A Memorial and A Look Around

So, I'm back. I've been thinking of you for a while now, wondering what you are watching, wondering if you are watching what I'm watching. I'm wondering if now is really the time for yet another television blog. But I just spent a weekend celebrating the life of one who died too young, a writer, a man of many passions, a great husband and father, a brilliant friend. I have no idea if Tudor ever read my blog, and it's okay if he didn't. But this post is dedicated to you man. 

Scroll down for a picture of Tudor.

I don't plan to post more often than one time per week. I will eventually return to the Buffy Rewatch, but it will be revamped. I didn't enjoy writing the recaps and I don't think that people enjoyed reading them.  I'll probably still add obituaries, because when an actor I love dies, it hurts. And I'll try to be timely with my posts about shows. Oh, and I will also have to write an update on my relationship with spoilers. Spoiler alert: it's complicated.

Since I last posted regularly, a television executive declared this to be the time of peak television. And it is certainly true. How ironic for me that there is so much terrific television out there, and I get to watch about an hour a day. No binge watching for me. Unless I'm sick. It's hard to keep up, and even harder to watch shows I missed when they first aired. And streaming television makes it even harder to keep up. I just can't.

Here's a few shows what I've been watching. This list is in no particular order. Curious to see what's on you've been watching!

Orange is the New Black

Taystee Washington is one of the greatest characters ever.

This series follows women in a federal prison that was taken over by private company. The show excels in creating and portraying the many types of women who might find themselves in prison. The plots may be overstretched at times, but I don't care. There's Red, Poussey (RIP), Suzanne, Sophia, Gloria, Nicki, and most specially Taystee. I love them all dearly, and I love watching them. I'll never stop. No matter how long it airs.

Orphan Black

One actress, many roles. How does she do it?

Tatiana Maslany is the best actress of her generation. There, I've said it. No one beats her. In Orphan Black, Maslany plays a number of young women who discover they are clones. Being clones, of course, means that they all look like her. But despite that, these women all so clearly have their own personalities. I still do not see how the same actress who plays hothead Sarah Manning also plays tightly wound Alison Hendrix. And all hail to Felix, as well, the best little brother ever, although I have to fault the show for not giving him enough of his own storyline.

Sense8

Capheus, Wolfgang, Nomi, Sun, Riley, Kala, Lito, and Will

Sense8 is the brainchild of the Wachowski siblings and J. Michael Straczynski, and depicts eight persons around the globe who, thanks to Daryl Hannah, are psychically connected. Yes, the orgies and the karaokes are fun, and the fight scenes are amazing, but the show wouldn't work without great characterization and acting. You would think that with eight main characters, there would be one or two that I just wouldn't love as much as others, and at first that was true. But the show didn't leave it alone, and managed to show aspects of each. I love them all. This was an extremely expensive show to produce, as they filmed in the location of each character. I was a little surprised when the show was renewed for a second season, but I was still devastated when it was canceled after the second. I wasn't alone, and after a protracted plea from fans, we were granted a two hour movie to wrap up the loose ends. I hope that Lito tells Hernando and Daniela about the sensates (they really deserve to know), and that we figure out where Jonas stands. But most importantly, #freeWolfgang.

Game of Thrones

Jon Snow and hair.

I've written about Game of Thrones prior to my disappearance from the blogging stage, but it's coming back and it dominates. If you read anything about television, you will see article upon article about the show, with teasers, pictures, and theories galore.  Apparently no one can talk about anything else these days. It is with Game of Thrones that my relationship with spoilers became even more complicated, as the Red Wedding was spoiled for me. Oops. I've never read the books, and, despite my love for fantasy, I doubt I ever will. But that's okay, because I have the series, and it is worthy of every accolade it has received. Spoiler alert - if you love a character, they'll probably die. And nothing is fair. Ever. The show has thirteen episodes left to show us who wins the Iron Throne and who's left when the Night's King crosses the Wall. I have no idea how they'll do it, but I know I'll be enjoying it. Game of Thrones returns tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll be writing a bit about it.

Other shows I'm sure I'll write about at some time: Person of Interest, Preacher, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Transparent, Man in the High Castle, Fargo, Stranger Things, Legion, Big Little Lies, The Americans, The Handmaid's Tale, Outlander, Search Party, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Black Mirror, The 100 and many more I'm sure I'm forgetting. And that doesn't even include the list of shows on my wish list!

Star Trek Voyager Fan Alert: Up until now, Kate Mulgrew would be best known for her role as the first female captain on Star Trek. And while that particular first will never change, I suspect she will be most famous outside of genre nerds like myself for her role as Red in Orange is the New Black.

His hair is back! 

Lost Fan Alert: I'll not lie. Naveen Andrews is one of the reasons why I started watching Sense8 in the first place. I hope that we find out if Jonas Maliki is a good guy, just because I really love Mr. Andrews.

Black Mirror Fan Alert: Tuppence Middleton plays Riley Blue in Sense8, while Jerome Flynn plays the sell-sword Bronn in Game of Thrones; both had memorable roles in different episodes of Black Mirror.

Here is a picture of Tudor.

Who Knew? Evangeline Lilly and Elisabeth Rohm

Sometimes, an actor can surprise me, often for the better. Here's two that have, recently. 

Evangeline Lilly

Lilly had the dubious honor of playing Kate Austen on Lost. Kate was a great character at first, as the female center of the primary triangle with a mysterious past. Who didn't feel for her when it was revealed she killed her abusive stepfather?  But as her story unfolded, it became evident that her storyline was half-baked. She robs a bank to get a toy airplane? She marries and then leaves Nathan Fillion because she doesn't do taco night? It doesn't help that her inability to pick between Jack and Sawyer seemed more like wishy-washiness than anything else. 

It was hard to tell whether a different actress would have made Kate more bearable. Lilly's Kate was a mopey sad sack. After a while, the character became a deadweight. And having never seen Lilly in anything else, I had no idea whether it was the actress, the character or both.

So I was a little bemused to hear that Lilly was starring as an elf in the Hobbit movies. Would she drag down that bloated series too?

Our first clue was her appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She was actually funny! Amusing! What? Who was this woman? Where was she during Lost?

Then, we finally saw The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  She stars as Tauriel, the created-for-the-movie Chief of the Guards of the Elven King in Mirkwood. She and Legolas are colleagues and good friends. Together, they are formidable foes of Orcs. She becomes enamored of a dwarf, Kili, and abandons Legolas to heal Kili from his Orc-inflicted wounds. 

So, it reads as soap operish, but somehow it works, in large part because of the charm Lilly brings to the role. She's happy in her life, except when being manipulated by Thranduil (but who wouldn't be?), and loves what she does. She's powerful, she's strong, and she doesn't get people killed so she can get a toy airplane out of a bank safe deposit box. 

Who knew Evangeline Lilly can act?

Elisabeth Rohm

Another revelation in the movies comes from Elisabeth Rohm. 

I first came to know Rohm from her morose turn as Kate Lockley in Angel. The character was justifiably a sad, brooding woman, so I was happy for the actress when she got a role on the original Law & Order as the second chair for the District Attorney. I was actually still watching that show when she started. I tried really hard to like her, I did. But the woman was so flat-affected, so unable to express an emotion, that I decided she just couldn't act. I gave up on her, and the show, and basically forgot about her. 

Then, I saw American Hustle, a fabulous movie. Great acting, a tightly developed plot, and a fun premise. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you do. One of many characters I enjoyed was Jeremy Renner's wife, Dolly Polito. She was an over the top Italian woman who loved her husband and loved her life. She was loud and dynamic (and possibly shrill). Emotion and affect dripped out of her. She was a great character. And she seemed familiar. 

So imagine my shock when watching the credits to discover Dolly Polito was played by one-note Elisabeth Rohm. 

Who knew she could act? And good for her! Keep it up, Rohm. You've earned my respect, again. 

Lost Fan Alert - Evangeline Lilly was Kate Austen. Apparently her talents were wasted. 

Buffyverse Fan Alert - Elisabeth Rohm was perfectly fine as Kate Lockley, a potential love interest for Angel. 

And an extra....

Pushing Daisies Fan Alert - Ned's Lee Pace is weirdly warped as Thranduil, King of the Wood Elves in Mirkwood. Watch his scene with Tauriel. That elf has issues. 

Intelligence

Oh, Intelligence. If only you wrote as good as you want to be.  

Intelligence centers around Josh Holloway as a decorated veteran who just happens to have a genetic defect that allows a chip to be implanted into his head. This chip allows him to access the internet and anything connected to it, which can be mighty handy.  Meghan Ory as his Secret Service guard, tasked with keeping Gabriel's inherent recklessness from getting him killed. Marg Helgenberger is the head of Cyber Command, of which Gabriel is an agent, charged to investigate episodes of cyberterrorism. Or something like that.

The problem with Intelligence is not its premise, which is about as far fetched as other shows, such as Chuck and Person of Interest. The problem has to do with the cardboard characters and the show's insistence in setting stakes too high too soon. In the first episode, the scientist who created the chip is kidnapped - high stakes, but who cares? In the second episode, the team is forced to deal with Gabriel's wife, a CIA agent turned terrorist. She's turned into a suicide bomber and dies In front of Gabriel.  In the next episode, a Chinese agent with a similar chip hacks into Gabriel's chip. 

So many things happens to Gabriel in the first three episodes, episodes that are supposed to make us feel for the pain he's experiencing. But we don't know Gabriel or his team enough to care. They haven't earned our empathy. They would have done better to follow the example of Person of Interest, the show it is most similar to. Show your heroes working their weekly cases, building up comaraderie amongst themselves, and with us. Then, when the stakes are high, when our heroes are brought to their knees, so are we. We care. We're as devastated as they are. Intelligence never gave us the time and opportunity to develop that relationship with their characters. 

The best part of the show is that it's a cornucopia of Fan Alerts. A lot of good actors are given work in this pedestrian show:

Lost Fan Alert - Josh Holloway is not the only alum who shows up. His character's wife is played by Zuleikha Robinson, Ilana herself. That really amused me, for some reason. Tania Raymonde, Ben's daughter, Alex, also makes an appearance as a murderous CIA agent. 

Once Upon a Time Fan Alert - Meghan Ory plays Ruby, aka Little Red Riding Hood, on OUAT. I think it's a little worrying that her character's been missing all season, and no one's said anything. What's that about?

Fringe Fan Alert - Is it me or is Lance Reddick everywhere these days? I'm not complaining. On Intelligence he's the secretive head of the CIA, but I keep expecting him to be called Lt. Broyles. And don't forget he too was on Lost as the mysterious Matthew Abaddon. 

BSG Fan Alert - Michael Trucco, Starbuck's husband Sam, also makes an appearance as a Secret Service agent who shares a past with Ory's Riley. 

The 4400 Fan Alert - I laugh as I write this, as Peter Coyote's been in everything. But his Dennis Ryland was in charge of the agency investigating The 4400.  Now he's Marg Helgenberger's father, and apparently in the president's administration. 

Life Goes On Fan Alert - Another laugh. Corky's dad, Bill Smitrovich, also makes an appearance. 

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Fan Alert - Rosalind Chao played Keiko O'Brien, Miles's wife, on both Deep Space Nine and Next Generation. Here she played a Chinese diplomat.

Don't waste your time. Let's hope Intelligence dies an early death and Holloway finds a vehicle worthy of his talents. 

The Best of 2013

All the critics are creating their best-of-2013 lists, and while I'm no critic, I feel compelled to write up what my favorite shows of the year were.

But it's a funny list. Because I'm limiting it to shows that were first aired in 2013. One of my favorite shows I watched this year is Battlestar Galactica, which did not first air in 2013. So it doesn't belong on this list.

Another funny thing about this list. The critics' lists this year are teeming with shows from all types of distribution channels: pay channels, cable channels, networks, and now streaming channels. Sundance got into the episodic television series this year, with fantastic results. But I've not seen nearly as many of these shows as I would like. So while the critics (who, unlike me, are paid to watch television) had difficulty limiting their lists to ten or so, I could only come up with five.

Please understand that there are a lot of shows that might be on this list had I seen them (or in some cases seen the entire season). 

No ranking, because they are all great in their own way. I therefore submit in alphabetical order my best of 2013.

Broadchurch

If you haven't seen this yet, do so, now. Airing on BBC America, Broadchurch takes place in a small seaside village of the same name in England, and centers around two cops, an outcast detective played by Doctor Who's David Tennant and the woman who wanted the job he got. Tennant plays Alec Hardy, who's first day on the job puts him in charge of the investigation of a boy's death. Does this sound like any other procedural you ever saw? Well, the comparisons end there, because it is really a moody exploration of the effects of that death on the boy's family, the detectives, and the town. Small town secrets are revealed to devastating effects, and the town turns on one of its own in a witch hunt. The revelation of the killer is almost irrelevant when it comes, as families have been destroyed and friendships ruined. But there is also hope, and at the end, it is clear that the town will move on, stronger and better.

Broadchurch showcases some of the best acting this year, especially Tennant (who is now on "my list"), Olivia Colman as his reluctant colleague, and Jodie Whitaker, who's grief at her son's death is palpable. I'm a little concerned, though, because Broadchurch is a series, with a second season guaranteed. I'm not sure what next season will be. What also concerns me is that Fox is also remaking Broadchurch, with a different name and a different place (California), but with Tennant in the same role. The same producers are involved in both projects, so I will try to put aside my skepticism.

Game of Thrones

Word of warning about this show: do not, I repeat, do NOT get attached to any character in this show. You would think the viewing audience learned this in Season 1 when the head of Ned Stark was removed from his neck, but the Red Wedding proved that we may never be ready for George R.R. Martin's nihilistic fantasy epic. Game of Thrones is beautifully filmed, with numerous sets in numerous countries for the various different story lines. The plotting is usually tight and the costumes are delightful.

But none of that would matter if it weren't for the characters, who are  beautifully drawn and excellently acted. Why do you think it is so devastating when one of them dies? Tyrion Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark, and Tywin Lannister are among my favorites, with the Queen of Thornes, played by a transcendent Diana Rigg, being the newest to the pantheon.

It is easy to nitpick on Game of Thrones. However, it's one of the few shows that B and I both have to watch as soon as possible.

Orange is the New Black

If I had to pick one of these five shows as number one, this would be it. OITNB is not for the fainthearted; its depiction of violence and sexuality is brutally frank. It follows Piper Chapman, an upper-middle class, sheltered woman who finds herself behind bars. She enters prison and finds it has its own rules and culture, which she has difficulty understanding. She immediately offends the head cook, somehow acquires a girlfriend, and gets another prisoner sent to solitary.

But Chapman is actually the weakest link among a wealth of character riches. The breakout character is Crazy Eyes (you may have heard of a Caucasian celebrity dressing up as Crazy Eyes for Halloween, in full black face), who doesn't understand why everyone calls her Crazy Eyes. There's Taystee, who refuses to let prison bring her down, until she's released and realizes how little she has going for her in her on the outside. There's Miss Claudette, who's rumored to have killed someone but keeps her life neat and clutter-free. There's Yoga Jones, the soul of the prison, teaching yoga classes. I could go on - I love them all.

There are a few weak spots in OITNB, such as meth-head, anti-abortionist avenging angel Pennsatucky. But otherwise, this show is just about the best I've seen in a while.

Person of Interest

I know, surprising, right? Person of Interest? A network show? A procedural?

Well. Yes. I enjoyed POI's first two seasons, but it didn't really hit me until this year how much I really love it. Granted, I thought it's primary conceit of a machine that could essentially spy on us to detect terrorism was a bit paranoid. Everyone trying to get control of this machine for their own nefarious purposes seemed far fetched. I laughed and thought little of it.

Until Edward Snowden. Oh.

This season still has its weekly POI that must be protected by our heroes, but the story arcs have been tremendous. There's now a group of privacy terrorists (I laugh as I write that) who will do anything to destroy the machine and anyone who exploits it. But the corrupt cops and politicians that made up "HR" made the last three or four episodes into nail biters, culminating in the death of one of our heroes. Carter's death has unmoored Jim Cavaziel's John Reese, but has given Fusco moral clarity. (Ironically, the promos made it seem Fusco was the intended victim. Carter's death was truly shocking primarily because it was so unexpected).

I'm furious at the show right now, since it has left us on a cliff (I used words I probably shouldn't). But when it returns next year, I'll be there, on the edge of my seat to see how my heroes save themselves from this predicament.

Top of the Lake

Sundance entered the drama field with this and two other dramas, all three of which ended up on many critics best-of lists. I've only seen this one.

Directed by Jane Campion, Top of the Lake takes place in a part of New Zealand never seen by hobbits. It's isolated and peopled by rugged and solitary individuals. Like Broadchurch, the central storyline involves an unspeakable crime against a child, this time a pregnant twelve-year old. Elisabeth Moss stars as a Sydney detective in town to care for her ailing mother. She's called into service by David Wenham's Al to investigate the child's presumed rape.

Among the people she must investigate is the father of the girl, played to discomforting perfection by Peter Mullan. Also appearing is Holly Hunter as the cryptic leader of a commune of women, who are apparently trying to find themselves.

This mini-series is marked by stunning cinematography, moody scenes, and excellent acting. One of the central mysteries is pretty obvious well before it is revealed, but it hardly matters. Instead, we were on an exploration of the town as it's past is revealed and justice is explored. There are no easy answers, and a lot is left unclear, but the show is satisfying.

I want to give a shout-out to my favorite new network show:

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow hit the ground running and hasn't stopped the crazy since. The show is marked by one of the best pairings ever in Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie.  I'm on the record as hoping they never set these up as romantic partners. 

Doctor Who Fan Alert - I've already mentioned David Tennant plays Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, and is expected to reprise his role in the Fox version.

Game of Thrones Fan Alert - David Bradley, the evil Walder Frey in Game of Thrones, plays Broadchurch's Jack Marshall, a storekeeper with ties to the murdered boy and a past.

LOTR Fan Alert - yes, that is Faramir you see in Top of the Lake.  David Wenham's Al has a way of making your skin crawl.

Lost Fan Alert - in case you've forgotten, Michael Emerson plays Harold Finch in Person of Interest. He became famous as Ben Linus. 

Mad Men Fan Alert - Elisabeth Moss, Peggy Olson, plays the Robin on Top of the Lake, demonstrating her acting skills, though her New Zealand accent was iffy, at best.

Star Trek: Voyager Fan Alert - Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway on Voyager, is nearly unrecognizable as Red, the domineering head chef in OITNB.

Intelligence

So, you may have heard of a little show coming on tonight, called Intelligence. It's about a cocky special agent who just happens to have a chip in his head. This chip lets him access everything online, including stuff that requires hacking. He has to be tightly monitored, because, of course, he's reckless, and likely to get himself killed. Why do they always put chips in guys like this?

It sounds kind of boring, doesn't it? Except for one thing:

The holder of the chip is played by Josh Holloway. You heard that right. Sawyer himself. This means I'll be watching. Maybe not tonight, since it is DVRed, but I will be watching, despite the middling reviews it has gotten. Because, you see, I miss seeing that face on television. And as I posted on my Lost blog, Holloway turned out to be a pretty good actor.

But I now have a question. Do I miss seeing Sawyer?

Or do I miss Josh Holloway? 

Well, we'll see. I'm sure I'll share my conclusions soon.

Lost Fan Alert: okay, really? 

I Have a Girl Crush - SMG

Yes, I must admit, I have a girl crush. Now, those of you who are thinking inappropriate thoughts, shame on you. You clearly don't know me that well, and get your head out of the gutter.

Those of you who know that the initials "SMG" stand for "Sarah Michelle Gellar" probably think, well duh - Buffy's one of your favorite characters in the whole wide world. And you would be half right in your assumptions. Of course I've had a girl crush on Buffy for over a decade. First, a brief view of my crush on Buffy.

Joss Whedon, in my opinion, is a genius. He took the old horror movie trope of the beautiful blond in the negligee walking down the stairs to investigate that scary noise. Any intelligent watcher is screaming at the television for the idiot blond to stay away, but she never listens, and sure enough, ends up brutally killed. You knew Buffy would be a different type of show from it's opening scene. A high school jock, clearly with nefarious plans in mind, is escorting a tremulous blond through the halls of Sunnydale High School. She's nervous, scared of every noise, but the jock assures her it will all be alright. Sadly for him, the blond isn't a high school girl, but a vampire well over 400 years old. The jock didn't score, but Darla had a nice meal.

Buffy was not the victim but the heroine, the slayer, the chosen one, who has supernatural powers that enable her to kill vampires and other evil creatures.  Slayers were normally solitary creatures who were infused with the essence of demons so that they could kill demons, often dying young. Buffy wanted nothing to do with being a slayer after getting kicked out of high school in LA, but, of course, her destiny followed her, and she eventually gave in. But she always played by her own rules. First, she had friends who knew her "secret identity" and frequently took part in the battles against the forces of evil. She was determined to maintain her sense of style, being the mall rat she was. She also had a sense of humor that wouldn't stop, no matter how serious or tragic the circumstances. Look at the following quotes:

In Faith, Hope, and Trick, about her life returning to normal: "All right, yes, date and shop and hang out go to school and save the world from unspeakable demons. You know, I wanna do girlie stuff."

In Real Me, after Giles complains about his new car's automatic transmission:
Buffy: Giles, are you breaking up with your car?
Giles: Well, it did seduce me, all red and sporty.
Buffy: Little two-door tramp.

And in the final episode, Chosen, to Angel, explaining her complicated feelings about Angel and Spike and her desire to wait before deciding between the two: "I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day, I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat (eyes go wide as she realizes what she's saying) ... or enjoy warm, delicious cookie me, then...that's fine. That'll be then. When I'm done."

Let's face it, I could talk for hours about Buffy, and what she means to my life and my view of popular culture and television. But I must remind you the title references Gellar, not Summers.

One of the most difficult things I think that we as television viewers have to do is dissociate the actor from the character. We're adults, and we learn early on the distinction between the two. But this can be harder to achieve than it appears, as evidenced by comments that actors who play polarizing characters receive from members of the general public. But I think I've done a pretty good job of making that distinction. Patrick Stewart is no Jean Luc Picard, James Gandolfini is no Tony Soprano, and Valerie Harper is no Rhoda Morgenstern. I get it.

And Sarah Michelle Gellar is no Buffy Summers. Gellar started in Hollywood very young, staring in a series of Burger King commercials that were involved in a lawsuit by McDonald's. But she first really became famous when she starred as Erica Kane's long lost daughter Kendall on All My Children. I've long heard about the professionalism of Erica's portrayer, Susan Lucci, and even before Buffy hit the television air waves, I had heard that Lucci and Gellar did not get along.

I also read some silly magazine articles about Gellar, in which she impresses the author because she and her friends had "girls weekends" in which no one was allowed to wear make up. Wow.

But I truly lost respect for Gellar when she announced via Entertainment Weekly that she was quitting Buffy, before she told her co-stars. Yeah, you just don't do that in my world.

Post-Buffy (and, to be fair, during), Gellar appeared in a number of movies, with only Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions and The Grudge being remotely respected. How many movies with Gellar have I seen? None. I'm just not interested in any of them.

Her personal life is quite boring, certainly, compared with her contemporaries. She married one of her movie co-stars, Freddie Prinze, Jr., who, honestly, is one of the most boring actors ever, and had a daughter in 2009.  I never see her in the tabloids and rarely in the magazines. I think better of her for that, certainly.

But really, her biggest problem is that she's not Buffy. No one is.

All that said, I was excited to hear that Gellar was scheduled to star in a new series, Ringer, about identical twins, one of whom takes over the life of the other. The trailer was intriguing, and if Gellar did as good a job on this show as she did on Buffy, well, what's not to like?

My first clue that it might not be such a great show was before it even aired - it went from CBS to the CW. The CW is famous for its teen and young adult soaps. And critics I trust who had seen the pilot episode didn't have much good to say. But I had to see it.

And see it I have - all episodes that have aired. And it's horrible. The story lines don't make sense, the characterization missing, and the tension untense. The basic story is this: former prostitute Bridget is in protective custody because she plans to testify about a murder she witnessed. Newly sober, she somehow escapes from protective custody and reconnects with her wealthy identical twin sister. Apparently the two had a falling out related to Bridget's drug use and the death of Siobhan's child (presumably related). Siobhan appears to commit suicide, and Bridget decides to take her sister's identity to hide from the murderer.

Bridget discovers that Siobhan's life isn't all great - she and her husband have a hostile relationship, her stepdaughter hates her, and she's having an affair with her best friend's husband. Worse yet, it becomes clear that someone was paid to kill a woman named "Siobhan Martin". Bridget is doing her best to take on Siobhan's life and hiding the fact that she isn't the same woman. All the slight differences between the two women don't seem enough to clue anyone that the woman isn't Siobhan.  Seriously?

Of course, Siobhan was not dead, but living in Paris. It's clear she has an agenda, against her husband and against Bridget. We don't know why, but it appears we'll learn soon enough.

And the two men in Siobhan's life - Andrew (husband) and Henry (lover) are both dull as dishwater (maybe Freddie Prinze, Jr. was the model?). I guess that Siobhan had an affair with Henry because Andrew ignored her for his work. But it feels like not only is the wife new in this marriage, so is the husband. A man who put work before his family has made lots of changes in his life, apparently. I don't know. The men are pretty to look at but not much else.

The tension, beyond Bridget trying to be Siobhan, comes from Bridget trying to hide the body of the man who killed her, or trying to hide a gun, or staying out of Henry's bed. Gemma, Siobhan's boring best friend, discovered that Siobhan and Henry were having an affair. Bridget finally confessed to Gemma that's she's Bridget, and Gemma then blackmailed Bridget to get Henry to sleep with her so Gemma could ensure Henry gets none of her money. Bridget refused, and shortly thereafter, was Gemma was apparently killed. I guess that's a mystery now.

No matter what I write, I know that I am fighting a useless battle. There's no way I can convince you that this show is good and worth your time. It's not. The show gets a C- or D. If only I could stop watching.

What makes me watch this show week after week? There's only one possibility: SMG. So, it's true, I have a crush.

Veronica Mars fan alert: Jason Dohring, Veronica's bad boy boyfriend Logan Echolls, plays a teacher in the high school of Andrew's daughter attends.

Lost fan alert: Nestor Carbonell, Richard Alpert, is the FBI agent determined to find Bridget.

Buffyverse fan alert: Well, duh.

What New Shows Am I Watching This Season?

Well, folks, here it is, the new fall season of television, usually one of my favorite times of the television year. Last year was rough, with no new shows making my list of must sees. This year I believe will fair a little better.

On Monday nights, Fox airs Terra Nova. Terra Nova presents a dystopian future, that has somehow figured out how to send people back to a far distant past, before pollution, greed, and overpopulation made our world an environmental disaster. So far in the past, that dinosaurs rule the earth. Terra Nova features the very likable Jason O'Mara as a cop who had been imprisoned for daring to have three children. His wife, a noted physician, is recruited to Terra Nova, but she can only take their two oldest children. A little bribery and chicanery later, the entire family makes it to Terra Nova. I'm going to give this show a try, but I'm not convinced I like it. It features not one but two stereotypical teenagers, and O'Mara's character was rather easily accepted by the leader, played by the exceptional Stephen Lang. Terra Nova is clearly trying to make itself the Lost of the season, with its hints at mysteries under the surface. Indeed, several times, I felt like I was watching scenes from Lost.

On Tuesday nights, the CW is airing The Ringer. This soap opera/thriller focuses on identical twins, both with so many secrets that nothing is what it seems. There's only one reason I'm watching this show: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy herself, plays the twins. So far, there are holes a-plenty, and the male characters are especially one-note. But I can't help myself. I must watch. I'm sure I'll have more to say on this later.

On Thursday nights, Person of Interest airs on Fox. What happens if there is a computer that can monitor humans so much, it can determine when a crime of violence will happen? Michael Emerson's character created such a computer to combat terrorism. The fact that the computer could predict other crimes was an unexpected, and apparently unwanted, side effect. For reasons yet unknown to us, Emerson has hired the man who once played Jesus, Jim Caviezel, to help him prevent murders and other kinds of violent mayhem. Both men are extremely serious and driven, and both have secrets and painful pasts. Like Lost, little bits of the characters' pasts will be revealed week by week. Some critics are not fans of Caviezel's stoicness, but like Anna Torv's Olivia on Fringe, I think it fits.

One show I hope to watch and just haven't yet is New Girl, with Zooey Deschanel. As soon as I have, I'll give my impressions.

Buffyverse Fan Alert - Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar on The Ringer. Duh.

Lost Fan Alert - Michael Emerson, the mysterious Ben, plays a mysterious do-gooder billionaire on Person of Interest. Nestor Carbonell, the immortal Richard Alpert, plays an FBI agent trying to catch one of the twins on The Ringer.

In the meantime, what are you watching?

The Fall Season

I must say I'm sadly underwhelmed by the new season this year. For the first time in I can't tell how long, I'm not adding a single show to my "must see" list. Some thoughts:

I don't know why I wasn't interested in The Event, touted by many as the next Lost. As you know, I like me some Lost, but nothing about the show interested me in any way. I'm happy that Jason Ritter (from Joan of Arcadia), ER's Laura Innes, and go-to guy Blair Underwood have found work, but their presence is not enough to make me want to watch. I saw a half hour the other day. As you may recall, I didn't start Lost from the first episode. But I caught part of an episode later in the season, and I found myself enthralled and wanting to know more. That's not the case with my glimpse into The Event. None of the characters jumped out at me, and I'm totally not interested in knowing why some characters will do anything to get Jason Ritter's character.

I did watch a full episode of the revamped Hawaii Five-O, solely to watch Daniel Dae Kim's new show. The powers-that-be have been desperate to find a vehicle for Alex O'Loughlin. His first show, Moonlight, was a cult favorite that was cancelled too soon (full disclosure: I never watched it). His second show was the abysmal Three Rivers, which found itself on the chopping block pretty quickly. I think he's found a successful show, however, in Hawaii Five-O, in which he takes over from Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett. He's joined by Scott Caan as Danno, Kim as Chin Ho Kelly, and Grace Park as the now female Kono. I watched the premiere, and will watch no more. I found the dialogue to be cliched, the characters to be cardboard, and the villain (played by the former Spike, James Marsters) to be dull.

I have on a season pass of sorts Undercovers, a new show by J.J. Abrams. I've yet to watch a single episode. That tells me I'm not looking forward to it, and I may just have to cancel the whole thing. I never watched Alias, so maybe I just don't like the genre?

I also tried to watch No Ordinary Family, starring the former Darla and Dexter's Rita Morgan, Julie Benz. She's joined by Michael Chiklis and one of the Panabaker girls. You would think the show is right up my geek-girl alley. The family takes a trip, the plane crashes, and each has a special power afterward. But I found nothing new or unusual in the pilot, just a family drama filled with cliches, in which the family just happens to develop powers. It doesn't help that the show has one of the worst cliches of all time: the stereotypical troubled teenager.

Lost and Buffyverse fan alert: Daniel Dae Kim (Jin and Gavin Park) plays Chin Ho Kelly in the revamped Hawaii Five-O.

Buffyverse fan alert: James Marsters, Spike, played a villain in the premiere episode of Hawaii Five-O. Does Marsters just not want a series or do producers not recognize his charisma? Granted, his charisma was not in evidence in this episode... Also, Julie Benz, Darla, plays Stephanie Power in No Ordinary Family.

Cable Drama Finales

Well, I must apologize. It's been a long time since I've posted. There hasn't been a whole lot going on in the world of television, but that's not my excuse. Here's some unsolicited, un-television-related advice for you. If you find yourself pregnant with twins, don't decide to buy a house. Stupid. Just stupid!

Because of all that, I'm way behind on my television. But this past weekend, I finally saw the final finale of three of my cable shows. I thought I'd give my impressions.

Leverage

Leverage is new for me. I didn't see the first season, except for a couple episodes. Those episodes impressed me so much that I put Leverage on my DVR schedule. As you know, the relationships between characters is often what draws me in to a show. It's one of the things I love about Lost and about Bones. If the relationships aren't true, or are forced, I will eventually lose interest. Heroes is one show that lost me because of their failure to develop characters who could grow.

Leverage has a host of interesting characters. Nate Ford is a former insurance investigator who quit the business and sank into a drunken rage when his son died after the insurance company refused to pay for treatment. For reasons I don't understand, seeing as I never saw the pilot, Nate decided to help someone, but he needed skills he didn't possess. So, he found a grifter, hitter, thief, and hacker. All four of these characters were basically amoral who used their skills to help themselves, not others.

Sophie is the grifter. She's also an actress, but a terrible one when on stage. She fabulous when working a con. She works the most with Nate, and a romance of sorts is brewing between them. She humanizes most of the other characters who are somewhat socially limited. Sophie left to travel for a number of months "to find herself". The real reason is that Gina Bellwood, the actress who plays Sophie, was on maternity leave.

Eliot is the hitter. He's the hitter because he doesn't really like using weapons, though he can if he must. Skilled in martial arts, he mostly protects the group. He's often assumed to be a dumb jock, but he's actually smarter than he looks. He likes being underestimated.

Parker is the thief. No one knows if that is her first or last name. Raised in a number of foster homes, she is socially backward and relies on Sophie to help her with social skills. She is an extremely skilled thief, and is probably the most amoral of the group.

Lastly, Hardison is the hacker. He was also raised in foster homes, though it sounds like his childhood was more stable than Parker's. He's a self-professed geek who is able to hack into just about any computer system. However, in a funny joke, he did point out that he cannot "hack a hick."

But that doesn't tell you what the relationships between the characters are. Sophie and Nate are attracted to each other, but, of course, they keep fighting it. Hardison is attracted to Parker, but she doesn't recognize his flirting for what it is. Eliot is protective of the team, though he gets frustrated when Nate doesn't give them all the information he believes he needs. The group broke up at the end of the first season (for reasons unknown to me), but the four thieves found that they couldn't return to their normal lives. They liked helping people too much.

Nate changed the most in the second season. He sobered up during the break between seasons, but relapsed during a job. Although he tried to curtail his drinking, he never quite gave it up. He made it clear that, unlike his cohorts, he was not a thief. All he was doing in setting up his cons was helping the downtrodden get what was rightly theirs from the rich and powerful. He always maintained an aura of superiority over his colleagues, which they did not fail to note. But in the final episode, Nate lost control over his con and his own actions, partially due to alcohol and partially due to other reasons too long to discuss here. His team confronted him on a few occasions, but he insisted he was fine. What his team didn't know was that he had been caught.

In exchange for his assistance, Nate would go free, but his team was not. After all, they were thieves, Nate was not. There appeared to be no way out. But, as usual, Nate outsmarted the officials. The only evidence to convict a truly evil dude was Nate's testimony. And the price for his testimony: his colleagues go free. His team was not grateful, however. Sophie even slapped him. As they took off in a helicopter, Nate pronounced to the world, "I am a thief."

I guess they'll have to get the team back together in the first episode next season.

White Collar

White Collar has been essentially mind candy. The only reason to watch it, other than the impossibly handsome Matt Bomer, is the bromance between Bomer's Neal and Tim DeKay's Peter. Peter was the only FBI who could capture Neal (which he did, twice), but is hesitant when Neal suggests that Peter allow him to help solve white collar crimes. You know, an "it takes a thief" kind of thing. Have you ever noticed that thieves are all terribly handsome?

Despite his reluctance to work with Neal, and despite the differences in their character, Peter finds himself appreciating Neal's skill and enthusiasm. He finds himself relying on Neal's advice on their cases and in his personal life. He even moves in with Neal when his home is being wired (that didn't work out so well).

But as Neal got involved in a plan to steal a music box to free his girlfriend, Peter becomes suspicious. He tries to talk Neal out of the theft, even promising to arrest Neal if he attempts the crime. Peter's no fool, though, and he realizes Neal will go forward with his plans regardless. What Neal didn't anticipate was the effect this would have on Peter - Peter's wife was accused of various crimes (clearly bogus), and Peter was suspended for two weeks.

Of course, Neal stole the music box, and Peter couldn't arrest Neal because Peter was on suspension. Neal is promised to be reuinited with his girlfriend with a new identity. He says good bye to everyone, except Peter. Peter find him, and Neal acknowledges he didn't say good bye to Peter because Peter was the only one who could talk Neal out of escaping with his girlfriend. Frankly, I thought Peter was doing a bad job of convincing Neal to stay, but it turns out his intervention saved Neal's life, as the airplane containing the girlfriend (allegedly) exploded.

Burn Notice

Michael Weston has spent three years trying desparately to find out why he was burned from the CIA. In this season's finale, we finally learned why. A rogue agent was so bad that he was placed in a remote jail. Because a power that is needed someone like this rogue agent, they altered Michael's file so that it appears Michael committed the horrible acts of the rogue agent. Both the rogue agent, Simon, and Michael protest they want their lives back. But Simon, who has escaped from his jail, is a true psychopath, and doesn't care who he kills to get what he wants. He even bribes Michael into helping him by putting explosives in a Miami hotel. If Michael doesn't help, the bomb goes off.

The FBI are onto Michael and his activities, and they believe what his CIA file contains. They try to find him, interrogating his mother, Maddy. Despite their attempts to convince her that Michael is a killer, she refuses to give her son up, and is eventually arrested by the FBI. But she's devastated. Michael managed to stop Simon, but was captured by the FBI. Within 2o minutes of his capture, another "suit" took custody of Michael. We last saw Michael being led in chains with a hood over his head to a meeting. But Maddy has no idea where her son is. Her distress was palpable.

Buffyverse fan alert - Christian Kane, Lindsey McDonald on Angel, plays Eliot on Leverage. The two characters are not all that alike. Lindsey was amoral, yes, but he committed his evil as an attorney for the soulless (literally) Wolfram and Hart. Eliot, on the other hand, prefers to use his fists, and has discovered that he has a desire to help people.

Deadwood fan alert and The 4400 fan alert. Garret Dillahunt, Francis Wolcott and Jack McCall on Deadwood and Matthew Ross on The 4400, played Simon on Burn Notice. I wonder, is Dillahunt as disturbed as the characters he plays?

Lost fan alert - Marsha Thomason, Naomi Dorrit on Lost, plays an FBI agent on White Collar. She is apparently joining the cast for the next season. Although she has an American accent on White Collar, she really is from Manchester, England, just like Naomi.

Ricky Gervais and the Golden Globes

I don't normally watch the Golden Globes, even though they have a TV component, but this year I believe that it is must see TV. And solely because Ricky Gervais is the host.

I've been mildly interested in Gervais since I caught the British version of The Office. I've seen him in a few interviews since then, primarily on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But it wasn't until the Emmys a couple of years ago that I realized how funny this man really is. He didn't host, but he was an award presenter. He spent his time haranguing Steve Carell for "stealing" Gervais' Emmy the year before. It was so hilarious that I was rolling on the floor. This past Emmy show also gave Gervais an opportunity to show how funny he is.

The producers of the Golden Globes must have paid attention, because they snapped up Gervais. And that means I'll actually be watching the Golden Globes tomorrow night.

As an aside, Michael Emerson, Ben Linus of Lost, is up for an award. I'll let you know if he wins.

V - The Pilot

If you plan to see the pilot and haven't yet, don't read this post. Spoilers abound.

I am certain that V was either my most anticipated or my second most anticipated new series of the Fall TV season, neck and neck with FlashForward. Well, we all know that I thought of FlashForward. But let's not dwell on that right now.

I'm not sure why V started so late in the season. It will be aired for 4 weeks, then will take a break until March, 2010, after the Winter Olympics. A lot of people are upset about this, because they feel that the break will be disastrous to the show. I don't know. I do know that V got excellent ratings last night for its pilot.

I can't tell you where I was when JFK was shot, but I do know where I was when I first heard of a plane crashing into the first tower on 9/11. The pilot of V started by asking where you were during those events, then added, "Where were you this morning?" This morning being the morning that 29 alien ships appeared over cities across the globe, of course. After a few minutes of suspense and anticipation, an apparition of Anna, a leader among the Visitors in the alien ships, talking in the language of the city the ship is over, assuring us that the Visitors are thrilled to find another planet with intelligent life, and promising to bring healing and peace to the world.

As might be expected, some people find hope and believe in the message, while others protest their presence. The news channels are abuzz with what little information they can gather about the Visitors, while the aliens arrange for trips from earth to their ships. Anna arranges to meet with the UN.

In the meantime, our heroine, Erica Evans, an FBI counterterrorism agent, notices that the activity of a particular terrorist cell spikes. She and her partner, Dale Maddox, investigate, but unfortunately, seem to be one step behind the suspects throughout the hour. Erica must also deal with her teenaged son, who is, of course, troubled. Tyler is clearly fascinated with the Visitors, taking a trip to their ship and agreeing to become a V Peace Ambassador Program. Tyler becomes attracted to a Visitor named Lisa.

In the meantime, a businessman named Ryan Nichols is disturbed by nearly constant calls from an old acquaintance named George, who wants Ryan's help, but Ryan wants nothing of it. He plans to propose to his girlfriend, but she becomes paranoid about the number of calls Ryan refuses to answer.

Father Landry finds his church, formerly a congregation of 3, has standing room only during Mass. His fellow priest encourages Landry to praise the Visitors for bringing peace and healing, but Landry is skeptical. One of his original parishioners, Roy, has visited a healing center, and can walk. But another of his congregants gives Landry an envelope with an address on it, telling him to go to the meeting. The man has been wounded, and dies in the church.

Chad Decker is a television news anchor who reports on the Visitors. He scores an exclusive interview with Anna but is shocked when told right before the interview that he is not allowed to ask any questions that would embarrass the Visitors or make them look bad. He agrees to the interview, but clearly finds it distasteful.

Erica's investigation leads her to a clandestine meeting run by Ryan Nichols' friend, George. All attendants have to undergo a slicing of skin over their ears to ensure they are all human. Then George announces that the Visitors are lying - they've been on Earth for decades, infiltrating various institutions. Their intentions are not peaceful but nefarious, though we didn't learn much about that. Erica almost left, but Landry, who was at the meeting in mufti, showed the envelope he had been given. It contained pictures that coincided with Erica's investigation. As she discussed this with Landry, a metallic ball flew into the room shooting bullets. Then men came in, including Dale Maddox, Erica's partner. He tries to kill Erica, but she wounds him instead, and uncovers his lizard skin on his face. Dale is a Visitor. Landry grabs Erica and they escape.

Meanwhile, Ryan Nichols shows up to rescue George, but is injured while doing so. Ryan apologizes for not coming earlier, saying that there needs to be a resistance against the Visitors. He then reveals his injured arm, which shows lizard skin. Ryan isn't the only Visitor traitor who is working against the Visitors' aims.

Okay, now that I have the recap over and done with, I must say that I found myself very engaged in the show, with one notable exception. The actors were all excellent, and the storytelling structure was interesting. I am curious about the moral quandary facing Chad Decker as he finds himself the reluctant spokesman for the Visitors but also getting worldwide exposure. I found Landry's uncertainty to be intriguing. I was a little confused by Ryan Nichols and his involvement with the main storyline, so I certainly didn't predict that he was a "sleeper" Visitor. I did guess that Dale Maddox was a Visitor - Erica kept mentioning how the suspects seemed to be tipped off in time to escape. It also didn't help that the actor playing him is listed as a guest actor. And let's face it, Alan Tudyk did a version of this in last season's Dollhouse.

The exception is the tired cliche that is troubled teen Tyler Evans. In a conversation between Tyler and his mother, he accuses her of not caring about him because she's never home. Essentially, the lines have been written and spoken in thousands of shows before now, and will be written and spoken in thousands of show afterward. Hopefully, the dreaded teen angst will be minimized in future episodes.

Lost Fan Alert: Duh - Elizabeth Mitchell, Juliet Burke on Lost, plays Erica Evans. Damn those Lost producers for letting her go. She remains beautiful, smart, and fabulous.

Buffyverse Fan Alert - Dale Maddox is played by Alan Tudyk, Hoban "Wash" Washborn in Firefly and Serenity, and Alpha in Dollhouse. Morena Baccarin, Anna, was Inarra Serra on Firefly and Serenity.

The 4400 Fan Alert - Joel Gretsch plays Father Landry. He played Tom Baldwin in The 4400. That show ended way too soon.

Other actors of note: Morris Chestnut plays Ryan Nichols. Scott Wolf from Party of Five and The Nine plays Chad Decker. Lourdes Benedicto, also of The Nine, plays Valerie Stevens, Ryan Nichols' girlfriend.

FlashForward

I have also put FlashForward on a season pass, but I was not as blown away by the premiere episode as I had thought I might be. Yes, it feels very Lostish, with it's intense opening scene, its random animal in the fray, and the mixture of science fiction, adventure, and mystery. But a lot seemed to move awfully fast, including the jumping to a number of conclusions that fortunately for the characters are quite correct. We don't know and love the characters yet, but hopefully that will change as the season progresses.

Mark Benford is a recovering alcoholic who loves his wife and daughter. His wife likes to leave him little hate notes, telling him she hopes she never sees him or such like. His daughter is young, and a babysitter watches her during the day. Mark is an FBI agent, while his wife, Olivia, is a doctor. Mark's day starts with an AA meeting, followed by a stakeout with his partner, Demetri Noh. They are in luck - the suspects they have been following are ready to be arrested! But in the dangerous pursuit, the flash forward occurs. All humans the world around black out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Many see flashes, that don't feel like an hallucination or a dream. Some don't see flashes.

During the black out, car crashes, plane crashes, and other disasters occurred. What would happen if everyone blacked out for that length of time? I was a little surprised that 700 planes crashed, figuring that they would be okay for the short period of time, but perhaps the pilots were too disoriented to right their planes upon coming to. I am assuming that no one on the planes had flashes of the future since they died. Mark wakes up to find his car has crashed, and the highway in chaos. People are justifiably freaked out, including Mark and Demetri. They snap back to reality when they see their suspects' van, but the only occupant alive is an unknown female.

I'm a little confused about this, but I think Mark makes a slow-motion run to the hospital where his wife works, since cell phones are inoperative. During his run he sees looting and a kangaroo, which hops on by. I think that the Benfords must have connected by phone at this point, because I don't really remember seeing them together until that night.

At the FBI, the agents quickly figure out thanks to Mark's remarkable memory of his flash that it was actually a flash forward, as well as the exact date of the flash. Mark and Demetri develop the wall o' notes that Mark saw in his vision since they are put in charge of the investigation. They also decide to develop a database of flash forwards, which I really think is a good idea.

Meanwhile, in other happenings, Olivia's colleague Bryce is saved from suicide by his flash, which apparently promises a much better future than he expected. He joins Olivia at the hospital as they work to save those injured during the black out. One of the victims is a small boy who happens to know Olivia's name, even though they had never met, in the past.

We learned something of the flashes experienced by the characters we've met. Mark flashed on his office in the FBI, where he had resumed drinking and was a hunted man for knowing too much (I really hate it when that happens). Olivia, meanwhile, flashed that she was having an affair with a man she didn't know. Charlie, their daughter, told her babysitter that all the good days were gone. The babysitter did not reveal her own flash, but apparently something bad happened in it, something for which she wishes to atone for in the past (I think my nose just bled). Demetri, on the other hand, had no flash, and he is clearly concerned this means he is dead six months in the future.

The actors all did a fine job. Joseph Fiennes is appropriately heroic as Mark, and Sonya Walger believable as the caring doctor. It's always a pleasure to see Courtney B. Vance and Alex Kingston. John Cho also did a good job as Mark's partner with no future. And a lot of us were surprised by Seth McFarlane as an agent - apparently he'll make future cameos this season.

Some thoughts on the mystery:

• What did Charlie see? Will she be like Maia Rutledge from The 4400, wise beyond her years, or just a child confused by her flash?
• What's with the kangaroo?
• I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought that the man at the baseball game who appears to be the only one who didn't black out looks like he could be the father of the little boy who knew Olivia. We also learned that the father of the little boy is the man that Olivia has an affair with in her flash.
• Some commentators have thought that Demetri might be the man at the baseball game, based on the fact that he had no flash and was not in the car with Mark when the black out ended.

Lost fan alert: Sonya Walger, who plays Olivia in FlashForward, is, of course, Penny Widmore Hume from Lost. Did the producers purposely give Olivia's child the same name as Penny's child on Lost? Also note that Dominic Monaghan, Charlie Pace, will be appearing soon.

The Good Wife

I continue to be behind in my television watching and my posting. Perhaps I will never catch up, but I'm pretty darn close right now.

I watched the season premiere of The Good Wife, and I liked it enough that I am putting it on a season pass. I suspect it will be a procedural with Alicia Florrick's family drama as a backdrop. But as you know, I'm not always against procedurals, as long as they are well-written and interesting, as this one is.

Julianna Margulies stars as Alicia Florrick, the good wife of the Cook County State's Attorney who resigns in disgrace after a sex scandal. Six months later, Florrick, played by Chris Noth, is in jail after a jury found him guilty of using his office to secure sexual favors from young prostitutes (pretty darn quick trial!). Alicia and her children have lost their home, their savings, and their security, and for the first time in twelve years, she is returning to work as an attorney. Although she graduated at the top of her class from Georgetown, she is now a junior attorney for a downtown firm in which a friend from law school, played by Josh Charles, is a partner.

The firm has a new class action law suit, which requires shuffling of all the cases the firm currently has. Alicia thus has a pro bono case that had been tried by the firm's queen bee partner, Diane Lockhart, played by Christine Baranski. With the assistance of a dedicated investigator, Alicia manages to get the client off, but not without ruffling the queen bee's feathers. Do queen bees have feathers?

Throughout the episode, reminders of Alicia's turbulent family issues abound, from her daughter asking if Florrick slept with teenaged prostitutes, to a colleague loudly playing a video of the press conference, to the prosecutor attempting to use Alicia's last name to win points in a case. This is clearly painful to Alicia, but she doesn't let it stop her.

The episode had a lot of exposition, as expected, but it was well interspersed with the drama. I suspect that anyone who wanted to saw the opening scene, in which a brittle Alicia stands by her husband in the press conference where he announces his resignation. Margulies is in fine form as Alicia, of course, as is Charles, as her friend from law school who might have a history with Alicia. No one does ice queen better than Baranski. Even the children are good, and the show is so far avoiding the stereotypical troubled teenager trap. So, go see it!

Lost fan alert: Titus Welliver plays the State's Attorney who replaces Florick. Lost fans will recognize him as the Man in Black, or Esau, who successfully killed Jacob in the season finale of Lost.