TV shows | pinartarhan.com

Beauty and The Beast : It’s Fun – Stop Wishing for Its Demise Already!

Posted on October 15, 2012 Written by ripitup

Beauty and The Beast starring Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan

Beauty and The Beast TV Series — Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan. Image via onthedemo.com

It probably sucks that most TV writers can only have a short time of relief and feeling of success when a single disappointment about the rating figures can send a lot of movie writers and bloggers predicting the lifespan of the show, and not being generous or optimistic about it at all.

Sure, it is great to have sold a script, and then have your series picked up among so many others- but then you have to worry about keeping the interest level high, all the while knowing not all of your target audience will watch it when it airs on TV, that Nielsen doesn’t reflect the actual popularity of your show, and that a lot of weird viewers will stop watching it just because the lead guy is too “hot”, or the show resembles quite a few old ones…

Yes, a lot of people already started predicting and/or wishing the demise of Beauty and The Beast, but I’m not one of them. Let’s go over the plot, and then I’ll share my reasons of why it might be worth a chance.

NYPD detective Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk) still hasn’t quite gotten over her mother’s death 9 years ago- the two assailants would have killed her too, hadn’t it not been for a mysterious “beast” that saved her. Of course her version of events was attributed to trauma, and she believed it when they said it was probably just a wild animal.

But a current case reveals clues about a dead doctor/military guy named Vincent Keller and as she digs, she realizes that Vincent Keller is “the beast” from that night-he tells her that he joined a military experiment without being fully aware of the consequences, had his DNA changed and gained the ability/curse to turn into a furious and freakishly strong beast when he got an adrenaline rush.

Even though he tries to get her to leave him alone for both their safety, she can’t- she decides that they will both be helping out each other- and make him realize that he is anything but a monster.

So there you have it- a police procedural led by a young pretty female detective, protected by her ally – some drama, action, mystery and romance.

If you expected the wheel to be reinvented, this is not the show for you. If you don’t like to see pretty people on TV, this is not for you- although I have to say they haven’t gone half as overboard as The Vampire Diaries when it comes to casting attractive people. And you will have to live with the fact that the show is sci-fi, and not fantasy- as far as the beast is concerned.

If you’re OK with the cast of attractive actors, the sci-fi element, the case-of-the-week and the upcoming romance, great. So am I.

Now, people compared this to The Hulk. Scientist/experiment gone wrong/uncontrolled power/life led in secret? I see their point.

Some compared it to Moonlight, the short-lived vampire show starring Alex O’Loughlin – and I was too reminded of it. The-not-exactly-human helping solve crimes and protecting innocent people/watching over the girl he saved years ago/partnering up and falling in love with her…Check, check, check all the way.

But come on-as much as I loved Moonlight and was sad to see it go, Moonlight was hardly the first to use the vampire-seeks-redemption-while-falling-in-love-with-the-girl-he-is-watching-over concept. Hello, Angel of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, anyone? He is a good vampire, has watched over Buffy ever since she became a slayer at 16, helped save people, fell in love with her…

But hey, I am definitely not saying Angel’s concept was original. It was cool and fun, but I’m pretty sure someone somewhere did it-many times-before.

So Beauty and the Beast is a fun show, with cliches I’d not change. It’d be a letdown if the Beast didn’t have his human sides, or if he was exactly Fairy-Tale-like-all fury , all the time. It’d sure suck without the emotional bond between its characters. Angel had Buffy, Mick had Beth (Moonlight) and hey, Vincent will have Catherine.

Now, I won’t be complaining a lot of if it is cancelled. I’m still not over Awake– now that show was emotionally gripping, extremely powerful and refreshing- and I still think cancelling it was a crime against creativity and good TV. I know it is all about ratings and revenues, but they give you more seasons, not necessarily good TV.

But I will be enjoying this show as long as it remains fun and on the air. I can’t promise not to mourn over Last Resort, however, should it be cancelled.

So sit back, and tune in if it’s your kind of thing. If it isn’t, good thing you have a gazillion alternatives.

TV’s Cutest I Love You Scenes – Case Histories starring Jason Isaacs

Posted on May 13, 2012 Written by ripitup

Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie in BBC's Case Histories. Image via fimaffinity.com

Case Histories is a strangely compelling British TV series starring Jason Isaacs, and you can find the plot, review and pictures here on my Case Histories review.

This post is just about two scenes in the 6th (and last) episode of season 1. It’ll be a minor spoiler as the scenes are about the romantic life of the lead character Jackson Brodie. I’m saying minor, because Case Histories focuses a lot more on Jackson’s cases, his past traumas and his relationship with his daughter.

Jason Isaacs with his on-screen daughter, Case Histories. Image via node2.bbcimg.uk

And a note to non-watchers, you can still enjoy the scene, but you should check out the review to learn about Brodie, and the woman in question. And of course any line is better if you hear it from Jason Isaacs.

In the beginning of episode 6, Jackson Brodie (Jason Isaacs) is in the hospital being taken to the emergency room after his attempts to save an old lady almost killed him.

Jackson Brodie (Jason Isaacs) is in the hospital again. They took his shirt off again. — Jackson Brodie (Jason Isaacs) is in the hospital again, visited by Louise (Amanda Abbington). They took his shirt off again:d. Image via barefilms.co.uk

When his old time cop friend Louise (Amanda Abbington) hears about the accident, she rushes to see him. Jackson is only half aware of things, and he blurts out:

“Bloody hell, you’re beautiful (she attributes this to the head blow, but he adds:) I love you”.

Of course it is not even clear if Jackson is aware that he is saying this to Louise, and it is hard to tell whether Louise is more scared of it being true or being false. So she rushes out of the hospital before Jackson can get completely conscious.

All through the series, Louise is trying to balance Jackson’s constant help requests (always valid- his efforts either save someone, solve a case or both) and her ungrateful teenage son, and this time has to digest Jason’s outburst and whether to take it seriously.

When Louise is alone and a little drunk, she calls Jackson’s cell, but he is nowhere to be found so she yells at him for not being around after saying something like that- but she doesn’t tell him what is. Jackson can’t figure out what the hell she means, so the minute he wraps up his case, he goes to Louise’s house.

It’s Christmas morning, and she answers the door while her son is in the living room.

(And yes, we have been suspecting that Louise had a massive crush on Brodie, if not more – but Jackson was always too busy drowning in his or other people’s sorrows, and his only relationships, or attempts at relationships, have been initiated by women who threw themselves at him. And since he never really called Louise apart from asking for help, and didn’t take her up on the offer of getting drunk together (in his defense, he was depressed about his daughter moving to New Zealand for a year.), I suspected Jackson didn’t see Louise like that. I was glad to be wrong : ) )

Louise: What did you want?

Jackson: I was just wondering.

Louise: About?

Jackson: The hospital. What I said to you.

Louise: It was nothing. Nothing important anyway.

Jackson: If it’s not important, what was it?

Louise: You were rambling. You told me you loved me.

Jackson takes that in, but it only takes a second.

Jackson: Good. That’s about right then.

Louise is part shocked, part happy, part numb.

Louise: OK.

Jackson: Is it?

Louise smiles and so does Jackson.

Jackson: OK.

Louise: Do you want to come in?

Jackson: We’ve got time. I don’t want to interrupt anything.

Louise: You are always interrupting something, Jackson.

He half-smiles and leaves as Louise says Merry Christmas.

After this scene, we see Jackson running again but this time he is not running to get away from things like he used to- and when he stops to take in the scene, there is a smile on his face.

So no I love you toos, sloppy/awkward/passionate first kisses, or sex scenes. Very British, very cute and just honest.

What’s your favorite TV I love you scene? My pick for funniest or most romantic moment might be different, but I love this one for being so cute, honest and understated.

Also on Jason Isaacs

Awake starring Jason Isaacs

Case Histories Review and Pictures

Jason Isaacs Trivia

Person of Interest starring Jim Caviezel & Michael Emerson

Posted on November 27, 2011 Written by ripitup

Person-of-Interest-jim-caviezel-michael-emerson — Person of Interest starring Jim Caviezel & Michael Emerson.Image via divxplanet.com

Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) is a rich computer genius who the world believes to be dead. After 9/11, he has built a smart machine for the government which can detect potential mass crimes before they happen. Unfortunately, the machine can also detect other crimes. Since the government wasn’t interested, and Finch couldn’t let it go, he the machine to send him the suspected person’s social security number. Finch wants to help these individuals who the government isn’t interested in helping, and needs a man with a certain skill set.

John Reese (Jim Caviezel) is an ex-military/government agent, and he is damn good at tracking, fighting, using weapons, disappearing and a lot more. The world also thinks he is dead, and ever since he lost the love of his life, he doesn’t care about anything anymore. Spending his days like a homeless drunk, he is spotted by Finch, who of course knows that Reese isn’t dead.

When a subway incident puts Reese on the radar of the NYPD detective Carter (Taraji P. Henson), Finch bails him out and offers him the job of helping people that alerted his machine. At first Reese is reluctant, but Finch persuades him that he can help others from getting hurt, and he indeed has the resources to provide him.

After that, they start their cases with a number. They find out who the number belongs to, but they don’t know what the crime will be, or if the person will be the victim or the guilty party. Finch feeds Reese the intel, and Reese starts tracking their person of interest. Nothing is ever what it seems to be, and they always find a way to get advantage of it. For instance instead of killing or jailing one of the dirty cops (Kevin Chapman) they catch, Reese makes him his inside source.

Of course there are two big puzzles: what happened to Finch (he has had a serious injury and walks with a strong limp- we don’t know how that happened or he wanted to disappear) and Reese (who killed his girlfriend and why).

person-of-interest-jim-caviezel-as-john-reese — Reese (Jim Caviezel) is on the job, tracking their current person of interest.

Person of Interest is very addictive. It has character development, drama, mystery and plenty of action. It has two main and two supporting characters, and the relationship between Finch and Reese is a lot of fun. While Reese at first seemed angry and depressed, each episode slowly reveals his subtle sense of humor and dibs at uncovering more about Finch. Finch knows a lot more about Reese than the audience, and the audience has a lot of questions about both. He is very determined about keeping himself a closed box, and Reese is tempted to open it up slowly.

Reese is the ultimate action hero. Yes, he is a good guy. Yeah, he doesn’t feel great when he has to kill people. But he really doesn’t mind if he has to kill scum. He kicks ass, and it is fun trying to see a bunch of mean but no-so-skilled and/or well-trained bad guys try to go at our 6′ 2″ (1.88 m) hero.

And as cool and professional Reese is, he is not short of using empathy with the people he is trying to save. Everything isn’t black and white with him. Example? An ex-soldier who’s robbing banks to look after his dead friend’s kids without killing anyone is a guy who deserves a second chance in Reese’s book.

I also love the fact that Finch and Reese aren’t trying to save the whole world. They’re helping one person at a time, and entertaining us while doing so.

It’s a lot of fun to see Carter trying to catch Reese when she constantly ends up with the description “Tall man in a suit”…

Recommended. Currently 8.2 on IMDB. 10/10 from me. But then again, I have always been a sucker for the cool spy stuff without the supernatural elements where we are not saving the world. And as my favorite shows are slowly losing their edge (Castle got darker and less funny, where as The Mentalist got lighter and funnier), A Person of Interest hooked me from episode 1. And you know a shows rocks when it is great enough with a higher purpose (catching Red John) or without presenting a possible on-screen couple. Just pure good writing and good acting. Try it!

Favorite Lines & Scenes:

Season 1, Episode 5

Finch: Mr. Reese-any sign of a threat?

Reese (not having spotted a threat for a while and watching the judge eat fast food): Does cholesterol count?

Season 1, Episode 5

Reese: Thank you.

Finch: I beg your pardon?

Reese: For giving me a job

Finch: (offering the personal suggestion he refused in the beg. of the episode) Try the eggs Benedict Mr. Reese, I’ve had them many times. (Reese smiles after Finch leaves).

Season 1, Episode 6

Finch: Do you know what she does yet?

Reese: She does favors. For a price. She’s a fixer.

Finch: Assuming that she’s the victim, any idea who’d want to take her out?

Reese: Who wouldn’t?

Season 1, Episode 6

The Fixer (Zoe): You never did tell me your name.

Reese: John. My name is John.

The Fixer: (amused) Of course it is. So, John, how did you know I’d be in trouble?

Reese: Given your choice of career, doesn’t seem much of a stretch. You might consider a new line of work.

The Fixer: You’re the one to judge.

Season 1, Episode 7

Reese is watching a high school teacher whose number came up.

Reese (on the site, talking to Finch through his earpiece): What’s the story, Finch?

Finch: He’s a high school history teacher working in the Brighton Beach School District. Lives alone. Never married. Not much to go on.

Reese: (teasing) Maybe he has students after him. You know teaching can be a dangerous profession.

Finch: Yes, I imagine espionage is a much safer choice, Mr. Reese.

Reese laughs.

Season 1, Episode 7

Finch: What if you miss?

Reese: Wouldn’t know. Never have.

Fun Notes:

The series is produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Alcatraz) but not written or created by him. The series was created by Jonathan Nolan.
Michael Emerson also starred in Lost, J.J. Abrams hit show that went on for 6 seasons.
In episode 7, The Witness, Reese is trying to protect a high school teacher from two different mobs and eventually they hide out with one of his students. His student is reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and upon the student’s comment that the character Edmond is “cool, a survivor” a subtle grin appears on Reese’s face- as Jim Caviezel starred as Edmond, aka The Count of Monte Cristo in the 2002 movie version.

Other Posts on Jim Caviezel

Jim Caviezel Trivia: Interesting Facts about the Person of Interest Star

High Crimes starring Jim Caviezel, Ashley Judd & Morgan Freeman

Body of Proof starring Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop & Jeri Ryan

Posted on November 2, 2011 Written by ripitup

body-of-proof-abc-poster — Body of Proof starring Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop and Jeri Ryan

Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) is a former successful neurosurgeon-turned-brilliant medical examiner due to a car accident and the loss of a patient. Her career as a surgeon cost her marriage and her relationship with her 12-year-old daughter Lacey. Now, she is solving cases with the wit of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker’s character in The Mentalist). While Megan is deemed to be anti-social and difficult to work with, she is the friendliest and most agreeable person compared to House.

Show’s comedic relief comes both from the banter between Megan and her co-workers- especially Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop), and the interactions of young Dr. Ethan (Geoffrey Arend) and Curtis (Windell Middlebrooks), Megan’s superior. After the first couple episodes, Megan’s genius pretty much accepted, and she starts developing friendlier relationships with the two cops, Sam (Sonja Sohn) and Bud (John Carroll Lynch) that are usually assigned to her cases.

Body of Proof is a very fun crime drama. Sure, it has the obligatory emotional moments as leading characters of these shows usually come with baggage, especially the head crime solvers. Megan’s often criticized by caring too much about the dead, and she replies that 1) she has to, because no one else will listen to them now, and 2) she is feeling guilty about her former career when she did hundreds of operations and yet didn’t know any of her patients on a personal level.

While the characters of the show constantly joke that Megan has no friends, I’d say that she has become pretty good friends with Peter. Their relationship borders on flirty, and it wouldn’t exactly shock the viewers if they started dating. Fortunately though, this is a show that works perfectly fine with or without romance. The show is more about the murder case they are trying to solve each episode, as well as Megan’s personal growth.

It might not be the most original thing on the block, but it is sure capable of entertaining you for over 40 minutes. The dynamics between the characters are fun, the murder cases are interesting –even if you pride yourself in being able to guess who’s guilty during these kind of shows. Get over it, folks! After seeing our share of the crime drama/thrillers, it is no longer about finding the killer. It is how the killer is found, which one-liners are provided and who the main character pisses off in the process.

6.9/10 on IMDB. A solid 9/10 from me.

Fun Body of Proof Facts:

– Dana Delany co-starred in Desperate Housewives for many episodes, from season 4 to season 6. She was the neighbor Mike dated when he and Susan were divorced. Interestingly enough, one of her character’s love interests was played by Nathan Fillion, who went on to star in his own crime drama Castle.

– In season 6, one of the Desperate Housewives guest stars was Jeffrey Nordling, who played the husband of Angie Nolan, the new neighbor. In Body of Proof, he plays Megan’s ex-husband.

– Dana Delaney just might be the proof of Hollywood is growing up. At 55, she is the leading actress of a criminal show. She is gorgeous, and from the looks of it, it is natural.

– Dana Delaney co-starred with Timothy Hutton in the movie Multiple Sarcasms. Timothy Hutton is the star of another crime/mystery/thriller TV-show Leverage.

– Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Riley Marc Blucas co-stars in the episode Dead Man Walking (Season 1, Episode 5). He is one of the main suspects. Marc Blucas is no stranger to crime or medical dramas as he also guest-starred in Castle & House.

– Jeri Ryan, who plays Dana Delany’s boss, played the DA in the first season of the crime/law drama Shark. She also guest-starred in the two episodes of Boston Legal.

Recommended TV Shows: Other Crime or Medical Dramas You Can Enjoy

Castle starring Nathan Fillion & Stana Katic

House starring Hugh Laurie

The Mentalist starring Simon Baker

The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick (esp. the first seasons)

Leverage starring Timothy Hutton

Bones starring David Boreanaz & Emily Deschanel

Crossing Jordan starring Jill Hennessey