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Game of Silence (2016)
Dark and Hopeless
A rising attorney finds his perfectly crafted life threatened when his long-lost childhood friends threaten to expose a dark secret from their past. Game of Silence is a NBC mid-season release for Law and Order SVU. This new dramatic suspense series comes from Writer / Producer David Hudgins. This is his second series, known for Friday Night Light and Parenthood, and is first try at dramatic suspense. Game of Silence stars, David Lyons as Jackson, a successful Houston Criminal Lawyer. Lyons, well known as Vincent Faraday aka The Cape from The Cape. Most recent from NBC's Revolution, as the angst ridden Sebastian 'Bass' Monroe. Also starring, Michael Raymond-James, as Gil, a temper driven construction worker, is recently known for his portrayal on Once Upon a Time as Neil Cassidy aka Rumplestiskin's son Belfire. Also as the original Big Bad on True Blood, Rene Lenier Larenz Tate, plays Shawn, best friend of Gil and a seemingly well- adjusted man with some commitment issues. Tate is known for his role as Malcolm Kaan on HBO's House of Lies. Last night I took the time to put Game of Silence to the three- episode test. As a reviewer, Games of Silence has all the elements of a hit. The formula is there. the show is well written, well cast and has several very lean subplots to keep things interesting. As a viewer, I found Game of Silence to be very dark and heavy due to the content, and numerous violent flashbacks. As this can be a good thing in a television show, if there is nothing to offset the darkness it does become too much to handle. There is no lightness to the show, no hope. The characters, while well written and very complex, are not very likable. I want to root for them to succeed, however I don't like any of them enough to care either way. If Game of Silence were a two- hour movie I would say bravo, great, a riveting and thoughtful piece. But, it's not a movie it is a serial drama, and I don't believe anyone will be able to stomach the raw emotional turmoil the show projects for very long. Nice try, NBC, but I can't do it, sorry.
The Catch (2016)
ABC's The Catch a Diabolical Romance
Shonda Rhimes, the ABC Prime Time Queen, has once again given us a rare gem in dramatic entertainment. The Catch -- ABC's Mid-Season replacement for 'How To Get Away with Murder' – can be seen on Thursday's right after Scandal. Starring Mireille Enos, best known for playing detective Sarah Linden in The Killing and opposite Brad Pitt in World War Z. In The Catch, Mireille plays a successful private investigator and co private security firm owner, Alice Vaughn. In the pilot episode Alice is glowing with happiness about her upcoming nuptials to successful business man, Christopher Hall, played by Peter Krause. Peter is known for such shows as Dirty Sex Money, Six Feet Under and most recently, Parenthood. So the twist in The Catch comes when Christopher wakes Alice the day before their wedding and asks her to run away with him. She laughs him off, thinking he is being ridiculous. When she returns home she discovers he is missing, she goes to his office and finds an empty space. Finally, the 1.5 million dollars she's given him to purchase their new house is gone. Alice has a good cry a little tantrum and then picks herself up. Resolute on finding this man who has destroyed her heart, hopes and dreams Alice Vaughn goes to work. As The Catch plot develops, Christopher's love for Alice is genuine, and had she said yes to him that fateful morning when he asked her to run away he would have abandoned his con-artist life forever. But of course, that would make for a boring drama, right? So why doesn't he just drop everything and tell her he loves her? Well, the life of a con-artist is complicated. Christopher and his associates owe some very powerful bad guys a lot of money, 15 million to be exact. When the 'score' with Alice tanked, forcing the return all of the money stolen from her and her firm, Christopher's little con man team was left penniless. Christopher wants to put as much distance between Alice and ruthless associates as possible before they find out the truth about his feelings. The most eminent threat is his dominating lover played by the glorious Sonya Walger, (known for Parenthood, Lost, and even a small 2 episode stint on Scandal). Christopher, despite many attempts, is unable to let go of Alice, his pull to her is magnetic. As she gets closer to finding him, he allows it, if only to give into his needs for a short time. Awwww
so sweet. Add in The Catch sub-plots of a French Secret Service Agent also looking for Christopher Hall, Alice's wanting to keep her endeavor secret from her trusted friends, and her regular day-to-day job and you have the mixing of a dramatic masterpiece. To be honest, Alice is just as diabolical as Christopher in many ways and thus making the series so addictive. Plot twists and high fashion abound in The Catch making is visually and psychologically stimulating. The brilliance of Shonda Rhimes in my opinion is nothing is ever black and white, she loves to dabble in the gray's of the world. I put this new series to the three episode test, and it passed with flying colors, full of intrigue, romance, deception and uniquely flawed characters, The Catch is most definitely worth your time and DVR space!
Dads (2013)
Noble Eskimo We Stole Your Snow
Noble Eskimo we stole your snow All of our warming made your igloo melt You are left with just a Walrus pelt Noble Eskimo we stole your snow
- Dads on FOX
This is why each show gets three chances to hook me. Along with the above simplistic and yet catchy pot song, the second episode made me laugh out- loud. It is rare this happens and so I will give credit where it is due. In the second episode of Dads a pot laced brownie is eaten by one father and then tried on the second father. While both of the sons think their Dads are clueless the episode rounds out with a pot-off. Hilarious!!
Hostages (2013)
Hostages Premise, Despite Brilliance, is on Shaky Ground
Jerry Bruckheimer, Dylan McDermott and Toni Collette, should be a no- brainer, right? Yeah, not so much. Not from what I have seen thus far anyway. The premise of Hostages is this. An oncology surgeon Dr. Ellen Sanders, Toni Collette, has taken on the responsibility of operating on the President of the United States. Media circus and pressure from the management of the hospital Dr. Sanders remains confident and strong. She goes home the evening before the surgery and is taken hostage by a group of terrorists who tell her she will kill the president or her family will die. Interesting box to be thrown into eh? The writers have covered all of the bases, there are no holes in the trap. They have thought of everything to effectively tie the hands of the doctor and her family. There is no 'easy way out' everyone is ignoring because it is TV land. I will say the thoroughness of the story is impressive. They definitely did their research knowing one of the first things people like me will look for are holes. Side stories revealing characterizations is key. All of the secrets the family is keeping from each other as well as a sub-plot of Dylan McDermott's character not actually being terrorist he is trying to portray. He is shown with his comatose wife, and adorable young daughter as well as being established as a top notch negotiator with the FBI. Subplots are good if we keep them simple. However, they can also give the watcher a headache trying to keep track of everything and how it fits. Here is the challenge. While the plot seems to be fraction-less,well developed and presented flawlessly, how do you keep the story moving forward with such a restrained expectation? The entire struggle is the conflict of will she do it, or won't she? This is a magnificent morale struggle plot for a movie, not a television show. The pilot as already delivered the first stall with a blood thinner that cancels the surgery for two weeks. Now what? They all hang out in the house for two weeks? They become one big happy family? We are bordering on the unbelievable. This is of course unless there is some huge plot reveal in episode two or three. The other challenge I am having is the hook. I really have no desire to watch the next episode as I didn't attach to any of the characters. To be completely honest the ONLY reason I am giving it a shot is Dylan McDermott. The guy is so talented, but has the unfortunate luck of not being able find a pilot that sticks. So overall I have my doubts about Hostages, could be a political thriller with a fluid movement of characters and subplots. Or it could be a huge, jarring, confusing mess.
The Blacklist (2013)
The Blacklist Delivers Unexpected Edge
In my television experience, there is a moment in every show that will 'hook me'. I am not just talking about the pilot, I am talking about every episode of every show I watch. This moment is the reason I continue to watch the show week after week. When a program loses that 'hook' it is time to move on. My 'hook' in The Blacklist was unexpected and thus amazing. It takes a lot to surprise me, but the moment Agent Keen walked into Reddington's hotel room and pushed a pen into his carotid artery I was in. The very simple but unexpected play by the writers won me over. The premise of The Blacklist is simple. Reddington is a master criminal and traitor. He arrives with a list of other master criminals. He tells the CIA he will help them catch all of these criminals. There is of course one stipulation. He will only work with Agent Elizabeth "Lizzy" Keen. The new drama has a few things going for it right off the bat. The first being James Spader. The man, the actor, has successfully mastered his craft, repeatedly re-materializing as a new character every few years. His biography is impressive in the simple impact of key characters he has created through the years. The other advantage is the introduction of a new face to television. Megan Boone plays our protagonist Elizabeth "Lizzy" Keen. Megan's resume as an actress is short, making her an unknown to the viewing audience. This is an advantage as we will not associate her with any typecasting. The show is shot like a movie, which is to be expected given the director, Joe Carnahan, is known for movie titles like, The Grey, The A- Team and Smokin Aces. The Blacklist is off to a good start with twists in unexpected places, reactions and results I did not see coming. The writing thus far is solid. Spader and Boone have great chemistry. Questions are already surrounding the series, viewers are wondering about connections and the truth behind actions. The Hannibal Lecter style interrogations, and pseudo Alias back story make for compelling television. If you have not watched the pilot of The Blacklist I would highly recommend it. I am putting it to the three episode test, and to be honest I do not foresee it failing. It falls in line with other popular crime dramas, and will fill a void in the NBC schedule.