This episode starts promisingly. There is a mystery and the plot seems not to be a retread of any story we've seen in other shows hundreds of times before. Also, we have an appearance of Rose, the Cute Comic Relief Coroner, previously seen in #1.2, "The Only Easy Day", and her revelation that she has a thing for Nate (the underrated Peter Cambor from the underrated Notes from the Underbelly, the *best* episodes of which did not even air in USA). So far, so good...
But. Come the end, the promising plot has fizzled out and there will be no follow-up according to the plot outlines of the rest of the season. What was Safar planning? Apparently, we'll never know. Also, Rose has no listed reappearance in the series, meaning that any romantic subplot is wasted as well. Seeing as how Rose is the most interesting character in this episode and Nate is the most interesting of the regular characters, the whole series has failed to sparkle and it's already mid-season.
The writers don't seem to bother writing interesting characters, and the actors, none of whom have exactly established a record of being reliable *character* actors, seem to be phoning their performances in. Can't really blame them as they are given such thin material. Worse yet, the show hasn't managed to establish an identity that would make it stand out from the crowded field of crime procedural dramas. JAG had an irresistible charm and NCIS established itself as *the* funniest procedural show on TV, but in Los Angeles, the jokes almost constantly fall flat. They are either clumsily written, poorly delivered, or both. All this is a shame, since if NCIS ends, this kind of 5/10 material is hardly a worthy bearer of the franchise torch.
But. Come the end, the promising plot has fizzled out and there will be no follow-up according to the plot outlines of the rest of the season. What was Safar planning? Apparently, we'll never know. Also, Rose has no listed reappearance in the series, meaning that any romantic subplot is wasted as well. Seeing as how Rose is the most interesting character in this episode and Nate is the most interesting of the regular characters, the whole series has failed to sparkle and it's already mid-season.
The writers don't seem to bother writing interesting characters, and the actors, none of whom have exactly established a record of being reliable *character* actors, seem to be phoning their performances in. Can't really blame them as they are given such thin material. Worse yet, the show hasn't managed to establish an identity that would make it stand out from the crowded field of crime procedural dramas. JAG had an irresistible charm and NCIS established itself as *the* funniest procedural show on TV, but in Los Angeles, the jokes almost constantly fall flat. They are either clumsily written, poorly delivered, or both. All this is a shame, since if NCIS ends, this kind of 5/10 material is hardly a worthy bearer of the franchise torch.
