Men of a Certain Age finishes strong

     Men of a Certain Age finished it's first season Monday night on TNT, though it has already been picked up for a second, so it shouldn't be gone too long.  The drama was pretty good, so far.  At first, I was a little turned off by the fact that the plot was so slow moving in some episodes, but it really found it's place and it's voice by the end of the ten episodes.      I like the realism, that they're good friends, but they don't hang out every day, unlike most other buddy shows on television.  They each have their own lives and own things going on, and their main plot points rarely cross.  Of course, since the season ended with Terry (Scott Bakula, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise) deciding to go work for Owen (Andre Braugher, Homicide: Life on the Street), that may change a bit.  But it came about naturally in a progression that made sense.  It might be interesting to see how Joe (Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond) reacts being left out of that equation.
     I am disappointed by the quick dissolution of both Joe and Terry's relationships.  I guess I get Dory (Sarah Clarke, 24) leaving Joe, as he did confess to making a huge gamble, but Terry's girlfriend, Annie (Carla Gallo, Carnivale) encouraged him to get back in the movie business.  She practically forced him into the job that took him out of town.  And despite his promise to teach her surfing, him taking the job appeared to be what she wanted.  Also, perhaps the time line wasn't real clear, but it seemed to me that Terry was only gone for a week or so.  Two max.  Why would she give up on him so easily?  And then be so vindictive at the coffee shop after?  Let's hope it was only done so that she can appear more frequently on Bones.
     All in all, the show had a good first year out.  Be sure to watch for the second season to premiere on TNT, and if you missed the first, surely reruns will be showing, though only one is showing up in the listings at this time, so keep an eye out for that.