Observations from Episode

1.       I first noticed how old the episode was, and was a bit confused the first time the IRA was mentioned.  It took me a while to remember that the IRA was the Irish Republican Army and to remember that they were an active terrorist organization as well as in the media a lot in the late eighties and early nineties.  This was a surprise and a reminder to me because I am only used to hearing about Middle Eastern Terrorist Organizations since 9/11.  I would say this demonstrates how the media effects my perception of the threats that our nation faces because I had to think and recall who the IRA were, while if you mention Osama Bin Laden, everyone knows what terrorists and events you are referring to.

2.       I also noticed how the agencies appeared to hate each other through not cooperating, or sharing information with each other, and even stonewalling the other’s investigation.  I believe the media, especially television dramas, to this day play a significantly huge role in exaggerating the disdain between agencies.  While I have family members who belong to different government agencies, I realize when all of them work together or/and with local officials political agendas are taken into account, but I believe they still have a common and ultimate goal of protecting American citizens.  I think they are expected to play against each other, especially from the American public since typically our exposure to government agencies is through television, and the agencies take advantage of this expectation, running with it to further their own respective political agendas.    

3.       The last thing I noticed was the reading of the Miranda Rights when individuals were being arrested.  I am familiar with hearing “You have a right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used in a court of law…,” but I am not used to hearing “Do you understand?,” after each clause.  Perhaps this is because contemporary media has taken this phrase out of the process and therefore the only knowledge I have of the Miranda Rights has stemmed from the media and as a result is skewed.  A brief Google search revealed that this question asked at the end of each clause rather than just at the end is the decision of each department.  I wonder if the media had any influence in the organization of how this question is asked when Miranda Rights are being read, as it takes up a lot of time to ask “Do you understand?,” after each clause, especially on a television show.