07:30 Raising The Bar
08:30 Do Not Disturb
09:00 Leverage
10:30 Jesse Stone
12:30 NCIS
Raising The Bar. Pilot. Above-average legal drama. The story was pretty good, and the acting from Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jane Kaczmarek was very good.
Do Not Disturb. Pilot. Below-average multi-camera sitcom. Niecy Nash made me laugh a few times, but Jerry O'Connell was trying way too hard and I can't imagine it being a place I want to go back to on a weekly basis.
Leverage. Pilot. Average caper comedy-drama, with good performances from Aldis Hodge and Gina Bellman. Some of the twists could be seen a mile off, but the show still managed a sense of fun. So, who knows, I might watch more.
Jesse Stone. Episode 3. "Death in Paradise" This time out we don't get to know who the killer is for the whole movie. But, in all other respects, this is the same as the previous outings: a great central performance and a superb sense of mood and place. Any show which puts Tom Selleck and William Devane in the same room is alright by me. Storywise this is nothing you haven't seen before:a cop haunted by the death of a little girl goes to extremes to track her killer, but the performances, the setting and the character of the cop make it something really special. I also have to say that the shoot-out at the end was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Jesse Stone is badass cool.
NCIS. Season 4, Episode 21. "Brothers In Arms" The kind responses to my recent Supernatural reviews in the TV Guide Community have got me thinking about what I get from various other shows, too. For me, NCIS is all about the group dynamic and the bond between these people. And this is a great episode to provoke thought on that: it's the one where Jenny goes overboard in an effort to catch that French bad guy she's been after all season.
The story starts off with Jenny nearly getting herself killed. This is followed by a Jenny-Gibbs private conversation. Nothing unusual about that. They often talk in private. They are superior to everyone else and they have a shared history. Their scenes together are frequent.
The episode also gives Tony and Jenny some alone time. This always fascinates me. These meetings are rare and in-secret. We know she trusts him from the time that Gibbs was away and we know that she has given him secret assignments. Unlike the Jenny-Gibbs bond, this is a friendship that nobody really knows about. It was revealed in one episode, yes, but - apart from that - it is still very much clandestine. And much more interesting because of it.
The biggest surprise for me, however, was when Ducky went to see Jenny and began to speak his mind about the case. This never happens. Utterly fascinating. Then it is revealed that Gibbs put him up to it. Suddenly it makes a lot more sense, and it nicely underscores the bond that exists between these two men. A bond which was - briefly - fractured early in the season. Something else I watched with great interest.
The episode is full of other little relationship/bonding moments. Tony has a stressful meeting with his girlfriend's mother and when it is all over there is a quick line of dialogue telling us that McGee knew about it. Quite a change-of-pace in the normal dynamic of their friendship. I love to think of Tony maturing enough to talk about stuff like this with McGee.
When I was a teenager there was a very attractive, very funny older girl at my school. Because we were both involved in debates and plays and so on, our paths frequently crossed. I was always confident and funny so I had no problem flirting with her and making her laugh and keeping things on a superficial level. I never thought much about it until the day we were both on the bus together heading to some school event or other. And I realised I knew nothing about her! I knew she had a brother, and I had a vague idea of where she lived, but I didn't know any of the important stuff. So that was the day I learned to stop "impressing" her and starting talking to her. All told, it was a great day. And very much part of the maturing process teenage boys have to go through.
Good fiction holds a mirror up and allows us to see ourselves. Even fantasy like NCIS has to have depth, and meaning, or it will fail to connect with us.
NCIS has depth. And it always connects.
So, what else did I like?
Well, Gibbs seems to smile more in this episode than he ever has. He seems extra friendly (for once) even as Jenny becomes more and more deranged. Nice switch.
And, in terms of group dynamics, I love the scene where Abby sends for Tony to come alone when she has an embarrasing problem to deal with. And Tony brings everyone. And then they all huddle around and figure out a (typically childish) way to proceed. Funny. But also very revealing. We learn so so much about these people from this little bit of comedy.
I watch NCIS for the laughs and the palatable crime/adventure yarns. But I also watch to see the friendships evolve and develop. I love these people. If I ever write an NCIS script, I'll end it with a giant sleep-over where they all stay at Gibbs' house. (And he stays awake a little longer than necessary to stand guard over them all.)
Highlight? Jesse Stone
Tue, Jun 24th, 2008 - Raising The Bar, Do Not Disturb, Leverage, Jesse Stone, NCIS
