So, as sad as it is, Sunday has bascially become my only night of TV to look forward to. And, the shows I'm looking forward to on said night, aren't exactly obsession-worthy. That said, I takes what I gets.
First off, I caught the second episode of In Plain Sight (titled Hoosier Daddy--apparently the bad guy was from Indiana or something...) and must say it was considerably better than the pilot. I'm not ready to bet the farm quite yet, but I think this show has some winner potential. Last night's A-plot was quite engaging and also illuminated some interesting inter-character dynamics. The A-plot was well-thought-out and well-structured. It was a bit contrived, particularly the sorta saccharine ending, but I think it worked well. Mary succeeds in her quest to protect a 10-year-old boy by any means necessary. She's willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, and is apparently quite good at doing so. As with any show that follows this basic formula, I think for credibility's sake, she'll obviously win her battles for the first several episodes, perhaps even the whole season. For the conceit to work, the audience has to believe that she really is a badass who can get things done. The audience has to buy in to her persona as a no-nosense rebel who does her job well, no matter what she has to do or how many rules she has to break in the process. Her job is her life, and she puts anything and everything on the line to protect it.
This conceit, this formula, however, is at its most interesting when the protagonist does NOT succeed. Eventually, Mary, as with Dr. House, Veronica Mars, and Sydney Bristow before her, must get in over her head and must fail. I'm not sure if it's a good sign or a bad sign that I already want to see how she handles failure, but there it is. Last night I wasn't sure she would succeed, and felt like it was a bit contrived when she did. I think the show needs to flesh out its characters more and build more of a foundation for success before I can really, whole-heartedly, Dr. House-ishly believe that she will invariably succeed.
Contrivances aside, I really did enjoy last night's episode. It still needs work, but I'm compelled enough to hang in there. I was particularly pleased to see some character development for Marshall. I think he has a lot of potential to really draw viewers in. He acts as a more mild-mannered foil for Mary, but he's not milquetoasty at all. It was actually really exciting to see Mary and Marshall work together. They have a very friendly, brotherly-sisterly vibe going to I'm actually finding quite charming. The scene where Marshall knocks the drink all over their boss was particularly effective. (It'll be interesting to see if/when the writers go for the romantic storyline between them. I thinking it'll be more Mulder/Scully and less Vaughn/Sydney, but only time will tell.) They clearly know each other better than anyone else knows them and that gives them a comfort level where they know what the other is thinking and can use that to advantage. When Marshall confronted the boy's father (played awesomely by Fun Bobby!), and accosted his lawyer, it was extremely satisfying. Beneath Marshall's monotone, cool-as-a-cucumber exterior, he really is a force to be reckoned with. I'm excited to see more of that.
In less-satisfying news, the episode's B-plot was fairly unsuccessful at best. Mary's mother, played by Lesley Ann Warren (who has seriously cornered the crazy mother racket), and sister go on a wacky adventure in employment. The B-plot was forced and had basically nothing to do with anything at all. Before supporting characters can go off on their own B-plots, they need to be well-developed with relation to the lead characters. I found myself annoyed that they were cutting away from the reasonably-solid A-plot in order to focus on the completely pointless B-plot. Not that I think the mother and sister characters aren't viable, but they just aren't developed enough to keep me caring yet. Case in point, I can't even remember what their names are. Not the foggiest idea. I want to say the sister had a ditzy-girl name, but that could be anything from Tiffani to Kimberly to Jasmine to Bambi. Brandi!? I think it might be Brandi. Which... yeah... I still think there's hope for the supporting characters, but last night was a stretch at best.
In summation: I'm hopeful, but cautious. Unless the show can figure out a way to have some meaningful interaction between Mary and her family, I fear the mother and sister will be nothing but distractions and annoyances. I'm much more invested in Mary and Marshall and their dynamic than in any other relationship on the show, so I found it irritating to be sidetracked by the wacky hijinx of minor players. Although, all in all, I guess the fact that I care about any of the characters at all is a very hopeful sign for the show... Here's hoping.
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