10:00 The Sentinel
The Sentinel. Season 3, Episode 9. "Red Ice" Another good episode. This one starts off with an assassination at a political rally. Jim is actually there when the shot is fired, but his super-senses do not warn him of the attack. When he discovers why, he also discovers that the hitman is an old foe of his from his time in Peru, and the two of them are set for a rematch. To the death!
Lots to like here. This show never ever lets the super-powers of the hero dominate the fact that the show is a cop show first. Even episodes like this, which have Jim using his powers a lot, are still just police dramas. And it's a pretty solid police drama at that. The story has two strong female guest characters (one of them from an earlier episode) and it plays them off one another in an intelligent way. Even better, by the end of the story, the two women have found some common ground in their political differences and becomes something close to friends.
As well as interesting guest characters (one a Russian cop, the other a Russian smuggler) the show has a great foe. A hi-tech assassin who, as Blair points out, is using technology to duplicate the things that Jim can do naturally. All of this without ever knowing that Jim has "super powers". In fact, the show earns much respect from me because it never goes down the route of peripheral characters wondering how Jim is able to do the things that he does.
The episode ends with a very long action sequence where Jim, Blair and the two women are trapped in a remote cabin while the Bad Guy cuts the place to shreds with gunfire. Everything about this is good: The way it is filmed, the soundtrack/music used, the final fight scene above a waterfall, etc.
The Sentinel is great visceral entertainment. Sometimes (like when you are very tired) you just want to sit back and see something straight-forward: an Alpha Male who tracks Bad Guys and beats them up. The Sentinel delivers.
Tue, Jul 8, 08 - The Sentinel
