Post by CC Fan on Oct 11, 2004 18:47:05 GMT -5
Review provided by blankregus
Season 2.01 “The Badlands”
WRITING
The pilot moved off this case almost immediately, so the field was entirely open. They took the easy way out at nearly every turn. Making Vera into a jerk without any groundwork being laid was lazy, and lent the show the psychological coherence of pro wrestling scenarios. (They did this once last year, morphing Valens from an ego-boosting a*shat into Mr. Sensitive from one week to the next.) I can't see Vera as criminally inept (he couldn't possibly not have seen through the alibis); like Lilly, an unhappy personal life leading to overcompensation at work would have more potential. In fact, Vera and Lilly mirror each other in some respects.
I HATED seeing Jeffries and Vera going at each other. It's the least creative solution, to have colleagues in conflict ("NYPD Blue," "The Practice"). One of CC's strengths thus far has been the avoidance of such nonsense. Indeed, Lilly has been slow to condemn other detectives for past failings (an attitude she picked up from Stillman?). The episode's tarring of Vera just felt bogus. Speaking of fraudulent, not cleaning up the bloody scene IN A YEAR was beyond the pale.
Shuffling through the red herrings and suspects was very routine. I'd have much preferred the case to be more complex, rather than hanging it on one cop's rush to judgment. No argument with giving our guys imperfections, but the most painstaking, scrupulous work in the world doesn't always lead to a good result. (A point Stillman expressed glancingly to Lilly in "Glued.")
ACTING
Except for Thom Barry, I thought everyone else was phoning it in. (John Finn was barely present, another huge flaw.)
EXECUTION
A poor script happens. I count nine or so exceptional ones among last year's 23, so it can't be great every week. More vexing is the technical side, especially since this was the third episode shot for the new season.
Actor Tim Matheson, on board now as producer / director, boasts little invention. ("The Lost Soul of Herman Lester," which he did last year, was by far the lamest episode - until this one.) Things went wrong immediately. The Vera / Kite courtroom scene was choppily edited to no purpose, with faulty eyelines. (Kite could have been in Philly and Vera in Allentown, for all the difference it would have made.) Scene after scene started and ended on the same dynamic level, which made getting through the plot a slog. (You mentioned looking at the clock; me, too.) The blocking and staging were painfully literal, with no idea how they contribute to meaning. (The Lilly / Kite and Vera / Jeffries confrontations slumped.) Last year's interrogation scenes were full of unbalanced framings and startling cutaways. Not this time - strictly by the book, like other unimaginative TV.
A different camera crew this year. Come back, Tom Richmond (pilot), Eric Schmidt (first half) and Patrick Cady (second half)! The new cameraman is Cort Fey, who worked on the unlamented "Skin" and "Fastlane." Compared to last season, everything lacked articulation. In the office, I'm guessing the key lights have been turned down a couple of stops; anyway, the halogen-like focus is gone, as is the translucent glow Lilly often gave off. On location, nonspecific dullness ruled. (This is partly an art direction problem.) And the flashbacks couldn't come to the rescue, since their tonalities weren't differentiated from the present. In the great episodes every location had a visual signature, so returning to them provided a hook. (Such clues were often as significant, to Lilly and the sharp-eyed audience, as what was said.) When selection is lacking, the wheels of the plot become apparent. As in most TV.
Other new team members: Tyler Bensinger ("Glued," "Disco Inferno" scripts) and Sean Whitesell ("Sherry Darlin'," "The Hitchhiker," "Herman Lester" scripts) have graduated to supervising producer, and Veena Sud ("The Runner," "Fly Away," "The Letter," "The Plan" scripts) is now story editor. Maybe they'll settle in, but the technical drabness is troubling. A small voice tells me the suits have said, "It did very well last year without much help. The numbers should be even better if we normalize it." Hope I'm wrong.
Season 2.01 “The Badlands”
WRITING
The pilot moved off this case almost immediately, so the field was entirely open. They took the easy way out at nearly every turn. Making Vera into a jerk without any groundwork being laid was lazy, and lent the show the psychological coherence of pro wrestling scenarios. (They did this once last year, morphing Valens from an ego-boosting a*shat into Mr. Sensitive from one week to the next.) I can't see Vera as criminally inept (he couldn't possibly not have seen through the alibis); like Lilly, an unhappy personal life leading to overcompensation at work would have more potential. In fact, Vera and Lilly mirror each other in some respects.
I HATED seeing Jeffries and Vera going at each other. It's the least creative solution, to have colleagues in conflict ("NYPD Blue," "The Practice"). One of CC's strengths thus far has been the avoidance of such nonsense. Indeed, Lilly has been slow to condemn other detectives for past failings (an attitude she picked up from Stillman?). The episode's tarring of Vera just felt bogus. Speaking of fraudulent, not cleaning up the bloody scene IN A YEAR was beyond the pale.
Shuffling through the red herrings and suspects was very routine. I'd have much preferred the case to be more complex, rather than hanging it on one cop's rush to judgment. No argument with giving our guys imperfections, but the most painstaking, scrupulous work in the world doesn't always lead to a good result. (A point Stillman expressed glancingly to Lilly in "Glued.")
ACTING
Except for Thom Barry, I thought everyone else was phoning it in. (John Finn was barely present, another huge flaw.)
EXECUTION
A poor script happens. I count nine or so exceptional ones among last year's 23, so it can't be great every week. More vexing is the technical side, especially since this was the third episode shot for the new season.
Actor Tim Matheson, on board now as producer / director, boasts little invention. ("The Lost Soul of Herman Lester," which he did last year, was by far the lamest episode - until this one.) Things went wrong immediately. The Vera / Kite courtroom scene was choppily edited to no purpose, with faulty eyelines. (Kite could have been in Philly and Vera in Allentown, for all the difference it would have made.) Scene after scene started and ended on the same dynamic level, which made getting through the plot a slog. (You mentioned looking at the clock; me, too.) The blocking and staging were painfully literal, with no idea how they contribute to meaning. (The Lilly / Kite and Vera / Jeffries confrontations slumped.) Last year's interrogation scenes were full of unbalanced framings and startling cutaways. Not this time - strictly by the book, like other unimaginative TV.
A different camera crew this year. Come back, Tom Richmond (pilot), Eric Schmidt (first half) and Patrick Cady (second half)! The new cameraman is Cort Fey, who worked on the unlamented "Skin" and "Fastlane." Compared to last season, everything lacked articulation. In the office, I'm guessing the key lights have been turned down a couple of stops; anyway, the halogen-like focus is gone, as is the translucent glow Lilly often gave off. On location, nonspecific dullness ruled. (This is partly an art direction problem.) And the flashbacks couldn't come to the rescue, since their tonalities weren't differentiated from the present. In the great episodes every location had a visual signature, so returning to them provided a hook. (Such clues were often as significant, to Lilly and the sharp-eyed audience, as what was said.) When selection is lacking, the wheels of the plot become apparent. As in most TV.
Other new team members: Tyler Bensinger ("Glued," "Disco Inferno" scripts) and Sean Whitesell ("Sherry Darlin'," "The Hitchhiker," "Herman Lester" scripts) have graduated to supervising producer, and Veena Sud ("The Runner," "Fly Away," "The Letter," "The Plan" scripts) is now story editor. Maybe they'll settle in, but the technical drabness is troubling. A small voice tells me the suits have said, "It did very well last year without much help. The numbers should be even better if we normalize it." Hope I'm wrong.
