Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives was faced with a tremendous problem for season two. Season 1 was carried along by a compelling mystery. While the performances of the main four actresses were brilliant, the narrative was carried along by the circumstances surrounding Mary Alice's death. Unfortunately, season 2 failed miserably at coming up with any sustainable narrative arc. We were introduced to the Applewhite family, and the beginning of the season teased us that this might develop itno something far more interesting. And with Alfre Woodard, it should have been. Sadly, this story went nowhere. I have rarely seen an actress as talented as Alfre Woodard so poorly used on a show. None of the other stories ever developed any momentum. Sure, there were some fun side plots, such as Lynette navigating her return to work and Bree dealing with a several family crises. But the stories for Susan and Gabrielle were inconsistent and poorly developed. The season never really gained any momentum and suffered through a very weak season finale that failed to set up interesting possibilities for season 3. The reason this show is ranked as high as it is is due to the performances of Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross, who turned in brilliant performance after brilliant performance. They made this season much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.
Best Episode: "Next"
Worst Episode: "Remember"
Best Performer: Marcia Cross
Worst Performer: Eva Longoria
Rank Against Previous Seasons: 2nd/2
AliasIt's been a strange ride for
Alias. What started out as a fun, fast paced action show with clever cliffhangers and a sexy lead reached it's apex in season 2 with an incredibly well planned season arc that brilliantly merged intense supenseful stunts and thoughtful emotional complexity. Unfortunately, Lena Olin left at the end of season 2 and the show went into a tailspin the next year. Saly it was a tailspin it would never really recover from. Things got better in season 4, with some interesting individual episodes, but the absence of a season long arc was upsetting. Still, it managed to close out the season with the finest single episode in the entire run of the show, thanks again to the return of Lena Olin. They tried to do some different stuff in season 5, bringing in a couple fresh faces (Amy Acker and Rachel McAdams were good, Balthazar Getty was not), but still suffered from some of the same post- season 2 flaws (idiotic fake deaths, inconsistent season arc). The season finale itself was a mixed bag in some respects, but did provide a nice conclusion to things. It was an extremely inconsistent show, but when it was on it's game, it wa sone of the most purely entertaining shows on television. I'll miss this show.
Best Episode: "Reprisal"
Worst Episode: "Prophet Five"
Best Performer: Victor Garber
Worst Performer: Balthazar Getty
Rank Against Previous Seasons: 4th/5
Season Grade: B
ConvictionI've never been a big fan of the
Law & Order series. Despite the obviously high production values, the self-contained procedure-based format made everything feel pointless. While I don't necessarily need a continuing soap oepra storyline to capture my interest, I do like there to be some kind of minimal character development. Without that, there's little reason to care what happens. This makes the failure of
Conviction all the more distressing.
Conviction was a
Law & Order spinoff that did not benefit from it's brand name and sharply departed from the structure. Instead of focusing solely on the procedure and arguments, conviction spent plenty of time developing its characters, following their journeys as young, idealistic, prosecutors. The most interesting were the lovely Julianne Nicholson as the nervous and shy newcomer, and Eric Balfour as a tough guy from the streets that decided to go to law school. The romance that slowly developed between these two was nicely played and it helped that they had terrific chemistry together. However,
Conviction certainly wasn't a perfect show. The wooden Anson Mount basically functioned as the lead character and he was extremely dull. Some of the soap opera-ish elements were not well thought out, including an ill-conceived love triangle betwen Mount, Milena Govich, and Stephanie March. Still, there was plenty to enjoy here and it's a shame that viewers rejected this format. At least it ended with a beautiful closing shot of Balfour and Nicholson. Bravo.
Best Episode: "Hostage"
Worst Episode: "True Love"
Best Performer: Julianne Nicholson
Worst Performer: Anson Mount
Grade: B
Kitchen ConfidentialOne of the most promishing shows coming into this season was
Kitchen Confidential. It had a fun, eclectic cast filled with
Alias's Bradley Cooper,
Buffy's Nicholas Brendan,
Freaks & Geeks' John Francis Daley, and
Grosse Pointe's Bonnie Sommerville. There was also alot of buzz due to it's fast-paced, quirky nature, and the fact that it was a workplace comedy about a workplace that we haven't seen much of lately. For the most part,
Kitchen Confidential was a good show. The ensemble cast clicked just as expected, althoug Bonnie sommerville never completely fit in. There were some fun guest stars throughout, including John Larroquette as a dying chef, and Michael Vartan as a french rival. The problem is that the show never really found it's comic rhythm. The fast pace sped over many of the better jokes, and didn't stop enough to ground the show in any kind of narrative stability. I have no doubt that the show would have succeeded if given enough time. It had the potential to be great. Unfortunately, it needed some more time to do that, and the abysmal ratings prevented that from happening. In a world where
Two and a Half Men is a hit, it's a shame that a fresh, inventive show like this never had a chance.
Best Episode: "Dinner Date with Death
Worst Episode: "Exile on Main Street"
Best Performer: Julianne Nicholson
Worst Performer: Anson Mount
Grade: B
