Thursday This n That

Premiere Week for many of my shows has arrived in full force with swords, arrows, guns, explosions, mobsters, deaths, weak copies and overblown soap operas.

Yes, all that in just three days of tv watching.

Monday started off on a lighter note with the return of 2 Broke Girls as Max & Caroline visit Caroline’s father (the wonderful Steven Weber) in prison (a low-class country club?)

Then we turn to the semi-dark side with The Mob Doctor, as Grace ends up telling her brother about her involvement with the mob and what she’s had to do in order to keep her family safe. Now her brother has decided to join their ranks? Is that really on the up-and-up or is he trying to infiltrate them to bring them down? Hmmm the plot thickens. I just wish there was a show that had mobsters who were as cool as Paddy Doyle from Rizzoli & Isles. All the others seem to pale in comparison to Paddy.

Monday also brought episode 2 of Revolution, in which I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than the pilot episode. Usually episodes 2, 3 & 4 are the most crucial for me and many times I tend to lose interest rapidly. So this must be a good sign that I might actually enjoy the show throughout its full run. My enjoyment of this episode may have a lot to do with the fact that we got to see Daniella Alonso as Nora. Rizzoli and Isles fans will know Daniella as Det Riley Cooper, who was introduced this past season on the show.

My Monday gripe – why the heck did CBS have to move 2BG up 1/2 hour so it now clashes with Mob Doc? Seriously, can’t they leave well enough alone? I liked it at 7:30, damn it.

Tuesday’s viewing schedule is a nightmare.

Thankfully, NCIS is sitting alone in its 7pm timeslot. It was a good season opener, coming back from the aftermath of the bombing of NCIS headquarters. My only complaint is that there was no *boom* to blow up Dearing. I mean, seriously? After all of the bombing & killing that he’s done over the last few episodes, you’d expect to have him go away in a big bang. I guess the writers’ thinking was that it was more appropriate for Dearing to die at Gibbs’ hands with Jethro’s weapon of choice (a knife) instead of playing Dearing’s game and using a bomb. But it made the whole over-hyped serial killer story feel like it ended with a whimper. Overall, we get Tiva flirting in an elevator, Ducky showing his mettle by staying strong, even when his body wasn’t up to par. Jimmy Palmer stepping up to the plate and accepting more responsibility.

The one thing I really love about NCIS is that, unlike other shows (hint: CSI) it doesn’t change the formula of the show and what made it a success to begin with. I do like the hint that we get to hear a little about Tony’s mother in an upcoming ep.


NCIS:LA followed with its season premiere. It’s always a good episode when Kensi & Deeks get to go undercover. The scene with the two in the bank was fun to watch, and then the humor turns into a shootout where they get rescued by Sam. In all, it was a great plan they had, with Hetty resigning, Callen getting taken, then traded back…all part of the plan. I must say that this show is actually growing on me. I think the show got better when it started to be more than just the Callen/Sam show. Bringing Kensi, Deeks, Nell and Eric more into the plotlines has brought more interest from me overall.

Then we move into that dreaded 9pm timeslot. Sons of Anarchy, Parenthood, Vegas, and even Rizzoli and Isles reruns on TNT. Good grief. Thankfully, FX reruns SoA later in the evening, so I’m usually able to catch that airing.

However, I’m starting to lose my interest in the show, especially when they make the strange storyline choices that they have lately. After this episode, all I can do is shake my head & say “why?” - why kill Opie? Why not Clay when the chance was there? And what have they actually turned Gemma into these days? Katey Sagal had brought to life a great character for the first couple seasons. Now, they seemed to have thrown away the parts that made her so great.

This week, I tuned in to catch the series premiere of Vegas on CBS. Sadly, I was quite unimpressed. Even a high-profile cast like Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis and Carrie-Anne Moss can’t seem to spice up the drabness that was prevalent in the pilot. IMO, the only bright spot was Carrie-Anne Moss. The show seemed very much like a poor-man’s Longmire. However, Longmire is a much more interesting series. Maybe I was expecting more from Vegas, but I can safely say that I will be crossing it off my weekly watching list.  At least that gets my down to a timeslot war between SoA and Parenthood.

Parenthood always seems to be the show in that timeslot that gets lost in the shuffle. Now, strangely enough, it might be the only one left on my weekly watching list. Now, if I could only get them to bring more screen time for Bonnie Bedelia. *sigh* I guess I can dream, right?


That brings us to Wednesday.

SVU returned with a 2-hour continuation of the storyline from last season that sent Captain Cragen to prison. I liked all of the twists & turns. My big beef with the story came from the very quick wrap-up to everything. All of a sudden, Foster has been discovered, Cragen is out of jail, and the news story voice-over of all these higher-ups who were arrested & charged. Talk about a rushed ending. However, on the bright side, I guess that meant we got more time with Liv in the squad room to talk to both Nick and Captain Harris before they left. I’m still not a fan of the Liv/Nick pairing. Why couldn’t they have Liv & Amanda partnered up more? Come on, where’s the girl power?! And what’s up with Liv kissing her former partner in the hospital bed like that? Okay, let me rephrase that…what’s up with Liv kissing her former partner (who isn’t Elliot) in the hospital bed like that? However, I do like Dean Winters as her former partner. Seeing him makes me want to get out my Oz dvds and rewatch that whole series. At least they didn’t kill him here, so he has a chance of coming back. I also liked Adam Baldwin in his role here. At least he wasn’t portraying a total hardass like he usually does. As I was watching, I was thinking that Dann Florek was probably having fun playing his character in a totally different way than normal (in prison garb instead of a suit). And of course, there was Brooke Smith as Delia. I don’t think I can ever see Brooke as anything but the ‘girl in the well’ in Silence of the Lambs. Peter Jacobson as Ganzel was cool too.

And then there’s CSI. God help me, but I still had to check out some of the season 13 premiere. I don’t understand why I still torture myself. Thankfully, I was able to watch the show early, and in ‘fast forward’ mode, so I could actually watch SVU on tv instead.

Where do I start?

Well, after all these years, Nick is finally starting to show his true colors. Drunk, belligerent, self-righteous… heck, over the past few seasons, the writers have given up any semblance of continuity from seasons 1-5 as to who these characters are, so why not change all of them into people they’ve never been. That’ll be sure to shake up the ratings, right? So, we’ve got Nick as belligerent and self-righteous, that means we’ve got to have Sara as meek & mild too. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when a meek Sara let DB walk all over her at the house when she was there to process. Do any of the current CSI writers even remember the ‘real’ Sara? Does anyone remember Nesting Dolls, After the Show or Lady Heather’s Box? How about even Too Tough to Die or No Humans Involved? What the hell has happened to the fierce, passionate, and geeky Sara Sidle? Seriously. I don’t remember Sara Sidle ever being quiet and meek at a crime scene – even when her boss is in the middle of a personal crisis.

And about that… what the hell, DB. Did you take lessons from Ray Langston? Is that where you got the “I’m the one in charge and I’m going to do whatever the hell I want, fuck the consequences, as long as I get what I want” attitude? Yes, I consider Ray to have been the one “in charge” back then, because even though Catherine was the supervisor, Ray did whatever the hell he wanted to anyway. And do y’all remember how Catherine handled cases when they were personal? In LHB, Sara tells her “you shouldn’t be handling evidence, you’re not on the case” and Catherine concedes, while occasionally giving her ‘two cents’ to Sara at times. When Catherine was drugged, the car crashed, and Lindsey was kidnapped, she let Nick & Warrick process the evidence, and eventually got Lindsey back. Yet, here we have DB, who’s very much in the middle of things personally, tell Sara to get in line or go to hell.

S: I know one thing, you shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a conflict of interest and the evidence will be challenged in court.
DB: yeah, I’m not really thinking about court right now, Sara. (his gun is showing on his belt) you wanna open up that kit or do you wanna just stand there?
Wow. What I wouldn’t give to have Sara start an in-your-face verbal sparring match. I mean, really? Sara taking one look at DB’s gun on his belt and it shuts her up? Is that really what these writers have turned her into? At least Brass had his balls and put DB in his place.

That wasn’t even mentioning Sara’s verbal sparring with Nick at the end about the definition of “quitting.” It seems that since Catherine left, no one can remember what intensity & passion for the job really means anymore.
I did have to “Awww” at Greg trying to be the peacemaker between Nick & Sara at the end.
G: sounds like the LVPD’s making a comeback. How about you, Nick?
N: what about me? … I don’t know, I haven’t talked to Russell yet.
G: this isn’t about Russell
S: words have consequences, you know. I mean, if you say you quit you need to mean it.
N: you quit.
S: yeah but, I didn’t say it out loud. I left a note at reception for Grissom and I walked right on out of here.
N: and you’re still here, so don’t preach to me about integrity. Okay?
S: wait a minute, I’m not preaching to you about integrity. I’m being supportive here.
N: yeah, you are, don’t you think?
S: I went away for a while and I got my head together.
N: you’ve got a lot of nerve to talk to me about quitting, you really do.
G: all right, all right, all right. This is not how family treats each other. … well, actually it is, but we are also a team. And that means that we have to trust that we have each other’s back no matter what, so… are you in, or are you out?

So, in all of that, I’ve concluded that:
1. Nick’s still an ass, and he has been since mid-season 7 (sorry Lynn)
2. of the original team, Greg’s become the adult of the bunch.
3. Sara was right – there’s a difference in the way she quit compared to Nick saying he was quitting – because she actually DID quit and was gone for a while.
4. it makes me realize that Sara & Catherine verbal sparring matches were something special in the first 5 seasons.
5. Catherine had been the heart & soul of the show, because the team has lost its feeling of ‘family’ (contrary to Greg’s comment) since her departure. Didn’t they say that with the addition of DB, they were going to concentrate on “family?” I don’t see much of one right now – other than maybe a reincarnation of The Bickersons.  Everyone seems to have lost their identity since Catherine left.

I can’t forget to give kudos to Brass for still having his balls.
B: Stokes, shut up. Yeah, that’s right. Gilmore was a material witness in an ongoing police corruption investigation, which by the way, you completely screwed up by going full cowboy on some scheme to extort money for ransom.
DB: listen to me, I’m talking about my granddaughter.
B: you don’t think I understand that?
DB: no, I don’t. you’re not behaving that way.
B: you know what? Look when you processed your own house, I didn’t say anything. When you went into McKeen’s cell by yourself, I didn’t stop you. You know why I didn’t tell you where Gilmore was? Because I knew it would end up exactly like this. Don’t you get it? McKeen knew he was going to get his money. The only thing he couldn’t get was Gilmore. He needed you to find him. So…DB, go home. Be with your family.

*applauds* thank you, Brass. At least there’s SOMEONE on this team that actually still has their balls intact. I’m glad it’s you who could knock DB and Nick off their high horses.

On a brighter note for CSI (well, maybe not) – it looks like I actually have to buy the season 12 dvd set since Marg does two audio commentaries – for her last two episodes, plus a featurette on saying goodbye to Marg. Unless someone can be really, really nice and upload them to the web for me. It just kind of sucks that for 11 seasons, she had only done 1 commentary (S5 Weeping Willows) and now she does two for only 1/2 season? Good grief. The one season where they actually have some decent extras on the dvd, and there’s only 1/2 season of Marg.

Yep, that’s my luck.

Anyway, I caught the premiere of The Neighbors last night. I’m not sure on this one yet. It’s kind of like an offshoot of 3rd Rock from the Sun. the wife’s name is Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the kids are Dick Butkus and Reggie Jackson. So funny. My only reason for watching in the 1st place is because of Jami Gertz. It’s funny that of all the people from The Facts of Life, Jami is the one who’s still appearing on prime-time tv (Lisa Whelchel’s stint on Survivor not withstanding) I’m bummed that she didn’t list “Boots” as one of her favorite characters to play.


Last, but not least – I’ve seen the first two episodes of Downton Abbey season 3. It’s strange to have it airing in the UK long before the US (but since it’s a UK show…) I can’t decide which relationship I love better – Anna & Bates or Mary & Matthew. Anna/Bates is usually so quiet & loving (considering he’s in prison) and Mary/Matthew at least has a bit of fire to it. However, after watching episode 2 of this new season, I might even start shipping Hughes/Patmore. It’s so sweet how the two of them are bonding during this tough time with Mrs Hughes health situation. I also find it funny how O’Brien used to be on Thomas’ side with all of his scheming and now, considering that she knows how he plays his games, it’s fun to see her on the other side and trying to outsmart him.

And what can I say about Maggie Smith vs Shirley MacLaine? Absolutely brilliant casting is the first thing that comes to mind. It’s nice (and so refreshing) to have Cora’s mother and mother-in-law squaring off.

So, tonight (Thursday) brings the premiere of Elementary, with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Sherlock & Watson. I saw the pilot a couple weeks ago and was quite impressed. I’ll be sure to catch the premiere on tv tonight as it airs. Tonight is also the premiere of Last Resort. This one I found kind of boring, until the end of the pilot, so maybe I’ll catch a few episodes before I cross it off my list.