Crime Shows

Last night I watched John Oliver, the main topic was Tucker Carson. Then I watched Coroner, a CBC production with a diverse cast that is integral to the show. It occurred to me the plot of Coroner is why Carlson questions the value of diversity.

Synopsis … cop finds Middle Eastern party boy with blood on his cuffs. After a series of gotcha questions, it’s all over but the terrorist added value charge. For some, this is a perfect quick solution - if the boy didn't do this, at some point he will do something to bring him into contact with law enforcement. 

But let's flesh it out. Spoilers ahead.

Jenny's son, Ross goes to a party with his boyfriend. When he tries to enter a bedroom to have casual sex, he finds the door locked. But suddenly it's not locked and he enters to find a dying man. He does CPR getting blood on his cuffs. The Coroner’s partner, Donovan McAvoy, is a homicide detective and does the deeper questioning. A crown attorney gains access to Ross by pretending to be his lawyer but instead gives advice. Take back the narrative; don’t just refute their story. Don't think of what you don't want to reveal; think of what happened and answer from that perspective. 

Diversity was shown to be valuable if you want the “alleged XXX” phrase to be backed with facts. The homicide detective is black and bluntly states how the evidence for his guilt looks. The Crown attorney is black as well and gives a valuable perspective on answering questions from authorities. Alex answered the questions which, along with the autopsy, provided key info leading them to find the murder weapon and the killer.

Ethics is also modeled. Jenny kept away from the autopsy even though her son's involvement was not known to the staff. Donovan pulls no punches when dealing with Ross. The Crown attorney provides evidence to overturn a prosecution he led.

The killer is the white business partner – someone Carlson and his viewers wouldn’t mind getting away with murder for the same reason some republicans claimed not to be concerned about the January armed insurrection while being wildly concerned about BLM activities involving protesters without weapons.