‘Burned’ is back in business

BURN NOTICE: 3.01 “Friends and Family”

Sorry I’m a little late in posting on this ep, but I wanted to take some time to think about it a little bit before responding. And I’m glad I did.

I liked the episode. It was classic Burn Notice. From the great heisty situations to the voiceover tidbits of information that make you wonder, “Is that really true? People can do that?”

But something was amiss for me. There was something wrong.

First, let me say that I knew Harlan would be bad from the start. I mean, come on. His name is Harlan. Plus, you can never trust people from Michael’s past.

But aside from that, the plot was fine. They had their job, they made it work, they ran into trouble, and there were some fun car crashes along the way. So what was the problem?

Well, I guess I was expecting something bigger. The season finale of last season was incredible. I mean, I was on the edge of my seat. It seemed like every character was on the edge of their life, wondering if they’ll be the one to fall. Where was the extreme action in this episode?

I get it on one side. With the end of last season, one chapter closed. But I would have thought another would have reopened, at least a little more obviously. And I questioned Fi’s side of things. Where did this anti-government side come from? I mean, it’s no surprise, but she seemed especially vocal about it this episode and it really made me wonder.

Now, you have to take into account that I’ve missed some episodes in the past seasons and most of the ones I’ve watched have been out of order, so maybe this is something that I should have noticed, but I just didn’t. Your call.

And ultimately, I did enjoy the episode. As always, it kept you guessing and wondering what they could possibly do next. But where’s the part that links it to the killer season ender?

Anyway, I assume that a great story arc is sitting in someone shirtsleeve, ready to whip it out as soon as they get a good hand, so I’ll keep watching and waiting. And maybe I’m too critical on a show that’s especially action-packed.

But I don’t know. What’d you think?

Broken down and broken up

ARMY WIVES: 3.01 “Best Laid Plans”

Army Wives doesn’t exactly want to you to start off a season with a smile, huh? Last season, we were introduced to the heart-wrenching episode that left Amanda dead and all others sobbing (including those who were huddled in front of the TV). Last night, while no deaths occurred, we weren’t that much happier.

I didn’t know what to expect with this week’s episode. I was a little fuzzy on the season finale of last season–what with it being so long ago–and the cliffhanger of Emmalin’s disappearance didn’t grab me nearly as much as the writers hoped. Sure, I wanted to know what happened, but I wasn’t at the edge of my seat.

But I’d say they handled it well, discovering that she’s running off to get married. It bothered me a bit to find out that the entire storyline with Logan was written off within the first fifteen minutes (if that), but the rest of the episode didn’t disappoint with the family drama among Emmalin, Claudia Joy, and Michael. It does make me wonder how much we’ll see Michael from here on out and how Claudia Joy will be allowed to stay on base, but I guess that will work itself out.

The cliffhanger storyline that did bug me a bit was that of Roxy and Betty’s “nephew.” It wasn’t a story the dug at me throughout the show’s hiatus, but I did expect it to go on past the season premiere. Finding out rather suddenly that he was just a con man seemed like a cop out. I would have liked to see Roxy fight. Roxy is one of the strongest women on the show, despite her teeny-ness, so to see her grow and become someone who was willing to take it to court–I would have liked to see that.

Meanwhile, there was Denise. I felt bad for her, I really did. I’m surprised she didn’t speak up more when she was fired, considering that he was no longer a patient when she slept with him. He had been released. And when he broke up with her, well, that was just sad.

But my issue is that I’m caring very little for this storyline. I’m not a fan of Frank. They really turned him into the bad guy last season when Denise was trying to grow and become her own woman, and he was trying to hold her back. Now, we’re supposed to feel bad for him, or possibly even conflicted, with all their marital problems. But I still don’t like him.

Not that I want to see him die. I feel like they’re heavily setting up an incident for him. Whether that means he’ll be killed or injured, I don’t know. But even the promos tend to suggest it. I kinda wish they’d just write him out in some peaceful way, but then she wouldn’t quite be an army wife anymore, huh?

Anyway, it was a good start to the new season, though not as dramatic as last season (but can you really match an explosion?). I look forward to seeing where the show goes, though I hope it’s less in the vacinity of Denise’s bedroom and more back to the basic day-to-day lives of our women.

Neil Patrick Harris sings! (His closing number on the Tonys.)

This is what I was waiting for! As you read, I TiVoed the Tony’s last night, which leads to one small problem: The show cuts off if it runs over! Which means I missed this!

This is what I was wanting! Neil Patrick Harris to sing! I thought we’d get it in the opening, but hey, I can’t complain if it’s the closing.

Yay. This makes my Monday as shiny as Neil Patrick Harris’ tux. Thank you, YouTube!