Day Two Hundred and Forty-one - Numb3rs: Season 2, Episode 24, "I think I have a problem."

You know, I think it's pretty safe to say that Numb3rs is a guilty pleasure of mine now.

It's so cheesy how they spring a new math concept on you every week in the form of Charlie or Larry or Amita shipping a silly metaphor to the relative dunces of the FBI. I do like how Megan (Dianne Farr) is sharp enough to see where the explanation is going while Colby and Sinclair play the role of jock meatheads.

Still, the regular routine of math, metaphor, joke isn't the focus of this particular episode, it being the finale of the second season. No, the main thrust of the episode, aside from the rather throwaway murder mystery, is Charlie's fixation with a series of dreams he has concerning the possible loss of his father and the actual loss of his mother... who died before the series started.

Mrs.Eppes (played by JoBeth Williams) shows up as a possible manifestation of Charlie's unresolved guilt for depriving his brother Don of her company and support while she took the younger Eppes to college at Princeton during his teen years. She also happens to show up, no doubt at Charlie's instigation, in Alan's (Judd Hirsch) dreams to reconnect and assuage his own issues.

I'm not exactly the most spiritual of people, but I do find it nice that, while Larry and Charlie wrestle with the meaning of dreams and the dearly departed showing up in them, there's an immediate acceptance from Alan that doesn't question... and also leaves the idea open (albeit unsaid) that it really is the ghost of Margaret Eppes visiting her boys from beyond the grave.

For sure, I'm a rationalist... but I also live in a state of semi-wonder that likes to take a small measure of solace at the mere possibility, however remote, of an afterlife. Scientifically, there's no evidence that the light at the end of the tunnel is more than a phenomena of an oxygen deprived brain, but the romantic in me likes to believe there's something more, and this episode leaves that possibility unmolested.

Getting back to the mystery? Blah. The only interesting part was Don's near repeat of the climax scene from Silence of the Lambs (what is it with FBI agents not waiting for backup)? The serial killer videotaping himself and his reasons for going on his spree are annoyingly stereotypical in their creepyness. Even Megan voicing her distaste at his antics and her desire to see him get the chair are way too "Crime Drama 101."

It's weird how the episode makes me happy and mad at the same time, but not that surprising... and is probably the main reason why Numb3rs shall ever be just a guilty pleasure for me.

One last note... Olympia Dukakis is thoroughly underutilized in this episode. What a terrible guest role for her. Shame on you guys, Numb3rs casting director and her agent.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Two Hundred and Twenty-four - Numb3rs: Season 2, Episode 10, "Wait a minute... the murder was a tool of protest?"

It's a little difficult getting back into the swing of things after my working vacation down at Connie Mack. While it didn't interfere with my Couchbound blogging (in fact, I was able to watch quite a few movies I didn't feel I had time for normally), I've certainly gotten a bit too used to sleeping in and watching shows and movies veeeeeery late at night.

To that effect, today I needed to return to my normal schedule... and that meant that I couldn't watch anything wacky or necessarily needful of my complete attention.

This fact brought be back to Numb3rs.

I might've gone with BONES or perhaps more Burn Notice, but I wasn't really in the mood for the torture of the former... and, as cheesy as it is, I've never actually seen the episodes of season 6 of the latter, so Numb3rs it had to be.

Let me say first that this particular episode managed to surprise me with its choice of ultimate villain. While I deftly dodged the initial red herring, the guest character that I had pegged managed to not be the murderer and I am both impressed and appalled.

I mean, as much as Numb3rs tries to be smart with its gimmick of math and logic being the primary crime-fighting techniques, it's still a rather predictable weekly procedural. It's very rare for the true criminal not to be easily guessed at if his/her identity is still unknown by the end of the second (if not first) act.

That said, they through me for a loop with this one... especially considering the ultimate motive didn't seem to make any real sense. I mean, the message that the killer was trying to convey was pointed towards the people who had a vested interest in protecting the same things that the killer was, just for different reasons. It really felt like the writers dropped the ball here and I don't just say that due to my own hubris at having guessed wrong. The whole resolution just felt... off.

Still, there are a few redeeming qualities in the episode. More screen time for my favorite professor, Larry (Peter MacNichol), and the subtle vibes he puts off towards this season's new female supporting character, Agent Megan Reeves (Diane Farr). While there were more definite sparks in the episode previous, I prefer the slow, subtle burn at this point in their courtship... which leads me to the second surprise of the episode: that Megan wasn't invited to Larry's send-off house party.

While, yes, no one else from the FBI was invited besides Don (Rob Morrow), it still would've been a nice nod towards his attempts at wooing the intriguing profiler.

As ever, the series is a quaint and harmless procedural whose only redeeming aspects are its occasionally interesting math gimmicks and series arcing character relationships, but it was certainly what I needed today... you know, aside from a stiff drink while relaxing in a tropical locale.

One of these days I'll take an actual vacation again. I can't say I haven't in recent years as I did visit my sister in Alaska last October... I'm just dying to take another one! ;)

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Ninety-nine - Longmire: Season 1, Episode 5, "Well, they can't all be good, I guess."

I was really starting to enjoy Longmire there, for a while... but with today's entry it seems that the quality has fallen off quite a bit, in different ways than I was expecting.

Surprisingly, Lou Diamond Phillips isn't one of them. In fact, he's probably at his least annoying for the entire series up to this point, being the Sheriff's faithful sidekick and go-between with the Natives and all.

No, mostly, the problem I have with Longmire is that, even though the series tries to treat its Native population even-handedly (which, for the most part, it does), even while acknowledging the tensions between rival cultures and governments, there's still a little too much blanket racism and reactionary behavior going around this episode.

Maybe it's just my perspective, living in a Rez border town myself, that makes it feel a little off... or maybe I'd just like to think that we've come farther than the events in Dog Soldier present, as a society. Or, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.

In any case, the grand majority of the episode just felt awkward.

While I'm thankful that the showrunners didn't pull any cheesy spiritual shenanigans that other shows (like BONES) have been known to do, it just felt that there was still a bit too much hokum being implied even if they don't outright say it in the duration. It also felt a bit disingenuous to connect it to the season arc mystery of the Sheriff's flashbacks and what they mean.

I mean, honestly, just freaking deal with it, already. Stop seeding us the clues if you're going to waste them like this.

Also, everything was way too connected in the episode. The Sheriff's daughter, the Native bruiser, the slick politician, the pedophile, the scammers... I know that this is the West and all, but it was just a bit too convenient to have so many people revolving around one issue. I'm fine with the drama they're trying to insert with Branch and Cady, but does she have to show up every episode to chime in on a case?

Most disappointingly, the theatrics of the prologue only have a brief bit of lampshading and a small denouement scene to explain things... and precious little action to tide me over for the remaining forty minutes. The mystery itself was pretty darn weak and the red herring was cheap stereotyping.

Story aspects aside, I still dig the cinematography. I really like the way the director switches between static shots and handheld work. It gives a nice impression of actually being in the room for these conversations while not becoming overly noticeable or giving me motion sickness.

And I really love the act transition with the blood spatter. Very catchy hook. 

Overall, I can't rightly say that I enjoyed today's entry, but I'll give Longmire the benefit of the doubt and finish a few more episodes before bailing. Here's hoping things get better and Dog Soldier was just an off episode.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Seventy-six - Longmire: Pilot, "See this, Umpteen Generic Network Procedurals... THIS... is how you do a cop drama."

Of course, that's not fair... I've seen plenty of and reviewed several actually decent procedurals, no small percentage of which are actually available on Netflix right this very moment. It's just that I get so bitter and cynical over titles like BONES that I can't help but jump up and down and wave wildly at good catches like Longmire.

Sure, it has a fair share of it's own cheese, be it the kooky Rez vs. Whitefolk conflict and Lou Diamond Phillips as the debonair Tonto to Longmire's Kemosabe, but there are far too many pluses that cancel out said minuses.

For one thing, it's got a great supporting cast in the Sheriff's Office, including Katee Sackhoff, Bailey Chase, and Adam Bartley, who all insert just the right amount of grit, pluck, and naivete that make for a great, combustible combination.

For another, series lead Robert Taylor is perfect as the gruff cowboy sheriff with hidden depths. Whether its his obsession with his wife's ashes, the measured way he annoys his subordinates to try and bring out the best in them, or just his general swagger, Sheriff Longmire is the perfect protagonist to carry a modern day western. I honestly think only Jeff Bridges could do it better.

The pilot episode revolves around a murder discovered when Longmire's deputy, Vic (Sackhoff), calls him in for a dead sheep. From there the main mystery expands into a tale of prostitution, fatherhood, and jumps to conclusion that threaten Longmire's relationship with his best bud, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips).

LDP definitely annoys me the most in this role. He has too much presence to be a supporting actor in this way, being much more suited to a lead gig. It's just too distracting to have him as the convenient foil for Longmire.

Of secondary issue are the tribal parts. Whether they're the tribal police, the bus boy, or the gun dealer... most of the Native actors feel a bit under-prepared for their roles. It's distracting, to say the least.

Granted, it could be much worse (see pretty much every other mainstream depiction of Native Americans in just about all media. There are quite a few exceptions out there, but I've yet to see it here in Longmire.

If you're a fan of Westerns or well done Cop Dramas, I think you're pretty safe with Longmire. I look forward to checking it out more as time goes by.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day One Hundred and Thirty-eight - Cop Land, "How crime noir should be, for the most part."

When you think police drama, just off the top of your head... would you ever consider Sylvester Stallone could make it as a vulnerable, kowtowed sheriff to a bridge and tunnel police community in Jersey?

I mean, really? Stallone?

But, when you watch him do it... it's really not so bad. Especially when you consider he doesn't really have to act all that much. His lines are few and far between and, basically, all that's required of him is to look a bit sad and mopey, even when he's smiling... because, for the majority of the film, he's a broken down lapdog to the real movers and shakers of Garrison, NJ, the mobbed up corrupt cops who live there.

That's where most of the acting talent in this film lies: Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, and Peter Berg are NYPD... but dirty, so very dirty, and the majority of the film revolves around Rapaport's faked suicide and the fallout it brings down on the members of the 37th precinct.

Nominally, Stallone is the lead as Cop Land's resident Sheriff Freddy, but I find myself feeling that it's more about the ensemble. Whether it's Keitel's Ray or Liotta's Figgsy, the drama that plays out for the folks in the know of Garrison is compelling, even if the writing is weak.

I think my favorite scenes revolved around Robert De Niro's internal affairs investigator who first appeals to Freddy's sense of justice and duty but then refuses to help when Ray has the mayor shut down the investigation. This, of course, forces Freddy to take matters into his own hands, leading to the eventual climax.

A few things do bother me about the film.

For one thing, there are some weird as heck casting choices. While Stallone as the stoic lead was jarring at first, I kind of grew into it, but Janeane Garofalo as a deputy? And Annabella Sciorra doesn't exactly have much in the way of screen time, which is disappointing since she's supposed to be a key motivator for Freddy's life.

Then there's the kidnapping of Rapaport's "Superboy" Babitch by Ray's inner circle during the climax. There's no nod as to how they knew that Sheriff Freddy had found him and was ready to bring him to One Police Plaza and tear everything down. I didn't need much, just something, you know?

Still, that very same climax has one of the best sequences in police drama history where Freddy is almost completely deafened by a gunshot and is forced to confront the inner circle at Ray's only hearing the bullets flying. It's great cinema and very effective use of sound direction as the audience only hears what Freddy does... the ringing of tinnitus and the occasional pistol report.

As much as I love the climax, though, I just couldn't help but laugh at John Spencer's death scene with it's obvious boxy squibs and his ham-fisted gunplay.

It's not a perfect movie, but it's actually pretty darn interesting and worth the watch. It's definitely not The Departed, but it works.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~