Plot: The team comes to rescue Parker when she gets trapped helping her former mentor. The con victim is a VP at a global agricultural firm.

Thoughts: This episode is more rescue than con – a pleasant change of pace from Leverage‘s usual episode structure. I like how Season Three has focused more on the family aspect of the team. Lisa Brenner puts in a phenomenal performance – I think she’s one of the best villains of the series. The aspects of the con in this one are less important – they exist to get Hardison in the door and, once he’s in, are superfluous. I also think it’s fascinating the writers are using techniques of the con, such as images planted in the subconscious inspiring action later (pay attention to what Nate’s watching on TV at the first of the episode). The scripting in this show is so excellent. Plus they’re throwing in easter eggs for fans (hello Parker’s bunny) – repeat viewings are well rewarded.

Plot: Cheryl West (Virginia Madsen), determined to go straight, takes a job in a supermarket, which leads to a confrontation with the sleazy boss and an accusation of stealing from the register. Cal is working for the Hongs and finds himself in a decidedly unprofessional relationship with Mrs. Hong. Heather talks Hope’s screenwriting partner into shooting a modeling session.

Thoughts: Well, it was an improvement over the first episode, but so far this show is still just cycling through cliches rather than giving anything new or thoughtful. The unimaginative Cheryl-gets-framed plot was redeemed somewhat by the way it was resolved. Less forgiving is the Heather-wants-to-be-a-model subplot, which has gotten more tedious and ended the episode in a totally preposterous fashion. It seems the writers are just flopping back and forth between cliche and dreamland, skipping over everything in between. Unfortunately the in between is what makes good shows.

At this point, the only characters of any interest are Cheryl and Cal. Hope is more boring than engaging thus far, but at least she gives a glimmer of optimism. The rest of the cast is just rolling out well-worn roles. The police detective who doubts the ex-con, the detective’s idiot assistant, the store manager who harasses his female staff. Yawn.

One more week I think – if episode 3 doesn’t give something notable this show will probably drop by the wayside.

Up On The Ridge
By Dierks Bentley
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The Boxer
By Kele
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Devil’s Music
By Teddybears
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Leverage
Season Three, Episode Two: The Reunion Job
TNT, Sunday, 9 PM EST

Plot: The team steals a high school reunion to help an exchange student trying to stop a tracking program before the Iran elections. The con victim is the head of a software company serving as the IT department for the Axis of Evil.

Thoughts: Another strong episode. The methods used this time were a bit of a departure from the team’s usual modus operandi, which is nice. This con was more a mental one than physically running the victim through a scam (although the latter takes place). Games of mental one-upmanship, while often not exciting or dramatic viewing, tend to fascinate me and, in my opinion, pay off big when done right.

The concepts of Roman Rooms and Neuro-Linguistic Programming are fascinating. There’s also some great humor scenes which play specifically on the character’s personalities, which I like to see because character-driven writing ends up being the most rewarding watching. To that point, this was a great Eliot episode. I love all the team members (a rarity for me – there’s usually at least one character in an ensemble that I don’t care for) but Eliot is easily my favorite.

Leverage
Season Three, Episode One: The Jailhouse Job
TNT, Sunday, 9 PM EST

Plot: The team works to both spring Nate (Timothy Hutton) from jail and help a good man who unjustly got an excessive sentence. The con victim is the CEO of a private prison company who’s providing kickbacks to judges who help keep his inmate population up.

Thoughts: I went from never having seen Leverage to it being my favorite show currently on TV in the span of a weekend, so my enthusiasm was high for the season premiere. It did not disappoint. There’s the usual ingenuity to the con and a wonderful running gag where everyone knows Sophie’s real name but Nate. For my money, this is the most creative heist plotting going on in all media today.

I understand most of the con isn’t practical or even realistic. I also understand it’s so creative I don’t much care. So, for me, the con is evaluated on the basis of coolness and cleverness. This episode ranks on the mid-to-high range in that regard, but what really thrilled me was the character interaction. You don’t need a lot of backstory to be able to enjoy Leverage, but the actors are good at taking small character bits in the script and turning them into rewarding scenes for regular viewers.

As a side note, this episode just screams for a Mythbusters episode to test Nate’s techniques for evading prison monitoring devices.

Plot:Nick Monohan (Frank Grillo), a former homicide detective, relocates his family to a community called The Gates to head the neighborhood security force. His suspicion quickly escalates a car wreck into a murder investigation, putting him at odds with the Radcliff family. Meanwhile his family try to adapt to their new surroundings, with disgruntled son Charlie (Travis Caldwell) developing a requited crush on schoolmate Andie Bates (Skyler Samuels) and a rivalry with Bates’ boyfriend.

Thoughts: I’m not a fan of supernatural shows, so The Gates comes out of the, er, gate with limited appeal for me. That said, the pilot episode was well done and by the end I was sufficiently intrigued to keep it scheduled on the DVR for at least two or three more shows to see how it develops.

The subplot involving the son and high school drama (albeit with werewolves involved) elicited a groan from me when it started up but was handled without cliche or lazy writing, sparking my appreciation and goodwill. The episode’s best scene came when Monohan’s wife called her husband out for selfishness in his pursuit of the Radcliffs, though I still found the detective an irritating presence by the credits.

What I enjoyed most about The Gates generally was the use of multiple plot lines to keep the show from dwelling in one place too long, and the handling of the supernatural aspects by acknowledging their importance but not overstating (or exploiting) it. Consider me cautiously optimistic.

Plot: After Wolf West (David James Elliott), father of a family of criminals, goes to jail for an unexpectedly long sentence, mother Cheryl West (Virginia Madsen) resolves to turn the family straight. Son Cal (Patrick John Fleuger) ends up on the wrong side of The Tongs after stealing a family heirloom from the Hong family, daughter Heather (Leven Rambin) fends off a slimy photographer in an attempt to get the remainder of model shoot, youngest child Hope (Vanessa Marano) is busted for missing 3 months of school to work on her screenplay, and good son Logan (Patrick John Fleuger again) passes the bar.

Thoughts: I found Scoundrels to be a mixed bag with certain plotlines hooking me and others leaning towards annoyance. The first episode’s subplot of Cal’s inept handling of the Hong situation was a highlight. On the flip side, I can see ditzy daughter Heather becoming intolerable in short time. Hope (who I’m assuming was not named so without reason) will likely be the main interest character for me.

While it’s not the best thing I’ve seen this week, it was sufficiently entertaining to keep it on the DVR for a few weeks. I’m willing to let the first episode slide because it didn’t really kick into the overall arc of the season until the final minutes. My biggest concern is that the show will devolve into the same plot episode after episode, namely: [family member] gets accused of a crime and has to prove their innocence. If they do that plot well and creatively I’m fine with it, but, speaking frankly, the first episode does little to convince me the writing is there for that level of a show.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Plot: Logan (Hugh Jackman) tried to escape his violent past, but when his brother kills his lover he undergoes a highly experimental process to provide the strength to get revenge.

Thoughts: I wish the film had been more self-contained. I understand they’re trying to slot it into the X-Men series but the ending felt unsatisfying. Can this film even stand on its own? The action scenes are, of course, unrealistic but entertaining. The drama bits are surprisingly solid. The pieces all work on their own – I think the insistence it ends in a certain place derails the whole.

I like Hugh Jackman, and I like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. That said, Wolverine is appealing more because he embodies an ideal for men rather than possessing any charisma or intrigue. And, dear Lord, what they did to poor Deadpool. I see from IMDB that there’s a Deadpool movie forthcoming so hopefully that will be cleaned up.

Is it worth seeing? Only if you’re interested in the backstory of Wolverine. Of course, in comics, characters have their histories revised and rewritten constantly so you could just wait and see if, at some point in the future, they do the same here.

Plot: Detective Dwight Hendrix (Jason Lee) and partner Charlie White (Sam Hennings) investigate the abuse of an elderly Memphis radio legend.

Thoughts: This was completely different than I was expecting. I was thinking offbeat cop show, like Psych. Instead, while it started offbeat, the show turned intense quickly. Overall it was good and well done, but the unexpected tone caught me off guard.

I’ve spent enough time in Memphis to know this is Hollywood’s Memphis, not real Memphis (you can watch Police Women of Memphis to see reality), but it sells me anyway. There’s some beautiful old locations in just the right state of disrepair. The acting is good. It’s interesting to see Jason Lee pull off a straight dramatic role – no snark or knowing winks here.

I’m interested to see how this series develops. The preview for next episode looks like it might be similarly intense and perhaps expecting it will give me a new perspective.

I quite like this cover for a three song compilation that I know next to nothing about. It’s a great picture and the text is creative while remaining legible. Plus it’s intriguing and makes me want to hear the album to find out what’s afoot – you can’t ask for much more than that.