Emmy nominations came out this morning. While I am disappointed that more USA Network shows were not included in the nominees for both major and minor categories, there were a few they were included in, and are more than deserving of the nominations. So I'm happy for that, at least! Here are the noms:
1.Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Monk - USA - Universal Cable Productions in association with Mandeville Films and ABC Studio
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
2. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Burn Notice - USA - FOX Television Studios in association with Fuse Entertainment
Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen
3. Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Psych - Mr. Yin Presents - USA - Universal Cable Productions in association with Tagline Pictures
Adam Cohen, Music by
John Robert Wood, Music by
4.Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics
Monk - Mr. Monk And The End Part II (Song title: When I'm Gone) - USA - Universal Cable Productions in association with Mandeville Films and ABC Studios
Randy Newman, Composer
I personally had on my wish list for Emmy Noms: Outstanding Comedy Series (Psych), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series (James Roday), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Dule' Hill) Outstanding Drama Series (Burn Notice) as well as several other USA shows in various categories. Unfortunately, those did not happen. Well... there is always next year!
Congrats on the nominations you did receive USA Network, and may you win them all! :) You deserve it and SO much more! <3
~Suzanne
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
What do YOU want to see from us???
The three of us (Jenna, Kristi, and Suzanne) have been in discussions, and realized we haven't been hearing from you lately! We would LOVE to know what you think of this blog! So, we came to a decision. We're going to make some modifications to what we post, based on what YOU, the reader, has to say!
This is your chance to tell us what you want to see from us! Any suggestions? Anything you’d like to see more of? Less of? We want to know! YOU are the readers, and that means you dictate what you see on this blog. So take out your thinking caps and let us know what YOU want! It’s that simple!
Send us your suggestions through one of the following:
Tweet us at @undrcovrbloggrs
E-mail us at undercovercharacters@gmail.com
OR, simply leave a comment in the comment box below! :)
This is your chance to tell us what you want to see from us! Any suggestions? Anything you’d like to see more of? Less of? We want to know! YOU are the readers, and that means you dictate what you see on this blog. So take out your thinking caps and let us know what YOU want! It’s that simple!
Send us your suggestions through one of the following:
Tweet us at @undrcovrbloggrs
E-mail us at undercovercharacters@gmail.com
OR, simply leave a comment in the comment box below! :)
White Collar Filming=An Amazing Experience
On Wednesday, I went with my best friend into New York City. We went because we had wanted to go on the Intrepid (carrier ship) for a while now so we did that and then wandered around for the rest of the day. As we were driving in the taxi over to the area by Radio City Music Hall and the NBC Store, we stopped at a light and to our right was some filming going on. I then said "Oh my GOD! That's Willie Garson!!"
We had the taxi driver drop us off at the next block and quickly made our way back to watch White Collar film some scenes for their 5th episode. And so you know now, I didn't hear any dialogue and there didn't appear to be any spoilers. Unless you consider Peter handing Neal a pen a spoiler...
Our first view: Willie in his chair
We had the taxi driver drop us off at the next block and quickly made our way back to watch White Collar film some scenes for their 5th episode. And so you know now, I didn't hear any dialogue and there didn't appear to be any spoilers. Unless you consider Peter handing Neal a pen a spoiler...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Burn Notice—4x03 ‘Made Man’ Recap.
Hey guys! Still under the weather this week. But my homegurl Katelyn was awesome enough to write up a recap of last weeks episode for you guys! Enjoy!
~Suzanne
************************************
Hi! I’m Katelyn and I am guest-blogging this week for Suzanne.
To recap the end of 4x02, Jesse is angry about being burned and asked Michael for his help to find who burned him… so Jesse can kill said person. Trouble for Michael? I think so.
This week’s episode started with Michael, Fi and Sam waiting for Jesse to join them for a meeting. Jesse walks in with a case and explains the real reason he is in Miami. When he worked for the government, he found a pattern in happenings in a local dock. Quickly code naming the bad guy ‘cobra’, he moved to Miami to investigate it further. ‘Cobra’ was supposed to meet with Jesse a couple weeks before, but never showed.
That brings the four down to the docks in order to gain intel to find ‘Cobra’. All was fine until Jesse decided to help a security guard, Hank, escape from two goons. They decide to help Hank, by finding the man responsible for a racketeering mob ring down at the docs, and hopefully, in the meantime, find Cobra. They find out the boss of this ring is Tony Carroll. They do what they do, and investigate.
Although Fi and Jesse would love to take a more violent approach, Michael decides to go undercover using a real FBI’s agent’s name, Ned Gordon. Long story short, Michael goes to Tony to earn his trust, and later finds out that Tony has a Fed ‘in his pocket’ (after Tony’s goons tell Michael they know he’s not the real Ned).
So now that Michael and Jesse are on Tony’s radar, that leaves Sam… and Sam’s alter ego (wait for it….) CHUCK FINLEY! After kidnapping Tony from a bathroom, ‘Chuck’ went to work.
Tony wakes up in a bed covered in plastic wrap (Dexter anyone?). Chuck threatens him with ‘Mr. Splicey’ and ‘Mr. Needle’, but both decide working together would be a better solution. Chuck would get a team together, rob the dock, and get 1 million in the process. Chuck’s team? Jesse and Fi. (Lucky us, Tony has not seen Jesse before.) So the plan is set. They break into a section of the dock, steal a truck with 5 million dollars worth of Micro-Processors to let Tony get caught in the act. Everything went well and Tony was about to drive off, but then decided to not leave his partner behind because of a story ‘Chuck’ was forced to tell about not leaving a man behind.
Later at Michael’s place, they had to make a Plan-B. Jesse: To start a war between Tony and his boss Geo. Fi agreed saying it would get rid of half the baddies in one afternoon. The plan was again set. First, they sent out an ad asking for bodyguards (for a pretend army) and put them in SUVs. Tony goes thinking that he is backed by Chuck’s army and about to take over. In the end, Chuck and the army leaves, leaving Tony to defend himself against Geo and his goons.
Next you see Fi, Michael, Sam and Jesse at a bar. They talk about how Tony is going to jail for killing Geo. Good guys win. Michael goes home to see his mother standing by the stairs. She tells him she knows he was the one that burned Jesse and this wasn’t going to end well for either of them. She knows Michael is lying to him because she had 30 years of lies from Michael’s father. Maddie then walks off leaving Michael standing there to think of what she said.
ALL NEW EPISODE TONIGHT! JUNE 24th, at 9/8c! Be there or… well… You know how Fi likes to blow up things! ;)
~Suzanne
************************************
Hi! I’m Katelyn and I am guest-blogging this week for Suzanne.
To recap the end of 4x02, Jesse is angry about being burned and asked Michael for his help to find who burned him… so Jesse can kill said person. Trouble for Michael? I think so.
This week’s episode started with Michael, Fi and Sam waiting for Jesse to join them for a meeting. Jesse walks in with a case and explains the real reason he is in Miami. When he worked for the government, he found a pattern in happenings in a local dock. Quickly code naming the bad guy ‘cobra’, he moved to Miami to investigate it further. ‘Cobra’ was supposed to meet with Jesse a couple weeks before, but never showed.
That brings the four down to the docks in order to gain intel to find ‘Cobra’. All was fine until Jesse decided to help a security guard, Hank, escape from two goons. They decide to help Hank, by finding the man responsible for a racketeering mob ring down at the docs, and hopefully, in the meantime, find Cobra. They find out the boss of this ring is Tony Carroll. They do what they do, and investigate.
Although Fi and Jesse would love to take a more violent approach, Michael decides to go undercover using a real FBI’s agent’s name, Ned Gordon. Long story short, Michael goes to Tony to earn his trust, and later finds out that Tony has a Fed ‘in his pocket’ (after Tony’s goons tell Michael they know he’s not the real Ned).
So now that Michael and Jesse are on Tony’s radar, that leaves Sam… and Sam’s alter ego (wait for it….) CHUCK FINLEY! After kidnapping Tony from a bathroom, ‘Chuck’ went to work.
Tony wakes up in a bed covered in plastic wrap (Dexter anyone?). Chuck threatens him with ‘Mr. Splicey’ and ‘Mr. Needle’, but both decide working together would be a better solution. Chuck would get a team together, rob the dock, and get 1 million in the process. Chuck’s team? Jesse and Fi. (Lucky us, Tony has not seen Jesse before.) So the plan is set. They break into a section of the dock, steal a truck with 5 million dollars worth of Micro-Processors to let Tony get caught in the act. Everything went well and Tony was about to drive off, but then decided to not leave his partner behind because of a story ‘Chuck’ was forced to tell about not leaving a man behind.
Later at Michael’s place, they had to make a Plan-B. Jesse: To start a war between Tony and his boss Geo. Fi agreed saying it would get rid of half the baddies in one afternoon. The plan was again set. First, they sent out an ad asking for bodyguards (for a pretend army) and put them in SUVs. Tony goes thinking that he is backed by Chuck’s army and about to take over. In the end, Chuck and the army leaves, leaving Tony to defend himself against Geo and his goons.
Next you see Fi, Michael, Sam and Jesse at a bar. They talk about how Tony is going to jail for killing Geo. Good guys win. Michael goes home to see his mother standing by the stairs. She tells him she knows he was the one that burned Jesse and this wasn’t going to end well for either of them. She knows Michael is lying to him because she had 30 years of lies from Michael’s father. Maddie then walks off leaving Michael standing there to think of what she said.
ALL NEW EPISODE TONIGHT! JUNE 24th, at 9/8c! Be there or… well… You know how Fi likes to blow up things! ;)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Royal Pains 2x03: Keeping the Faith
It’s Kristi, and I’m back to share my thoughts on this week’s episode of Royal Pains. I wanted to apologize for not posting last week. I was out of town and wasn’t able to get anything written. It was a great episode though. This week’s was even better.
“Is Everybody Ready For the Big Show?”
The episode started with introducing the patient of the week, Donald. He was played by WWE’s The Big Show (whose real name is Paul Wight). He’s a popular movie star, his character being The Garbage Collector. Donald and his sister Faith were on a week’s vacation in the Hamptons. Throughout the episode, Donald had problems with his balance, tingling in his legs, and dizziness. One of my favorite parts of the episode was the birthday party scene. He was asked to wear his costume and act his role for the kids. He enlisted Hank’s help, resulting in Donald picking Hank up over his head and spinning him around, while all the kids were yelling, “Trash him!” It was so funny, but ended with Donald falling (while still carrying Hank) because he couldn’t feel his legs. There are a few more instances of this happening, until Hank figures out what is causing everything. It’s the denture cream he used when he wore his “trash teeth.” I really liked Donald. He was like a big teddy bear. It was fun to see him playing a character that was totally opposite of who he really was.
This brings us to Faith, Donald’s sister. She and Evan hit it off, but he started noticing some strange behavior from her; memory loss, lack of appetite. She insists that she is fine; she’s on a massive diet and under a lot of stress. Everything seemed okay until she began choking on her vitamins. Hank is able to extract the pills. He figures out that she had had gastric bypass surgery, and she hadn’t been following her diet properly. Both these storylines culminate in the realization for Faith that she needs to move on. So by the end of the episode, she has accepted a new job. I love the fact that Evan is the one that helps her come to the realization.
Now, to Boris. We first see him looking through some secret letters that he had received. It doesn’t look like any of them had been opened, but they were all from the same person, Marisa Casseras. If you’ve been watching previous episodes this season, you know that she is the first doctor Boris went to about his mystery disease. He and Hank have it out over Eddie’s presence at the house, and by the end of the episode we see Boris meeting with a young female doctor. She signs a confidentiality agreement and he tells her that she would make a wonderful concierge doctor. I, and probably many others, was thinking, “Whoa, wait, what?!” This does not bode well.
Finally, let’s talk about family. Eddie is now dating Ms. Newberg. He decided that he was going to stay in the Hamptons. Evan is excited about it, but Hank wants him to leave yesterday. He even goes so far to warn Ms. Newberg about him. After the blow-up with Boris, Hank and Eddie meet for lunch. They have quite an argument, and Eddie leaves in a huff, telling Hank that he is not going to leave, and there’s nothing Hank can do about it. He says, “I’ve already lost one son, I’m not going to lose the other.” This scene was so powerful. We really got to see the hate that Hank has for his father, and the love that Eddie has for his sons.
I think this was my favorite episode of the season so far. It had its funny moments and was balanced by the serious moments. The Big Show did wonderfully as Donald, and I love Henry Winkler as Eddie Lawson. I also can’t wait to find out what’s up with this new doctor.
Well, that’s it for now. Let me know what you think. I’ll be back to bring you more Royal Pains fun next week. Bye for now!
-Kristi
“Is Everybody Ready For the Big Show?”
Grabbed from the Royal Pains Facebook page.
The episode started with introducing the patient of the week, Donald. He was played by WWE’s The Big Show (whose real name is Paul Wight). He’s a popular movie star, his character being The Garbage Collector. Donald and his sister Faith were on a week’s vacation in the Hamptons. Throughout the episode, Donald had problems with his balance, tingling in his legs, and dizziness. One of my favorite parts of the episode was the birthday party scene. He was asked to wear his costume and act his role for the kids. He enlisted Hank’s help, resulting in Donald picking Hank up over his head and spinning him around, while all the kids were yelling, “Trash him!” It was so funny, but ended with Donald falling (while still carrying Hank) because he couldn’t feel his legs. There are a few more instances of this happening, until Hank figures out what is causing everything. It’s the denture cream he used when he wore his “trash teeth.” I really liked Donald. He was like a big teddy bear. It was fun to see him playing a character that was totally opposite of who he really was.
Grabbed from the Royal Pains Facebook page.
This brings us to Faith, Donald’s sister. She and Evan hit it off, but he started noticing some strange behavior from her; memory loss, lack of appetite. She insists that she is fine; she’s on a massive diet and under a lot of stress. Everything seemed okay until she began choking on her vitamins. Hank is able to extract the pills. He figures out that she had had gastric bypass surgery, and she hadn’t been following her diet properly. Both these storylines culminate in the realization for Faith that she needs to move on. So by the end of the episode, she has accepted a new job. I love the fact that Evan is the one that helps her come to the realization.
Now, to Boris. We first see him looking through some secret letters that he had received. It doesn’t look like any of them had been opened, but they were all from the same person, Marisa Casseras. If you’ve been watching previous episodes this season, you know that she is the first doctor Boris went to about his mystery disease. He and Hank have it out over Eddie’s presence at the house, and by the end of the episode we see Boris meeting with a young female doctor. She signs a confidentiality agreement and he tells her that she would make a wonderful concierge doctor. I, and probably many others, was thinking, “Whoa, wait, what?!” This does not bode well.
Finally, let’s talk about family. Eddie is now dating Ms. Newberg. He decided that he was going to stay in the Hamptons. Evan is excited about it, but Hank wants him to leave yesterday. He even goes so far to warn Ms. Newberg about him. After the blow-up with Boris, Hank and Eddie meet for lunch. They have quite an argument, and Eddie leaves in a huff, telling Hank that he is not going to leave, and there’s nothing Hank can do about it. He says, “I’ve already lost one son, I’m not going to lose the other.” This scene was so powerful. We really got to see the hate that Hank has for his father, and the love that Eddie has for his sons.
I think this was my favorite episode of the season so far. It had its funny moments and was balanced by the serious moments. The Big Show did wonderfully as Donald, and I love Henry Winkler as Eddie Lawson. I also can’t wait to find out what’s up with this new doctor.
Well, that’s it for now. Let me know what you think. I’ll be back to bring you more Royal Pains fun next week. Bye for now!
-Kristi
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
'Friends and Enemies' - Burn Notice 4x01 Recap/Review
Hello everyone! I’m back (Suzanne)! Sorry I’ve been gone so long. This is my first review for Burn Notice, and I’m a little rusty, but here it is. I think I, too, went a little crazy with notes. Ah well. Premieres are always so packed full of information! My next review will likely be a little more condensed. Ok, enough of my rambling.
Where HAS Michael Westen been?
It began where season 3 left off. Only, this time, Michael gets the chance to give us a few spy tips. One: The various priceless artifacts decorating the room reveal this isn’t just any office. Certainly not an official government agency. The $1200 shoes and expensive suit walking through the door confirms that.
The man explains - to an unusually, somewhat out of character Michael - that he is in a private holding facility. He also informs him that he did very well rescuing ‘Management’ (The man who burned Michael), and allowing them to lock up their ‘threat’, Simon. Meet: Vaughn -- Michaels newfriend acquaintance. Vaughn gives Michael a file, telling him he should ‘find that interesting’.
Next, we see Michael in a holding cell. He mulls around for a bit, before finally going through the file. We learn they are intelligence files. Having read and deciphered the information in the file, Michael gets taken back to Vaughn. The file contained documents linking “assassinations, crop burnings, little wars around the world” to “some fat bank accounts”. Vaughn (played by Robert Wisdom) explains that they need Michaels help to stop these things. Simon’s escape was an attack against ‘us’.
Michael: “Who is ‘Us’ exactly?”
Vaughn: “Some things governments do well, like… run a military or post office. And then there are some things they need help with. Things best done by people who no longer have ties to the government.”
Michael: “Like burned spies.”
Vaughn: “Precisely. That’s where we come in. … Where you come in.”
Vaughn goes on to explain that while they may have different methods, they are on the same side; Trying to fight the bad guys. He wants Michael to ‘partner’ with them. He asks Michael where he would start. Michael says many of the ‘little wars’ track back to the same weapons supplier: Gregory Hart. Vaughn decides they should go see this person together.
Next, we see a helicopter landing in the jungle. Michael and Vaughn are inside. Vaughn asks Michael how it feels to finally be out of Miami. Michael says it feels good. They invade a guerilla camp, housing the elusive gunrunner. They ask him who he works for. Hart, played by none other than Michael Ironside, replies: “I work for a 16 digit Swiss bank account and an anonymous e-mail address.”
Vaughn shoot’s Hart in the leg in an attempt to make him give up who he’s working for. Hart explains it isn’t going to do him any good; He doesn’t know who he works for, and he was a dead man the second they started coming for him. Michael spots a drone aircraft - an unmanned, heavily armed weapon - which attacks the camp. Hart is killed, but Michael and Vaughn escape - Vaughn taking a bullet to the shoulder, but both come out alive.
Back in Miami:
Having returned to Miami, Michael speaks with Vaughn. Vaughn informs him that this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. ANY agency - from anywhere - it doesn’t matter who they are -
Vaughn: “ANYONE who gets close, gets dead.”
Michael: “So now it’s MY turn?”
Vaughn explains that while it is dangerous business, they feel that it’s something Michael Westen can do. Succeed where others have failed. Michael says that Hart had government files with him. That he was probably the subject of some sort of federal investigation. Michael agree to work with them, BUT, says they will do it on HIS terms. It is HIS investigation. Vaughn agrees.
Michael finally gets to go home to his mother. She’s shaken. It was short, but the unspoken words between he and Maddie seemed to pour out between them. He asked about Fi, and then, after telling his mother he was “...sorry. About everything.”, she told him to go on - they would talk later - knowing that he needed to see Fi.
He did so. Coming into Fi’s apartment, they briefly kissed, then she pats him on the shoulder before turning back to a table full of an assortment of guns. I have to say I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this. We all know how Fiona likes her guns. ;)
Michael, having been gone mysteriously for weeks, was taken aback. It wasn’t exactly the reunion he was expecting. Fi explains that she and Sam are in the middle of something. They took on a case that ‘Got a little out of hand’. This is where the episode turned more procedural. This weeks case? A Lawyer: Winston. Tried to help a girl with a problem with her ex-boyfriend, Hunter. When the restraining order didn’t work, the lawyer got a judge to impound Hunter’s bike. Turned out he was the enforcer of a biker gang. They came after Winston with an order to kill him, and he tried to pay them to leave them alone. This is why they need Michaels help. On the hurried drive to Winston’s house, Sam and Fiona start their usual bickering. Michael is lost. They finally explain what’s going on, and that frankly ‘This whole thing needs a little Michael Westen.’
Michael goes in alone, guns blazing. Except, he wasn’t shooting at them. He was shooting in the air to get their attention. The entire standoff reminded me of Dirty Harry, and I oddly kept expecting Michael to say “So you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punk?”. Of course, Michael did not say this. But I’d venture to say it came pretty darn close. The bikers left, vowing that it wasn’t over.
The next scene I have to say is probably one of my favorites. Michael seems to be sulking. Fi even goes so far as to ask him if he’s pouting. Michael explained that he comes back - after a mysterious disappearance - to Fi and Sam acting like nothing happened. He gets cut off when Fi slaps him. HARD. She then breaks down; Fiona style. Tells him they ‘kicked in every door we could think of’, and that they took the case ‘out of respect’ for him. They kiss and share a long embrace. She asks him about what happened. He briefly explains what he’s into now, Fi isn’t very happy about it.
Michael speaks with their new client. They decide the best way to save the mans life is by making it so that him staying alive is in the best interest of the gang. Barry, a recurring character played by Paul Tei, is brought in to help them devise a plan that makes it look like their client is mixed up with the gang. By doing this, if they were to kill him, they would leave their whole operation in jeopardy. After Fi obtained the documents they needed, they invaded the house of the leader of the gang: ‘Big Ed’.
After having a ‘talk’ with Big Ed, they were able to convince him to call off the ‘green light’ (order to kill) on their client. But things didn’t exactly go as planned. Hunter disobeyed Big Ed’s orders and didn’t come alone. Nor did he come with intentions of calling off the green light. Instead, he shot Big Ed in the shoulder. At this time, Michael, Sam and Winston go in to save the biker, and speed off - Hunter and a couple of his boys in tow. Michael then called in ‘Plan B’ to Fiona, who caused a little ‘trouble’ at the biker bar, by stealing a bike in order to get them to follow her. Fiona brought the biker gang to Michael, creating backup for the group. Big Ed beats Hunter, stripping him of his vest, and putting it on Winston, ordering that his gang not lay a hand on the lawyer. Sam and Fi later take Winston to a tattoo parlor to get a ‘Breakers’ tattoo, ensuring that the gang couldn’t come after him ever again.
I have to say, my favorite thing about this whole storyline was Fiona on a bike. That chick looks pretty awesome, does she not? ;)
Now, Michael finally gets to speak with his mother about what happened. It was really a beautiful part of the episode. Maddie tells him that having him gone wasn’t the hard part. She’s gotten used to that over the years. The hard part, she said, was having an FBI agent telling her that her son is “monster”. Michael explains about Simon, and how he’d changed, turning into someone who hurt people. He told his mother that he was working to stop Simon, and that yes, he broke the law, he worked with bad people - because he had to.
Maddie: “It’s as simple as that?”
Michael: “I don’t know.”
Here is the part that really got to me as a fan of the show. Michael broke down, telling his mother what Simon said to him.
“When I caught Simon, he laughed. He said it was just a matter of time before I was just like him.”
With that, Madeline stood up, wrapping her arms around her son, and said “He’s wrong, honey. That isn’t the son I raised.”
This show has a lot of different facets - guns, explosions, sexual tension, guns, scared clients, explosions, car chases, explosions - they’re all great. But this scene was a very profound moment for the show - Michael’s relationship with his mother, as well as Michael’s character. Michael Westen -Ex Spy - is scared of becoming something he doesn’t want to be.
And as amazing as that moment was, the last part of the episode was even better. Michael uses an access card given to him by Vaugn, in order to sneak into a government facility to steal some files. Michael was successful. However, not everyone came out okay. Because Michael stole the files, someone else got blamed.
Michael just burned another spy.
*cue dramatic music*
Tune in this Thursday at 9/8c when we get to meet this newly burned spy, Jesse Porter, played by Coby Bell (known for his roles in Third Watch, and The Game)!
What did you enjoy about the episode? Something you want to add? Leave a comment below! :)
Where HAS Michael Westen been?
Photo taken from USANetwork.com
It began where season 3 left off. Only, this time, Michael gets the chance to give us a few spy tips. One: The various priceless artifacts decorating the room reveal this isn’t just any office. Certainly not an official government agency. The $1200 shoes and expensive suit walking through the door confirms that.
The man explains - to an unusually, somewhat out of character Michael - that he is in a private holding facility. He also informs him that he did very well rescuing ‘Management’ (The man who burned Michael), and allowing them to lock up their ‘threat’, Simon. Meet: Vaughn -- Michaels new
Next, we see Michael in a holding cell. He mulls around for a bit, before finally going through the file. We learn they are intelligence files. Having read and deciphered the information in the file, Michael gets taken back to Vaughn. The file contained documents linking “assassinations, crop burnings, little wars around the world” to “some fat bank accounts”. Vaughn (played by Robert Wisdom) explains that they need Michaels help to stop these things. Simon’s escape was an attack against ‘us’.
Michael: “Who is ‘Us’ exactly?”
Vaughn: “Some things governments do well, like… run a military or post office. And then there are some things they need help with. Things best done by people who no longer have ties to the government.”
Michael: “Like burned spies.”
Vaughn: “Precisely. That’s where we come in. … Where you come in.”
Vaughn [Photo taken from USANetwork.com]
Vaughn goes on to explain that while they may have different methods, they are on the same side; Trying to fight the bad guys. He wants Michael to ‘partner’ with them. He asks Michael where he would start. Michael says many of the ‘little wars’ track back to the same weapons supplier: Gregory Hart. Vaughn decides they should go see this person together.
Next, we see a helicopter landing in the jungle. Michael and Vaughn are inside. Vaughn asks Michael how it feels to finally be out of Miami. Michael says it feels good. They invade a guerilla camp, housing the elusive gunrunner. They ask him who he works for. Hart, played by none other than Michael Ironside, replies: “I work for a 16 digit Swiss bank account and an anonymous e-mail address.”
Vaughn shoot’s Hart in the leg in an attempt to make him give up who he’s working for. Hart explains it isn’t going to do him any good; He doesn’t know who he works for, and he was a dead man the second they started coming for him. Michael spots a drone aircraft - an unmanned, heavily armed weapon - which attacks the camp. Hart is killed, but Michael and Vaughn escape - Vaughn taking a bullet to the shoulder, but both come out alive.
Back in Miami:
Having returned to Miami, Michael speaks with Vaughn. Vaughn informs him that this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. ANY agency - from anywhere - it doesn’t matter who they are -
Vaughn: “ANYONE who gets close, gets dead.”
Michael: “So now it’s MY turn?”
Vaughn explains that while it is dangerous business, they feel that it’s something Michael Westen can do. Succeed where others have failed. Michael says that Hart had government files with him. That he was probably the subject of some sort of federal investigation. Michael agree to work with them, BUT, says they will do it on HIS terms. It is HIS investigation. Vaughn agrees.
Michael finally gets to go home to his mother. She’s shaken. It was short, but the unspoken words between he and Maddie seemed to pour out between them. He asked about Fi, and then, after telling his mother he was “...sorry. About everything.”, she told him to go on - they would talk later - knowing that he needed to see Fi.
He did so. Coming into Fi’s apartment, they briefly kissed, then she pats him on the shoulder before turning back to a table full of an assortment of guns. I have to say I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this. We all know how Fiona likes her guns. ;)
Michael, having been gone mysteriously for weeks, was taken aback. It wasn’t exactly the reunion he was expecting. Fi explains that she and Sam are in the middle of something. They took on a case that ‘Got a little out of hand’. This is where the episode turned more procedural. This weeks case? A Lawyer: Winston. Tried to help a girl with a problem with her ex-boyfriend, Hunter. When the restraining order didn’t work, the lawyer got a judge to impound Hunter’s bike. Turned out he was the enforcer of a biker gang. They came after Winston with an order to kill him, and he tried to pay them to leave them alone. This is why they need Michaels help. On the hurried drive to Winston’s house, Sam and Fiona start their usual bickering. Michael is lost. They finally explain what’s going on, and that frankly ‘This whole thing needs a little Michael Westen.’
Michael goes in alone, guns blazing. Except, he wasn’t shooting at them. He was shooting in the air to get their attention. The entire standoff reminded me of Dirty Harry, and I oddly kept expecting Michael to say “So you’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya, punk?”. Of course, Michael did not say this. But I’d venture to say it came pretty darn close. The bikers left, vowing that it wasn’t over.
The next scene I have to say is probably one of my favorites. Michael seems to be sulking. Fi even goes so far as to ask him if he’s pouting. Michael explained that he comes back - after a mysterious disappearance - to Fi and Sam acting like nothing happened. He gets cut off when Fi slaps him. HARD. She then breaks down; Fiona style. Tells him they ‘kicked in every door we could think of’, and that they took the case ‘out of respect’ for him. They kiss and share a long embrace. She asks him about what happened. He briefly explains what he’s into now, Fi isn’t very happy about it.
Michael speaks with their new client. They decide the best way to save the mans life is by making it so that him staying alive is in the best interest of the gang. Barry, a recurring character played by Paul Tei, is brought in to help them devise a plan that makes it look like their client is mixed up with the gang. By doing this, if they were to kill him, they would leave their whole operation in jeopardy. After Fi obtained the documents they needed, they invaded the house of the leader of the gang: ‘Big Ed’.
After having a ‘talk’ with Big Ed, they were able to convince him to call off the ‘green light’ (order to kill) on their client. But things didn’t exactly go as planned. Hunter disobeyed Big Ed’s orders and didn’t come alone. Nor did he come with intentions of calling off the green light. Instead, he shot Big Ed in the shoulder. At this time, Michael, Sam and Winston go in to save the biker, and speed off - Hunter and a couple of his boys in tow. Michael then called in ‘Plan B’ to Fiona, who caused a little ‘trouble’ at the biker bar, by stealing a bike in order to get them to follow her. Fiona brought the biker gang to Michael, creating backup for the group. Big Ed beats Hunter, stripping him of his vest, and putting it on Winston, ordering that his gang not lay a hand on the lawyer. Sam and Fi later take Winston to a tattoo parlor to get a ‘Breakers’ tattoo, ensuring that the gang couldn’t come after him ever again.
I have to say, my favorite thing about this whole storyline was Fiona on a bike. That chick looks pretty awesome, does she not? ;)
Photo taken from USANetwork.com
Now, Michael finally gets to speak with his mother about what happened. It was really a beautiful part of the episode. Maddie tells him that having him gone wasn’t the hard part. She’s gotten used to that over the years. The hard part, she said, was having an FBI agent telling her that her son is “monster”. Michael explains about Simon, and how he’d changed, turning into someone who hurt people. He told his mother that he was working to stop Simon, and that yes, he broke the law, he worked with bad people - because he had to.
Maddie: “It’s as simple as that?”
Michael: “I don’t know.”
Here is the part that really got to me as a fan of the show. Michael broke down, telling his mother what Simon said to him.
“When I caught Simon, he laughed. He said it was just a matter of time before I was just like him.”
With that, Madeline stood up, wrapping her arms around her son, and said “He’s wrong, honey. That isn’t the son I raised.”
This show has a lot of different facets - guns, explosions, sexual tension, guns, scared clients, explosions, car chases, explosions - they’re all great. But this scene was a very profound moment for the show - Michael’s relationship with his mother, as well as Michael’s character. Michael Westen -
And as amazing as that moment was, the last part of the episode was even better. Michael uses an access card given to him by Vaugn, in order to sneak into a government facility to steal some files. Michael was successful. However, not everyone came out okay. Because Michael stole the files, someone else got blamed.
Michael just burned another spy.
*cue dramatic music*
Tune in this Thursday at 9/8c when we get to meet this newly burned spy, Jesse Porter, played by Coby Bell (known for his roles in Third Watch, and The Game)!
What did you enjoy about the episode? Something you want to add? Leave a comment below! :)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Royal Pains 2x01 Review
Episode 1: Spasticity
Hi everyone! This is Kristi, and I’m here with my first episode review/recap. I was so excited, I think I may have gone a little crazy with the notes I took. I’ll try not to get too rambly with it. There was so much going on. Enjoy!
The first thing we see is a recap of last season. It’s pretty detailed and hits many of the highpoints and important landmarks. Then we get into the continued storyline from last year, HankMed is broke and Evan has left, we assume to go find his father. In this scene, Boris (patient and owner of the guest house Hank and Evan live in) finds the note that Evan left Hank before disappearing. Hank is also missing in action. Divya arrives and calls him, not getting an answer. We soon find out that Hank is on his way to New York to find Evan and confront him about the fact that he lost all of HankMed’s money to their father, Eddie R. Lawson (played by Henry Winkler). He tries to call Evan, but he too is not answering his phone. Hank and Evan eventually meet up in New York and Hank eventually convinces Evan to come back to the Hamptons. He doesn’t come back right away though. He first gets stood up by Eddie, and arrives back several hours later.
Throughout the episode Hank and Evan are at odds with each other, and Hank lets Evan know that he no longer trusts him. Evan tries calling old clients and even writing an infomercial to try to earn some of HankMed’s money back. Unfortunately, nothing works. By the end of the episode though, we see that Evan has sold his car and Hank is finally seeing how hard Evan is trying to make it up to him. They even play a little game of catch. The last scene of the episode has Eddie showing up at the guest house, to everyone’s surprise. He pulls a check out of his pocket and hands it to Hank. After passing off the check, Hank punches him. As Eddie falls, the screen goes black.
I’m glad that this was dealt with right away. Surely HankMed wouldn’t have been able to function much longer without any funds. The tension between the brothers was great and the two final scenes show how much they really do care about each other.
The patient of the week:
Meanwhile, Divya has met with the patient of the week. His name is Spencer “the Spaz” Fischer. He does infomercials. He’s been having dizzy spells and a run of klutz-y bad luck. Once Hank is back in town, they get several calls from Spencer. The first time they all three go over to Spencer’s house, they are led to him by lights placed in the floor. He is stuck in his father’s panic room. His back has locked up and he’s stuck hanging from the ceiling. They get him down and Hank treats him. We find out that Spencer’s father was an eccentric inventor who died after a bout of mental illness and then kidney failure. The panic room has tons of supplies and even medical equipment (I’ll come back to this later). Evan also finds the open/shut buttons for the panic room door. We are shown that the door is high powered and slams shut with a lot of force.
The second time he calls, he has nailed his hand to the wall. He voices concern at this point that he is worried he’s starting to lose his mind like his father did. Hank tells Spencer not to continue his dismantling of the panic room. He’s better off just leaving it alone and not going back down there. Spencer tells him he can take the medical supplies. Jill takes them and stores them in the basement at the hospital.
Spencer calls one final time. The call drops immediately, so Evan and Divya take the call and head to Spencer’s house. They notice that all the lights are blinking. They get down to the panic room only to notice that Spencer is stuck in the door which has slammed shut on him. They call Hank and the paramedics, and they get there soon after. Hank realizes that if they open the door, he’ll die, unless they can find something that will recreate the pressure. He remembers that there was this device, which wraps around the legs and waist and inflates, in the medical supplies they had given to Jill. He calls her and she races over with the device. Evan squeezes through the door and opens it; they put the device on and then take Spencer to the hospital.
Later, at the hospital, Hank reveals to Spencer that both he and his father had been exposed to Mercury from the medical supplies that were stored there. That’s why his father seemed to lose his mind and later died of kidney failure. Spencer’s dizzy spells were caused by the same thing. Hank assured him that’s he’d be fine.
I loved Spencer. He reminded me a lot of, well, me in the klutz department. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a spaz, but I have my moments. I’m really glad that everything turned out okay and he’ll make a full recovery.
Jill and the hospital:
We are introduced to another doctor at the hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Blair (Marcia Gay Harden). She is a surgeon and member of the board. She doesn’t agree with how Jill is running the ER and has heard complaints, specifically from Charlie Casey, Jill’s ex. Right before Jill receives the call about Spencer; she is in a board meeting where they are trying to decide if Jill should remain the head of ER. She runs out mid meeting to help Hank. When they all return to the hospital, Dr. Blair has taken the position of Head of Emergency Medicine away from Jill.
So far, I don’t like Liz. I can see her being a huge thorn in everyone’s side this season, especially now that she’s in the position she is. I’m glad that Jill put the life of another in front of herself, not that I doubt she would have in the first place.
Boris:
Boris meets with Hank early in the episode, and tells him that he is contemplating finding a new doctor, someone that will have fewer distractions. Hank assures him that he is going to do everything he can to find a treatment or cure for his mysterious illness. Hank comes to him later with a new plan. He wants to contact all of the past doctors and researchers Boris has gone to, and combine their research. Hank hopes that with the combined efforts of everyone, instead of just individually, they can come up with something before its too late.
I’m glad they are moving ahead with this storyline. I like the mystery behind it, but I really want there to be a breakthrough soon. I like Boris. Hopefully, they’ll find a treatment before it’s too late.
Divya and her engagement:
Finally, throughout the episode, there is mention of her engagement. She really doesn’t want to talk about it when Evan brings it up. It’s obvious that Evan is upset when he finds out she went through with it. She realized that she “had to let a dream go and face the reality in order to embrace what is most important, family.” She tells Hank she doesn’t want to move to London, but “sometimes you have to meet family halfway, even if you don’t get where they are coming from.” These two conversations go a long way to mending the brothers’ relationship.
I really, really hope that Divya doesn’t leave. I really like her as a character and her dynamic with the boys. I also like the relationship that has developed between her and Evan. It’s a lot of fun to watch their banter. Please don’t leave, Divya!
Well, that’s my review/recap. Like I said, a lot happened, and it was hard to scale it down without missing anything. If there’s anything you’d like to add, or any thoughts you might have on the episode, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading.
-Kristi
Hi everyone! This is Kristi, and I’m here with my first episode review/recap. I was so excited, I think I may have gone a little crazy with the notes I took. I’ll try not to get too rambly with it. There was so much going on. Enjoy!
Grabbed from the Royal Pains Facebook page.
HankMed and family drama:The first thing we see is a recap of last season. It’s pretty detailed and hits many of the highpoints and important landmarks. Then we get into the continued storyline from last year, HankMed is broke and Evan has left, we assume to go find his father. In this scene, Boris (patient and owner of the guest house Hank and Evan live in) finds the note that Evan left Hank before disappearing. Hank is also missing in action. Divya arrives and calls him, not getting an answer. We soon find out that Hank is on his way to New York to find Evan and confront him about the fact that he lost all of HankMed’s money to their father, Eddie R. Lawson (played by Henry Winkler). He tries to call Evan, but he too is not answering his phone. Hank and Evan eventually meet up in New York and Hank eventually convinces Evan to come back to the Hamptons. He doesn’t come back right away though. He first gets stood up by Eddie, and arrives back several hours later.
Throughout the episode Hank and Evan are at odds with each other, and Hank lets Evan know that he no longer trusts him. Evan tries calling old clients and even writing an infomercial to try to earn some of HankMed’s money back. Unfortunately, nothing works. By the end of the episode though, we see that Evan has sold his car and Hank is finally seeing how hard Evan is trying to make it up to him. They even play a little game of catch. The last scene of the episode has Eddie showing up at the guest house, to everyone’s surprise. He pulls a check out of his pocket and hands it to Hank. After passing off the check, Hank punches him. As Eddie falls, the screen goes black.
I’m glad that this was dealt with right away. Surely HankMed wouldn’t have been able to function much longer without any funds. The tension between the brothers was great and the two final scenes show how much they really do care about each other.
The patient of the week:
Meanwhile, Divya has met with the patient of the week. His name is Spencer “the Spaz” Fischer. He does infomercials. He’s been having dizzy spells and a run of klutz-y bad luck. Once Hank is back in town, they get several calls from Spencer. The first time they all three go over to Spencer’s house, they are led to him by lights placed in the floor. He is stuck in his father’s panic room. His back has locked up and he’s stuck hanging from the ceiling. They get him down and Hank treats him. We find out that Spencer’s father was an eccentric inventor who died after a bout of mental illness and then kidney failure. The panic room has tons of supplies and even medical equipment (I’ll come back to this later). Evan also finds the open/shut buttons for the panic room door. We are shown that the door is high powered and slams shut with a lot of force.
The second time he calls, he has nailed his hand to the wall. He voices concern at this point that he is worried he’s starting to lose his mind like his father did. Hank tells Spencer not to continue his dismantling of the panic room. He’s better off just leaving it alone and not going back down there. Spencer tells him he can take the medical supplies. Jill takes them and stores them in the basement at the hospital.
Spencer calls one final time. The call drops immediately, so Evan and Divya take the call and head to Spencer’s house. They notice that all the lights are blinking. They get down to the panic room only to notice that Spencer is stuck in the door which has slammed shut on him. They call Hank and the paramedics, and they get there soon after. Hank realizes that if they open the door, he’ll die, unless they can find something that will recreate the pressure. He remembers that there was this device, which wraps around the legs and waist and inflates, in the medical supplies they had given to Jill. He calls her and she races over with the device. Evan squeezes through the door and opens it; they put the device on and then take Spencer to the hospital.
Later, at the hospital, Hank reveals to Spencer that both he and his father had been exposed to Mercury from the medical supplies that were stored there. That’s why his father seemed to lose his mind and later died of kidney failure. Spencer’s dizzy spells were caused by the same thing. Hank assured him that’s he’d be fine.
I loved Spencer. He reminded me a lot of, well, me in the klutz department. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a spaz, but I have my moments. I’m really glad that everything turned out okay and he’ll make a full recovery.
Jill and the hospital:
We are introduced to another doctor at the hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Blair (Marcia Gay Harden). She is a surgeon and member of the board. She doesn’t agree with how Jill is running the ER and has heard complaints, specifically from Charlie Casey, Jill’s ex. Right before Jill receives the call about Spencer; she is in a board meeting where they are trying to decide if Jill should remain the head of ER. She runs out mid meeting to help Hank. When they all return to the hospital, Dr. Blair has taken the position of Head of Emergency Medicine away from Jill.
So far, I don’t like Liz. I can see her being a huge thorn in everyone’s side this season, especially now that she’s in the position she is. I’m glad that Jill put the life of another in front of herself, not that I doubt she would have in the first place.
Boris:
Boris meets with Hank early in the episode, and tells him that he is contemplating finding a new doctor, someone that will have fewer distractions. Hank assures him that he is going to do everything he can to find a treatment or cure for his mysterious illness. Hank comes to him later with a new plan. He wants to contact all of the past doctors and researchers Boris has gone to, and combine their research. Hank hopes that with the combined efforts of everyone, instead of just individually, they can come up with something before its too late.
I’m glad they are moving ahead with this storyline. I like the mystery behind it, but I really want there to be a breakthrough soon. I like Boris. Hopefully, they’ll find a treatment before it’s too late.
Divya and her engagement:
Finally, throughout the episode, there is mention of her engagement. She really doesn’t want to talk about it when Evan brings it up. It’s obvious that Evan is upset when he finds out she went through with it. She realized that she “had to let a dream go and face the reality in order to embrace what is most important, family.” She tells Hank she doesn’t want to move to London, but “sometimes you have to meet family halfway, even if you don’t get where they are coming from.” These two conversations go a long way to mending the brothers’ relationship.
I really, really hope that Divya doesn’t leave. I really like her as a character and her dynamic with the boys. I also like the relationship that has developed between her and Evan. It’s a lot of fun to watch their banter. Please don’t leave, Divya!
Well, that’s my review/recap. Like I said, a lot happened, and it was hard to scale it down without missing anything. If there’s anything you’d like to add, or any thoughts you might have on the episode, feel free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading.
-Kristi
Friday, June 4, 2010
In Plain Sight 3x09 Review
Episode 9: Death Becomes Her
This review/recap is coming at you from Orlando, Florida! That's right. I'm on vacation but I'm still getting this out to you guys. That's why its so short and may have a few errors though. Its late and I don't have the time to edit it as much as I normally would. But I hope you enjoy the mini-review anyway! :)
Mary's Witness of the Week is named Mia.
Daughter of a mobster. She's terminally ill and realized how much she disliked being in a crime family. One of the family members (I forget his name/relation. Sorry) was angry at her loud mouth and was going to kill her so she killed him in self-defense. She was then brought to Albuquerque as a candidate for witness protection and to testify against her family. Even though she knows she is going to die anyway (she has an inoperable brain tumor), she wants to testify for Robin, her niece in hopes she’d choose a better life than the one she has now.
Mia was rejected as a witness because she might die before the trial or the defense would say the tumor left her incompetent. Basically, Mia would be a bad witness. During this episode we discover that Mary likes Mia more than other witnesses. Marshall says that they’d be friends if the scenario was different. She replies, “I love when you talk to me in greeting card.” But really, she knows he's right.
Mary pulled strings to allow Mia to stay in ABQ with a residence and a stipend but Mia saw it as a pity thing and didn’t want it. The stress from the argument Mary+Mia had left Mia with a bloody nose (brain tumor related. Not punched or anything). Mia calls Mary and says she wants to go to Kansas City and see her niece. Mary goes with her as protection. Mia tells Robin to run and find a better life than the one she was getting into. She told her not to marry who her family says to marry just because they said so. Robin asks to Mia to take her with her and Mia can’t of course, so they say their final goodbyes and Mia returns to Albuquerque with Mary.
While asleep one night, Mary gets a phone call that alerts her that Mia had died. Mary was clearly affected by Mia’s death. When she went to ID the body, she was crying. Marshall was there with her for support. She said in her voice-over that Mia made an impact on her life. When Mary returns home, her mom asks if she's ok. At first she says it was a bad day and doesn't feel like talking but then she opens up to her mom.“A friend died. Her name was Mia.” Mary then starts to tell Jinx all about her. “She was a mix of wise ass and…[fades off]”.
These last few scenes of the episode were phenomenal. I had read in interviews that Mary was going to be nicer and better with people because of her near death experience but we hadn't seen too much of it. Now she shares her feelings with her mom, something she never would have done a year ago. It shows that both Jinx and Mary are maturing and also coming closer. I'm very happy to see it and I hope to see more of it!
Marshall’s Witness of the Week is named Patrick.
While Marshall is checking up on him one day, Patrick rushes him out. This, of course, causes suspicion and Marshall starts investigating. It turns out his secret is that he has a homosexual partner from his old life in Texas but since he was still in the closet, he didn't tell the Marshals and snuck his boyfriend, Bob, to Albuquerque. We find out that Patrick is afraid to come out because he comes from a very conservitive family in Texas. Marshall tells him that's a stupid reason because he's never going to see his family again anyway.
Marshall has to relocate his witness since he brought his boyfriend. He has to decide whether to bring his boyfriend with him or go alone. Later we see that Patrick has asked Bob to relocate with him but Bob is packing up a U-Haul back to Texas. He said he can't keep a relationship a secret and therefore can't go with Patrick. Marshall tells Patrick he needs to prove how serious he is and signals towards a neighbor. Patrick walks over to the woman and says that he is gay and Bob is his boyfriend. Since this is 2010, the neighbor went "Okay." and walked away. It proved to Patrick that its acceptable to be gay to most people in the country and it proved to Bob that Patrick really loved him.
I thought this was an interesting storyline. The witness was homosexual but didn't want anyone to know even after he was given the opportunity to become whoever he wanted. Yet he still loved his boyfriend enough to sneak him to Albuquerque! I loved that in the end he finally told someone he was gay and the woman did what a majority of the country would do: not care. Homosexuals aren't shocking in this country anymore and people should feel safe to come out. Yep...I liked this storyline.
Mary's family storyline...
Brandi and Jinx have a scene together where Brandi tells her about Scott, her and Mary's half-brother. Jinx says she wants to meet him. When she does, she’s very nice to him. I was expecting her to be argumentative or accusing but she wasn't. Scott tells Jinx that his dad (whose name is James) was not a con-man or bank robber when he was with them. But he did indeed leave their family as well. Jinx tells Scott that if he ever sees his dad again to tell him she said, “I'm doing great. My life is truly great without him.” At this point, I didn't think this was true. I figured she wants James to feel bad for leaving and not get the satisfaction of screwing her life up. Later in the episode, Mary returned home to see her mom sitting in the dark with a bottle of vodka out. (remember, she's an alcoholic. vodka = big no-no) Jinx asked Mary if her life really was better off without James. When she said it to Scott she believed it but now she wasn't so sure. Mary told her that her life isn't nearly as bad as some other peoples (Mia comes to mind) and that her life is pretty good. Jinx says its not good but agrees that its not terrible either.
Brandi still isn't in the show much but that's because Nicole Hiltz is clearly pregnant. At the beginning of Season 2, I despised both Brandi and Jinx. By the end of Season 2 I liked Brandi but still hated Jinx. I don't love Jinx yet but she's getting there. The writers have done a great job at turning her into a real character instead of just a whiny one that did nothing but annoy me. I hope by the beginning of Season 4 (*crosses fingers*) that I like both Brandi and Jinx as much as I like Mary and Marshall. (Is Stan next? I don't dislike him but he doesn't get anything to do! Give Paul Ben Victor more lines, writers!)
Anyway, that's all I have for you. Want to add anything? Disagree? Agree? Please let me know! I love comments but we never get enough on here! :P
Have a great week everyone! Hopefully I'll have a review for you next week but I'm going to be driving 13 hours over two days so I don't know if I'll get a review out or not.
-Jenna
This review/recap is coming at you from Orlando, Florida! That's right. I'm on vacation but I'm still getting this out to you guys. That's why its so short and may have a few errors though. Its late and I don't have the time to edit it as much as I normally would. But I hope you enjoy the mini-review anyway! :)
Mary's Witness of the Week is named Mia.
Taken from the IPS Facebook page.
Daughter of a mobster. She's terminally ill and realized how much she disliked being in a crime family. One of the family members (I forget his name/relation. Sorry) was angry at her loud mouth and was going to kill her so she killed him in self-defense. She was then brought to Albuquerque as a candidate for witness protection and to testify against her family. Even though she knows she is going to die anyway (she has an inoperable brain tumor), she wants to testify for Robin, her niece in hopes she’d choose a better life than the one she has now.
Mia was rejected as a witness because she might die before the trial or the defense would say the tumor left her incompetent. Basically, Mia would be a bad witness. During this episode we discover that Mary likes Mia more than other witnesses. Marshall says that they’d be friends if the scenario was different. She replies, “I love when you talk to me in greeting card.” But really, she knows he's right.
Mary pulled strings to allow Mia to stay in ABQ with a residence and a stipend but Mia saw it as a pity thing and didn’t want it. The stress from the argument Mary+Mia had left Mia with a bloody nose (brain tumor related. Not punched or anything). Mia calls Mary and says she wants to go to Kansas City and see her niece. Mary goes with her as protection. Mia tells Robin to run and find a better life than the one she was getting into. She told her not to marry who her family says to marry just because they said so. Robin asks to Mia to take her with her and Mia can’t of course, so they say their final goodbyes and Mia returns to Albuquerque with Mary.
While asleep one night, Mary gets a phone call that alerts her that Mia had died. Mary was clearly affected by Mia’s death. When she went to ID the body, she was crying. Marshall was there with her for support. She said in her voice-over that Mia made an impact on her life. When Mary returns home, her mom asks if she's ok. At first she says it was a bad day and doesn't feel like talking but then she opens up to her mom.“A friend died. Her name was Mia.” Mary then starts to tell Jinx all about her. “She was a mix of wise ass and…[fades off]”.
These last few scenes of the episode were phenomenal. I had read in interviews that Mary was going to be nicer and better with people because of her near death experience but we hadn't seen too much of it. Now she shares her feelings with her mom, something she never would have done a year ago. It shows that both Jinx and Mary are maturing and also coming closer. I'm very happy to see it and I hope to see more of it!
Marshall’s Witness of the Week is named Patrick.
While Marshall is checking up on him one day, Patrick rushes him out. This, of course, causes suspicion and Marshall starts investigating. It turns out his secret is that he has a homosexual partner from his old life in Texas but since he was still in the closet, he didn't tell the Marshals and snuck his boyfriend, Bob, to Albuquerque. We find out that Patrick is afraid to come out because he comes from a very conservitive family in Texas. Marshall tells him that's a stupid reason because he's never going to see his family again anyway.
Marshall has to relocate his witness since he brought his boyfriend. He has to decide whether to bring his boyfriend with him or go alone. Later we see that Patrick has asked Bob to relocate with him but Bob is packing up a U-Haul back to Texas. He said he can't keep a relationship a secret and therefore can't go with Patrick. Marshall tells Patrick he needs to prove how serious he is and signals towards a neighbor. Patrick walks over to the woman and says that he is gay and Bob is his boyfriend. Since this is 2010, the neighbor went "Okay." and walked away. It proved to Patrick that its acceptable to be gay to most people in the country and it proved to Bob that Patrick really loved him.
I thought this was an interesting storyline. The witness was homosexual but didn't want anyone to know even after he was given the opportunity to become whoever he wanted. Yet he still loved his boyfriend enough to sneak him to Albuquerque! I loved that in the end he finally told someone he was gay and the woman did what a majority of the country would do: not care. Homosexuals aren't shocking in this country anymore and people should feel safe to come out. Yep...I liked this storyline.
Mary's family storyline...
Brandi and Jinx have a scene together where Brandi tells her about Scott, her and Mary's half-brother. Jinx says she wants to meet him. When she does, she’s very nice to him. I was expecting her to be argumentative or accusing but she wasn't. Scott tells Jinx that his dad (whose name is James) was not a con-man or bank robber when he was with them. But he did indeed leave their family as well. Jinx tells Scott that if he ever sees his dad again to tell him she said, “I'm doing great. My life is truly great without him.” At this point, I didn't think this was true. I figured she wants James to feel bad for leaving and not get the satisfaction of screwing her life up. Later in the episode, Mary returned home to see her mom sitting in the dark with a bottle of vodka out. (remember, she's an alcoholic. vodka = big no-no) Jinx asked Mary if her life really was better off without James. When she said it to Scott she believed it but now she wasn't so sure. Mary told her that her life isn't nearly as bad as some other peoples (Mia comes to mind) and that her life is pretty good. Jinx says its not good but agrees that its not terrible either.
Brandi still isn't in the show much but that's because Nicole Hiltz is clearly pregnant. At the beginning of Season 2, I despised both Brandi and Jinx. By the end of Season 2 I liked Brandi but still hated Jinx. I don't love Jinx yet but she's getting there. The writers have done a great job at turning her into a real character instead of just a whiny one that did nothing but annoy me. I hope by the beginning of Season 4 (*crosses fingers*) that I like both Brandi and Jinx as much as I like Mary and Marshall. (Is Stan next? I don't dislike him but he doesn't get anything to do! Give Paul Ben Victor more lines, writers!)
Anyway, that's all I have for you. Want to add anything? Disagree? Agree? Please let me know! I love comments but we never get enough on here! :P
Have a great week everyone! Hopefully I'll have a review for you next week but I'm going to be driving 13 hours over two days so I don't know if I'll get a review out or not.
-Jenna
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Burn Notice Dossier: What you need to know if you've never seen the show before.
Our guest blogger Christine is back this week to introduce you to the world of Burn Notice. Whether you've never seen the show before or you just want to refresh your memory about what happened last season, go ahead and catch up before Burn Notice premieres Thursday night!
Where has Michael Westen been? What’s going on? I need some answers soon! Otherwise, I’ll be forced to come to Miami and investigate your whereabouts and then attempt to rescue you myself, Michael. And that would be bad, mostly because it would clearly result in my death in about two seconds. Lucky for me, however, Burn Notice is back! And as the promos say “not a moment too soon.” And I have enough faith in Michael (and in the fact that USA has renewed this show for two more years and will not kill off its main character) to believe that he has somehow once again survived and will thrill us with another season full of spies, explosions, and bad - no, good - no, bad guys.
So spy/crime/action shows aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I get that, and I’m usually skeptic number one when it comes to “but you’ve never seen anything like this…blah, etc.” people. But seriously. You’ve never seen anything like this. It is the best spy/CIA/crime show ever made, in my (and many others’) opinion. And that’s probably because it’s not like the others. It’s fresh, snarky, filmed in a gorgeous locale (Miami), full of likable AND interesting characters who have shady backgrounds but (usually?) pure motives. It runs the perfect balance between a weekly procedural (new week, new case, i.e. CSI: anything) and a character-driven drama with an overarching mystery and story line that continually unfolds.
read more...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Have you met Hank? Let us introduce you!
Hey everybody! Jenna here. I'm very excited to introduce our guest blogger Christine. This is her first post in a 4 (maybe 5) part series where she will get you caught up on everything you need to know about the shows airing this summer. This post is for everyone, but especially for those who have not seen Royal Pains. So don't switch websites! Go ahead and read what Christine has to say!
Summer may not officially start until June 22, but in my book, the beginning of June IS the beginning of summer. And why am I so pumped about summer? For the same reason YOU should be. It means the start of some of my favorite shows on USA Network. In fact, Royal Pains and Burn Notice premiere on Thursday, June 3. Mark your calendars (mine has been marked for months). You DON’T want to miss these amazing dramas.
Now you may be thinking “That’s all good and fine for YOU, Christine, but I’ve never really watched (fill in the blank show), and I have no idea who the characters are or if that dude in the corner is a series regular or an extra, or why that last line was apparently significant based on the reactions of the people on-screen…and I’m not sure I want to invest the time in becoming involved with a new show.”
I hear you. I really do. And that’s why I’ve put together the quintessential viewers’ guide for you all. It should hit on everything/one you need to know to enjoy the show. And for all you series regulars already out there, it will serve as a good reminder about what happened last season and what we should be looking forward to this season.
Royal Pains is up first. It has one successful season under its belt, and Season Two is premiering on USA Network (obvs) Thursday, June 3 @ 10/9c (I’ve got your back, Midwesterners!)
More after the jump...
Friday, May 21, 2010
In Plain Sight 3x08 Review
Episode 8: Son of Mann Recap/Review
Good morning! I would've posted this yesterday but we got a new internet provider so it screwed up my whole day's schedule and I finished this too late to post yesterday.
Before you read this. Remember one thing:
EVERYTHING MATTERS. ;)
The episode starts off 1 year ago at the US/Mexico border. We see an American teen hide from the border patrol before crossing from Mexico to the US. He has drugs duct taped to his chest and once he gives them to the dealer and gets paid, he goes into the bathroom to wash off the duct tape residue. While he’s in there, the dealer gets murdered and robbed. This is how Billy enters WitSec.
Marshall is acting like a father to Billy because he’s entering WitSec and is still a minor. Convinced him education was a good idea and he should stay in the boarding school they enrolled him in. Billy says that where he goes to school doesn’t matter. Marshall tells him what his dad told him as a kid, “Everything Matters. Everything you think feel and most of all every thing u do, it all counts.” This is a sentiment that keeps coming up throughout the episode.
Marshall’s dad, Seth, comes to Albuquerque and Mary is ecstatic. Seth is in ABQ because he’s looking for a man named Liam, a dangerous drug dealer, as a part of Operation Falcon. That's where the Marshals look for fugitives with open warrants. This means bulletproof vests, guns, shouting, and it’s all very awesome.
Seth, Mary, and Marshall (BTS photo from FaceBook)
Brandi returns to ABQ. Mary’s still pissed at her and Brandi wants to convince her she’s changed for the better. Brandi returned with a man named Scott (played by Aaron Ashmore) who is apparently the brother of Lauren who we met last year. Therefore, he’s the son of Mary and Brandi’s dad and their brother as well. The money Brandi borrowed from Peter a few months ago was used to help Scott with his business as a day trader in Miami even though she doesn’t know him. Brandi worked for Scott and not only paid Peter back, but she made ten thousand dollars as well.
They raid another house and this time they find Liam. Marshall chases a female suspect who ran off with a lot of money, and Seth chases Liam. Both of them lose their suspects and while in pursuit, Billy almost hits Marshall while fleeing the scene. It’s the first time since the flashback he’s even been mentioned. Turns out he’s the boyfriend of Amber, the suspect who was running from Marshall.
Marshall’s not a big fan of his dad. Its mentioned quite often, and Mary doesn't understand why until she realizes Marshall’s dad keeps interrupting their attempts to find Billy. They try to evade him but he still shows up and arrests Amber before Marshall can even talk to her.
While Mary goes on a stakeout with Seth, she learns Seth named him Marshall to discourage him from being a Marshal, not to encourage it. His dad thinks he’s too sensitive to work in WitSec. Marshall proves him wrong though; Seth tries to interrogate Amber to figure out where Billy is and where she hid the money that Liam is looking for, but since Amber is only a teenager, she’s clamming up. Marshall tries in a much nicer way and gets her to tell where the money is and then set up a trap for Liam. More specifically, Amber said Billy tried to get her to quit. She said none of it mattered if she worked for Liam and he said “Everything matters….it all counts.” So that’s why she tried to leave and get out right before the Marshals showed up. See there? Another mention of "everything matters."
Mary Marshall and Seth show up at the storage center where the money was hidden and find Liam attacking Billy for the money. While deflecting Liam’s gun off of Marshall, Billy gets shot in the leg. Mary eventually finds up to Liam and catches him right before Liam can fire his gun at Seth.
Later, Marshall thanks Mary for saving his dad and then talks with him. During this talk we find out Seth has always kept a drawing Marshall drew of the two of them when he was a child. Marshall had no idea. He was touched.
Seeing Marshall try to fix things with Seth, Mary calls Scott over to the house. She wants to know why he’s there and has connected with the family. He says he wants to know more about his dad. The dad just up and left his family as well. In the closing monologue, Mary admits that she still really wants to know where her dad is and misses him.
Notable Quote:
Marshall to Mary: I wish I had you in High School.
This was mostly a recap. Sorry about that. I was very excited to see Aaron Ashmore since I have been a fan of him and his brother Shawn (they're identical twins) for a long time. I loved how excited Mary was at the beginning of the episode to meet Seth but by the end her opinion changed drastically.
I'm also happy that Brandi is back. Mostly because I wanted to know what the hell she was up to. Now we know and I am SO relieved that its not drug-related. I wonder if we're going to find Mr. Shannon any time soon or if its like Monk and won't be until the very end.
One last note, I asked how many episodes were this season and there are only 13. That means we have 5 left! There's no new episode next week because its the week before Memorial Day and they like running marathons.
What are your opinions on the episode? Are you happy Brandi is back or do you wish they would just focus on cases? Any other opinions?
-Jenna
Friday, May 7, 2010
In Plain Sight 3x06 Review
Here’s my review for In Plain Sight Episode 6: No Clemency for Old Men. 
Damn those copiers. Always sticking...
I’ll be honest. This episode didn’t hold my interest (can’t love them all!). When it aired the first time, I kept getting distracted and couldn’t write a decent review. It took me forever to make myself watch it again and write this.
The episode starts off in 1972 in Chicago. During a bank robbery, one of the robbers had a heart attack. His partner Frank is probably one of the noblest criminals ever; he had the guard they were holding hostage go call an ambulance for his friend and then the FBI. Frank becomes Witness of the Week #1. Since it was the 70s (the early days of WitSec) Frank spent 38 years in jail while being in protection. So now he is free and Mary has to introduce him to the modern world as well as make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.
Teaching Frank about cellphones and Twitter
In the beginning of the episode, we see Mary at Peter’s car dealership. I get excited every time we see Peter. Josh Malina, in my opinion, is the only person who could play Peter. He’s also adorable. Mary is visiting Peter because her nasty purple car (a Probe) is officially dead. Peter gives her a loaner (a Mustang) and says that if she likes it he’ll give her a discount.
We find out Brandi still hasn’t contacted anyone in a while and Peter is getting worried because he gave her 20K and never heard from her. After Mary leaves a threatening message [in the quotes section] to have Brandi call her back, she finally does. After getting nothing out of Brandi herself, Mary does a little research and finds out that Brandi is actually in Miami not New Jersey. The plot thickens….
Lois is Witness of the Week #2. She starts off as Mary’s witness. She’s incredibly unhappy with her new life. BUT! We learn something new about WitSec! Apparently you can get mail from family and friends! She also doesn’t like Mary at all. That’s why she goes to Marshall and requests him to be her Marshal instead. Mary takes the news by laughing and wishing Marshall luck. Throughout the rest of the episode, Marshall keeps trying to make Lois happy. She used to be a writer and in her new life she works at a copier store. After attacking a copier with a 3-hole-punch, she decides to leave the program.
Damn those copiers. Always sticking...Mary spends the episode trying to figure out what Frank is up to. There was a great, albeit short, bar fight scene where Mary got to throw a few good punches. Then one of Frank’s prison-buddies Ray gets shot by two guys, Big Mike and Little Mike, and goes to Frank instead of a hospital. Frank tells Mary that the Mikes were going to rob a bank in a supermarket. Ray was shot because he didn’t want to be involved. Mary and Marshall stake out the store and have the Mikes promptly arrested. Ray died of his wounds and Frank was so upset with losing his only friend, he decided to go “back where he came from.” Mary knew what that meant: he was going to attempt to rob that same bank so he could go back to prison or be shot, he didn’t care which. But since Mary is that good, she convinces him that he can make a new life and in the end, we see him at the bar he frequents. He’s putting some golf balls and kisses the bartender. Life will continue for Frank and it’ll get better. Mary successfully saves another witness.
Notable Quotes:
Mary: [about the loaner car] Just give me something like the Probe!
Peter: I don’t have anything like the Probe. I like the cars I sell.
Mary: [to Brandi’s voicemail] If you don’t call me back in the next 24 hours, I’m telling the police you died, having a funeral, selling everything you own, and if you ever show up again I’ll have you arrested for identity theft.
And that's my recap. In my opinion, this week was slow. Lois just annoyed me. I had no sympathy for her. Frank's storyline was confusing and took too long to develop. But every show has its off weeks. Next week, Steven Weber returns and I'm very excited!
What did you think about the episode? Did you love it or hate it?
-Jenna
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Syndication Success: NCIS
Hi everyone. Suzanne here. Sorry I haven’t been on the blog much lately. I’ve been dealing with some unfortunate health problems. No worries. Nothing too serious. Just painful and annoying, not to mention very distracting. In the meantime however, I’d like to introduce you to a guest writer this week. Her name is Sara. She will be talking about the syndication success of NCIS on USA Network. Hope you enjoy! :)
~Suzanne
NCIS began showing in syndication on USA Network in 2008, a move that has been great for not only the Network, but for its original shows.
For those in the minority who are unaware, NCIS, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is a procedural series that focuses on a team of NCIS agents who investigate crimes against Navy and Marine personnel. When NCIS premiered on CBS in 2003, CSI was at the top of the TV rankings and similarities between the crime drama of NCIS and CSI can, and have, been drawn. NCIS started with some popularity, ranking just outside of the top twenty shows in its freshman and sophomore seasons, then broke into the top twenty it its third season and stayed in the position through its fourth season.
Though NCIS was gaining popularity, it was a bold move by USA Network to purchase the syndication rights to the show in 2006. It was that bold move, and incredible foresight, which has added to the success of USA Network.
Why? Because, though USA purchased the rights to NCIS while it was just inside the top twenty, over the next years to the present, NCIS has become one of the most popular TV shows on broadcast TV. It broke into the top five TV shows during its sixth season and has continued to rank even higher in the current seventh season. The seventh season premiere drew NCIS’s largest viewing audience ever. When the current season ends, there will have been 162 aired episodes of NCIS.
Not only is NCIS currently a wildly popular TV show on CBS, but, because it grew in popularity over seven seasons, there have been many fans like myself who are latecomers to the series. This is what has added to the success of the show in syndication on USA, at least in my opinion. The ability to catch up on episodes is made much easier by the frequent airings on USA. Currently USA airs two consecutive NCIS episodes in a row every week night starting at 6pm/5pm central (at least, when there isn’t a marathon of another show running during those times), often has NCIS marathons during the weekends, another two episodes on Wednesday nights during primetime, and various other showings. Personally, I catch these airings whenever possible, trying to catch up on all the episodes I have never before seen. USA Network has given fans plenty of opportunities to see NCIS episodes from a variety of seasons.
NCIS also works well into USA Network’s theme of “Characters Wanted”. With a strong cast of interesting characters, NCIS seems a good fit for the growing cable network. However, some USA Network fans have expressed dismay over the frequent airings of acquired series when many USA Original Series are rarely aired in repeats on the Network. Though Monk repeats were often shown on the network, programs such as Psych, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Royal Pains, and White Collar seem to be hard to catch up on outside of rare airings of old episodes and DVD viewing.
When asked about rerun of USA originals, Ted Linhart, the Vice President of Program Research at USA Network and a popular Twitterer for USA fans, reported that original series usually don’t bring in the viewing numbers that acquired shows like NCIS do, even when shown in marathon.
However, fans of the original series shouldn’t fear network acquisitions like NCIS, but should embrace them. Not only has NCIS added to the overall success of USA Network, but it can add to the success of the original series as well by being a strong lead in to prime time original shows on USA Network. More viewers for original series are always a good thing for us fans, hopefully leading to greater popularity and continued renewing of our favorite series. And, maybe, with some hope, if established series such as Psych and Burn Notice continue to gain popularity over their upcoming 5th and 4th seasons, we may be rewarded with more frequent airings of older episodes.
It was recently widely announced that USA Network has also bought the syndication rights to the NCIS spin-off, NCIS: LA. A surprising move as the show has not even finished its freshman season on CBS. Though it has ranked in the top ten, the long term success of NCIS: LA is yet to be seen and not guaranteed. Under the purchasing agreement rights, USA will not be able to show episodes until September 2011, what would be the expected premiere year for the 3rd season of the show.
Though NCIS has been a huge success for USA Network, the risk may be even greater for the network for NCIS: LA. Not only was the show sold into syndication in a record amount of time, after the airing of only seven episodes (most shows are established, with around 100 episodes, before being sold into syndication), but it was purchased for a rumored more than 3 times what USA paid for each original NCIS episode.
While the risk and reward of the NCIS: LA purchase is yet to be seen and can’t be assessed for a couple years, it is clear that USA Network has had great success with risks taken in the past. Many of the highly successful USA Original Series were passed on by many networks before coming to a home at USA. USA’s “Characters” branding has also made for a large fan base of these quirky and interesting shows, all of which fit in well into the network’s theme. NCIS, though an acquired series, has also found a large viewing audience in USA’s line-up and is another risk that has paid off for the Network.
If USA Network continues to maintain the balance between strong original series and popular acquired series, which can draw a wider audience base to the cable network, then shows such as NCIS will continue to be beneficial to USA Network and its original series.
~Sara
~Suzanne
NCIS began showing in syndication on USA Network in 2008, a move that has been great for not only the Network, but for its original shows.
For those in the minority who are unaware, NCIS, which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is a procedural series that focuses on a team of NCIS agents who investigate crimes against Navy and Marine personnel. When NCIS premiered on CBS in 2003, CSI was at the top of the TV rankings and similarities between the crime drama of NCIS and CSI can, and have, been drawn. NCIS started with some popularity, ranking just outside of the top twenty shows in its freshman and sophomore seasons, then broke into the top twenty it its third season and stayed in the position through its fourth season.
Though NCIS was gaining popularity, it was a bold move by USA Network to purchase the syndication rights to the show in 2006. It was that bold move, and incredible foresight, which has added to the success of USA Network.
Why? Because, though USA purchased the rights to NCIS while it was just inside the top twenty, over the next years to the present, NCIS has become one of the most popular TV shows on broadcast TV. It broke into the top five TV shows during its sixth season and has continued to rank even higher in the current seventh season. The seventh season premiere drew NCIS’s largest viewing audience ever. When the current season ends, there will have been 162 aired episodes of NCIS.
Not only is NCIS currently a wildly popular TV show on CBS, but, because it grew in popularity over seven seasons, there have been many fans like myself who are latecomers to the series. This is what has added to the success of the show in syndication on USA, at least in my opinion. The ability to catch up on episodes is made much easier by the frequent airings on USA. Currently USA airs two consecutive NCIS episodes in a row every week night starting at 6pm/5pm central (at least, when there isn’t a marathon of another show running during those times), often has NCIS marathons during the weekends, another two episodes on Wednesday nights during primetime, and various other showings. Personally, I catch these airings whenever possible, trying to catch up on all the episodes I have never before seen. USA Network has given fans plenty of opportunities to see NCIS episodes from a variety of seasons.
NCIS also works well into USA Network’s theme of “Characters Wanted”. With a strong cast of interesting characters, NCIS seems a good fit for the growing cable network. However, some USA Network fans have expressed dismay over the frequent airings of acquired series when many USA Original Series are rarely aired in repeats on the Network. Though Monk repeats were often shown on the network, programs such as Psych, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Royal Pains, and White Collar seem to be hard to catch up on outside of rare airings of old episodes and DVD viewing.
When asked about rerun of USA originals, Ted Linhart, the Vice President of Program Research at USA Network and a popular Twitterer for USA fans, reported that original series usually don’t bring in the viewing numbers that acquired shows like NCIS do, even when shown in marathon.
However, fans of the original series shouldn’t fear network acquisitions like NCIS, but should embrace them. Not only has NCIS added to the overall success of USA Network, but it can add to the success of the original series as well by being a strong lead in to prime time original shows on USA Network. More viewers for original series are always a good thing for us fans, hopefully leading to greater popularity and continued renewing of our favorite series. And, maybe, with some hope, if established series such as Psych and Burn Notice continue to gain popularity over their upcoming 5th and 4th seasons, we may be rewarded with more frequent airings of older episodes.
It was recently widely announced that USA Network has also bought the syndication rights to the NCIS spin-off, NCIS: LA. A surprising move as the show has not even finished its freshman season on CBS. Though it has ranked in the top ten, the long term success of NCIS: LA is yet to be seen and not guaranteed. Under the purchasing agreement rights, USA will not be able to show episodes until September 2011, what would be the expected premiere year for the 3rd season of the show.
Though NCIS has been a huge success for USA Network, the risk may be even greater for the network for NCIS: LA. Not only was the show sold into syndication in a record amount of time, after the airing of only seven episodes (most shows are established, with around 100 episodes, before being sold into syndication), but it was purchased for a rumored more than 3 times what USA paid for each original NCIS episode.
While the risk and reward of the NCIS: LA purchase is yet to be seen and can’t be assessed for a couple years, it is clear that USA Network has had great success with risks taken in the past. Many of the highly successful USA Original Series were passed on by many networks before coming to a home at USA. USA’s “Characters” branding has also made for a large fan base of these quirky and interesting shows, all of which fit in well into the network’s theme. NCIS, though an acquired series, has also found a large viewing audience in USA’s line-up and is another risk that has paid off for the Network.
If USA Network continues to maintain the balance between strong original series and popular acquired series, which can draw a wider audience base to the cable network, then shows such as NCIS will continue to be beneficial to USA Network and its original series.
~Sara
Saturday, May 1, 2010
In Plain Sight 3x05 Review
Sorry about last week. It was another great episode with the fantastic Steven Weber and Stan had a great storyline, but I didn’t have time to write it.
And this is late because I’m moving back home for the summer, so I’m writing this after hours of packing.
Enough with my excuses for everything. Here’s this week’s review for Episode 5: Fish Cut or Betta.
The episode starts out and you see someone making a pipe bomb. Then you see a woman named Naomi turning off an alarm and Mary quickly tries to save her from being blown up by said bomb.
We then go back three months and find out this man we saw is Dominic. He is testifying against his uncle, who was in the mafia. When Mary and Marshall ask what job Dom wanted now that he couldn’t kill people anymore, he comes up with a surprising answer, “I’ve always wanted to work with fish.”
Doesn’t seem so tough now, does he? But Dom has an interesting dilemma. He has never had a girlfriend, and the only time he has had sex was by paying for it. So, this episode focuses on Dom getting relationship advice from Mary, of all people, and then see how it inevitably goes horribly wrong.
For an example of how Mary isn’t the best role model, Dom wanted to bring his date, Naomi (the same woman who will later trigger that bomb), to a nice restaurant but the wait was 2 hours without a reservation. Dom wanted to literally kill the host, so Mary intervened. Instead of telling Dom to wait his turn at the restaurant or go find a new one, she tells him to bribe the host with a $20 instead.
Giving advice at the Bar&Grill
While at the bar and grill with Dom, Mary spots Raphael with another woman. OUCH! We had seen him earlier in the episode getting boxes of his stuff from her house. It was a very sad scene that ended with Mary crying in the car. Made me want to cry too! So here he is with a younger woman, and in my opinion, she's slutty; but maybe I'm biased. Mary sticks around to spy on him and has him come over later to ask about it. Instead of a fight, they kiss and then end up sleeping together. It seems like this is going to be a very bipolar relationship with the two. They both still love each other but they won't get back together. This could become annoying quite easily so the writers better tread carefully.
On a side note, did you catch the red mark from her exit wound? I LOVE the continuity in this show. I wish more shows would do that. (Psych did not have a scar on Shawn's shoulder in that decontamination shower scene. Lets hope its just because we wouldn't see it at that angle, yes?)
On a side note, did you catch the red mark from her exit wound? I LOVE the continuity in this show. I wish more shows would do that. (Psych did not have a scar on Shawn's shoulder in that decontamination shower scene. Lets hope its just because we wouldn't see it at that angle, yes?)
Back to Dom, it turns out Naomi is back with her ex and doesn't want to be with Dom which puts him over the edge. And its at this point we're back to the opening scene. Dom has decided to blow up Naomi's store with her in it. Mary runs (literally) to save Naomi. She gets there in time to get Naomi out, but they get blown over the hood of a car while escaping. Awesome! Neither of them were hurt except for some cuts. In the end, the Marshals end up in Houston and find Dom waiting for his cousin to give him a fake ID so he can leave the country. Case solved.
Action shot. BOOM!
There's also a mention of Brandi. She hasn’t contacted anyone and according to Mary, Peter’s a lost puppy and her and her mom are both concerned. I wonder when she will be back or at least mentioned.
Now for Quotes/funny moments:
Mary to Dom about being dumped: I've been through it. Marshall's been through it….a lot!
Mary "Gibbs-Smacks" Marshall after he shares more of his minutia.
Mary to Marshall: With what I'm going to do it'll probably get me fired. And if you get fired too I’ll have no one to move in with and mooch off of!
Stan: Take all the time you want and all the money you need and bag this son-of-a bitch.
After playing with her Betta fish, Mary calls Marshall and says: "I'm starving....sushi?"
There you go! Did I miss anything? What did you think of last week's episode? Leave a comment!
-Jenna
Stan: Take all the time you want and all the money you need and bag this son-of-a bitch.
After playing with her Betta fish, Mary calls Marshall and says: "I'm starving....sushi?"
There you go! Did I miss anything? What did you think of last week's episode? Leave a comment!
-Jenna
Monday, April 26, 2010
Psych at the Paley Center
Photo credit: Wire Image
Hi everyone. This is Kristi and I'm back! This time, it’s to share the fun times that were had this past Thursday night when Psych was at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. In attendance for the panel were: James Roday (Shawn Spencer), Dule Hill (Burton ‘Gus’ Guster), Timothy Omundson (Detective Carlton Lassiter), Maggie Lawson (Detective Juliet O’Hara), Kirsten Nelson (Chief Karen Vick), Steve Franks (Creator/writer/executive producer), and executive producers Chris Henze and Kelly Kulchak. Oh, and did I mention, Jimmi Simpson (Mary Lightly) was the moderator! \o/
Beware of spoilers
Now, everyone knows that this blog is run by three Super Psych-Os. Well, this event was a huge thrill for us. I for one was living vicariously through my twitter feed. Here are some highlights (beware of spoilers):
From @psychwrites, being helmed that night by Steve Franks’ assistant Brittany Hilgers:
Best picture ever!!!!!! http://twitpic.com/1hnlnd
James just compared shawn to dirk diggler.
"I died in the arms of James roday"--jimmi Simpson
From @insidethetube:
New season finds the #Psych crew in Jackie Chan mode and Lassie, Gus tapdancing. Say what?!
From @thesurfreport:
Lassie isnt a SWAT team member cause the dept knows if they put an automatic weapon in his hands, it would be bad. #psych
James Roday: if Shawn could find a female version of Gus, he'd settle down. #psych #paleycenter
There were some great videos taken that night as well. These were recorded prior to the panel while the cast was walking the red carpet. Yep, there was a red carpet. This first group is from Whedonopolis. There are five videos from the main cast and Steve Franks: here. This one is an interview done by Zap2It with Steve Franks and Chris Henze: here.
For a more indepth look at the evening check out The Futon Critic.
I really wished I could have been there. From all accounts, it was a laugh a minute and insightful. So, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll see ya'll later.
Kristi
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Happenings at the USA Network
A lot happened this past week for a lot of different USA shows. Here’s a rundown of what happened, in case you missed it!
The show started filming this week. Since Tiffani Thiessen is very pregnant, they filmed her scenes with Tim Dekay while still in LA. Production in New York started on Thursday. Jeff Eastin posted photos from both sets on his Twitpic page.
Burn Notice
BIG news for all Burn Notice fans! Season 4 starts up on Thursday, June 3 at 9/8C but while you watch, you don't have to worry about the show getting cancelled anytime soon. Burn Notice has been renewed not ONLY for Season 5, but for Season 6 as well! The article about the renewal in Variety
says, "Network execs say seasons five and six will run a minimum of 15 and 18 episodes, respectively." This is incredible because no USA show has had over 16 episodes in a season before.
So keep watching and just sit back and enjoy. Burn Notice isn't going anywhere for a very long time.
So keep watching and just sit back and enjoy. Burn Notice isn't going anywhere for a very long time.
Covert Affairs
The show doesn't premiere until July (date TBD), but USA is starting to advertise for its premiere.
The released its first trailer, and it looks SO cool!
You can join the Facebook Fan Page and follow CovertAffairs on Twitter. (notice there is no "USA" at the end b/c it's too long)
The released its first trailer, and it looks SO cool!
You can join the Facebook Fan Page and follow CovertAffairs on Twitter. (notice there is no "USA" at the end b/c it's too long)
Also, follow Chris Gorham on Twitter. He's one of the stars.
After all of this, if you are still wondering what exactly the show is about, here's a synopsis:
Covert Affairs: New jobs are tough- especially when your new employer is the CIA. Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) is fluent in six languages, has traveled all over the world and is besting her fellow CIA trainees in every test, but that doesn't explain why she's suddenly summoned by CIA headquarters to report for active duty as a field operative a month before her training is over. What she doesn't know is there may be something-or someone-from her past that her CIA bosses are really after. With the help of Auggie Anderson (Christopher Gorham), a tech ops expert who was blinded while on assignment and is Annie's unofficial guide to this inscrutable world filled with intrigue, danger, and bureaucratic red tape, this quick study won't be kept in the dark for long.
After all of this, if you are still wondering what exactly the show is about, here's a synopsis:
Covert Affairs: New jobs are tough- especially when your new employer is the CIA. Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) is fluent in six languages, has traveled all over the world and is besting her fellow CIA trainees in every test, but that doesn't explain why she's suddenly summoned by CIA headquarters to report for active duty as a field operative a month before her training is over. What she doesn't know is there may be something-or someone-from her past that her CIA bosses are really after. With the help of Auggie Anderson (Christopher Gorham), a tech ops expert who was blinded while on assignment and is Annie's unofficial guide to this inscrutable world filled with intrigue, danger, and bureaucratic red tape, this quick study won't be kept in the dark for long.
Read more at: Daemon's TV
Psych
On Sunday April 18th James Roday and Maggie Lawson will be on the Kevin Pollack Chat Show which airs live online at http://www.kevinpollakschatshow.com/live/ at 3pm Pacific (6pm Eastern). After it airs, it will be available for viewing here.
Also, the cover art for the Psych Season 4 DVD was released this week. Still no word on what extra features it will have but it will be released on Tuesday, July 13th.
For more information, click here.
White Collar
Royal Pains
Season 2 premieres on Thursday, June 3 at 10/9C after Burn Notice. The cast is currently in Puerto Rico to film their premiere!
In the meantime, USA is holding a contest to win a trip to the set in the Hamptons! To enter, click here.
In the meantime, USA is holding a contest to win a trip to the set in the Hamptons! To enter, click here.
As new seasons start to film and air, there will be more news for you and we’ll have more of these rundowns.
-Jenna
-Jenna
Friday, April 16, 2010
In Plain Sight 3x03 Review
Good Evening!
I had a little more to say about this week’s phenomenal episode of In Plain Sight and it took a bit more work to write it all down! So I’m late once again but here’s my review/recap of episode 3: Coma Chameleon.
Warning: Do not read unless you’ve seen the episode unless you like being spoiled!
The Witness of the Week is a Federal Agent named Wade who was shot on the job. The injury put him into a coma for three years. He was put into witness protection without consent. If you were Wade, how would u feel about that? If it was me, I would be pissed off that I had no say, but once I thought about it I would realize that I probably would have entered the program anyway. It seems like Wade came to a similar conclusion.
The scene between Wade and Krista at the courthouse was phenomenal. Kudos to both actors. And it worked out how everyone hoped: Wade ended up not testifying against his partner, Dustin, and he identified Jasper as his shooter. Wade and Krista didn’t end up together but it would’ve been cheesy and unrealistic if they did so it’s for the best.
We find out in this episode that Jinx may be moving out because she got a job at a dance studio. I'm glad to see she’s turning her life around and isn’t as helpless as she has been since...well…since Mary was a kid.
Mary shared her feelings and fears about Raphael with Marshall on the way to Texas. It was therapeutic and showed once again their strong friendship. I’m pretty sure Marshall is the nicest guy ever. Oh yeah, and Marshall’s the only one who really knows her. That made me melt.
Rita Moreno was fantastic as Raphael’s aunt. The runner about Raphael’s mother not coming because of “nonmarital fornication” was hilarious. It got even better when Raph knew exactly why his mom didn’t come!
Now let’s talk about Mary and Raphael. Early on in the episode, Mary apologized to Raphael! She also called him honey, and seemed nicer to him. It was an improvement in her behavior towards him. I was actually surprised about it! Yet, the whole episode I knew something bad was going to happen. It made me laugh to watch Mary freak out about the wedding date, talk of kids, and being together for 46 years, yet I’m pretty sure this is what tipped me off that something was going to go horrible wrong.
Honestly, I’ve never liked their relationship and I probably shouldn’t have been so shocked that Raphael was the one to break it off with Mary, but that’s exactly what happened. At least now I understand why Cristian de la Fuente is doing other movies all throughout Central and South America!
If that scene didn’t make you want to cry, the next one was even more heartbreaking! Mary went to find her mom at work and when Jinx went outside to see what was the matter, Mary broke down on her mother’s shoulder! I came incredible close to crying. With all the problems those two have, Jinx finally acted like a mother. I’m not saying I love Jinx now, but that definitely bumped her up on my tolerance scale.
Quotes:
Mary: There are a lot of people who would kill to start from scratch….Tiger Woods!
Wade: Tiger Woods? His life is awesome!
Mary: Oh yeah….we’ll talk.
Allison: I will be here until midnight if you want to meet face to face. So bring it, BITCH!
Mary’s opening monologue: My dad once said, “Time kills everything. Hope, health, dreams, even love.” He told me this on my birthday. I just turned six. Then he gave me my present: a pet rock, which I later used in an incident I regret.
Mary’s closing monologue: Some say love is the only thing we have that’s real. Some say life would be a whole lot better without it. For me, the jury’s still out. I loved that pet rock my dad gave me because it was from him. Then I threw it at Robert Quomy. Hit him right in the temple. He went down like a Christmas tree in January. I loved Robert; I just wanted to make sure he knew it. I think he did; he ended up being my first kiss.
And there is review number three! Did anyone else cry at the end or come really close to it? Do you think anything will happen between Mary and Marshall this season now that she’s single again? (After she recovers from the breakup, of course)
Leave a comment!
-Jenna
I had a little more to say about this week’s phenomenal episode of In Plain Sight and it took a bit more work to write it all down! So I’m late once again but here’s my review/recap of episode 3: Coma Chameleon.
Warning: Do not read unless you’ve seen the episode unless you like being spoiled!
The Witness of the Week is a Federal Agent named Wade who was shot on the job. The injury put him into a coma for three years. He was put into witness protection without consent. If you were Wade, how would u feel about that? If it was me, I would be pissed off that I had no say, but once I thought about it I would realize that I probably would have entered the program anyway. It seems like Wade came to a similar conclusion.
The scene between Wade and Krista at the courthouse was phenomenal. Kudos to both actors. And it worked out how everyone hoped: Wade ended up not testifying against his partner, Dustin, and he identified Jasper as his shooter. Wade and Krista didn’t end up together but it would’ve been cheesy and unrealistic if they did so it’s for the best.
We find out in this episode that Jinx may be moving out because she got a job at a dance studio. I'm glad to see she’s turning her life around and isn’t as helpless as she has been since...well…since Mary was a kid.
Mary shared her feelings and fears about Raphael with Marshall on the way to Texas. It was therapeutic and showed once again their strong friendship. I’m pretty sure Marshall is the nicest guy ever. Oh yeah, and Marshall’s the only one who really knows her. That made me melt.
Rita Moreno was fantastic as Raphael’s aunt. The runner about Raphael’s mother not coming because of “nonmarital fornication” was hilarious. It got even better when Raph knew exactly why his mom didn’t come!
Behind the Scenes Photo from the In Plain Sight Facebook Page
Now let’s talk about Mary and Raphael. Early on in the episode, Mary apologized to Raphael! She also called him honey, and seemed nicer to him. It was an improvement in her behavior towards him. I was actually surprised about it! Yet, the whole episode I knew something bad was going to happen. It made me laugh to watch Mary freak out about the wedding date, talk of kids, and being together for 46 years, yet I’m pretty sure this is what tipped me off that something was going to go horrible wrong.
Honestly, I’ve never liked their relationship and I probably shouldn’t have been so shocked that Raphael was the one to break it off with Mary, but that’s exactly what happened. At least now I understand why Cristian de la Fuente is doing other movies all throughout Central and South America!
If that scene didn’t make you want to cry, the next one was even more heartbreaking! Mary went to find her mom at work and when Jinx went outside to see what was the matter, Mary broke down on her mother’s shoulder! I came incredible close to crying. With all the problems those two have, Jinx finally acted like a mother. I’m not saying I love Jinx now, but that definitely bumped her up on my tolerance scale.
Quotes:
Mary: There are a lot of people who would kill to start from scratch….Tiger Woods!
Wade: Tiger Woods? His life is awesome!
Mary: Oh yeah….we’ll talk.
Allison: I will be here until midnight if you want to meet face to face. So bring it, BITCH!
Mary’s opening monologue: My dad once said, “Time kills everything. Hope, health, dreams, even love.” He told me this on my birthday. I just turned six. Then he gave me my present: a pet rock, which I later used in an incident I regret.
Mary’s closing monologue: Some say love is the only thing we have that’s real. Some say life would be a whole lot better without it. For me, the jury’s still out. I loved that pet rock my dad gave me because it was from him. Then I threw it at Robert Quomy. Hit him right in the temple. He went down like a Christmas tree in January. I loved Robert; I just wanted to make sure he knew it. I think he did; he ended up being my first kiss.
And there is review number three! Did anyone else cry at the end or come really close to it? Do you think anything will happen between Mary and Marshall this season now that she’s single again? (After she recovers from the breakup, of course)
Leave a comment!
-Jenna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
