TOMMY Review

Article first published as TV Review: TOMMY on Seat42F.

The new CBS drama TOMMY is about the first female police chief of police in Los Angeles. In this fictional story, the mayor is forced to fire the previous chief after lots of scandal comes to light, from the chief’s own affairs, to officers under his command being involved in illicit sexual activities. Not all of the cops agree with the dismissal, so our hero, Abigail “Tommy” Thomas, has her work cut out for her.

Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie, The Sopranos) stars as the titular character. Falco is amazing in everything she does. She conveys so much subtlety and nuance, and acts the hell out of each scene. Even in the pilot, there are layers to her performance, especially in Tommy’s extremely complicated relationship with estranged daughter Kate Jones (Olivia Lucy Phillip), as well as her interactions with the mayor, Buddy Gray (Thomas Sadoski, The Newsroom), who is careful to avoid taking too firm on a position on anything he doesn’t have to. There is a lot for Falco to work with in those scenes.

There are also some wonderful supporting cast members. Sadoski is a favorite of mine, and Buddy is a terrific role for him. I enjoy Ken Rosey (Michael Chernus, Orange Is the New Black) as lawyer / speechwriter Ken Rosey, who adds a layer of optimism and idealism into the plot. Russell G. Jones (The Americans) is solid as stalwart Donn Cooper. Vladimir Caamano (Runaways) is delightfully playful as Tommy’s protection and unofficial advisor, Abnar Diaz.

I really want to like this show because it is pleasingly political. Tommy and Buddy aren’t enemies in the traditional sense, but in many ways, they’re locked in a struggle. There are interesting turns, like when Buddy’s guy Doug Dudik (Joseph Lyle Taylor, Sneaky Pete) attempts to hurt Tommy while colluding with the former chief, Milt Leakey (Corbin Bernsen, Psych), and instead helps her. Tommy’s dealings with ICE are inspiring, and her scene with Blake Sullivan (Adelaide Clemens, Rectify) about sexism in the work place is touching.

Yet, there’s definitely something missing from TOMMY. Part of it is how manipulative those latter two bits from the paragraph are, feeling designed to play with viewers’ emotions more than tell a fresh story. There’s also a strong element of procedural, as occurs far too often with CBS dramas, which drags it down. Not to mention, there’re a lot of familiar aspects to the story that have shown up in plenty of other programs as of late, which doesn’t help the originality factor. I can’t help but wonder how much better TOMMY would be if it were penned by Aaron Sorkin, as the drama seems to share a bit of DNA with his works, but pales in comparison.

For the record, TOMMY isn’t bad and I haven’t given up on it yet. FOX’s Deputy, which premiered a few weeks earlier, is in the same vein, and I’m watching both to see if either wins out as the better series, or if either earns a season pass on my TiVo. If TOMMY (or Deputy) embraces the character study element in a significant way and puts that at the center most weeks rather than running down this baddie or that on, they could be very good. But if they play to what they think the “common viewer” wants, they’ll never be anything more than easy escapism.

At the moment, TOMMY has a leg up over DEPUTY because of Falco, whom I have to mention again is just so darn good. But she wouldn’t be the first lauded performer to take a role that is beneath her. I’m not saying Tommy is beneath Falco, because on paper, there’s a lot in Tommy’s favor. But I fear that could end up being the case. Only time will tell.

TOMMY airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

Justifed ends in "Bloody Harlan"

     FX's Justified ends season two with "Bloody Harlan," which has a lot of death, and no shortage of action. All of the various plot threads come to a head, and tie up nicely, without much cliffhanger. The feud between the Bennetts and Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) explodes in a big way, with each group doing damage to the other. Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) risks his life and his relationship with Winona (Natalie Zea) to try to save Loretta (the unexpectedly very talented Kaitlyn Dever), who rushes straight into the hornet's nest on her quest for revenge. Art (Nick Searcy) must decide whether to stick his neck out for Raylan, or truly write him off.

     This season's baddies, the Bennett clan, will be sorely missed when the series returns for a third run. They are complicated and interesting. They're willing to engage in some wicked things to protect their family. They have morals that are tightly followed, but loosely defined. Plus, they are all portrayed be stellar actors.

     Coover (Brad William Henke) is first out, killed by Raylan weeks ago. The dumbest and least rational of the group, that makes sense. Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor), the cop, is a more tragic story, as he is ready to go straight. His family is switching to all-legal income, and will be moving away from crime and gang violence. Yet, Doyle is still enmeshed in illicit activity when Raylan finds him, and protecting his crooked kin earns him a bullet in the head. Dickie (Jeremy Davies), who is the baddest of the bunch, ends up in jail. Too bad he and Doyle could not have switched fates, as that would be a cheerier ending.

     The matriarch, Mags (the amazing Margo Martindale - give her an Emmy already!), is always the best, though. She is willing to kill, and also willing to sell out her neighbors, if it benefits her family. Her dream is to help Doyle's kids have a nice, clean life, but she takes what she thinks is the easy way navigating through it, by engaging in dark affairs to give them the seed money needed to start. This is her fatal mistake.

     Mags's final showdown with Loretta may be the single best non Raylan-centric scene in Justified yet. Loretta knows that Mags killed her father, and forces a confession out of her with a gun. She even shoots Mags in the leg. But as Mags is staring back at the teenager, there is a real moment of raw emotion between them. Mags cares very deeply for Loretta, at least as much as Loretta hates Mags. While Mags may fear for her life, there is just as much concern for Loretta's soul as Mags advises her not to finish the job. Mags wants Loretta to have a better life, much like she hopes for Doyle's family. Killing someone would be an act that would forever steal Loretta's innocence and goodness. I wouldn't go so far as to say Raylan is intruding in the confrontation, but his absence in the scene would have taken away nothing. 

     Justified loves playing with shades of grey, and both Loretta and Mags embody that wonderfully. While Loretta may have been justified (he he) in killing Mags, she made the right decision to not do it. But Mags also knows her time is up anyway, and so with a real sense of poetic justice, she offs herself the same way she killed Loretta's father - a poisioned glass of moonshine.

     Boyd has toed the line between rebel and do-gooder for two seasons. He seems to be leaning towards the former, as he does a splendid job in murdering almost all of the men the Bennetts send after him. Boyd is smart, at least as smart as Mags. Sure, she only agrees to meet with him to distract him, but he knows that, and is ready for her. With the Bennetts out of the picture, Boyd should have little trouble running Harland County next year.

     It's too bad that Boyd is going the way of a villain. He could make quite a nice partner for Raylan, even in an unofficial capacity. The two seem to have an understanding now, and do their best, especially on Boyd's end, to stay out of each other's way. Boyd will not provoke Raylan, but given the path he is on, sooner or later Raylan will have to take him out for good. Raylan may have taken pleasure in that before, but by the time it happens, I doubt either will enjoy the conclusion.

     Even more of a reason for Boyd to go over to the dark side is that Dickie manages to shoot Ava (Joelle Carter) during the fire fight. Ava has been portrayed as a good girl for the most part, but she keeps some seedy company, and always has. She knows what she is getting into by being with Boyd. Considering who her former husband was, she is right in thinking she has found a better version of him. Boyd has his faults, but he also doesn't usually shed unnecessary blood, and he has stood by Raylan when Raylan really needs him.

     The only real unanswered question in this episode is, did Ava survive the gunshot? Carter's twitter feed suggests that she did not, though she quickly backtracked. At this early stage in the game, the writers and producers may not even know if they will include her or not. She certainly doesn't have a whole lot to do this season, but neither do other main characters, like Tim (Jacob Pitts) and Rachel (Erica Tazel). Each of the Bennetts have more plot than the three combined. It begs the question, is Ava necessary?

     Raylan is at a crossroads as this episode comes to an end. He has gotten serious again with Winona, and they have a baby on the way. Yet, she said she may not be there for him when he gets home, since he follows Loretta against her wishes. Winona can be a truly selfish person, and not letting Raylan go save a young, teenage girl that needs him is not her best side.

     Should Raylan have chosen Winona? In a way he did, asking Art for a transfer so that he can have a stable job, not one where he routinely risks his life. But Loretta is facing an immediate threat, and Raylan has an established a responsibility for her. Winona needs to understand that. Perhaps she is thinking of her baby growing up without a father, but had Raylan died, his death would have been noble. It is a debatable point, but she should have let him have this one last mission before taming the beast.

     Art, on the other hand, has already written Raylan off before Winona comes to him for help (her parting gift?). She is able to convince Art to go to Harlan, and he and the other marshals, as well as various other law enforcement officers, swoop in and save Raylan's hide. Does this mean that Art has forgiven Raylan? Or did he just see the nobility in saving Loretta's life?

     The series would suffer mightily if Raylan left the Marshal's office, so it looks likely that Art and Raylan will find a way to move past this. What their relationship will be like going forward is anyone's guess, as it is strained and tested repeatedly this year. Winona is a major source of that strife, so if she leaves, that may help patch up Raylan and his boss. But as long as there is a working relationship, things will go on as they have been.


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     Justified has already been renewed for season three, and will return next year on FX.

     To catch up on episodes or buy DVDS of Justified, please go to amazon.com

Article first published as TV Review: Justified - "Bloody Harlan" on Blogcritics.

Justified Returns With "War"

     FX's Justified returns for a second season with "War". "The Moonshine War", to be precise. There are few shows I look forward to more than this one, and last night's episode did not disappoint in the slightest. In what will kick off this season's big arc, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) returns to an area near Harlan to tangle with more bad guys that he used to know. This gang is a family that controls a whole tiny area, running the local store and police force, as well as many, many miles of marijuana farmland. There is moonshine as well, of the homemade apple pie variety, though no one is fighting over that. But it's still a fun episode title.

     The clan is led by Mags Bennett (the fabulous Margo Martindale, Mercy, Dexter, The Riches), who insists she just runs the store. Mags seems sweet, taking a shine to little Loretta (Kaitlyn Dever), offering Raylan alcohol, being one of the few locals who is nice to Rachel (Erica Tazel), and even apologizing for torture committed by Dickie (Jeremy Davies, Lost). However, before the ending credits of this premiere rolled around, she had poisoned Loretta's father for calling a tip line about sexual offenders, specifically, one who had threatened his daughter. Clearly, she has a zero tolerance policy.

     Which shows you that Mags is going to be one tough cookie. She has total control of the town, with the help of Dickie, Coover (Brad William Henke, The Chicago Code, Lost, October Road), and her son in law enforcement, Doyle (Joseph Lyle Taylor). She has run things seemingly uncontested for decades, until Raylan and Rachel are drawn to town looking for the sexual predator, whom they catch. But with most of the new group signed for multiple episodes, you can bet that something else will draw Raylan back, and with a bunch of actors so talented, I am definitely looking forward to it.

     Besides that little taste of new story, much of the episode was spent catching up on the old plot, too. Raylan stopped Boyd (Walton Goggins, deservedly promoted to series regular) for taking his revenge on the gang that killed Boyd's father. Then the marshal traveled to Miami. With the help of his former boss, Raylan resolved the price tag on his head without any more bloodshed. Nice and neat, no? I liked the Miami plot, Raylan's past following him, but it's nice to know that things will be staying in Kentucky for the foreseeable future.

     Nice, even after Raylan was offered his old job back in Miami, which he turned down. Now normally when a show pulls that twist, it would seem fake. Or it would be because Raylan had grown to love the people in his new (old) home too much to leave. But I don't see that as the case here. Though never spelled out completely, it appeared Raylan is staying in Kentucky out of spite, not fondness. His Kentucky boss, Art (Nick Searcy), wanted him transferred back to Florida. Raylan didn't feel his conduct deserved another transfer, so he stayed.

     Raylan's stubborn streak is one of his defining characteristics, and while it sometimes bites him in the butt, other times it just proves how strong he is. This fell in the latter category. I still believe Raylan would like to leave Kentucky, but only on his own terms, not those dictated by others. He feels his name is tarnished now, and it needs polished clean before he moves on. It's a viewpoint that is understable, and totally consistent with the character. My money is on Raylan doing just that.

     Ava (Joelle Carter) was absent after the beginning of the episode, so no forward momentum for Ava-Raylan fans. But there was some definite steam between Raylan and Winona (Natalie Zea), who is getting divorced, and ended up in Raylan's bed once again, against his better judgment. Seems that Raylan's stubborn streak is no match for a woman he has strong feelings for, and Winona definitely falls into that category. As to whether this season will focus more on Winona, or pull a full-fledged triangle, we'll have to wait and see.

 

     While Justified has plenty of action, it's also a slow burner, and this season is just getting started. By the end of last year, so many things wound together and came to a head. Without seeing much Ava, without knowing what Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) is cooking up next, without knowing why Raylan will return to butt heads again with Mags, and without having a clue what Boyd was blowing up in that mine shaft at the end, I couldn't say where this season's path will lead. But I am just as excited for next week's episode as I was for last night's, after an absence of most of a year. So that should tell you something about the high quality this show achieves.

     Justified airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX.

Article first published as TV Review: Justified Returns With "War" on Blogcritics.


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