A Man. And His Blog.

The episode was alright, considering that RIZZOLI & ISLES has become something of a cookie-cutter show, which doesn’t do anything good anymore. The cases become more and more boring, uninteresting and predictable, and the character relationships become a bit more annoying. Especially Jane (Angie Harmon) and Maura (Sasha Alexander) are somewhat not fitting together anymore, after Maura seemed to have changed her character profile in-between seasons. Which I so do not like. Their friendship really got a bit less likable this season…

Well, the murder case was predictable, but at least started off interesting. I liked that Ron McKenna had at least a bad past with his drug use, and his troubled family life, and together with his relationship to the team, there could have been a good story involving love/hate from players for their coaches and the executives of the team. But no, at the end, Jesse (Taylor Kinney) only killed Ron, because he hated Manny Vega (Adrian Bellani) and because Jesse wanted to be like Manny. Seriously, when I saw Taylor’s name in the credits, I instantly knew it was him who killed the guy, even though he didn’t have screentime yet. And again, a plea to the casting directors: Take some unknown faces for the killer roles, because it is getting old, it is getting lazy, it is getting boring.

So, Tommy (Colin Egglesfield) is finally in the show. Unfortunately, he was the most stereotypical brother of a cop I have seen in recent cop shows. Of course there was the fear of Tommy going back to being the bad guy, when Maura’s house was burglarized, and of course there had to be the “twist” at the end about Tommy being the innocent guy. And of course there had to be the scene with the veterinarian, where Tommy went berserk on the doctor. Clichéd scenes, clichéd character, clichéd “We love you anyway” scenes, though Jane (of course) knew that Tommy would cause some trouble within the family.

By the way: I kinda noticed Lt. Cavanaugh (Brian Goodman) for the first time in this episode. First I wondered from where I know that face, and then I had to realize he already had a couple of appearances in RIZZOLI & ISLES. Seems like I missed something, but when the writers never bring in the characters into the actual story, no wonder I’m forgetting them after those 41 minutes. 5.5/10

Jane thinks that baseball players are sexy

Frankie worked overtime for his sister

Well, I don’t know about this episode. Sometimes good and emotional, but ridiculous and horrifying most of the rest of the time. I shouldn’t ask myself anymore, why the writers never think clearly about the case of the week and instead bring one ridiculous twist after another. They don’t try anymore, so why should I try loving the show?

The kidnapping case was interesting at first, because it could have united different kinds of stories. There was the information of Dan (Max Martini) being Jane’s (Angie Harmon) former partner, there was the information of the broken relationship between Dan and Nicole (Annie Wersching), there was the information of Dan’s undercover work. Even though it sounds like a clichéd story coming from TNT’s DARK BLUE, the story could have been more interesting, when it would have involved Dan or Nicole or had something to do with their work. But no, minutes of the first half were wasted for this, so that the writers don’t go back to it. Instead the killer was just a crazy one, who decided to kill all the left-handed girls, because… Yeah, because the writers needed a reason, after they introduced the information of both Sophie and Mandy (Jadin Gould) being left-handed soccer girls from two different states. These are the moments, when I bury my face in my heads and think that it couldn’t get worse. Let’s see if I’m right in the next episode…

At least the writers were able to cut out all the family stuff this time. Since the kidnapping case was a ticking time bomb, and it was an emotional case at that, there was no time for Angela (Lorraine Bracco) to be funny or annoying (instead she brew coffee over and over – sometimes it’s funny to see how the writers keep their characters occupied). The ticking time bomb was okay, but somehow even that was gone during the mid-point, because the three-hour-mark did in fact run out and the case went to its second day. I don’t know what that was all about, but why letting Dan scream that the cops have three hours, before Mandy could die, when the writers planned to stretch the case to the next day? Another waste of valuable time.

Furthermore, Maura (Sasha Alexander) was kinda out of character again, when she started to talk to Sophia. Did she lose her rationalism over the season break, or why is she starting to take chances, be emotional, is guessing, etc.? Even more, I was laughing, when Frost (Lee Thompson Young) didn’t see the difference between the two similar usernames. I mean, isn’t there a super software among all the super softwares in the police department, which could have seen the extra letter in the username? And why didn’t Frost check properly? He is a detective for all I know, so I don’t buy that the fake username was overlooked. I have the feeling the writers don’t know their characters anymore.

And finally, there is Joey (Aramis Knight): He said he couldn’t remember much about the kidnapping, the kidnappers and the car, but then he paints pictures about it? Sees the lighthouse, but doesn’t know where and why he saw it? And then the car with the bad muffler? Seriously, couldn’t have that come up in the first scenes of the investigation? How ridiculous is that? 5.5/10

Maura cares a bit too much here...

Shootout, shootout!

The episode was alright, but the producers really need to do something about those non-case scenes. The friendship scenes between Jane (Angie Harmon) and Maura (Sasha Alexander) are getting ridiculous, the scenes with Angela (Lorraine Bracco) are becoming over the top and unbelievable, and Jane’s family becomes more of a joke with every episode, and this is meant in a negative way. In addition, the crappy minimalistic score during those Jane/Maura scenes is getting on my nerves, because the composer is using it every damn time.

The murder case was okay as well, and thank you for not bringing me the murderer with the guest starring credits. But no wonder the killer was an unknown this time, when he didn’t get any screentime, and only had to being chased by the Boston police. He didn’t even say a word. I think this way of a murder investigation in a crime show is the better way, when you don’t overuse it. Let the police investigate without interacting too much with the possible suspects or the eventual killer. Let the killer be a random guy and not a character, who has to be played by a well-known TV face (well, well-known for me, I don’t know how regular, “normal” TV viewers see that). Unfortunately, the investigation was running on empty in this episode, since the writers were heavily focusing on other stuff, which wasn’t interesting.

First off is Admiral Frost (Ernie Hudson), and you guessed it, he’s Frost’s (Lee Thompson Young) father. I hated that he was a clichéd father, who had to be in a conflict with his son. I hated the scene between the two, where they clearly showed they don’t like each other, and I hate that there seems to be not one single TV series like RIZZOLI & ISLES, where father and son have a great relationship. Why do they always have to be in a conflict?

Second off is Angela’s way of paying for the repair bills while working for the ugly Stanley (Alan Rachins) - not a funny storyline, not even a developing storyline. Angela gets the supposed-to-be-funy stuff again, but instead she just annoyed me. Why not focusing on the divorce story, which should have been an ongoing storyline from the get-go of this season?

Third is Maura’s boyfriend of the week Giovanni (Matthew Del Negro). First, nice cliché that guy. Second, why is she not able to tell him that she was only in it for the sex? Maura never stops to be cut clear or telling what she thinks, but in front of a guy she is not able to be herself? Sorry, but I don’t buy that. She clearly was out of character with Giovanni. But at least I liked the LLBFF scene at the end. I’d wish the writers would rely more on the unseen sexual chemistry between Maura and Jane.

By the way: Is it the first episode in the series, where I saw Korsak (Bruce McGill) run? I kinda liked the foot chace because of it, since I wasn’t expecting it to run that long, with Korzak running down the wholething. 6/10

Father and son hate each other

The definition of non-lesbians LLBFFs

This episode was alright, but showed that the show has a big problem at this moment: The friendship scenes between Jane (Angie Harmon) and Maura (Sasha Alexander) are forced, and as long as they are not working on a murder case, they don’t function in the way of developing the characters. Or the friendship between the women. Something, which wasn’t really a problem in the first season, but could become one now, after RIZZOLI & ISLES proved to be a ratings success…

The case about the dead surrogate mother was okay. There weren’t many twist, and there wasn’t any thrill, but at least the writers were working hard on this one, since the producers had to spoil us again with a well-known name in the credits. As soon as I read Ever Carradine‘s name, I knew who the killer was, before Jane and Maura had Tracy (Katie Enright) in front of their face. Is there really no way for casting directors to get unknown faces for the roles of the TV killers, or is there an unwritten rule about actors having to have experience for such a role? I can’t understand it, and it always ruins the murder cases for me. Anyway, the case had a few interesting moments. Beginning with Angela (Lorraine Bracco) being a kangaroo mother for baby John Doe in one scene, letting Maura have some mother feelings for the lost baby, ending with the tiny little twist of baby John Doe having two parents for a moment. But on the other hand, the whole deal with the surrogate con was not exciting at all. In addition, the con wasn’t even played out properly – it could have been more thrilling, when the writers would have focused on that, instead of Randi’s crazy fight of having a baby, because she couldn’t. Very lame.

The rest of the episode was okay as well. The yard sale story could have been funny, but it felt forced. The fight about the action figure between Frankie (Jordan Bridges) and Frost (Lee Thompson Young) was ridiculous, and how the writers try to force Jane and Angela together is beyond me. It’s the same with the friendship scenes between Jane and Maura, especially the two spa scenes. As long as the two women are out of a case and in their friendship thingy, everything feels forced, everything wants to be funny, everything wants to be part of a story, but for me it doesn’t work at all. And as long as those moments continue to be a big part of the show, freed of any kind of development, it will get annoying. 5.5/10

Nerds fight for an action figure

Maura tries wanting to be a mother

With THE PROTECTOR thrown off my TV schedule, because of its complete boredom (after 25 minutes of the fourth episode I gave up), RIZZOLI & ISLES takes the place. Thankfully it does, because TNT’s take of a crime procedural with a girl team detecting crime and murder, is much more interesting than Lifetime’s take on the genre, which was never more than just a vehicle for Ally Walker to have a job.

And now to he actual review: Muhaha, that’s how you resolve season cliffhangers. Just jump ahead in time a couple of months, and let the audience remember during some voice-overs, which don’t take more than ten seconds, that Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) had been shot in the last episode. First I was laughing how the writers took an angle on the cliffhanger, but at the end it was actually a good way of not focusing on the siege situation, and instead jump forward to focus on Rizzoli’s pain and how she thinks of the job, after she was nearly killed.

And that was actually the better part of this season premiere, because the murder case couldn’t grab me at all this time. The whole first act is wasted for the heroes bla bla, and to have a mini cliffhanger at the end of the first act, the writers kill off Abigail (Anna Osceola) – unfortunately, it was totally predictable. Of course the writers couldn’t work without a murder case in this episode, and how great would it be, when they create the case within the honoring of the two heroes? The whole time I was waiting for something to happen, for somebody to be shot or for anybody to find a dead soldier or cop, while Rizzoli was holding her speech. This is why the car bomb didn’t shock me at all, and was just the writer’s way of finally starting the murder plot of the episode. And at the end, Abigail’s murder was totally uninteresting, and filled with stereotypes as well. I’m just taking Forman (Charlie Hofheimer) as an example here. When he had his first seconds of screentime, I instantly told to myself that it was Forman who killed Abigail – you don’t hire an actor like him to not have him be the killer. Well, count me surprised that it wasn’t him who killed Abigail. But since the writers were going that way in the fourth act, I wasn’t much entertained until then.

So, while the murder case wasn’t hurray-good, the personal storylines were more grabbing. Rizzoli thinking about her job, thinking about what has happened after the siege, thinking about how it will affect her future life. I would have wished for the writers to go deeper into that (especially since I believe they won’t be going into it very much throughout the season). Maybe they manage to do it with the divorce of Rizzoli’s parents, and maybe they even manage to do it with Tommy’s introduction. Now that the writers have mentioned the infamous brother again, it shouldn’t take a long time to finally see him in the show.

But I was a bit disappointed about the depiction of the friendship between Rizolli and Isles (Sasha Alexander). This time I was thinking it was just too much. I only liked how Isles was reacting and talking to Rizzoli, after she brought her to the morgue, and was about to open up Abigail. But the rest felt so forced, was barely funny, and mostly over the top. I don’t know, but I think the first season was working better on this occasion. Or maybe it was just the big break between the seasons. Or maybe it’s just because I’m still thinking about the lesbian undertone, and the writers still not being able to make the two heroines lovers.

All in all, the season premiere was alright. It wasn’t a burner, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t exciting either. 6/10

Mama cries and needs attention, the press is witnessing

This screencap would be misunderstood, if Jane would be pregnant

The first season of TNT's crime drama aired during the summer months 2010

RIZZOLI & ISLES follows Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals. Growing up at opposite ends of the economic spectrum, the two remain strikingly different from one another in many ways. Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother (Lorraine Bracco) and is better at basketball than her brother (Jordan Bridges). Maura, meanwhile, is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she is working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases. Despite their many differences, Jane and Maura are best friends, with a quirky and supportive relationship.

Episode 01: See One, Do One, Teach One
I reviewed the pilot a couple of weeks ago. Click here to read it. 7/10

Episode 02: Boston Strangler Redux
A good episode, but just because of the dialogs. The case about the Boston Strangler was boring and predictable as hell, and it couldn’t bring development to any of the characters; maybe except Frankie, who used this time to get on the road of becoming a detective, but I don’t believe that this will happen so fast. First the writers have to use the typical storyline of Frankie being shot somewhere in this season or the next, so that Jane has something to investigate, and her family to hope for the survival of one of their own.
Maura’s Marfan-date was hilarious, but there could have been a bit more humor in the scene. Though I love how fast Maura changed the subject and went from “girl on a date” to scientist, there was more behind this scene, but the writers didn’t use anything, sadly. At least the last scene was kinda cool, and I can feel the tension between Jane and Maura – Maura look like she wants to hump Jane, and Jane is about to get humped by a woman, when she continues having bad luck with guys. The short scene with the Rizzoli family was nice too, I want to see more of that. 7/10

Read the rest of this entry »

Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander star in a show about Milfs without children.

This little crime series couldn’t have had a better cast. I didn’t see much of Angie Harmon, but besides looking extremely hot for her age and after giving birth to three children, I very much liked her in the short-lived ABC crime show Women’s Murder Club. I didn’t see much of Sasha Alexander, but besides looking extremely hot for a woman who ages, I liked her in the fourth season of Dawson’s Creek. So why not watching a crime show with those two perfect women, especially when it airs on a cable network and is based upon a series of novels? And Rizzoli & Isles doesn’t only deliver small and easy crime stories, but it tries to build up a friendship between two complete different women, who are friends – only to tease all the time that the two might be love interests for a later point of time in the series. So, am I waiting for the two female characters to find out that they are attracted to each other, or is it just another crime show with women in the main cast to show how they try to date, while they are investigating homicides? This is a pilot review of the episode “See One, Do One, Teach One”

Read the rest of this entry »