Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Mentalist season 2

The second season of The Mentalist premiered on September 24, 2009 and concluded in May 2010. It consists of 23 episodes.

CBS moved the show from Tuesdays at 9/8c to Thursdays at 10/9c, after CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The second season of The Mentalist premiered in the United Kingdom on FIVE on Friday February 19, 2010 at 9pm.

Episode 1: Redemption
A woman who apparently stole a million dollars from her employer is found suffocated. Jane feels he's ready to leave the CBI since the Red John case has been given to Sam Bosco, but Jane decides to stick around for "one more case".

Episode 2: The Scarlet Letter
The CBI team investigates the murder of a prominent State Senator's intern. Agent Lisbon is late to her psychiatrist for the third time in a row and tries to convince him she's alright. Jane keeps an eye on Sam Bosco and the Red John case while boasting that he can find the murderer of the CBI's current case in 24 hours.

Episode 3: Red Badge
Lisbon is still attending counselling after five weeks and is upset that the psychiatrist won't sign her off yet. The CBI receives an anonymous tip about a murder and the victim is found to be a criminal from Lisbon's past. Lisbon is named the prime suspect after her gun is discovered to be the murder weapon and she is unable to recall the night of the murder.

She then goes into depression and cannot understand why she does not remember what happened that night. Jane attempts to hypnotize her to make her remember and realizes that she cannot because she has been drugged. Jane and Lisbon then put on a show in the office that makes Lisbon seem crazy and the murderer is revealed.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

James Clavells Shogun

There was a time in TV when the mini-series was king. They were great prestige products for the networks who, risking immense financial expenditure, hoped to create a cinematic masterpiece on a small screen.

SHOGUN may be the ultimate expression of this neglected TV format. Based on James Clavell's sweeping epic novel of the same name, it succeeds fully in transporting the viewer to another time and place.

Through John Blackthorne's eyes (Richard Chamberlain in a now iconic performance, blending moments of delightful scenery chewing with moments of genuine emotion and subtlety), we become ever more involved in the political dealings of the Japanese nobility and the mixed motives of the Jesuits.

One of the great triumphs of SHOGUN is to ensnare the viewer despite long segments in Japanese with no subtitles. The filmmakers were trying to tell the story through Blackthorne's eyes and save for a few moments of narration explaining the dialog, we are left to slowly comprehend the action at the same pace as Blackthorne.

It's a device which works wonderfully well, leaving the viewer to figure out what's going on through context and character.

Indo-webster:  James Clavells Shogun