wife tell Charlie that after his arrest her husband couldn't get a partner for 2 years because everyone though that he was dirty TOO. Meaning that they though he was dirty just like Charlie. (now this either just refers to the fact that Charlie was found guilty of something)

The whole time I was watching that scene I couldn;t help but think how a street cop could afford that pool in his back yard...

Also the fact that he was framed for the murder of his friends to begin with sends a signal to me that Charlie was involved in something he was in over his head with.

[quote name='HerdGrad' date='Oct 25 2007, 04:06 PM' post='2606478']
There are some things I've picked up with some of these episodes that could lead to the the show revealing that before Charlie went to prison he was a "dirty" cop.

The first thing that struck me was when Charlie was invited over to his ex partners house <snip> The whole time I was watching that scene I couldn;t help but think how a street cop could afford that pool in his back yard...

Also the fact that he was framed for the murder of his friends to begin with sends a signal to me that Charlie was involved in something he was in over his head with.




I agree. That swimming pool shocked me. (And last night, the Russian--a system-playing murderer, let's remember--told Charlie to consider the possibility of his ex-partner's involvement in a bank heist 15 years ago. )

Charlie must have been either a dirty cop or at least a frame-able one. That his wife and father completely disowned him instantly suggests he was a person they easily could believe had killed his friend's family--wow!

Also the fact that he was framed for the murder of his friends to begin with sends a signal to me that Charlie was involved in something he was in over his head with.
I agree. That swimming pool shocked me. (And last night, the Russian--a system-playing murderer, let's remember--told Charlie to consider the possibility of his ex-partner's involvement in a bank heist 15 years ago. )

Charlie must have been either a dirty cop or at least a frame-able one. That his wife and father completely disowned him instantly suggests he was a person they easily could believe had killed his friend's family--wow!
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Or his friend was involved in something and Charlie was the perfect fall guy. I don't think that was what Roman meant - remember the newspaper clipping - it said 18 million dollars went missing after the heist...Charlie wanted to make contact with Roman - because Roman can find things out for him that even Constance couldn't or wouldn't help him with. Of course, Roman didn't give that info away out of the kindness of his heart....
D.

My take was that perhaps Crews was not at the LA Bank Heist shootout...it would be hard to say....it would have taken place 3 years, give or take, before he was sent to jail...but given the previews, and how he confronts his ex-partner, at the very least, they were not partners at that time....

Damien Lewis is certainly old enough to play a character that could have been a cop then...and if you were LAPD that day, chances are you were involved...

I don't necessarily think that having a pool in your backyard automatically indicates that you are a dirty cop....just doing some research led me to this document

http://www.lacity.org/cao/MOUs/MOU24-09.pdf

it is LENGTHY...but you can see that there are a lot of variables...but Sergeants, with a lot of time on "the job" make can well over $100,000 a year...now, granted, Orange County isn't known for its low cost of living...but we can assume his wife may do something...I don't think its unreasonable that he may have been able over the course of his career to buy a pool....this guy probably has 20 years on the job...he may, realistically, be pulling down $120k per year...cops in big cities...with a lot of time in, can have pretty high salaries...I live in a NoVA suburb...I am a lawyer...my wife is a Doctor...my neighbor is a cop, his wife is a librarian...they obviously aren't hurting for cash....

I also do not think that Crews was dirty ahead of time...

I'm thinking that Charlie wasn't a dirty cop. He also wasn't involved in the 18mil bank heist either. According to the conspiracy board the heist happened in 1991. There is an "article" that says on 15 years ago today, April 3rd 2006, bank heist... When Charlie was sentenced it was 1994 and the article said that he barely had a year in.

His ex-partner's wife is probably just angry that her husband was kind of singled out after Charlie was sent to prison. A guilt by association type of thing.

I thought that, perhaps, Roman rather *liked* Crews. Think about it: Roman, essentially, grew up in various Russian/Soviet institutions. Crews, on the other hand, managed to appear unbowed by his time "inside". What was it he said? Something along the lines of, "You're still walking erect after your time?" In fact, to all appearances, he seems to be thriving since his exoneration. Granted, he's a bit..... Errrmmmmm.... Odd. But, wouldn't you be after 12 years in prison? My point here is that Crews, to Roman's perception, is strong. *That* is something Roman can respect.

Balance

the Dave

In the first part of Dig a Hole, Crews spoke with the kidnapped boy and said he experienced the same thing he did. And in the second part of Dig a Hole, Crews told the murderer that he had spent six months doing push ups in solitary confinement, six months talking to himself, and six months
..... he did not explain.
I love this show and I am wondering if they're going to push the envelope in upcoming episodes and give us more insight into the time he spent in prision. Maybe an expisode with a former prison antagonist now out on bail who taunts him by revealing the things that happened to Crews in prison. I mean the reality is a cop in jail would have been brutualized by the other inmates.
I know from what his friend said, Crews saved his life, but come on, he did not start out so tough I think it took a lot of shame and degradation to get him to become the animal I suspect he became in jail to survive.
The information we no for sure is that while in prison almost every bone was broken in Crews body, but believe me if the prisoners beat him, they would realize that the easiest way to destroy his mind is through rape. MEN DO GET RAPED

I have a funny feeling that although you see all these pretty girls coming out of Crews house I think its all show. For some reason I think he is unable to perform sexually because what was done to him in prison.

Some of what Charlie went through in solitary, you're not allowed to see any other inmates, came out in bits and pieces from Connie and Crews himself. Supposedly Charlie "lost it" for a while. A breakdown that occurs in total isolation is common in "controlling" inmates. I think that period was a dark time that hurts him to know that he was reduced to a mental basket case. But you're right about brutal rapes that happen in prison.

I think he meant that he was taken away from his life as he knew it the same way as the boy was.

The kidnapped boy was in the episode "Serious Control Issues."

I think Charlie was telling the boy thay had both been taken from their familes and they had both been in prisons.

I think when Charlie is talking to the boy he is referring to the fact that both of them have had a huge chunk of their lives taken from them. These are pieces they can never get back, and now are forced to adjust to something new.

" from what his friend said, Crews saved his life, but come on, he did not start out so tough I think it took a lot of shame and degradation to get him to become the animal I suspect he became in jail to survive.The information we no for sure is that while in prison almost every bone was broken in Crews body, but believe me if the prisoners beat him, they would realize that the easiest way to destroy his mind is through rape. MEN DO GET RAPED
I have a funny feeling that although you see all these pretty girls coming out of Crews house I think its all show. For some reason I think he is unable to perform sexually because what was done to him in prison."

It's true, men do get raped in prison, and it makes sense that Charlie might have been brutalized beyond the physical beatings and isolation, and I don't know whether or not they will explore that. It might be an interesting storyline to see someone who was on the inside, revealing details of Crews' time there (not necessarily about rape, buy anything he went through). As far as him not being able to perform sexually, I don't think that's the case. I think it's been twelve years and he's looking for as many opportunities as he can to fulfill his sexual needs. BUT I also think if he were to involve himself in an actual relationship where he cared for the other person ,like Connie for instance, he might have a harder time performing, because it requires him to be open and vunerable with the other person. I also think that's part of the reason he keeps his distance (intimacy wise) from Connie. The fact that she's married is part of it too (he was married once), but I also think it's an excuse, no to get too close.

Over the last 1/2 season (wtf NBC?) I have realized that we have never seen Charlie in just a short sleeve T-shirt. He lives in LA for goodness sake, you know he must get hot sometimes. And I know he does not tan, but why does he never let his arms show? Or even any of his chest, he is always in high collar shirts or shirt and tie. I know in prison a lot of guys get tatoos, and I have noticed that the only time I can remember seeing Charlie is short sleeves is when he is flashbacking o times in prison. Thoughts?

I doubt that there's anything sinister about our "Buttoned-down" Detective being in a shirt and tie all the time. That's "Detective" casual.
That, plus "the talk" is that he got pretty hacked-up while in the joint.
I guess he spent a lot of time in the infirmary getting sewed-up and stitched from getting stabbed while in with the population.

He might be covering-up wounds.
I would put my money on it.

I heard the number 200 used a few times about how stitched he got.

His arms and shoulders looked pretty good (at least to me!) in the opening scenes of episode 1.01 What they saw:

http://15lbpurebunny.livejournal.com/19991.html

You know, I recall Charlie saying something about tattoos in one of the episodes but I don't remember which one. What DOES stick out in my mind is a conversation in the car...Charlie said (of the tattoos), "Want to see them?" and Dani hurriedly replied, "No, absolutely not." Made me snicker - boy, that girl is great at the quick retreat.

He wore a t-shirt one day during the episode where the bride was killed. Dani was also in something skimpier than usual - maybe a tank? I remember thinking it must have been high summer that day for them to be so dressed down.

(Yeah, now all of you who are sweet on Dani are going to go look, right? )

I think Charlie is supposed to have prison Tatoos (Like Ted) and they have also said that in prison he had almost every bone in his body broken. He clearly doesn't have a problem with his upper body being shown in the right situation. I think that "charlie is just charlie" and the stiff upper body clothing is just part of his personality. He looks very stiff minded and that shows the big differance between his real mind set and his appearance. i think one enhances the other.

I just went back and watched the whole first season again (DVD's were an Xmas present!) and there are a few scenes if him in tshirts, and one of his shirtless back. And I LOOKED for tatoos, because he said in "Fallen Woman" that he had some. So there goes my whole theory. Sigh. I think that the previous poster has it right, it is just who he is...you don't have to understand here to be here....

The original screenplay for the pilot episode said that he has 2 tatoos, one on each shoulder; one says "Life" and the other says "Death". If they are small or on the top of his shoulders then we haven't had a chance to see them yet.

I, for one, would SO love a chance to see his tattoos! Are you getting that NBC??? Not for being dirty minded, but you KNOW if we see them, it will advance the character, and maybe tell us more about where his head is at, ya know? It would be great as part of a storyline.....

Does anyone know why Charley is so obsessed about fruit? Every week he is eating some kind of fruit. Could it have something to do with the time he spent in prison?

I think it has to do with him having to eat prison food for so long, but it's also just his signature so to speak....one of his quirks to go along with his character. He has been known to throw it at people too, although it's been a while since he's done that.

In one of the first episodes of the show, Charlie explains that the one thing you couldn't get in prison was fresh fruit. This is why he is always eating it. And yes, in a pinch, he has been known to throw it at people!!!

I was watching that episode just yesterday.

It's a cute scene, 'cause Charlie is sitting at his desk playing with a 'Personal Pineapple', and then Dani finally asks him what the whole fruit thing is about. And when he explains, she gives him his pocket knife back. Which he agrees to use 'for good and not for evil'.




I love this show so much. It's so sunny and likeable...

i try to find the fruit that he eats and commits about. it hard. just this past week, he said something about an apple and a pear that is together. anyone remembers?

You mean the papple?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1401/145999..._7bebb118aa.jpg

Or Asian pear-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrus_pyrifolia

Papple! I loved it!

Since the answer Charlie gave Dani is already on, I'll contribute some thoughts of my own. I gave the fruit thing a thought of my own and so I googeld a little bit as well. (You know, I can relate to Charlie being facinated by google... I kind of gives the word 'connection' quite an aspect... as well as 'connecting' to the internet, but that's a different topic.)

So what facinated me most is pribably that there is actually a "fruitarianism" which refers to people only eating fruit or fruitarians. There aren't many of them out there and many who call themselves fruitarians are not quite 100%... There is also the problem of the definition of the word fruit itself, colloquially and biologically and therfore which one actually applies to fruitarianism.

But other than that fruits play quite a role in Buddhism. Not wanting to harm anything that lives on earth is of course not eating meat, but some go even further to only eat what naturally falls or would fall from plants, which is mostly fruit...

So well... this of course isn't everything but I don't want to take the fun out of it, think about it yourselves.

The papple! I bought one right after that show. It's kind of bland tasting, but perhaps I got an under-ripe one!

I too got one a couple of weeks after the show. It tasted kind of nutty...if that makes sense to anyone. I wasn't thrilled with it but my son loved it...then again he likes broccoli too

Yes this show is awsome! I Love it! .....BUT! There most certainly is fruit in Jail...in fact if you know the right person in the food line/cart you get alot of it . =)

It is indeed a great show I might be wrong, but I think he made mention of no 'fresh' fruit. Maybe not, but maybe that's what he means.

My guess is [ and I wondered the same thing ] and came up with - they represent his "freedom". I am guessing you do not get fresh fruit much in prison - - - besides the fact that he is a Zen-er and being good to his body.

Charley would have had very little access to fruit over the time spent in prison.