weewarrior

I can't exactly say that Eli Stone has kept my imagination overly much. I watched the pilot and then basically forgot it was on; guess neither Victor Garber - here working under the admittedly lovely name Jordan Weathersby - nor George Michael could keep me overly interested. Fortunately enough, the internet gave us youtube, so that it's possible to get both without having to sit through the rest of the show!

Thus in lieu of a review: Victor Garber sings Freedom.

This is one of those shows that sneaks up on you, seemingly nothing special at first, just another procedural with a quirky lead character, one that you suspect will never really raise above any of its countless siblings. But then, suddenly, it turns out to be this character-driven, atmospheric little jewel that has great acting, good writing, brilliant music, a solid overarching mystery, standalone cases that are not excessively ripped from the headlines and an investigating duo that rivals early Mulder/Scully in chemistry, and before you really know it, you're hooked. Additional bonus - tons of Deadwood alumni keep creeping up, and "Calamity Jane" Robin Weigert has a regular spot as Crews and Reese's Lieutenant.

The story is simple: Cop Charlie Crews has been incarcerated for 12 years, for murders he didn't commit. His lawyer manages to prove his innocence and achieve compensation - a considerable amount of money and the department he used to work for hiring him back, this time as a detective. He doesn't just return for the fun of police work, obviously, he wants to find out who set him up, and there indeed may have been a rather sinister conspiracy, complete with faking evidence and hiding witnesses. This mystery unfolds slowly but steadily in the background, and illustrates both Charlie's character and his evolving relationships to the people around him, especially his housemate, financial advisor and fellow ex-convict Ted, his new partner Dani Reese and his old partner Bobby Stark.

It's extremely well done, and if you don't watch it yet, you should really try it out. I'm sure you won't regret it.


( Very brief, random thoughts on the most recent episode, A Civil War )

In my neverending quest to escape my poetry essay, I stumbled across this extremely well-done vid featuring extracts of the movie version of 300 - set to "Vogue." It probably would make Frank Miller cry, and is generally all around awesome. Thus, watch it.