S10E16 reviewed (Valentine's Day show)

[Mr. Mike]

http://fiveohomepage.com/2010-log10.htm#16

[Todd]

I felt the episode was pretty good, aside from the lame Valentine's Day stuff. (They also filmed it in advance, so there's zero talk of the coronavirus, which is weird when watching something set on February 14, 2020.)

The convenience store robbery thing was a bit flawed in that the perpetrators were doing it in order to pay for a much-needed operation. First off, robbing a convenience store was never going to come close to paying for such a thing, even if they got into the safe. Were they going to knock off 10 convenience stores or something?

It also didn't make any sense. Fully subsidized (zero cost) medical insurance has been available since 2014 in the US, for people who can't afford it. Furthermore, ERs are required to treat any patient with life-threatening issues. Nobody in the US is just left to die, regardless of ability to pay. Tani's suggestion that going to prison will help the guy get his operation was laughable.

Interestingly, this wasn't turned into a political plotline, and the concept of universal healthcare (a hotly debated topic in the US in recent years) wasn't even mentioned. Much of Five-Zero's audience is older and conservative, so they (smartly) didn't want to piss anyone off. The often patriotic and pro-military overtones of the show exist for the same reason, in case you're wondering.