A Man. And His Blog.

Ex-cop and recovering alcoholic Hank Dolworth (Donal Logue) partners with his best friend, former criminal Britt Pollack (Michael Raymond-James) in an unlicensed private investigation business. The series is set in Ocean Beach, San Diego, California, although it is portrayed as a distinct town, Dolworth having been a member of the fictional “Ocean Beach Police Department”.

Episode 01: Pilot
I did a pilot review this fall. Click here to read it. 8.5/10

Episode 02: Dog and Pony
It was a good episode, and I am still surprised that I am interested in the series. The PI case of the week was alright, considering the usual twists, which only lengthen the story and give Hank and Britt moments to dream of big money, but that the big guy was actually helping the two was a nice surprise, especially when he gave Katie (Laura Allen) wisdom about having a baby, even though he was tied at the bed and bleeding. Only the conclusion was a bit lame and irritating. Gustafson (Rockmond Dunbar) basically said that heads will roll, when Britt and Hank stay on the case, and yet they have themselves wired for the police to close it. Though Gustafson’s words to the BFFs were nice, when it comes to their work, I was expecting a bit more seriousness from him to them. Only his words to Britt about Hank sometimes letting him drop was stereotypical. Of course this story had to come, and of course it brings the writers an opportunity to play the trust-stotyline later in the season.
The character moments were good again. Hank had a nice scene with Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn) at the end of the episode, while I love Katie’s thoughts about having a kid. It gives the two women in the lives of the two friends more screentime and character depths, even though they don’t have anything to do with the story. 7.5/10

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This is part two of the series finale, and it almost rocked even more than the first part. And even though I liked it, I’ve had some difficulties with the style of the finale. TERRIERS was a rather light series about two friends, but considering the shit they were into these past episodes, I was kinda expecting a bit more grittiness for the finale. After all, one friend goes to prison, the other one killed somebody. For that, the final minutes were way too light in my opinion, after what happened the night before.

I was happy to see that the episode was filled with storylines. For one last episode, the writers bring back some old characters (notably Steph [Karina Logue], who I really missed) and finish up their stories. Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn) somewhat closes the chapter of Jason’s death, and makes peace with Hank (Donal Logue); Katie (Laura Allen) closes the door behind her affair, and is waiting for a proper future; Gustafson (Rockmond Dunbar) finally was a friend to Hank for once, and helps him clearing his name; and Maggie (Jamie Denbo) didn’t have much to do, and just was in the episode to show the audience that she is still alive. I never needed her in the story anyway.

The Ocean Beach conspiracy gets a close as well, though I was wondering why it was so “easy” for Hank to get to Ford (Neal McDonough), and tell them to scrap the airport plans once and for all. After all the killing and mess, Ford was looking like as if he didn’t know what was happening, and as if he wasn’t the actual enemy for Hank and Britt (Michael Raymond-James). Here I was kinda disappointed at the end, and the episode could have teased a bit more out of the scene between Hank and Ford. Furthermore, for the fact that Zeitlin (Michael Gaston) was a hard-ass villain during the last couple of episodes, he gave up the information during Britt’s beating pretty easy.

The ending was nice, and despite it being open-ended, it was actually the most proper closer a “suddenly” canceled series could get. The conspiracy was concluded, Hank and Gretchen are friendly to each other again, and Britt wants to be the father of Katie’s child.

Other than that the episode could have had more highlights. Somehow those last five minutes were to cheesy for me, and the scenes felt very predictable, though still true to the series’ nature. I will miss this show, no questions, but maybe I was expecting a bit too much from the finale. 7.5/10

It's a final goodbye, or Hank's last straw for hope

It's a final goodbye, or Britt decides to step up

This is part 1 of the series finale, and despite the story kinda going overboard with the conspiracy, I liked it. Finally Britt (Michael Raymond-James) and Hank (Donal Logue) are swimming in their own crap, finally they realize that their families and friends are in danger too, finally the series has some “tragic” deaths to offer.

It was a good episode, as always, and TERRIERS looks good without the stand-alone cases like in previous episodes. When Hank and Britt are deeply into a case, which could get them killed, it brings more drama into the show, and since Jason (Loren Dean) got killed at the end, even more thrill. From now on (for the last 43 minutes of the series), the characters have to fear for their lives, and TERRIERS looks more like a real FX drama than ever before.

The story was alright. The first 30 minutes or so, the episode was quite calm, and didn’t go much into the situation which we saw during the last couple of minutes. Zeitlin (Michael Gaston) became more creepy though, when he declared himself as Britt’s lawyer and convinced him to work for him and spy on Ashley (Elizabeth Chomko). But during the middle of the episode, I found it very surprising that Britt told Hank about it, and that Britt was basically a double agent just now. Only to realize that Britt still cares way too much about Hank, and that he wouldn’t stab him in the back.

Britt’s story with Ashley was nice. But when he mentioned the drop point, I was kinda sad that their very short relationship doesn’t have a future. I would have imagined for Britt to have a bit more luck with women now, after he broke up with Katie (not considering him returning to Katie in the imaginary second season). Furthermore I kinda digged that Laura (Alison Elliott) was with the two-man-team now. It felt like she was part of the PI team, which could have been a teaser of a three-person-team in the imaginary second season, and probably could have been a main character then. Though her “cool” behavior was a bit annoying sometimes. As if she knew more things than Hank, and wanted to brag with it.

Furthermore, I was surprised that Jason kinda anticipated that something was wrong with his project. Otherwise he wouldn’t have known what to do when Hank and Laura suddenly were on his site. It was sad to see him dead at the end – earlier he was just the new husband of Hank’s ex-wife, but now he became something of a friend for him, and a source for one of the biggest conspiracies in Ocean Beach. On another note: I never liked Jason anyway, thanks to Loren Dean.

A few words about the Ocean Beach conspiracy itself: That the investors want to make an airport out of the city is alright, but I don’t understand so far, why Zeitlin and friends would stop at nothing to make their “dream project” come true – which is why I think that the whole conspiracy thing is going a bit overboard in the series.

A good prelude to the series finale, with lots of shit happening right now. I’m intrigued. 7.5/10

So, who's annoyed of the third person in the truck?

The final hit before the finale: Jason is dead

Three episodes left until the series finale, and like in every TV show the writers stall some time and deliver a stand-alone episode. Like this one. And some TV shows even deliver a flashback episode, just to answer some question, which were never asked (at least not by me). Like this episode. Not that I have anything against flashback episodes, when the season finale is knocking at the door, but this one was a bit boring. The case of the week was alright, how Britt (Michael Raymond-James) and Hank (Donal Logue) met each other was alright, how Britt handled his breakup with Katie (Laura Allen) was alright (and predictable), and how Hank is still not drinking after the shit he lived through these last weeks is understandable too. But this episode was … kinda lame – in TERRIERS standards, but kinda still one of the better episodes compared to what I’ve seen on the networks so far.

The rape case was nicely connected with Hank’s past, and I always wanted to know how he lost his job. That the flashbacks brought Hank’s last days on the force, as well as in his marriage, in the spotlight was interesting info, but not needed much. Furthermore I couldn’t believe that he met Britt for the first time during the high times of the rape case. I would have imagined he knew him already or would have met him later. But obviously it was just a cheap way to have Britt in the flashbacks too, though he wasn’t even important for the past storyline.

But the rape case was handled way too easy in the present storyline. Laura (Alison Elliott) has information for Hank about it, and suddenly it is obvious who the rapist was. And it was Reynolds (Craig Susser)? That came way too suddenly, and it wasn’t as thrilling and exciting as it wanted to be. It just came way too fast, especially since Laura knew – here I have a question: How did Laura know, and why did she tell Hank, after she doesn’t know him for that long? It seems ridiculous that Laura either had the information about Burke for a while (before she met Hank), but didn’t go to the police with it, or she got the information after she met Hank, just to show that she can solve the case without help from the police so easily, while Gustafson (Rockmond Dunbar) and Hank needed three years to solve it. It looks awkward at the end…

Britt’s side plot was alright too. It was predictable that he will somehow learn who shagged with Katie, and it was obvious that he will beat the guy down to the ground. It was good that Hank told him that he knew (it brings some spice into their relationship for the last two episodes), and I liked Britt’s last scene behind bars – his world just crushed again.

Well, not really a great episode, and I can’t look beyond the big plot hole. But hey, still a good-enough episode, when it would have been aired on a network. 6.5/10

Three years ago, the world was still alright for Hank, but more fucked-up

Today, it's Britt's fucked-up world, which leads Hank through tons of messes

Four episodes left until TERRIERS is dead, buried, but probably not forgotten for ten more years. Edition number ten mostly deals with hank, and his efforts not to look into a bottle of scotch, since Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn) gets married to Jason (Loren Dean). And while Hank (Donal Logue) is successful with his plan of the day, he accidentally gets thrown back into the conspiracy of the series, which kinda looks like it has done a 180-turn – it looks completely different now than it did in the pilot episode.

The episode was good. Somehow the coincidence of Hank getting back into the conspiracy felt too much like a coincidence (as if the writers wanted to keep him drinking again for the season, now series finale), and too forced, as if the story should finally step into the whole conspiracy mess, so short before the finale, and with the characters even deeper in shit than before. But I liked it anyway, because it felt like the prelude to the finale. Hank and Zeitlin (Michael Gaston) are meeting up again, and both know that they have the perfect counterpart in front of each other. Zeitlin knows that Hank is a hard nut to crack, and considering what the conspiracy is all about, eager to find out what really is up; and Hank has any reason to bite Zeitlin in the balls, and give the viewers one more reason why the show is called TERRIERS.

It was interesting to notice that a conversation in a hotel suite can be that thrilling. Even though Laura (Alison Elliott) got introduced in this episode, and basically has nothing in common with Hank, except working on the same case, she got into as much shit as Hank is currently in, which is quite some work during one single episode.

The side plots, notably the wedding and the Britt (Michael Raymond-James)/Katie (Laura Allen) mess, were alright. Fortunately there wasn’t much about the wedding – Gretchen and Jason just married, no one had troubles with it (except Hank who had something else to do, and Britt who didn’t know what to think of the waste of this wedding), and the episode didn’t focus on it. But I don’t really think that placing Katie’s confession during the wedding was a nice move. It was a nice one to bring Britt away from Katie, so he can team up with Hank, messing around during the next three episodes, but it killed the previously good relationship between Katie and Britt, having the only positive constant in the series now gone. And furthermore, it seems obvious now that Britt has every reason now to play the angry man, who lost faith to the good parts of life – it promises interesting storylines for the next episodes, but they are predictable already too.

So, what’s coming next? hopefully some crazy messed-up chaos for the two heroes. Otherwise I can’t imagine how the series could end. 8/10

Three nerds for an alcoholic

Thrown into the world of drama: Britt

So, even an episode like this doesn’t bore me and instead entertains me on most of the levels. I can’t stop repeating to myself that the writing of this show is stellar. Bringing three different storylines into 43 minutes, and all of them interesting enough to fill a whole episode with (yes, even the $400-ripoff, and even though Hank’s [Donal Logue] story was mostly dust). Maybe it’s because of the characters, or maybe just because I really like the writing here.

Okay, to be seriously: All the stories couldn’t be more uninteresting, but I actually care about the characters. Though I would await for the writers to think about the way of Katie (Laura Allen) not revealing her “secret” to Britt (Michael Raymond-James) and take it into her grave (instead of pulling off the stereotypical character drama of her confessing the one night stand, and for Britt react in one of two ways: being pissed and go back to his “old” career, in addition leaving Katie; or accepting it, but never being able to forget what she’s done) and am a bit annoyed of her grumpy behavior these last episodes, so I definitely kinda expect something to happen very soon (or not happen). Britt popping the question to her was a nice scene, and thinking back to the episode, where Gustafson (again without a second of screentime) “warned” Britt about Hank, Britt pretty much took his life into his own hands, and decides to step further, maybe even on an own path in the future.

The stories were good. The $400-ripoff was short and nice, and I was always expecting for a little twist to happen, so that the story keeps the episode alive. That it was just the introduction for Mikaela (D.J. Pierce) and her own little storyline and search for a friend in the second half of the episode was a nice twist, and defines good writing. Again. And the episode didn’t even overdo the Mikaela-storyline, aways kept it short and far away from the edge, even made Mikaela a sympathic character who we feel for, when she brings the news about her friend’s death to his parents. In addition, Mikaela’s chemistry with Britt was great, and I almost would wish for her to return in a later episode, since the street business is always dangerous, and hookers need the protection.

Hank’s storyline was nice, but annoyed me a couple of seconds. I kinda found myself on Gretchen’s (Kimberly Quinn) side at the end, and then I realized that the writers overdo this story a bit. Especially after Jason (Loren Dean) was pretty much the alright-character, who could be trusted with Gretchen, and Hank didn’t need to have doubts about him. With the child molester story involving Jason, which was a bit confusing for me, the writers basically warmed up an old story, which I didn’t need that much in this episode. But it kept Hank in a story after he was shot last episode.

By the way: It was nice to see Maggie (Jamie Denbo) back. Though she already become the Gustafson of the female cast, I always like when I see one of the two (or both, for that matter) in an episode.

It was a good episode. The main plot (Hank/Jason) was dusty, the side plot (Britt/Mikaela) was more interesting. 7.5/10

Receiver of dangerous threats: Jason

Bringer of sad news: Britt and "Michael"

This is probably not a show for cat lovers.

A show with a dog breed in the title, a promo poster with a dangerous-looking dog in the focus of all the attention, and other promos which didn’t really show what this new FX series was all about. No wonder why I never really picked up on the show during the summer and had much interest in actually watching it. Only Shawn Ryan’s unstoppable self-promotion on Twitter kept the series for me alive, and since it is one of the earlier series pilots this fall, Terriers wins the spot and here you read a review of the first so-called pilot episode. And maybe it was absolutely the right thing not to know what the show is about or what to expect, because I am about to give all the positive words from the loving critics right: Terriers is a nice show, somewhat different from other investigating shows, with likable characters, a cute dog for three minutes of screentime and an interesting case for the first episode, which didn’t even find its conclusion here. After 51 minutes I found myself surprised that the episode was already over – I was thinking I was in the middle of the episode and my video player just ended the file. But maybe the pilot episode and the next one are just the big movie to set up the series, its characters and the ease of doing a difficult job.

With expecting not very much, the pilot gave me much. Again, cable television shows how to do interesting television shows, and there is one more year I am asking myself why network broadcasters need once every three years to mount such a television series. When is the time for more intelligent crime shows with wacked-up private investigators, who don’t investigate a murder, where the first guest character seen was the perp? When is the time for a crime show with a character, who buys the ex-wife’s house from his check he just got and clearly will bounce?

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