Another LETHAL WEAPON

Article first published as LETHAL WEAPON Review on Seat42F.

The Lethal Weapon movies are a popular franchise, so I imagine most of you potential viewers out there are already familiar with the premise of FOX’s new drama, LETHAL WEAPON. Martin Riggs loses his family and goes into a self-destructive tailspin. He is then partnered with Roger Murtaugh, a man who should start taking it easy because he’s getting older. The two of them solve some action-packed cases together, with some character development along the way as their pairing solidifies both professionally and personally.

These two men were famously portrayed by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, and the premise and personalities are carried over as the series reboots for the small screen. This time around Clayne Crawford (Rectify) plays Riggs and Damon Wayans (In Living Color) takes Murtaugh. The foul language has been cleaned up, the fights are less bloody, but the fun and tone of the series is much the same, and while the pilot presents a brand-new case, it feels very familiar to those who have enjoyed the movies.

What this means is that LETHAL WEAPON is not like your typical cop show. Sure, there may be a case of the week; I really don’t know how else they could keep the story going. But at least in the pilot, a lot more screen time is devoted to solidifying the characters of Riggs and Murtaugh, both together and separately, than to working the job. I really appreciate that, and hope they are able to keep it up, if not at the same level, then at least continue doing better at it than most crime procedurals.

There’s also guaranteed action. Lethal Weapon is an action movie, and LETHAL WEAPON will be an action show. Riggs and Murtaugh aren’t just going to interview witnesses and look for DNA. They are going to get involved in car chases and fist fights and gun showdowns. This makes for a more fast-paced, tense, thrilling ride than what you get on those shows like NCIS and Law & Order.

What LETHAL WEAPON fails at is in casting its two leads. Neither actor is bad, but because they’re continuing famous roles, they will be compared to the original actors. And neither one stacks up to their predecessor. In the past, that might have been blamed on the fact that the best actors would only work big screen gigs, but that is no longer the case. I think better stars could have been found, or perhaps keep one of them but find someone else that fits well with him.

What I’m saying is, the main problem is that their chemistry leaves something to be desired. I don’t buy any depth to their friendship with the current way it is portrayed. Even if you like their individual performances, this show depends very much on the dynamic in their partnership. I thought it came too easy and felt too forced. It took me out of the moment a lot. Which is a shame, because both played very well with Keesha Sharp (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story), who is Murtaugh’s wife, Trish.

Speaking of supporting actors, LETHAL WEAPON also stars Kevin Rahm (Mad Men, Desperate Housewives) as Murtaugh’s old partner and their new boss, Avery Brooks, and Jordana Brester (the Dallas reboot) as Dr. Maureen Cahill, a possible love interest for Riggs (at least until they cast Lorna Cole). I have no complaints about either one of them. I’m less thrilled with Johnathan Fernandez’s (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby) Scorcese, not because of the performer, but because I’m worried the character is there to shoehorn in the more formulaic police stories.

So, my conclusion is that LETHAL WEAPON has a good pilot, even if the leads may be a bit miscast, but I’m concerned about it sustaining complex character quality over time, especially given Scorcese’s inclusion and the neat way they ended episode one. LETHAL WEAPON premieres tonight on FOX.

MAD MEN Travels Through "Time Zones"

Article originally published as TV Review: 'Mad Men' - 'Time Zones' on Blogcritics.

AMC’s Mad Men is finally back. True, it’s only seven episodes, before the network makes us wait a full year before delivering the second half of the season, but at least we get these characters and this story on our television for some fresh installments.

The season premiere, “Time Zones,” picks up less than two months after the previous season ends, one of the shortest time jumps Mad Men has ever done. In a way, that feels a bit like a cheat, since most of the threads in this hour are direct continuations of those from last season; there is no reset going into the victory lap. On the other, this does provide a through line, and most of the players are at very pivotal points in their lives.

A major theme in the advertising for this season of Mad Men is air travel, and it certainly seems like all of the major players are on lay-over. They’ve made quite a journey from who they were at the start of Mad Men to who they are now, but at this point, they must take stock of the lives they’ve built and decide where to head next. Should they continue on the same path, or maybe change their flight to somewhere else? They have 14 episodes to decide.

Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is on the verge of losing everything. Suspended from the job he loves, the only constant happiness in his life, and living all the way across the country from his wife, Megan (Jessica Paré), whom he hasn’t seemed to have told about his job troubles, he’s floundering (he’s still getting paid, so I guess it’s not a huge deception). He has a plan to hang onto both, flying out to spend time with Megan and using Freddie (Joel Murray) as a patsy to deliver his ideas to SC&P via freelance, but both are tenuous.

Don’s work is good again. We can tell this by the stellar pitch Freddie gives Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) at the start of “Time Zones,” a mystery presented and not solved until the end. However, Peggy doesn’t know it’s coming from Don; no one does. So does it even count in Don’s favor?

It may be that Don will have to chose between Megan and SC&P. Giving up heading the West Coast branch cost him, and now his grip is slipping. There’s no telling when the firm might welcome him back, and Megan has grown distant, building a life for herself in California that doesn’t include him, annoyed by his intrusions into it. Hopping back and forth is costing Don, his emotional state seeming very precarious in the closing shot, his life as broken as the sliding door, and he just can’t do everything.

Strangely, Betty (January Jones) and Don’s children, Sally (Kiernan Shipka), Bobby (Mason Vale Cotton), and baby Gene, don’t even appear in “Time Zones.” As we see Don trying to define what’s important in his life, these people do not factor in. They absolutely should, though. Whatever Don decides, he’s still a father, and should keep that in mind.

There is one positive sign in Don’s favor, and that’s that he doesn’t sleep with the woman he meets on his airplane ride home (Neve Campbell, Scream, Party of Five). Well, technically, he does sleep with her, but no sexual play is had. In each of the first six seasons, it’s hard to imagine Don passing up nudity with a beautiful girl. Now, he has more important things to worry about, and he’s committed to doing better. Or maybe he’s just too worn out to perform, getting older.

Believe it or not, Don is not the only, or perhaps even the most, messed up person in the cast right now. Peggy is still dealing with her anger and resentment towards Ted (Kevin Rahm), playing the scorned mistress. Roger (John Slattery) is in a total destructive spiral, sleeping with whoever happens to wind up in his bed, multiple people of both genders at once, and doing drugs. Not to mention, his daughter, Margaret (Elizabeth Rice), might just be in a cult. Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) is trying desperately to play the consummate Californian, while clinging to any shred of New York he can find. Ken (Aaron Staton) is over-stressed and falling apart in his new position, and Don’s replacement, Lou (Allan Havey, Hancock), is uncaring and strict, and not in a helpful way.

Never in Mad Men‘s run can I think of a time where things are falling apart more. SC&P’s future will surely be effected by the fraying ends on both coasts. Can the firm survive such an upheaval, or has its time passed and it’s doomed to sink into irrelevance as the season unfolds?

The only character who is doing well, besides arguably Megan, in “Time Zones” is Joan (Christina Hendricks). Talking to college professors about graduate-level business and single-handedly working to save important accounts, she even finds time to flirt with Wayne Barnes (Dan Byrd, Cougar Town, Easy A). She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and without serious men to distract her, Roger not being an option and Bob Benson (James Wolk, who’s currently over on The Crazy Ones) ensconced in Detroit, she can be even more fully committed to bettering herself than she has been in the past. No matter who else falls, Joan will be fine.

“Time Zones” is a depressing episode, but it’s also a good one. It serves the characters well and continues the trajectories began in seasons past. It’s the natural evolution of the story and does seem to be inching closer to the end, even if we can’t yet see the light at the end of the tunnel. It doesn’t give us any groundbreaking new developments, but it does show us yet another aspect of the players we’ve come to care about, and a taste of what this year will be like.

Mad Men airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

Surviving SURVIVING JACK

Article first published as SURVIVING JACK Review on Seat42F.


With the ‘regular’ TV season almost over, if such a label is even still accurate, FOX pulls one of its hold-backs out of the closet and slaps it on screen this week. SURVIVING JACK is set in 1991 (does every decade need to be represented on television this year?) and tells the story of Dr. Jack Dunlevy (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU), who scales back his hours at work and takes over raising the kids so that his wife, Joanne (Rachael Harris, Suits), can go to law school.

SURVIVING JACK is another family sitcom about another wacky, yet relatable, clan. The parents argue with the teenagers, but unlike most real parents, sympathize with them in cheesy emotional moments meant to bridge the age gap with understanding. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, TV’s version of what a household looks like, one that falls a little short of reality, but it’s something we’ve seen done to death.

The “hook,” if you will, is that this is a period piece. Yet, even that doesn’t seem so fresh. With the 60s and the 80s so saturated on the tube and the 70s having been represented, too, it was only a matter of time before the 90s got their due, given that it’s been a full twenty-five years since the start of that decade. Reading Jurassic Park, seeing Christian Slater posters, and hearing some of the best music of the era might dredge up some nostalgia from the audience, but those are just details, not a reason in of themselves to watch a show.

And, of course, there’s an adult version of the main kid providing narration. On SURVIVING JACK, this role is filled by Kevin Rahm (Mad Men, Desperate Housewives). He does fine, but Rahm’s voice is so much less recognizable than, say, Patton Oswalt on The Goldbergs, that his casting could only work against this show.

As Jack Dunlevy is introduced, he’s all macho man, completely out of touch with who his teenagers, awkward, sex-obsessed Frankie (Connor Buckley, Deception) and pretty, sexually active Rachel (Claudia Lee, Hart of Dixie), are. This works for Meloni, who can play layered, but also excels at bonehead stupidity. Unfortunately, because the lead of a show can’t just be a stereotype, he softens before the first half hour is even over, finding ways to connect to Frankie.

I say unfortunately because I want to see a father on TV for once that acts like my father. My dad would never, ever open up enough to have a heart-to-heart with his child about feelings. That doesn’t make him a bad person, in my opinion, but every single patriarch on every single show is either an abusive, uncaring drunk (in the dramas) or a modern, sensitive man (in comedies), even when the show doesn’t take place in the modern day, that can get in touch with their inner self. Even the gruff ones allow that attitude to fall away from time to time, always revealing that hidden pussycat. Where is the realistic man who sticks to who he is and doesn’t play to the viewers’ heart-strings?

Of course, the premise of SURVIVNG JACK is that Jack finds a way to take over the household duties because he is a good husband and wants Joanne to have her life, and so he must grow and change to meet the needs of his new job. It isn’t easy for him, but we already see that he can do it, so the rest of his arc should be relatively predictable and not feature any more big jumps for him.

The show is also populated with friend characters who seem interchangeable, familiar types. The actors that play them, Kevin Hernandez (Get the Gringo) as Frankie’s Mexican friend George, Tyler Foden (Air Buddies) as the held-back-in-school Mikey, Lili Reinhart (The Kings of Summer) as Frankie’s crush Heather, Thomas Kasp (Dirty Teacher) as Rachel’s airhead boyfriend Doug, and Damaris Diaz (Maddoggin’) as slutty friend Alison, might be talented, but there’s no way to tell in their limited roles.

In general, I think the reason to watch SURVIVING JACK will be for the main family at the center. Meloni is always entertaining, and has solid chemistry with Harris, a wonderful actress with an extensive resume. The kids seem to do well enough in the parts, and whether viewers finds this foursome compelling enough will determine whether it can run past the initially-ordered eight-episode first season. For my part, I may watch, probably sometime in July after getting through most other regular season shows, but it’s certainly not at the top of my priorities list.

SURVIVING JACK premieres Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

MAD MEN Makes Don "Care"

Article first published as MAD MEN Makes Don "Care" on TheTVKing.

AMC's Mad Men only has a single season left, so one should expect this week's season finale to have more than a few big changes and surprises. One would not be disappointed. In the episode, "In Care Of," there is some serious movement, including in some of the show's biggest arcs.

The thing most shocking is Don's (Jon Hamm) firing from the firm. Well, technically it's a forced indefinite leave of absence, but the intention is clear when the partners ask Don to go and Duck Phillips (Mark Moses) immediately shows up with his replacement. Don, the man who brought the firm most of its success for the past six seasons, is no longer employed by Sterling, Cooper, & Partners.

Is this a mistake or a betrayal? Well, despite all of the business that Don has earned the firm in the past, he has lately been costing them money. Lots of money. And given that Don is only getting worse and worse, from a professional stand point, they have to cut him lose or risk losing the company. It's a no-brainer, as hard as it might be personally for Roger (John Slattery), Cooper (Robert Morse), or Joan (Christina Hendricks) to vote Don out.

The reason for Don's change is because he just can't stand to lie any more. Don's entire life has been clouded in secrecy, and his real name isn't even Don. While a handful of individuals have found out bits and pieces about Don over the years, most of who he is and what goes on in his head is kept hidden. This might be why he is so good at advertising, because he is always selling a version of himself, and now that he's losing that ability, it spills over into other aspects of his life, too.

At the end of "In Care Of," Don takes his kids to visit the whore house where he grew up. Sally (Kiernan Shipka), in particular, is affected, seeing her dad for the first time as a real person. She cannot stand the lies her dad has told,  but seeing how he grew up, begins to feel sorry for him. This could be the beginning of a healing in their fractured relationship.

I don't know what Don will do next, but I think he is better off being true to himself. He could go back into advertising, running his own small firm where he is free to be who he wants to be and reinvent his career. This might be what he needs to find peace and break the cycle of drinking and cheating. A new Don could still be brilliant at his work, but without the baggage that comes with the old Don.

As part of his new start, Don may need to find a new wife. He tries to salvage things with Megan (Jessica Pare) when she walks out of their home, furious at having called off their plans to move to the West Coast. Now that he doesn't have his job, he could follow her, maybe with Sally in tow. But considering he doesn't fill Megan in on the extent of what he is going through in "In Care Of," it's hard to see how she might reconcile with him unless he confesses the depths of his pain and emotion.

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) also is faced with reinventing himself. His wife, Trudy (Alison Brie), is done with him, and he is assigned to the West Coast office of Sterling, Cooper, & Partners under the leadership of Ted (Kevin Rahm). For Pete, this is the opposite of everything that he wants, but he doesn't realize that until it's too late. Trudy's "Well, now you know" is a great comment on where Pete is, and now perhaps he can seek out the life he wants going forward.

Pete has changed and grown over the last six years. He doesn't go after Bob (James Wolk) when Bob's secrets come out. He doesn't annoy and pester Trudy when he loses her. He accepts the transfer, humbled after losing his spot with Chevy in Detroit. Pete, someone who is very hard to like on Mad Men, may finally be on the path to redemption and happiness.

Meanwhile, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), someone most viewers like and root for over the years, is at her lowest point, completely at a loss over who she should be. Now done with her long-time boyfriend and abandoned by her married lover, Ted, Peggy is aimless. Her career goals are always her focus, but once she becomes like Don or others that she looks up to, she is where she doesn't want to be, having failed to cherry pick the best parts of her mentors, inheriting their bad traits, as well.

With Don, Pete, and Ted gone from the New York office, though, Peggy has the opportunity to flourish. Her distractions are removed and she can re-focus on what's important. This may be the time for her to step up and be the heart of the agency, landing the big accounts. It will be interesting to see how she turns out.

I really love the glimpse of family "In Care Of" gives us when Roger attends Thanksgiving at Joan's apartment with their son and Bob. I still can't decide if Bob is gay and just a good friend of Joan's, or if there's something romantic between them, but they've formed a bond that has allowed Joan to be healthy enough to permit Roger into his son's life. And Roger, seeing the depths of his mistakes with daughter Margaret (Elizabeth Rice), is ready for a do-over where he can be the right kind of father. This grouping may be unconventional as a unit, but is sweet, and is very beneficial for all of them to be involved in.

More minor characters don't get much story in "In Care Of," and that's OK. Mad Men services quite a few faces on occasion, but the core group is Peggy, Don, Pete, Roger, and Joan. Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson) has a small part in the beginning, but that's it. However, as we move into the final year, time is limited. As much as fans enjoy all of the supporting players, as long as the series serves its main players well, I think the end will be satisfying.

Mad Men will return next year for its seventh and last season on AMC.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter - "Pilot"

     FOX premiered I Hate My Teenage Daughter this week. In the "Pilot," Annie (Jaime Pressly, My Name is Earl) and Nikki (Katie Finneran, The Inside, Wonderfalls) are shocked to learn that their daughters, Sophie (Kristi Lauren) and MacKenzie (Aisha Dee, The Saddle Club), locked a handicap kid in the bathroom. When Annie's ex, Matt (Eric Sheffer Stevens, As the World Turns), Matt's brother, Jack (Kevin Rahm, Desperate Housewives, Mad Men), and Nikki's ex, Gary (Chad Coleman, The Wire), imply that the moms won't do anything about it, Annie gets it into her head to ban the girls from attending their first high school dance. A teary apology and explanation makes the moms have a change of heart, but when that is exposed as a lie, the parents go for the next best punishment: public humiliation. 

     I Hate My Teenage Daughter has a lot going for it. The concept, that Annie and Nikki were geeks, so they give their daughters everything they didn't have, only to see the girls turn into the type of mean bullies the moms hated, is interesting. Finneran is a fine actress, and Pressly is a comedy queen. Add to the mix Rahm and Coleman, and it's sure to be a hit. Plus, while the mean girl drama is prevalent on TV today, it's refreshing to see it told from the mother's perspective.

     Except it isn't. Not even close. The "Pilot" of I Hate My Teenager Daughter may just be the worst one so far this year, and in the last few years. There are a lot of problems, but the biggest is that Annie is the only good, fully developed character. Pressly struggle mightily to save the poor writing by giving some real layer to Annie. But she is surrounded by Finneran, who is reduced to mere slapstick goofiness, and Dee and Lauren, who come across as highly interchangeable stereotypes. If the series has any chance of doing well, all three other females need a serious make over, quick!

     Also, while divorce rates are high in America, and raising mean girls with women who are co-dependent on their best friend is surely tough, how come Annie and Nikki are both divorced? Gary seems like a decent father, so it's weird when nothing that went wrong between he and Nikki is expounded upon at all in "Pilot." Matt seems like a clueless loser, so Annie's split from him is more acceptable. However, the arrangement takes a turn when Annie clearly has feelings for Matt's brother. Yes, a woman could easily be attracted to two siblings. But the ick factor involved in wanting to date one's ex-brother-in-law trumps whatever sweet romance may lie in store, even if Jack acts as a better dad to Sophie than her actual one.

     The plot of the "Pilot" is actually pretty good, and sets up the series fine. It's culmination, when the girls are exposed as manipulative liars and the mothers dance terribly at the function is perfect. Too bad it's too little, too late. If I Hate My Teenager Daughter is to be good, there needs to be some growth in Nikki, and a determined effort by Annie and Nikki to fix the obvious problems with their daughter. Despite the bad "Pilot," and it is really bad, this series deserves a second chance because there is enormous potential with highly relatable material. Unfortunately, judging by most network television, it will squander such a chance.

     I Hate My Teenage Daughter airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX (for now).

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

Desperate Housewives - "Assassins"

     After a heck of a mid-season finale, though the show is known for those, ABC's Desperate Housewives came back strong (and earlier than usual) last night. I don't think there was much suspense for long-time fans over if anyone actually died. I never thought either character in peril would, but it's very satisfying to get a few answers, and be left with a few new mysteries.

     The biggest plot this year is the return of Paul Young (Mark Moses). Paul was a main character for the first two seasons, and returned for three episodes in January 2007, before showing up in last year's season finale. As he is back in the opening credits as a main character for season seven, and his plot for revenge on his neighbors has still gone unfulfilled, I found it likely he would survive the gunshot wound from the fall finale. He did. The first half of the season, we wondered what Paul was up to, and that was revealed a few weeks ago with his halfway house for released convicts. Now, going forward, the mystery is, who shot JR, er, Paul Young? Every single resident of Wisteria Lane has a motive, but the cops say they also all have alibis. The police outed arch-nemesis Felicia Tillman (Harriet Sansom Harris) to Paul, who wasn't aware that she was his mother-in-law, but she seems just as clueless as we are.

     It's an exciting mystery, taking Housewives back to its roots. The series has been consistently good for many years, but the murder committed by Paul in season one, and Felicia's framing of Paul for her own murder in return, was one of the best stories of the show. Returning to it now, taking viewers back to just how good it was, is brilliant. It reminds people that show has always been strong, and it's cool to dredge up the past if there's a fresh twist on it, which there is here. The blend has resulted in a very satisfying mix of nostalgia and new suspense.

     Less predictable was the return of Orson (Kyle MacLachlan). I thought when Bree's (Marcia Cross) second husband left at the onset of the season, we had seen the last of him, at least for awhile. His unexpected arrival on her doorstep last night, and her letting him (temporarily) move in with herself and her new boyfriend, was very surprising. Though Orson's last name did not do Bree justice, and despite their issues and secrets from each other, they had seemed a perfect pairing. I enjoy Bree's hair coming down now that she's with Keith (Brian Austin Green), but Watson would make an even less satisfying last name for her than Hodge. I was shocked that she chose to stay with Keith, despite her obvious remaining feelings for Orson. As much as I like Green as an actor, I wish she'd reconsider. And no matter what her decision, she should keep her first husband's last name of Van de Kamp.

     Hands down, the best acting on the show this year is being done by Eva Longoria (sans Parker once more). This is probably because she is getting the most affecting story. Gabi (Longoria) discovered that her eldest daughter, Juanita (Madison De La Garza), is not her biological child, the hospital having made a mistake. Gabi found her 'real' daughter, Grace (Cecilia Balagot), but Grace's illegal immigrant parents took her away. Now Gabi is struggling to make Juanita feel loved, but not let go of Grace. It's a delicate tightrope. Her husband, Carlos (Ricardo Chavira), has no problem forgetting all about Grace if it helps Juanita's pain, but Gabi is torn. While Gabi surely talks plenty, Parker's best moments this year have been acted completely in her grieving face. It's a situation few women will ever have to imagine, but heart breaking for anyone to even witness. If Parker doesn't at least get nominated for an Emmy for this season, there is little justice.

     Another brilliant move by the show this year was the addition of Renee (Vanessa Williams). Much more sympathetic than the previous resident of the house, Renee is more than just a replacement. Her guilt over sleeping with best friend Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) husband, Tom (Doug Savant), was beautiful. Though, thankfully, Tom and Lynette had been broken up at the time, which was twenty years ago, the betrayal is no less fresh, especially as it just came to Lynette's attention. Renee has also tried to form friendships with the other women on the Lane, and her scenes with Susan (Teri Hatcher) have been particularly good. Despite a prickly personality, Renee is no Wilhelmina Slater. She's staking her place on the show and in viewer's hearts legitimately, already earning her keep. I think rather than Edie's (Nicolette Sheridan) substitute, Renee is more a Katherine (Dana Delany), meaning she has a true chance at being the real, equal fifth housewife in the group. Something many women have tried (Katherine came closest), but no one has yet managed to achieve.

     Speaking of Susan, can her year possibly get any worse? First, she lost her house. Then her husband, Mike (James Denton), went to Alaska to make the family some much-needed money. I know the economic story hit home to millions of Americans, but it's time to get past it. I believe it's gone as far as it can being entertaining in this instance. Susan's health problems, stemming from her recent trampling experience, may be a step in the right direction, though I'm not optimistic it will provide long legs either. As bumbling as Susan has always been, it's hard to watch such a likable character go through so many harrowing ordeals in such a short span of time. Please give her a break!

     Lastly, it's been hell to watch Lee (Kevin Rahm) and Bob (Tuc Watkins) be so ostracized by their neighbors. It isn't clear if their deal to sell the house to Paul went through, as Lee was still shown on the Lane this week, but I sure hope it doesn't. Wisteria's resident gays provide more than just comic relief. Their marital problems were hard enough without everyone else hating them, too. I personally adore both men, and love almost every moment of screen time they've gotten. Like Susan, I want to see skies get a little bluer for the couple, and the hostility to ease.

     All said, it has been one of the best seasons in memory, and that's saying something, because the show has rarely had a mediocre one, with one possible exception while creator Marc Cherry was gone. If the second half of this season can live up to the first, the series has nothing to worry about. After seven years, there's still no clear end in sight for one of TV's best dramas. Desperate Housewives airs Sunday nights at 9pm on ABC.

     If you've missed any episodes this year, right now Amazon is charging a mere 99 cents an episode for the HD versions! It's a steal, as they usually go for $2.99. I highly recommend you check it out.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.


Article first published as TV Review: Desperate Housewives - "Assassins" on Blogcritics.

Desperate Housewives's mystery a little anti-climatic

      Last night, ABC's Desperate Housewives solved a major mystery, possibly.  Julie (Andrea Bowen) was strangled and almost died last fall, but the person who attacked her was never caught.  While most theories went towards the familiar, or the new family in town, the revelation of a strangler last night may have been the answer to the long-running mystery.  Next week's preview promises a serial killer on the lane.  But if the same guy who killed Irina (Helena Mattsson) did attack Julie, the question is, why?  There was motivation for Irina, but we haven't seen Julie talk to the boy.  Besides, I couldn't even find the actor's name that played him.  He wasn't yet added to imdb, tv.com, or other sources that I checked.  So who really cares?

     Luckily, some of the other plots are getting much more interesting.  I don't think Sam (Sam Page, Shark) is even Bree's (Marcia Cross) stepson.  His tricky ways to discredit others almost cost Bree her livelihood.  Did he do it just because he was jealous of the family he never had?  Or, like I said, is he not really related, and has other dark reasons for trying to sabotage her?

     Mike (James Denton) got himself into some big trouble, going into deep dead and having his truck repossessed.  How did that happen?  We haven't seen him do anything that cost a ton of money, but he told Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) that this had been going on for the past year.  Obviously, there is more to this subplot, and hopefully it won't be long before those answers come.

     This year's newbies on the block are close to having the lid blown off all their secrets.  Patrick (John Barrowman, Torchwood) has arrived and looks to be considering a kidnapping after deciding not to kill Angie (Drea de Matteo).  Fans of the former Sopranos star, though, don't get too relieved.  Rumor on the net is that she will bite the big one before the season closes.  It's too bad.  With the probable eminent departure of Katherine (Dana Delany), Angie would be poised to actually stick.  Seems the block just can't bring itself to permanently add a fifth desperate housewife to it's clique.

     Saddest of all may be the breakup of the gay couple, Bob (Tuc Watkins, One Life to Live) and Lee (Kevin Rahm, Judging Amy).  It was great to see the pair get more screen time and development this season.  I hope Lee comes back to Bob soon, and isn't gone from the show for good.  I was also not pleased with talk of them moving away.  That may still happen.

     Of course, all the plot twists can be witnessed by tuning in to Desperate Housewives Sunday nights at 9pm on ABC.