A new show for me & worth checking out: The Cleaner

THE CLEANER: 2.01 “Hello America”

There are a few people that I really take stock in what they have to say about TV. If I hear from one of my parents that a show is really good, I tend to check it out. They’re pretty good at identifying if something could be better or whether it’s turned to meaningless pudding.

But The Cleaner is one of those shows that they suggested as a good one, so it’s one I’ve wanted to check out. Of course, it’s also one that’s on A&E, and I tend to forget when it’s on. Fortunately, I remembered that the season two premiere was on tonight, so I was able to check it out.

And for a show that I really knew little about (I knew he was an addict that now is clean and helping others), I was surprised how quickly I was invested in it. I mean, I even kept watching after discovering that Whoopi Goldberg was a guest star (and you know? She wasn’t that bad. She was a real character–not just Whoopi Goldberg).

The main story was great: An addict turned to pain killers and other drugs after his wife was diagnosed with cancer. His wife hires William to get him clean. What’s more interesting is that the wife actually stopped taking her own meds because of her husband’s addiction, which in the end is what makes him turn to rehabilitation.

It was a little far fetched in the end, imagining that this addict just suddenly did a 180 by the end of the episode, but the sadness in seeing that the wife was turning to morphine (and ultimately her death) just to be able to live a manageable life was something that really struck a chord. It was so bittersweet, watching her dance into the moonlight with her husband, knowning what we know.

Anyway, seeing as this entire series is inspired by a true story, I’m really intrigued. I think that there can be a lot of stories this show can cover, and I’m curious to see where it goes. And the issues behind it.

For example, Whoopi played PK, William’s former sponsor, who was a bit perturbed to see him after so many years. She’s of the severe belief that you can’t be clean without help. And I think that’s a merited opinion. But wouldn’t his success be proving her wrong? Granted, I don’t know how last season was, if he’s slipped at all or if there’s been struggles. But based on what she was seeing in this episode alone, it looks like he was doing quite well, and she should be happy for him. Perhaps it was more a personal hurt more than anything else?

I am interested, too, in William’s character and where we can go with his own addiction. I’m less interested in his family struggles (though maybe I should take a look through A&E’s website and check out the previous season), but the characters are likable, and I’m rooting for William and his wife to get back together.

Anyway, it’s definitely a show worth watching, so take a look. A&E on Tuesdays at 10:00. Check it out. (And if you missed tonight’s episode, there’s a good smattering of re-airings, so take a look at IMDB’s schedule of airings.)

What presses your buttons?

RAISING THE BAR: 2.03 “The Curious Case of Kellerman’s Button”

It’s pretty awesome that I got to talk to J. August Richards yesterday (see the interview), because his character Marcus McGrath really stood out in last night’s episode.

The hard-as-nails lawyer was the one to beat this week. And Roz sure did give it a try. To be honest, even as the episode ended, you really wondered if the abuse really was a hate crime. Maybe there were elements on each side. Who knows?

But it was interesting. Not just because Marcus put up a fight that couldn’t be beat. And it wasn’t just because I was thinking of J.’s own description of becoming Marcus–how he always thinks about the victim when he’s composing his character for the episode (and we even saw the victim this time, so how couldn’t we picture him?). It was more than just Marcus. It was everyone else in the courtroom, too. Especially Charlie and Richard, who both really let the case hit home.

As for Charlie, it was nearly impossible to take your eyes off of him throughout the trial. Talk about hitting close to home. And yet, at the end of the day, he was the one who felt that it was definitely not a hate crime and that if proven guilty, the defendant shouldn’t get the full sentence. And wasn’t Trudy’s response to this interesting? I think it will be a really neat aspect of the court system if we get to see the outside forces that determine a judge’s decision.

And Richard? Well, I was surprised at his reaction, but we haven’t seen that much of him, so maybe we will soon. He does have a softer side, and one of my favorite episode was the one when he was defending the old woman with the shopping habit, so if he didn’t have the heart, what would there be?

Meanwhile, Jerry was back in court. This was the main issue that I had: Last week, we ended with a cliffhanger of sorts. We were in the middle of trial, and Michelle had moved on to her sketchy new beau–that perhaps gave her fake evidence. So where did that case go? Why don’t we get to see the end?

However, his interactions with the new judge were enjoyable. I liked especially the scene in his office, when he was sewing on the button. He’s not just a quirky judge. There’s more to it (though there’s still a crazier side to him–clearly).

But good for Roz, you know? Throughout the episode, we were rooting for Jerry, weren’t we? We wanted him to win and get his time in court! His hijinks were funny, and frankly, I enjoyed them.

But what about those other defendants who didn’t get their time in court because of Jerry’s actions? We really didn’t think about them. And neither did Jerry. So good for Roz. And good for Raising the Bar for showing us something else to think about in this messy messy world we call the judicial system.