INTELLIGENCE Not Dumb

Article first published as INTELLIGENCE Review on Seat42F.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight. Sort of like a more serious version of NBC’s Chuck, the series stars Josh Holloway (Lost) as Gabriel Vaughn, an elite soldier who is implanted with a technologically advanced computer chip. This gives Gabriel access to the systems of U.S. government intelligence, as well as allows him to envision 3D environments where he can figure out a case, like an interactive puzzle.

I really, really liked Chuck and don’t feel like it needs a remake, so recently having gone off the air. Luckily, INTELLIGENCE isn’t exactly the same story. Chuck is humorous and cheeky, while INTELLIGENCE takes a darker tack, with situations that feel much more dangerous, and main characters doing jobs that feel a bit more realistic. INTELLIGENCE has more special effects, which are fantastic, by the way. Yet, it lacks the charm that made Chuck so good.

Counting against the show, it is on CBS, which means that, most likely, INTELLIGENCE will be a procedural. Cases-of-the-week are boring, delivering us the same installments over and over again. The “Pilot” isn’t a simple adventure, easily solved, and there are hints at longer arcs in the initial hour, so I hope it will be at least as serial as Person of Interest, which stretches itself a bit, though doesn’t leave the formula behind as much as, say, The Good Wife. Still, there is hope that this could be a special program, eventually, if it is developed correctly.

Holloway is understated as Gabriel. While he did the cocky, brash thing well on Lost, and that is what is called for here again, he tones it back a smidgen, setting the role apart from his previous. I do wish he had a bit more attitude, though, as that could make him pop a bit more.

In the “Pilot,” Gabriel is assigned a protector, Secret Service Agent Riley Neil (Meghan Ory, Once Upon A Time). Apparently, she’s like a female version of him, super smart and super tough, able to keep tabs on her reckless charge, while protecting him from the trouble that he gets himself into.

Riley and Gabriel are a familiar type of pairing. One male, one female, both straight and good looking. They are similar in their abilities and resolve, like other crime-solving duos on television, and have a chemistry that is entertaining and appealing. Viewers will likely tune in or not on the strength of these leads and their interactions together. Holloway and Ory don’t really do anything groundbreaking with the parts, but they serve their purpose well enough.

What’s different in INTELLIGENCE than in other similar shows is that there is no romance set up between Riley and Gabriel, at least not yet. Gabriel is married, and although his wife may be dead or a traitor, he hopes for the best, and that makes him unavailable at this time. That means there isn’t a flirty relationship set up yet, and if the series seeks to avoid being compared to every other show in the genre, let’s hope it stays that way. I like the way they relate to one another as it stands now.

I also like that the main cast of INTELLIGENCE isn’t just a group of people solving the cases assigned. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) does star as Lillian Strand, Riley and Gabriel’s boss, but the other two main characters, Shenendoah Cassidy (John Billingsley, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Nelson Cassidy (P.J. Byrne, The Legend of Korra), worked on a specific project, are not part of a predictable team. Shenendoah developed the chip, then was dismissed from the agency. Nelson is his son, jealous of the attention and affection Shenendoah has for Gabriel.

It’s this unique cast of players, not familiar stereotypes, that give me the best hope for INTELLIGENCE in the long run. The plot of the “Pilot” is fantastic, unto itself, with some great twists, but that’s just set up; it isn’t a true measure of how the series will do over the course of several years. With this ensemble, though, it may just be something to keep an eye on.

INTELLIGENCE premieres tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

Land At China Beach

Article first published as DVD Review: China Beach: The Complete Series on Blogcritics.

There are some shows that fans wait years and years for, desperately hoping they will eventually be released on DVD so their favorite episodes can be relived, but are consistently disappointed. One such beloved, critically-acclaimed series is China Beach, the four-season Vietnam War drama that broke new ground by approaching the conflict from a perspective other than male-domination, and is one of the most-requested shows. Finally, China Beach arrives, the complete series being released by Time Life.

China Beach is set at an Evacuation Hospital in Vietnam, and follows the adventures of the women serving our armed forces, as well as those on the civilian side of things. This isn't a softer tact, per se, but it does give us something other than what we are used to seeing from a war drama, meaning feelings are allowed to be explored, as well as the mental and emotional scarring that can occur from such locals and experiences, often ignored when the focus is on violence and bloodshed.

Portraying women is not the only way that China Beach sets itself apart. It really gets into the characters' heads, even following them home from time to time. Animated sequences allow the viewers to better understand the people and what they are thinking, and real interviews with real veterans keep the show grounded in gritty reality, even as it tells a compelling fictional story. China Beach is a bit like an intentionally less-funny version of M*A*S*H, with a comparable originality and risk-taking approach, but containing more depth.

The heroine of the piece is First Lieutenant Colleen McMurphy (Dana Delany, Body of Proof), who not only stands strong, but also faces her own limitations and emotional wounds. She's a very striking woman, hailing from Kansas, who puts others first. Delany brilliantly and boldly tackles the role with gusto and talent, winning two well-deserved Emmys during the series' run.

Among the familiar faces co-starring are: Michael Boatman (Spin City) as Samuel Beckett, an unpopular Graves Registration man; Marg Helgenberger (CSI) as K.C., the fortune-hungry prostitute; Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager) as Dr. Dick Richard, surgeon, womanizer, and occasional purveyor of wisdom; Concetta Tomei (Providence) as Major Lila Garreau, the commanding officer; Jeff Kober (Sons of Anarchy) as Dodger, the quiet warrior of the jungle; Brian Wimmer (Flipper) as Boonie the lifeguard; and Troy Evans (ER) as Bob Pepper, motor pool manager, among others.

Many of these names will sound familiar, and if not, then their faces will likely be recognizable. These are performers who are mostly at the beginning of their careers in China Beach but have continued to thrive in the industry. What this means is that the show is stocked with a solid cast that is excellent at making you care for their complex characters and root for their survival.

Not everyone stays around for the duration of the show, despite its short run, and cast members enter and exit with some frequency, in both guest parts and recurring capacities. However, that only adds to the realism of the series, as in a war-time environment, this is a part of life.

All sixty-two episodes are included on this twenty-one disc set. Relive the helicopter crash, suicide bomber, romance, drug abuse, prom night, leopard cub, race relations, kidnapping, parasite, betrayal, reporters, rogue Santa, a mixed-race baby, pirate radio, deaths, stand-up comedy, PTSD, a trip to the Vietnam Wall, and so much more. For those who already love the show, it's a pleasurable stroll down memory lane, and a chance to possibly fill in some gaps, since it aired in the days before DVR. For new fans, such as myself, it's a wonderful complete saga primed to dive into and fall in love with.

One of the hallmarks of China Beach is its fantastic music, pivotal to the way the stories are told. It is because of the problems in securing home video release rights of all of these songs that China Beach has proven so difficult to get released on DVD before now. However, the press materials report 268 songs have been cleared, an average of more than 4 per episode, so the soundtrack will be mostly intact in this release.

Not only that, but Time Life has given us a wealth of extras to complement the run, around ten hours in all. There are featurettes, interviews, deleted scenes, commentaries for the premiere and finale, and a gag reel, all spread across the four seasons, each packaged separately within the larger set. There are also two discs dedicated solely to bonus features, with a focus on last December's 25th Anniversary reunion of the cast.

It's great to see what the performers thought of the show, and their experiences filming it, all of these years later. Most of the principal players participate, including those who currently have busy careers. There should be plenty here to satisfy any fan.

The packaging itself is pretty cool, too. While the DVD cases are basic, they are housed in a beautiful wrap-around box, with magnetic closure. There's a thirty-six page booklet with notes and images from the show, and you even get a pair of China Beach dog tags. Not shabby at all!

A Limited Edition version is available with signed scripts and cast photos. This is not the edition I got, so I cannot speak to the value of the extra materials, but they look cool in the picture posted online!

If there's one complaint I have it's that there doesn't seem to be much effort put into restoring picture or audio quality. China Beach hails from before the days of high definition, but it isn't that old, and other aged series have been restored before release. This one has not been, or not much anyway, and the presentation is not nearly as good as it should be, though it's not the worst I've ever seen, either.

Overall, despite the visual problems, I find it easy to recommend this set. There's a lot here, both in terms of story-telling and performance, as well as bonus features. It's a compelling, dramatic series that will make you cry and think. I wish it had run longer, but I'm grateful there are as many installments as there are.

China Beach: The Complete Series is available now, exclusively online.