06.30 My Boys
07.00 In Plain Sight
08.00 Burn Notice
09.30 Party Down
My Boys. Season 3, Episode 9. "Spring Training" Arizona.
Another of those complete-departure-from-formula episode that the show likes to do. This time out the whole gang (except Andy) head to Arizona for Cubs spring training.
Most of the episode is devoted to PJ trying to find suitable subject matter for her next column. She finds it by the end of the episode and learns a lesson. And - to be honest - it's a sweet enjoyable journey and it makes for a good episode.
The episode's cliff-hanger ending is wonderful. But frustrating. The show teased us with a potential romance between two of the regular characters in the last moments of Season Two. They ignored this development all season and, now, in the closing seconds of Season Three they unveil the next stage in the romance!!
Huh?
The show only gets 9 episodes a season. Why don't they hurry it up a bit, huh? Dragging something like this (which promises to be a lot of fun to watch) out for two years before showing it is very frustrating to the fans.
Just sayin'...
In Plain Sight. Season 2, Episode 7. "Duplicate Bridge" Bridge Engineer.
Last week they broke formula by devoting an episode to Mary's boss. This week they break formula by devoting an episode to Mary's partner. This is a much better episode. Partly because Marshall is a much more interesting character, partly because the story is better and partly because the ending brought me very, very close to tears.
Fred Weller is wonderful in the part of the witty, quirky sidekick. But, in this story, we get to see how Marshall deals with one of his own witnesses. And we see the bond he feels for Norman. A mutual bond.
The story is great. As is ever the case on IPS they tell a story that no other cop show could tell. Not just the mechanics of the tale (WitSec and all) but also the content of the story: a man haunted by a mistake that he may, or may not, have made...
And then there's the ending. This episode has a killer ending. As Mary and Marshall stood on the bridge, trying to talk Norman out of setting off the bomb I honestly had no idea which way the story was going to end. Not a clue. Because, much as I loved the episode up until that point, I had no idea what the story was going to be about. The story is in the ending, they say. So it is not until this episode is in it's final minute that you know what they are doing. Where they are going. When Marshall told Mary that he knew his witness, it went through me...
In the epilogue, Marshall spoke on the phone with Mary's sister and - at this point - I thought I was going to cry. Great, great storytelling.
Burn Notice. Season 3, Episode 2. "Question and Answer" Kidnapped child.
The engine that drives this story is a sting operation run by Michael and Sam, in which Michael plays the part of prisoner being questioned by Sam and the bad-guy-of-the-week.
It's an elaborate little scam and it's great fun to watch it play out.
But what I love most about it is this: Michael and Sam never plan the details of it, nor do they discuss it. They just do it. Early in the episode Michael makes an obscure reference to Sam (implying that this is a standard operation of theirs from their full-on spy days) and Sam immediately leaves the room and sets it all up.
That kind of short-hand communication between the regulars is one of the reasons I love Burn Notice so much. It's a fast-moving show with oodles of pizazz. It picks you up and brings you along for the ride and the stuff that happens on it, happens really, really fast.
Also worth noting: the wonderful Moon Bloodgood joins the cast in this one, and she gets more to do here than she did in the first six episodes of (the also very wonderful) Journeyman.
Finally: Matt Winston, who I normally expect to be funny, gives a great performance here as the father of the kidnapped child.
Oh!
Nearly forgot! I have to add that I simply adore Gabrielle Anwar. Not because, thanks to her, Fiona is sexy and hot and stuff but because, thanks to her, Fiona is so cute and so sweet. Her pointed-remarks at Michael - with regard to them being a couple again, etc. - are both funny and genuinely charming.
The characters have great chemistry and, thanks to Matt Nix, have a logical reason for not getting together as a couple. Yet the evidently love one another very, very much.
Clever dynamic.
Party Down. Episode 7. "Brandix Corporate Retreat" Henry and Roman are jealous when Casey flirts with a celebrity.
Not the best episode, but still a funny enjoyable one. Roman's jealousy was a bit too sad and pathetic to be fully funny, and Henry's seemed OTT and out of character. As did the idea that Casey could be off sleeping with Rick Fox in his hotel room.
Highlight? In Plain Sight (great ending)
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Fri, Jun 12, 09 - My Boys, In Plain Sight, Burn Notice, Party Down
