Vampire Diaries
Season Two, Episode Fourteen, Cry Wolf
Original Air Date: February 10, 2011
Jules and Brady learn why Mason wanted the moonstone. Stefan and Elena head away for a romantic weekend together but things don't go as planned. Jules and her friends capture and torture Damon for information about the moonstone but Damon has an unlikely savior. John Gilbert successfully plants doubt into Jenna's mind about Alaric. Tyler makes a decision about his future.
Jules and Brady receive news from another of their friends, Stevie, about the moonstone Tyler had told them about. He tells them about the Sun & Moon curse and how the vampires are putting everything in place to break the curse. Brady vows that, even if they they have to kill every vampire in Mystic Falls, they cannot allow that to happen.
Elena gets an early morning call from Stefan the night after her slumber party with Caroline. She asks Stefan to take her far, far away from everything that's going on. Andie Star mentions to Damon that she will be interviewing a writer named Elijah Smith working on a book about small-town Virginia. Before she leaves, he makes sure she has her story straight about their relationship and even compels her to believe that she's falling in love with him and he "might be the one". As she is leaving the Salvatore house, Alaric is arriving. Damon shows him the dagger and ashes John Gilbert gave him to kill the Originals with. He tells Damon about he and Jenna having to attend the society event at the Lockwood's where Elijah will be a guest of honor. Damon assures Alaric he won't try to kill Elijah at the party but he does feel it's time they officially met.
Bonnie gives Caroline more details about her plans regarding Elijah and Luka. Bonnie is going to ask Luka what Elijah's plans are straight out and he will not have a choice as to whether to tell her anything or not. Matt walks by and snubs Caroline.
Tyler stops by to see Jules and Brady and again warns them they need to leave. Jules promises that they will, soon. She and Brady ask Tyler to help them find the moonstone. Stevie, Brady and Jules explain to him that if the curse is broken, vampires can walk during the day but werewolves are stuck turning at the full moon (werewolf domination according to them). If the curse remains, werewolves can turn anytime and vampires are still held to the night and the werewolves can kill vampires anytime they want. Stevie mentions that the vampires must have found the doppleganger and he shows Tyler a picture of "Kathy" (Katherine) and Tyler identifies the girl as Elena.
Caroline wants to talk to Matt but doesn't want to talk with her. He asks her about last night and tells her he saw Bonnie last night. Tyler goes to the Grill to see Caroline. She is still angry with him and wants him to leave her alone. She drops her purse and when he bends to help her pick things up, pockets her cell phone. He tells her there is so much for them to talk about but she again tells him to leave her alone and rushes away. Matt tells Tyler that if he wants to get together with Caroline it's fine but they need to stop lying about it. When Tyler insists there isn't anything going on, Matt grabs him by the coat and orders him to stop lying.
As Elena and Stefan are getting ready to leave for their romantic getaway, Elena gets a text from Caroline that they need to talk. Elena texts back that she is getting ready to go to the lake house with Stefan and she receives a text back to never mind and have fun. The messages came from Tyler who tells Brady, Jules and Stevie that the two are headed to the lake where the Gilbert's have a house. Brady wants them to go and get their doppleganger. Stefan and Elena arrive at the Gilbert lake house where she hasn't been since her parents died. Stefan assures her they can leave if she wants to but she wants to stay.
Carol Lockwood and Elijah make small talk about the book he is supposed to be writing when Damon arrives. Andie and Damon share a quick kiss in front of Jenna and he thanks Jenna for introducing them. Carol Lockwood introduces Damon to Elijah saying the Salvatores were one of the founding families.
Bonnie takes Luka a truce coffee and thanks him for what his father did in saving her friends from the wolf pack. As Caroline and Jeremy watch as Bonnie talks with Luka something he says leads Caroline to figure out that Jeremy is sweet on Bonnie. Luka starts to feel lightheaded and Bonnie, Jeremy and Caroline help him out of the Grill.
At the lake, Elena shares some of her happy childhood memories with Stefan. She wonders what their future and their memories will be like. Damon and Elijah step into the Lockwood study for a private conversation. John questions Alaric about why Damon and Elijah are together and asks if Jenna knows about his (Alaric's) "extracurricular activities". He tells Alaric he shouldn't sleep over anymore because it is inappropriate with children in the house then proceeds to tell him the ring Isobel gave him is his and he wants it back. Damon and Elijah have a conversation about why Elijah is there. Elijah tells Damon to worry about keeping Elena safe and to leave the rest to him but Damon isn't satisfied with that answer. The stronger Elijah pins Damon to the wall, stabs him with a pencil and warns him that he must show a little respect since he's an Original. When he (Damon) ceases to be of use to him, he's dead.
Stefan is working on preparing dinner when Elena notices the fire is burning down. As Stefan and Elena are kissing in the closet of her parent's bedroom, Stefan notices the wall is hollow. Behind it, he finds a door that leads to a room full of vampire killing equipment.
Jeremy, Caroline and Bonnie prepare for Bonnie to put Luka into a trance to ask him questions. When Jeremy goes to get a bowl of water for Bonnie, Caroline tells her that Jeremy is "so crushing" on her. Caroline is rather encouraging toward Bonnie and Jeremy as a couple. As Luka beings to awaken, Bonnie starts her spell.
Alaric and Damon talk and Alaric warns Damon to think twice before trusting John Gilbert's ashes and dagger. Alaric asks him not to kill Andie Star. As Alaric is leaving, Damon hears a crash from the hall. He gets up to investigate and finds Alaric with a stake in his stomach. Stevie drops down from the ceiling and overtakes Damon, stabbing him. Damon struggles but eventually succumbs. Jules and her friends enter.
Elena finds the other Jonathan Gilbert journals in the secret room. Stefan goes out to get more firewood while Elena looks through the room. Brady learns that their plan is working nicely and asks Tyler if he's up for what they're doing. He tells Tyler that the vampires, including Caroline, have done nothing but lie to him and they are the enemy. Tyler assures Brady he is up for it. Brady promises if he betrays them, Tyler must deal with him.
Jenna tells John she gave Elena permission to spend the weekend at the lake house with Stefan. He accuses her of being negligent with Elena and Jenna tells him Elena wanted to get away from him. John tells Jenna to ask Alaric what happened to Isobel since her body was never found.
Damon has been chained up much the same way he had Mason tied before he killed him. Alaric is still wearing his ring. Stevie is there when Damon awakens. As he tortures Damon, Jules asks about the moonstone. Damon, ever the strong one, tells her they can torture him but he won't talk and someone will lose a heart, last time it was Mason.
Luka fights Bonnie's spell and begs her stop but she continues. When he finally succumbs to her, she asks why he's working with Elijah to which he answers "Klaus. We both want him dead." When she asks why they want Klaus dead as well he answers "Because he has her and we have to get her away from them." She questions him further and the answer is "My sister." She asks why he has her and Luka answers "He's searching for a way to undo the curse without the doppleganger. He's forced generations of witches to help him for centuries." She asks what Elijah has promised him. "If we help Elijah kill Klaus, he's promised to return her to us." She asks how they kill Klaus. Luka struggles and tells her he will kill him if he tells her anything. Jeremy tells Bonnie they'll find another way but she pushes harder and asks again. After the sacrifice, Klaus will be vulnerable and that will be their only chance to kill him. Caroline asks about the sacrifice and Luka tells them Elena has to die.
When Stefan goes into the shed outside, Brady shoots him with a wooden bullet. He tells Tyler to keep him down and gives him the gun and a stake ordering him to kill Stefan if he moves. Tyler holds the gun on Stefan and refuses to let him get the bullet out. He tells Stefan he can't let him break the curse. Stefan assures him they don't want to break the curse. Tyler shoots Stefan in the leg and tells Stefan he does as he doesn't want to be a werewolf forever. Stefan tells him they are trying to protect Elena and Tyler replies she'll be fine. Stefan asks him who the liars are now and tells him that in order to break the curse, Elena must die.
Elena calls to Stefan and when she receives no answer becomes worried. When she steps outside, Brady comes up behind her and she stabs him in the stomach with a stake, goes inside and locks the door. She runs upstairs as he enters the house. She goes back downstairs while he's upstairs looking for her and slams the front door to make him think she left but he knows she's still in the house. When he opens the door to the secret room, she stabs him from behind and runs outside. As Brady is leaving the house, Stefan reaches out, plunges his hand into Brady's body and takes his heart. Tyler walks up and he apologizes saying he doesn't want to be like that anymore. Elena embraces him.
As Jules is getting ready to shoot Damon with buckshot she asks once more for the moonstone. He tells her she's never getting it. From behind, Elijah asks if they're looking for this. He's holding the moonstone. He enters the room and lays the moonstone down on a table and steps back. When one of them goes forward to get it, Elijah rushes in and takes the mans heart. He easily kills two more leaving only Jules and Stevie. Jules flees. Elijah kills Stevie and frees Damon, takes the moonstone and leaves.
Bonnie calls Damon with what she learned from Luka, especially the sacrifice being part of his plan. Alaric finally awakens and calls Jenna while Damon cleans up. It's clear what John said to her is going through her mind. Damon calls Stefan to tell him what Bonnie learned and that he should keep Elena away longer than they planned. Once off the phone, Stefan tells Elena the truth about Elijah and his plans. She's still willing to make the sacrifice of dying to save those she loves. He's angry that she is martyring herself. He's lived 162 years and she's barely begun.
Caroline takes Luka back to the Grill leaving Bonnie and Jeremy to talk. Bonnie tells him that he's Elena's little brother and she's known him forever. He's gone through all his phases but he's now a hot guy that's turned into someone sweet. The two kiss and Bonnie doesn't resist it this time. As Carol Lockwood is going upstairs to bed, she hears a noise. She finds a note from Tyler on a table. Tyler goes to the Grill to see Matt. He tells Matt he's been going through a rough time with something he can't talk about. Caroline was there for him to help him and he kind of fell for her. But, she loves Matt and needs him and deserves someone like him. He tells him to be good to her and that he'll see him around. He stands outside Caroline's house and watches as she locks her door before getting in the car with Jules. He apologizes about Brady and her friends and tells her if he goes with her there will be no more lies. He can't stay there like he is.
--
Okay, I'm really glad Jules has decided to leave. It's one thing for her to come into Mystic Falls to find Mason but when she starts torturing Damon, it's time to go! I hate it that Tyler is wanting to run off with her, though. I was really hoping Tyler would join Team Vampire and do some major butt-kicking on thier side. He's not gone for good, though. You know we'll be seeing him again.
Elijah. Could there be a bad guy any better than Elijah? I know, I know, he's still got Elena's sacrifice as part of his plan to kill Klaus but he is such an awesome bad guy. Daniel Gillies does an absolutely amazing job making Elijah a bad guy that I love to hate. I love every single second he's on screen. He never gets Damon angry. He just calmly does what needs to be done. It's just another day at the office for him. I really want him to be standing when this whole thing is said and done. I think I'd miss him as much as I would Tyler, Stefan or Damon.
--
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. (eastern time) in the US on the CW Network.
For more information:
Official Site: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/the-vampire-diaries
The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1405406/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/The_Vampire_Diaries
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
US Television, White Collar, Episode 2.13 "Countermeasures"
White Collar
Season Two, Episode Thirteen, Countermeasures
Original Air Date: February 8, 2011
When Ford, an old friend of June's husband arrives, Neal is immediately suspicious of him. Wanting to protect June, he takes a coin Ford touched in for prints and the trail leads to someone entirely different. Neal's suspicions are confirmed when he and Peter learn of a major counterfeiting operation that is being planned with Ford right at the center.
After a meeting with Mozzie to discuss how the building of their fractal, Neal arrives back home at June's house to find a man, Ford (Billy Dee Williams), sitting at the table. Ford is an old friend of June's husband, Byron, who has just moved back to Manhattan. June, as her nature is, is being very generous with Ford and helping him establish himself in Manhattan once again. Neal isn't completely trusting of him and asks Diane to check up on him. He gives her the coin Ford was playing with to run prints.
Elizabeth and Peter bring Satchmo home from the vet after having to have a handcuff key extracted. Before Peter and Elizabeth can sneak away to have lunch together, Diane calls to tell Peter she should see the results of the print she ran on the coin for Neal. The prints belong to a Jonas Ganz, a person of interest in the Sturdevant heist a few years previous, and is a suspect for murder. He had been in and out of correctional facilities for roughly the last decade. Neal looks over the case file Peter is holding and knows immediately the file is for the wrong man based on the photo with the file.
The investigation begins and Jones finds a connection between Ganz and June's husbands old friend, Bradford Tullman. Ford (who was incarcerated for real estate fraud) and Ganz were cell mates. Ford and Byron were booked twenty years ago for running a rooftop casino and Byron is listed in Ford's file as a known associate. One big question is why Ford doesn't have any fingerprints. Peter orders Jones to find out where Ganz is staying and to have Diana begin surveillance of him. He wants to know what Ganz and Ford are doing in his 'backyard'.
Neal arrives to his apartment and finds June there looking for a photo album for Ford. It is full of photographs of June, Byron and Ford. The two of them look through some of the photos and June mentions Ford asked about an old suit of Byron's, if she still had it. Once she leaves, Neal heads to his closet where he finds the suit Ford is looking for. He looks over it and finds a receipt hidden in the pocket. A knock at his door interrupts him and it is Ford who wants to come in. Neal steps aside to allow him to enter. Ford wants to set the record straight because of his "background". He hopes Neal will understand his situation. June enters as Ford is telling Neal about the good old days. Ford and June would like Neal to join them for dinner that night. Neal asks Ford why he's there and receives the reply that he's looking for a second chance. The two men shake hands but Neal is still clearly not convinced Ford is on the up and up.
Neal gives Mozzie the receipt so he can try to make it more legible. Neal receives a call from Peter with word that Ganz is putting together a muscle-for-hire crew to plan another heist. Peter wants to talk to Ford. Instead of having him come into the office, Neal suggests that Peter and Elizabeth attend the dinner party that night with Ford and June. Peter doesn't want to bring his wife to a covert operation and he's definitely not sold on the idea when Neal informs him that he might have implied Peter is a less-than-noble citizen. He wants Neal to find another way for the men to talk. Neal's "other way" is to call Elizabeth and invite her to the dinner party. She accepts.
At the dinner party, June and Neal sing One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) while Ford plays the piano. June and Ford talk about dancing and Elizabeth reveals that she and Peter took a salsa class last year and that Peter is a great dancer. Peter is becoming increasingly impatient and wants to get to talking with Ford. Mozzie calls Neal to give him information he learned about Ford, who was a major mastermind with very impressive credentials. Neal has never heard of him because he is a "whisper"; no reputation is the best reputation. The receipt is from a furniture store for a walnut coffee table that is currently in Byron's study. There is also an additional charge for labor and modification.
When June starts to pick up the photo album, Ford, who is sitting at the piano, gets up and tells her he will put it away for her. Both Elizabeth and Peter immediately take note and they sit down with June to look through the pictures. Neal is in the study looking over the coffee table and finds a secret compartment containing a printing plate for counterfeit $100 bills. As he's leaving the study, he meets Ford in the hall who says he's looking for Byron's record collection. Neal directs him to the library then goes back downstairs and takes Peter back upstairs to the table. When he opens the secret compartment, the plate is gone. Elizabeth meets them on the stairs to tell them Ford just caught a cab outside and is gone.
Neal and Peter go up to Neal's apartment, where Mozzie, dressed for the party, is waiting. Neal takes out a book to show the 1991 $100 bill that would be easier to duplicate and still be valid currency. To find out what else Ford will need to counterfeit the money, Neal needs to borrow some "reading materials"--from the U.S. Treasury.
Under the watchful eyes of three Treasury agents, Neal very happily looks over his "reading materials". The plate is real but is only a start. Ford will need the right press and cutter, but most importantly, the right inks and paper. Diana enters to tell Peter that as they were sitting on Ganz's place someone showed up. An agent enters with Ford in handcuffs.
In the conference room, Peter and Neal question Ford about his relationship with Ganz. He tells them Byron stole the plate from him. Ford thought the deal would have been a big one for he and Byron, their final score, but Byron didn't want to do the job. He was protecting Ford from himself. He tells them he came back to protect June from Ganz and that he did tell Ganz what else he needed to do the counterfeiting. Unable to control his curiosity, Neal asks Ford how he doesn't have any prints. Ford rubbed his fingers with a pumice stone every morning.
Peter doesn't think Ford is being honest but Neal is unsure. Peter suggests they send both Ford and Neal undercover into Ganz's group. The operation is set up and Ford and Neal go in. Ganz is suspicious of Neal but Neal wins him over when he identifies I.D.'s as being fake and even gives him details. Ford mentions a phony baseball to Ganz who immediately goes on alert. Peter orders his team to gear up as Ganz pulls a gun. Again, Neal's ability to talk his way out of any situation wins over Ganz. Ganz orders Ford to wait on the sidelines and that it is up to Neal to give him (Ford) his share.
That night, Peter and Neal talk about what Neal saw in Ganz's place. Neal is able to give Peter the names he saw on all the fake I.D'.s (by using simple word association). Joseph Dowd, Kenny Estrada and Dylan Fleeks. Neal has an association for every cop and crook he ever met. Peter laughs and asks if his was "Burke the jerk", to which Neal says nothing. Neal looks over the fingerprints they took that morning and finds dark green ink. He had already mixed the dye for the money. Ganz is now going after the paper.
Diana ran the aliases and found that Joseph Dowd has been staying in a hotel that is near the BCU plant that supplies the Bureau of Printing and Engraving with paper stock. Peter orders her to contact the Treasury and Secret Service so they can be waiting in the event Ganz's crew try to hit the BCU.
Neal returns to June's where he and Mozzie talk about Byron. Neal feels he wanted out of the life. Jones and Diana bring Peter the news that both Ganz and Ford have slipped surveillance. Peter calls the Treasury to inform them the theft may be underway and is informed the paper is in transit. He orders a team to Neal's. The doorbell at June's house rings and Neal's phone rings. When Neal opens the door, Ganz is standing there and takes Neal from the house. Mozzie answers the phone and tells Peter about Neal having been taken. Ganz wants Neal to identify the paper when they hit the truck en-route.
Ganz's crew overtake the truck and force the guards to open the doors. Neal identifies some boxes of paper as what they are wanting. Ganz takes Neal back to where Ford is waiting with a case full of newspaper cut into money-like bundles. Ganz forces the printing process to begin and Neal and Ford get to work. Ganz wants every bit of the money printed.
Peter goes to Mozzie for help. He asks him where he would go to hide if he had broken some laws, which would be someplace he's never been caught that is already set up with his tracks covered. Peter remembers Ford wanting to take the book of photos and he and Mozzie look through them again. They stop at a photo of the Lenox Lounge, where Byron used to run the back room some twenty-five years ago. The counterfeiters hear sirens wailing in the distance and see police drive up outside. Ganz pulls a gun wanting the case of money, which Ford gives to him, the case he thinks is full of newspaper. Ford called the police and he takes the case full of newly printed money. More sirens are heard and this time, it is Peter and his team. Diana arrests Ganz who has the case full of counterfeited money as Neal had switched the cases when the sirens were first heard. Neal gives Ford the option to make another choice. Peter and his team go inside as Ford makes his choice. He chooses to run. Neal takes Peter inside the room where Neal expresses his disappointment to Peter as Ford discovers he has the case full of newspaper.
At June's, Neal finds her looking through the photo album and listening to music. She understands what kind of man Ford was. She let him in to remember what she and Byron had and that perhaps she wanted to go dancing again. Neal extends his hand to her and they dance to the music she's listening to. Mozzie finds Neal sitting on some steps and tells him he found parts for the fractal but Neal's mind is elsewhere. He asks Mozzie if he ever thinks about how everything will end. Neal tells his friend that the printing plate may have found its way back inside the table "for a rainy day".
--
How nice it was to see Billy Dee Williams in this episode! He's most certainly a legend and he was excellent as Ford. I've always enjoyed him in everything I've seen him in and this performance was no exception. Ford was almost a sad character. He couldption. Ford was almost a sad character. He could have turned his life around and lived out his years there in Manhattan with June as a true friend, but he instead chose the last big score. He thought it would bring him the happiness and security he wanted when he should have realized that money couldn't have brought him any of that.
As with every White Collar episode, there was some great humor here. I loved how Neal tricked Peter into attending June's dinner party. Poor Peter, he's got it from both sides. Neal tricking him and Elizabeth going along with it. And Peter even had to apologize to Satchmo for the uncomfortable eating of the handcuff key.
It was a nice treat to hear Diahnne Carroll singing a brief bit of One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) with Matt Bomer joining her. I'm never one for musicals or singing in much of anything but this was nicely placed. It wasn't the focus and it was handled with some humor.
--
White Collar airs Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. (US Eastern time) on the USA Network.
For More Information:
Official Site: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/
The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358522/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/White_Collar
Season Two, Episode Thirteen, Countermeasures
Original Air Date: February 8, 2011
When Ford, an old friend of June's husband arrives, Neal is immediately suspicious of him. Wanting to protect June, he takes a coin Ford touched in for prints and the trail leads to someone entirely different. Neal's suspicions are confirmed when he and Peter learn of a major counterfeiting operation that is being planned with Ford right at the center.
After a meeting with Mozzie to discuss how the building of their fractal, Neal arrives back home at June's house to find a man, Ford (Billy Dee Williams), sitting at the table. Ford is an old friend of June's husband, Byron, who has just moved back to Manhattan. June, as her nature is, is being very generous with Ford and helping him establish himself in Manhattan once again. Neal isn't completely trusting of him and asks Diane to check up on him. He gives her the coin Ford was playing with to run prints.
Elizabeth and Peter bring Satchmo home from the vet after having to have a handcuff key extracted. Before Peter and Elizabeth can sneak away to have lunch together, Diane calls to tell Peter she should see the results of the print she ran on the coin for Neal. The prints belong to a Jonas Ganz, a person of interest in the Sturdevant heist a few years previous, and is a suspect for murder. He had been in and out of correctional facilities for roughly the last decade. Neal looks over the case file Peter is holding and knows immediately the file is for the wrong man based on the photo with the file.
The investigation begins and Jones finds a connection between Ganz and June's husbands old friend, Bradford Tullman. Ford (who was incarcerated for real estate fraud) and Ganz were cell mates. Ford and Byron were booked twenty years ago for running a rooftop casino and Byron is listed in Ford's file as a known associate. One big question is why Ford doesn't have any fingerprints. Peter orders Jones to find out where Ganz is staying and to have Diana begin surveillance of him. He wants to know what Ganz and Ford are doing in his 'backyard'.
Neal arrives to his apartment and finds June there looking for a photo album for Ford. It is full of photographs of June, Byron and Ford. The two of them look through some of the photos and June mentions Ford asked about an old suit of Byron's, if she still had it. Once she leaves, Neal heads to his closet where he finds the suit Ford is looking for. He looks over it and finds a receipt hidden in the pocket. A knock at his door interrupts him and it is Ford who wants to come in. Neal steps aside to allow him to enter. Ford wants to set the record straight because of his "background". He hopes Neal will understand his situation. June enters as Ford is telling Neal about the good old days. Ford and June would like Neal to join them for dinner that night. Neal asks Ford why he's there and receives the reply that he's looking for a second chance. The two men shake hands but Neal is still clearly not convinced Ford is on the up and up.
Neal gives Mozzie the receipt so he can try to make it more legible. Neal receives a call from Peter with word that Ganz is putting together a muscle-for-hire crew to plan another heist. Peter wants to talk to Ford. Instead of having him come into the office, Neal suggests that Peter and Elizabeth attend the dinner party that night with Ford and June. Peter doesn't want to bring his wife to a covert operation and he's definitely not sold on the idea when Neal informs him that he might have implied Peter is a less-than-noble citizen. He wants Neal to find another way for the men to talk. Neal's "other way" is to call Elizabeth and invite her to the dinner party. She accepts.
At the dinner party, June and Neal sing One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) while Ford plays the piano. June and Ford talk about dancing and Elizabeth reveals that she and Peter took a salsa class last year and that Peter is a great dancer. Peter is becoming increasingly impatient and wants to get to talking with Ford. Mozzie calls Neal to give him information he learned about Ford, who was a major mastermind with very impressive credentials. Neal has never heard of him because he is a "whisper"; no reputation is the best reputation. The receipt is from a furniture store for a walnut coffee table that is currently in Byron's study. There is also an additional charge for labor and modification.
When June starts to pick up the photo album, Ford, who is sitting at the piano, gets up and tells her he will put it away for her. Both Elizabeth and Peter immediately take note and they sit down with June to look through the pictures. Neal is in the study looking over the coffee table and finds a secret compartment containing a printing plate for counterfeit $100 bills. As he's leaving the study, he meets Ford in the hall who says he's looking for Byron's record collection. Neal directs him to the library then goes back downstairs and takes Peter back upstairs to the table. When he opens the secret compartment, the plate is gone. Elizabeth meets them on the stairs to tell them Ford just caught a cab outside and is gone.
Neal and Peter go up to Neal's apartment, where Mozzie, dressed for the party, is waiting. Neal takes out a book to show the 1991 $100 bill that would be easier to duplicate and still be valid currency. To find out what else Ford will need to counterfeit the money, Neal needs to borrow some "reading materials"--from the U.S. Treasury.
Under the watchful eyes of three Treasury agents, Neal very happily looks over his "reading materials". The plate is real but is only a start. Ford will need the right press and cutter, but most importantly, the right inks and paper. Diana enters to tell Peter that as they were sitting on Ganz's place someone showed up. An agent enters with Ford in handcuffs.
In the conference room, Peter and Neal question Ford about his relationship with Ganz. He tells them Byron stole the plate from him. Ford thought the deal would have been a big one for he and Byron, their final score, but Byron didn't want to do the job. He was protecting Ford from himself. He tells them he came back to protect June from Ganz and that he did tell Ganz what else he needed to do the counterfeiting. Unable to control his curiosity, Neal asks Ford how he doesn't have any prints. Ford rubbed his fingers with a pumice stone every morning.
Peter doesn't think Ford is being honest but Neal is unsure. Peter suggests they send both Ford and Neal undercover into Ganz's group. The operation is set up and Ford and Neal go in. Ganz is suspicious of Neal but Neal wins him over when he identifies I.D.'s as being fake and even gives him details. Ford mentions a phony baseball to Ganz who immediately goes on alert. Peter orders his team to gear up as Ganz pulls a gun. Again, Neal's ability to talk his way out of any situation wins over Ganz. Ganz orders Ford to wait on the sidelines and that it is up to Neal to give him (Ford) his share.
That night, Peter and Neal talk about what Neal saw in Ganz's place. Neal is able to give Peter the names he saw on all the fake I.D'.s (by using simple word association). Joseph Dowd, Kenny Estrada and Dylan Fleeks. Neal has an association for every cop and crook he ever met. Peter laughs and asks if his was "Burke the jerk", to which Neal says nothing. Neal looks over the fingerprints they took that morning and finds dark green ink. He had already mixed the dye for the money. Ganz is now going after the paper.
Diana ran the aliases and found that Joseph Dowd has been staying in a hotel that is near the BCU plant that supplies the Bureau of Printing and Engraving with paper stock. Peter orders her to contact the Treasury and Secret Service so they can be waiting in the event Ganz's crew try to hit the BCU.
Neal returns to June's where he and Mozzie talk about Byron. Neal feels he wanted out of the life. Jones and Diana bring Peter the news that both Ganz and Ford have slipped surveillance. Peter calls the Treasury to inform them the theft may be underway and is informed the paper is in transit. He orders a team to Neal's. The doorbell at June's house rings and Neal's phone rings. When Neal opens the door, Ganz is standing there and takes Neal from the house. Mozzie answers the phone and tells Peter about Neal having been taken. Ganz wants Neal to identify the paper when they hit the truck en-route.
Ganz's crew overtake the truck and force the guards to open the doors. Neal identifies some boxes of paper as what they are wanting. Ganz takes Neal back to where Ford is waiting with a case full of newspaper cut into money-like bundles. Ganz forces the printing process to begin and Neal and Ford get to work. Ganz wants every bit of the money printed.
Peter goes to Mozzie for help. He asks him where he would go to hide if he had broken some laws, which would be someplace he's never been caught that is already set up with his tracks covered. Peter remembers Ford wanting to take the book of photos and he and Mozzie look through them again. They stop at a photo of the Lenox Lounge, where Byron used to run the back room some twenty-five years ago. The counterfeiters hear sirens wailing in the distance and see police drive up outside. Ganz pulls a gun wanting the case of money, which Ford gives to him, the case he thinks is full of newspaper. Ford called the police and he takes the case full of newly printed money. More sirens are heard and this time, it is Peter and his team. Diana arrests Ganz who has the case full of counterfeited money as Neal had switched the cases when the sirens were first heard. Neal gives Ford the option to make another choice. Peter and his team go inside as Ford makes his choice. He chooses to run. Neal takes Peter inside the room where Neal expresses his disappointment to Peter as Ford discovers he has the case full of newspaper.
At June's, Neal finds her looking through the photo album and listening to music. She understands what kind of man Ford was. She let him in to remember what she and Byron had and that perhaps she wanted to go dancing again. Neal extends his hand to her and they dance to the music she's listening to. Mozzie finds Neal sitting on some steps and tells him he found parts for the fractal but Neal's mind is elsewhere. He asks Mozzie if he ever thinks about how everything will end. Neal tells his friend that the printing plate may have found its way back inside the table "for a rainy day".
--
How nice it was to see Billy Dee Williams in this episode! He's most certainly a legend and he was excellent as Ford. I've always enjoyed him in everything I've seen him in and this performance was no exception. Ford was almost a sad character. He couldption. Ford was almost a sad character. He could have turned his life around and lived out his years there in Manhattan with June as a true friend, but he instead chose the last big score. He thought it would bring him the happiness and security he wanted when he should have realized that money couldn't have brought him any of that.
As with every White Collar episode, there was some great humor here. I loved how Neal tricked Peter into attending June's dinner party. Poor Peter, he's got it from both sides. Neal tricking him and Elizabeth going along with it. And Peter even had to apologize to Satchmo for the uncomfortable eating of the handcuff key.
It was a nice treat to hear Diahnne Carroll singing a brief bit of One For My Baby (And One More For the Road) with Matt Bomer joining her. I'm never one for musicals or singing in much of anything but this was nicely placed. It wasn't the focus and it was handled with some humor.
--
White Collar airs Tuesdays at 10:00 p.m. (US Eastern time) on the USA Network.
For More Information:
Official Site: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/
The Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358522/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/White_Collar
Monday, February 7, 2011
UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episodes 1.1-1.13
Season 1, Episode 1, Care
Care, Original Air Date, February 5, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Cradle to Grave", Season 2, Episode 18 (31st March, 1992)
A suspicious bag is found in a hospital car park leading to the evacuation of the hospital out of fear the bag contains a bomb. Once opened, the contents of the bag are much more disturbing and horrifying: the body of a dead baby. The investigation leads to a near-empty apartment building with sub-standard safety and unscrupulous owners wanting to renovate. Could the want of money have led to the baby's death?
Season 1, Episode 2, Unloved
Unloved, Original Air Date, March 2, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Born Bad", Season 4, Episode 9 (16th November, 1993)
The body of a teenage boy is found not far from a homeless shelter. Brooks and Devlin's investigation take them to a a troubled mum struggling to overcome her addictions so she can be reunited with her son. The investigation takes a shocking turn when evidence points to the foster home the young boy was placed in and an even more shocking turn when two surprising suspects come to light.
Season 1, Episode 3, Vice
Vice, Original Air Date, March 9, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Working Mom", Season 7, Episode 14 (26th February, 1997)
Two young thieves breaking into a car lead to the discovery of the body of a man in the back of the car. The investigation becomes personal when it's learned the dead man is a policeman. The trail of evidence leads to a mysterious business called "Velvet Holdings" which leads to something even bigger.
Season 1, Episode 4, Unsafe
Unsafe, Original Air Date, March 16, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "American Dreams", Season 4, Episode 8 (9th November, 1993)
A treasure hunter with a metal detector finds the body of a mostly decomposed man and evidence points to him having been assassinated. A watch found with the body leads them to David Ackroyd, a man who's murderer has already been tried and convicted by James Steel despite the absence of a body. New evidence threatens to help a convicted murder secure release from prison.
Season 1, Episode 5, Buried
Buried, Original Air Date, March 23, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "In Memory Of", Season 2, Episode 7 (5th November, 1991)
Renovations lead to the discovery of an eight-year-old child's skeleton bricked into a basement wall. A badge with the skeleton gives evidence the skeleton has been in the wall over twenty years. An old case is reopened and the former witnesses and suspects are tracked down and re-interviewed. The investigation warrants delving into the repressed memory of a witness to get to the truth.
Season 1, Episode 6, Paradise
Paradise, Original Air Date, March 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Heaven", Season 2, Episode 10 (26th November, 1991)
An arson at a club causes the death of seventeen and the injuries of forty more. The fire is declared a major incident due to the nature and severity of the crime. The trail leads to a man who still has traces of evidence of the arson embedded in his leg. To prosecute the crime, the evidence must be extracted, but can Steel force the issue since the suspect refuses medical treatment?
Season 1, Episode 7, Alesha
Alesha, Original Air Date, April 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Helpless", Season 3, Episode 6 (4th November, 1992)
Alesha is assaulted during a gynecological exam and when she confronts the doctor he suggests she return for cancer tests. She reports the assault to Chandler, Brooks and Devlin and an investigation begins of the doctor. Despite evidence that the "good" doctor has a lot of very bad habits, the police cannot make a case and Steel agrees. Alesha goes for a second appointment with the doctor, who gives her something to drink, and declines the nurse to stay during the exam. This time, the doctor rapes her. Is the case cut and dried or will the doctor escape prosecution on a technicality?
Season 2, Episode 1, Samaritan
Samaritan, Original Air Date, July 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Manhood", Season 3, Episode 21 (12th May, 1993)
A police officer is shot and his dying moments are captured on 999 tape. Backup that was ordered did not arrive on time. Was the young officer purposely abandoned by his colleagues because of his sexual orientation or was the lack of backup merely a mistake in hearing the dispatcher's directions?
Season 2, Episode 2, Hidden
Hidden, Original Air Date, August 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Bitter Fruit", Season 6, Episode 1 (20th September, 1995)
A little girl has been missing for a week and her father is arrested for her disappearance. When her body is found amidst a pile of junk while the father is in jail the police know he is innocent. A career criminal is charged for the murder and when he is released on bail the girl's mum stabs and kills him in front of the courthouse. The police and CPS are now faced with having to arrest and prosecute her for the murder of her daughters killer.
Season 2, Episode 3, Community Service
Community Service, Original Air Date, August 13, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Volunteers", Season 4, Episode 2 (29th September, 1993)
A homeless man is savagely beaten. His friends and family paint a picture of a man with severe issues who fell through the system and didn't get the help he needed. Residents of the neighborhood where the man lived paint a vastly different picture of a violent individual who frightened them. What is the truth and could it have been one of the law-abiding and frightening residents who savagely beat the homeless man nearly to death?
Season 2, Episode 4, Sacrifice
Sacrifice, Original Air Date, August 20, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Sonata for Solo Organ", Season 1, Episode 21 (2nd April, 1991)
A bloodied man is found in the woods and, once he's taken to hospital, it is learned his kidney was stolen. Was it a random attack, the work of someone sinister or a calculated and planned plan to steal his kidney?
Season 2, Episode 5, Love and Loss
Love and Loss, Original Air Date, August 27, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Consultation", Season 3, Episode 10 (9th December, 1992)
An eighteen-year-old girl dies after swallowing seventy heroin filled condoms and one of them ruptured. Why a seemingly clean-cut British girl from a good family was involved with heroin trafficking is a mystery. The investigation takes a surprising turn when it is learned the girl was secretly seeing a close family friend with a secret second job. The prosecutions case is threatened when a star witness changes his story during testimony.
Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound
Honor Bound, Original Air Date, September 3, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Corruption", Season 7, Episode 5 (30th October, 1996)
A sting operation involving Brooks and Devlin and D.S. Jimmy Valentine, an old friend of Brooks', goes horribly wrong when the suspect ends up dead. The DPS rules the shooting clean but Devlin cannot let it go. He finds information implicating D.S. Valentine in illegal activities. Will Devlin's investigation destroy he and Brooks' friendship or, even worse, place Brooks in danger?
For more information:Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
Care, Original Air Date, February 5, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Cradle to Grave", Season 2, Episode 18 (31st March, 1992)
A suspicious bag is found in a hospital car park leading to the evacuation of the hospital out of fear the bag contains a bomb. Once opened, the contents of the bag are much more disturbing and horrifying: the body of a dead baby. The investigation leads to a near-empty apartment building with sub-standard safety and unscrupulous owners wanting to renovate. Could the want of money have led to the baby's death?
Season 1, Episode 2, Unloved
Unloved, Original Air Date, March 2, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Born Bad", Season 4, Episode 9 (16th November, 1993)
The body of a teenage boy is found not far from a homeless shelter. Brooks and Devlin's investigation take them to a a troubled mum struggling to overcome her addictions so she can be reunited with her son. The investigation takes a shocking turn when evidence points to the foster home the young boy was placed in and an even more shocking turn when two surprising suspects come to light.
Season 1, Episode 3, Vice
Vice, Original Air Date, March 9, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Working Mom", Season 7, Episode 14 (26th February, 1997)
Two young thieves breaking into a car lead to the discovery of the body of a man in the back of the car. The investigation becomes personal when it's learned the dead man is a policeman. The trail of evidence leads to a mysterious business called "Velvet Holdings" which leads to something even bigger.
Season 1, Episode 4, Unsafe
Unsafe, Original Air Date, March 16, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "American Dreams", Season 4, Episode 8 (9th November, 1993)
A treasure hunter with a metal detector finds the body of a mostly decomposed man and evidence points to him having been assassinated. A watch found with the body leads them to David Ackroyd, a man who's murderer has already been tried and convicted by James Steel despite the absence of a body. New evidence threatens to help a convicted murder secure release from prison.
Season 1, Episode 5, Buried
Buried, Original Air Date, March 23, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "In Memory Of", Season 2, Episode 7 (5th November, 1991)
Renovations lead to the discovery of an eight-year-old child's skeleton bricked into a basement wall. A badge with the skeleton gives evidence the skeleton has been in the wall over twenty years. An old case is reopened and the former witnesses and suspects are tracked down and re-interviewed. The investigation warrants delving into the repressed memory of a witness to get to the truth.
Season 1, Episode 6, Paradise
Paradise, Original Air Date, March 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Heaven", Season 2, Episode 10 (26th November, 1991)
An arson at a club causes the death of seventeen and the injuries of forty more. The fire is declared a major incident due to the nature and severity of the crime. The trail leads to a man who still has traces of evidence of the arson embedded in his leg. To prosecute the crime, the evidence must be extracted, but can Steel force the issue since the suspect refuses medical treatment?
Season 1, Episode 7, Alesha
Alesha, Original Air Date, April 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Helpless", Season 3, Episode 6 (4th November, 1992)
Alesha is assaulted during a gynecological exam and when she confronts the doctor he suggests she return for cancer tests. She reports the assault to Chandler, Brooks and Devlin and an investigation begins of the doctor. Despite evidence that the "good" doctor has a lot of very bad habits, the police cannot make a case and Steel agrees. Alesha goes for a second appointment with the doctor, who gives her something to drink, and declines the nurse to stay during the exam. This time, the doctor rapes her. Is the case cut and dried or will the doctor escape prosecution on a technicality?
Season 2, Episode 1, Samaritan
Samaritan, Original Air Date, July 30, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Manhood", Season 3, Episode 21 (12th May, 1993)
A police officer is shot and his dying moments are captured on 999 tape. Backup that was ordered did not arrive on time. Was the young officer purposely abandoned by his colleagues because of his sexual orientation or was the lack of backup merely a mistake in hearing the dispatcher's directions?
Season 2, Episode 2, Hidden
Hidden, Original Air Date, August 6, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Bitter Fruit", Season 6, Episode 1 (20th September, 1995)
A little girl has been missing for a week and her father is arrested for her disappearance. When her body is found amidst a pile of junk while the father is in jail the police know he is innocent. A career criminal is charged for the murder and when he is released on bail the girl's mum stabs and kills him in front of the courthouse. The police and CPS are now faced with having to arrest and prosecute her for the murder of her daughters killer.
Season 2, Episode 3, Community Service
Community Service, Original Air Date, August 13, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Volunteers", Season 4, Episode 2 (29th September, 1993)
A homeless man is savagely beaten. His friends and family paint a picture of a man with severe issues who fell through the system and didn't get the help he needed. Residents of the neighborhood where the man lived paint a vastly different picture of a violent individual who frightened them. What is the truth and could it have been one of the law-abiding and frightening residents who savagely beat the homeless man nearly to death?
Season 2, Episode 4, Sacrifice
Sacrifice, Original Air Date, August 20, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Sonata for Solo Organ", Season 1, Episode 21 (2nd April, 1991)
A bloodied man is found in the woods and, once he's taken to hospital, it is learned his kidney was stolen. Was it a random attack, the work of someone sinister or a calculated and planned plan to steal his kidney?
Season 2, Episode 5, Love and Loss
Love and Loss, Original Air Date, August 27, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Consultation", Season 3, Episode 10 (9th December, 1992)
An eighteen-year-old girl dies after swallowing seventy heroin filled condoms and one of them ruptured. Why a seemingly clean-cut British girl from a good family was involved with heroin trafficking is a mystery. The investigation takes a surprising turn when it is learned the girl was secretly seeing a close family friend with a secret second job. The prosecutions case is threatened when a star witness changes his story during testimony.
Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound
Honor Bound, Original Air Date, September 3, 2009
Based on Law & Order (US) "Corruption", Season 7, Episode 5 (30th October, 1996)
A sting operation involving Brooks and Devlin and D.S. Jimmy Valentine, an old friend of Brooks', goes horribly wrong when the suspect ends up dead. The DPS rules the shooting clean but Devlin cannot let it go. He finds information implicating D.S. Valentine in illegal activities. Will Devlin's investigation destroy he and Brooks' friendship or, even worse, place Brooks in danger?
For more information:Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
Sunday, February 6, 2011
UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Introduction
For the past twenty years Law & Order has been one of the biggest and most successful franchises in television history. The original Law & Order series began on NBC on September 13, 1990 and spawned two popular spin-off's: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (CI). A short-lived summer series, Crime & Punishment, a focus on real cases and real trials, aired in 2002. In 2005, a one-season series, Law & Order: Trial By Jury brought the wildly popular Lennie Briscoe character briefly back to television following his departure from the original series. A new series, Law & Order: Los Angeles premiered in 2010 after the cancellation of the original series.
The story lines of Law & Order made the phrase "ripped from the headlines" common television vernacular, the ever-evolving cast kept the series fresh and gave us favorites such as Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Mike Logan (Chris Noth). The flagship of the Law & Order franchise is gone now (and Criminal Intent is soon to be gone as well) but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Los Angeles remain to keep the franchise alive in North America and around the world.
Because of the popularity of Law & Order it wasn't any surprise when Law & Order: UK debuted on the British television network ITV1 on February 5, 2009. The series was created by the same man who brought the original series to North America, Dick Wolf. Andrew Woodhead, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett, Dick Wolf and Chris Chinball serve as executive producers with Richard Stokes and Terry Cafolla serving as producer and co-producer, respectively.
Law & Order: UK is twenty-six episodes into its run. In the United Kingdom, the show is officially in season two. A full UK season comprises thirteen, one-hour episodes. The first seven air, then, a few months later, the final six air. In Canada, the series has officially finished season four. There aren't any more episodes to a North American season, they simply air differently:
North American Season One: UK episodes 1.1-1.7
North American Season Two: UK episodes 1.8-1.13
North American Season Three: UK Episodes 2.1-2.7
North American Season Four: UK Episodes 2.8-2.13 (these six episodes have aired in Canada but have yet to air in the UK)
The characters on Law & Order: UK are as colorful, intriguing and compelling as their North American counterparts.
Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) is a smart and tough seasoned detective with a sense of humor and passion for food. Ronnie Brooks almost always has something to eat either in his hands, at his desk or on order. He's always joking about the "next ex-Mrs. Brooks". Ronnie is compassionate to those left behind after the loss of a loved one. He gives his partner, Matt Devlin the benefit of the knowledge he's gained throughout his career.
Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) starts out as a relative newcomer to the sort of investigations he works with D.S. Ronnie Brooks. Using his partners guidance, Devlin never makes the same mistake twice and quickly learns how to avoid making them in the first place. Matt is handsome and a charmer and his good looks and charm sometimes come in quite handy in getting witnesses to talk.
Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler (Harriet Walter) takes nothing from no one including her detectives, the lawyers or the press. She's seen almost everything but there are still some things that can shock even her.
Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel (Ben Daniels) is tough and takes nothing from no one. He wants justice almost at any cost. He will manipulate the system in order to make sure an offender is put behind bars, however, he holds a strong love of the law and never breaks it, merely bends it to do what is right. (Sadly, James Steel will no longer be in Law & Order: UK. Ben Daniels has moved on to other projects and will be replaced by Dominic Rowan.)
Junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) is soft spoken and sympathetic to those who have been hurt or wronged. She came from a hard background and worked her way up to the Crown Prosecutors office. After having been assaulted by a doctor, she has a unique insight into what the victim is going through.
Director of Public Prosecutions George Castle (Bill Patterson) has been around long enough to know all the tricks of the trade and is well-respected by his peers. He has a deep respect for the law and does his best to juggle the politics of justice with the job of carrying it out.
Several recurring characters finish out the cast and bring the series to life: Angela (Jessica Gunning), Joy Ackroyd (Nicola Sanderson), Teddy (Tariq Jordan), Dr. Roddy Armitage (George Anton) and Judge Hall (Diana Quick).
Robert Glenister serves as the narrator, the "voice" of Law & Order: UK. It is Glenister's voice you hear at the start of every episode. Glenister also appears in Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound as D.S. Jimmy Valentine.
Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be joining the cast of Law & Order: UK in 2001 as CPS Director Henry Sharpe and Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne respectively.
I'm sure some viewers question why Law & Order: UK chooses to re-write the American Law & Order scripts rather than choosing story lines from the UK. Surely, there are crimes in London or elsewhere throughout the British Isles that would make a great Law & Order, right? I, personally, have no problem with the "recycled scripts". There are two decades of episodes for the writers to choose from and I have found the choices interesting thus far. Not one time have I watched an episode of Law & Order: UK and felt the show was an exact replica of the U.S. script it was based upon. The UK writers and actors have taken the original plots and made them their own.
While I do like Law & Order: SVU, I personally believe Law & Order: UK is the strongest link in the Law & Order brand now that the original series is gone. Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows how I feel about Law & Order: Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to many more seasons of L&O: UK. With such a fine cast and fine writers, I'm positive the series can continue for years to come.
Law & Order: UK airs on ITV1 in the UK.
For more information:
Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
The story lines of Law & Order made the phrase "ripped from the headlines" common television vernacular, the ever-evolving cast kept the series fresh and gave us favorites such as Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Mike Logan (Chris Noth). The flagship of the Law & Order franchise is gone now (and Criminal Intent is soon to be gone as well) but Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Los Angeles remain to keep the franchise alive in North America and around the world.
Because of the popularity of Law & Order it wasn't any surprise when Law & Order: UK debuted on the British television network ITV1 on February 5, 2009. The series was created by the same man who brought the original series to North America, Dick Wolf. Andrew Woodhead, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett, Dick Wolf and Chris Chinball serve as executive producers with Richard Stokes and Terry Cafolla serving as producer and co-producer, respectively.
Law & Order: UK is twenty-six episodes into its run. In the United Kingdom, the show is officially in season two. A full UK season comprises thirteen, one-hour episodes. The first seven air, then, a few months later, the final six air. In Canada, the series has officially finished season four. There aren't any more episodes to a North American season, they simply air differently:
North American Season One: UK episodes 1.1-1.7
North American Season Two: UK episodes 1.8-1.13
North American Season Three: UK Episodes 2.1-2.7
North American Season Four: UK Episodes 2.8-2.13 (these six episodes have aired in Canada but have yet to air in the UK)
The characters on Law & Order: UK are as colorful, intriguing and compelling as their North American counterparts.
Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) is a smart and tough seasoned detective with a sense of humor and passion for food. Ronnie Brooks almost always has something to eat either in his hands, at his desk or on order. He's always joking about the "next ex-Mrs. Brooks". Ronnie is compassionate to those left behind after the loss of a loved one. He gives his partner, Matt Devlin the benefit of the knowledge he's gained throughout his career.
Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber) starts out as a relative newcomer to the sort of investigations he works with D.S. Ronnie Brooks. Using his partners guidance, Devlin never makes the same mistake twice and quickly learns how to avoid making them in the first place. Matt is handsome and a charmer and his good looks and charm sometimes come in quite handy in getting witnesses to talk.
Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler (Harriet Walter) takes nothing from no one including her detectives, the lawyers or the press. She's seen almost everything but there are still some things that can shock even her.
Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel (Ben Daniels) is tough and takes nothing from no one. He wants justice almost at any cost. He will manipulate the system in order to make sure an offender is put behind bars, however, he holds a strong love of the law and never breaks it, merely bends it to do what is right. (Sadly, James Steel will no longer be in Law & Order: UK. Ben Daniels has moved on to other projects and will be replaced by Dominic Rowan.)
Junior Crown Prosecutor Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman) is soft spoken and sympathetic to those who have been hurt or wronged. She came from a hard background and worked her way up to the Crown Prosecutors office. After having been assaulted by a doctor, she has a unique insight into what the victim is going through.
Director of Public Prosecutions George Castle (Bill Patterson) has been around long enough to know all the tricks of the trade and is well-respected by his peers. He has a deep respect for the law and does his best to juggle the politics of justice with the job of carrying it out.
Several recurring characters finish out the cast and bring the series to life: Angela (Jessica Gunning), Joy Ackroyd (Nicola Sanderson), Teddy (Tariq Jordan), Dr. Roddy Armitage (George Anton) and Judge Hall (Diana Quick).
Robert Glenister serves as the narrator, the "voice" of Law & Order: UK. It is Glenister's voice you hear at the start of every episode. Glenister also appears in Season 2, Episode 6, Honor Bound as D.S. Jimmy Valentine.
Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be joining the cast of Law & Order: UK in 2001 as CPS Director Henry Sharpe and Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne respectively.
I'm sure some viewers question why Law & Order: UK chooses to re-write the American Law & Order scripts rather than choosing story lines from the UK. Surely, there are crimes in London or elsewhere throughout the British Isles that would make a great Law & Order, right? I, personally, have no problem with the "recycled scripts". There are two decades of episodes for the writers to choose from and I have found the choices interesting thus far. Not one time have I watched an episode of Law & Order: UK and felt the show was an exact replica of the U.S. script it was based upon. The UK writers and actors have taken the original plots and made them their own.
While I do like Law & Order: SVU, I personally believe Law & Order: UK is the strongest link in the Law & Order brand now that the original series is gone. Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows how I feel about Law & Order: Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to many more seasons of L&O: UK. With such a fine cast and fine writers, I'm positive the series can continue for years to come.
Law & Order: UK airs on ITV1 in the UK.
For more information:
Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
UK Television: Law & Order: UK Cast Changes
Crime/legal drama Law & Order: UK was recently given the green light for another 13 episodes by ITV1. With news of the new episodes comes news that two new cast members will be joining the show as two depart.
Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be stepping into the vacancies left by Ben Daniels (James Steel) and Bill Paterson (George Castle). As fans of the show will remember, Daniel's character, James Steel resigned from the CPS following him having been charged and tried for interfering with the course of justice. Dominic Rowan enters Law & Order: UK as Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne while Peter Davison has been cast as Henry Sharpe who takes over as CPS Director, the position previously held by Castle.
While Daniel's will not be returning to the show, Bill Paterson will return in a future series as George Castle who is now the newly appointed Director of Public Prosecutions.
For more information: Peter Davison Joins Law & Order: UK (www.whatsontv.co.uk)
Peter Davison and Dominic Rowan will be stepping into the vacancies left by Ben Daniels (James Steel) and Bill Paterson (George Castle). As fans of the show will remember, Daniel's character, James Steel resigned from the CPS following him having been charged and tried for interfering with the course of justice. Dominic Rowan enters Law & Order: UK as Senior Crown Prosecutor Jacob Thorne while Peter Davison has been cast as Henry Sharpe who takes over as CPS Director, the position previously held by Castle.
While Daniel's will not be returning to the show, Bill Paterson will return in a future series as George Castle who is now the newly appointed Director of Public Prosecutions.
For more information: Peter Davison Joins Law & Order: UK (www.whatsontv.co.uk)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
UK Television: Law & Order: UK, Episode 4.6 "Skeletons"
Law & Order: UK
Season Four, Episode Six, Skeletons
Skeletons, Original Air Date: December 9, 2010 (Canada)
Skeletons, Original Air Date: April 11, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Trophy", Season 6, Episode 12 (31st January, 1996)
Two young boys are found murdered and a note found with both of the bodies leads police and the CPS to a name they've investigated and prosecuted before, Andrew Dillon. When new evidence comes to light that Dillon might not be guilty of the crimes he was imprisoned for, and his imprisonment guaranteed by missing evidence, Steel's freedom and career are in jeopardy.
A police search for a missing child, Sean Monroe, that includes the young boys father, Mick Monroe (Terence Maynard) yields a grisly shock when the lad's body literally washes out of a drain at Devlin's feet. Sean was killed by a single blow to the head with a heavy blunt-force object. He was killed then dumped into the drainage system. Devlin shows Brooks a paper he found on Sean that reads "They Must Be Destroyed" which is something Brooks thought he'd never see again.
Brooks and Devlin go to Steel and Phillips to inform them of the note and that it sounds like Andrew Dillon is back. Sean Monroe's crucifix was missing from his body and Dillon liked taking souvenirs from his victims. Dillon's family stopped coming to court but he did have a few loyal supporters that called him a "white power hero". Brooks and Devlin speak with one of the supporters, Carl Hareton (Mark Dexter) who informs them their Internet site was shut down for inciting racial hatred. Hareton was chairing a "meeting", a discussion about immigration. He gives them a list of the individuals in attendance at the meeting.
Time of death is ruled between five and seven p.m. and Sean ate shortly before he died. They speak with a woman from a local shop, Carla (Jade Anouka), where Sean bought the crisps and sweets he ate before he died. She remembered Sean speaking with the security guard, Marcus Wright (Jude Akuwidike). He ordered Sean away from the news agency so he couldn't look at pornography and walked the youngster out of the shopping center. He saw Sean go to the right. Brooks and Devlin next speak with Sean's mates at St. Justin's Church Hall. Ollie (Lewis Lempereur-Palmer) doesn't know why Sean was going the direction he was unless he was going to see Darren Powell (Tom Stuart) who runs a talent agency and was trying to get Sean to sign up with him. Darren admits Sean came to see him at half past five but went home when Darren had to leave early.
Angela brings them news that Darren's card was used at the station at twenty past seven even though he told Brooks and Devlin he left Sean at the station at quarter to six. In interview, Darren denies killing Sean but admits he left the station to have a pint. When questioned about why he left his teaching job at the ELPA without a reference Darren tells them it was because he got too involved with a pupil. The boy was being abused by his step-dad and Darren gave him a place to stay. The step-dad accused Darren and the boy was too afraid to tell the truth. Chandler interrupts the interview to tell Brooks another young boy has been found. The thirteen-year-old boy was strangled with his school tie and a note reading "They Must Be Destroyed" was found in his pocket.
Chandler holds a press conference on of the young boy's murder in appeal to the public for information. She refuses to disclose some details despite questions from the media and states it's far too early to tell if the murders are related to Andrew Dillon.
Brooks and Devlin speak with two friends Dean Amadal (Mohammed Mansaray) and Justin bale (Jack O'Connor) of the second murdered boy, Dev, to reconstruct his final hours. He had skipped school along with his friends and they were stealing from shops. Dean tells them Dev got caught for stealing around five when the boys split up. He saw a policeman manhandling Dev. Brooks cannot find a report of Dev having been caught in Green Lanes. Devlin suggests a security guard bringing their attention back to Marcus Wright. Marcus doesn't know Dev at first but admits he saw Dev stealing and he went after him but he got away. Devlin picks up a Bible from Wright's coffee table and begins reading from it. Wright grabs the Bible and a gold crucifix falls from it to the table.
They take Wright in for interview about the murders. Wright declines a lawyer and tells them the boys were sinners and God sought revenge. He didn't pick the boys, God did. Sean's sin was looking at pornography and Dev's sin was stealing. He said God wrote the notes through him. He drops the bombshell on them that the murders attributed to Dillon were murders he committed. Steel feels it is a sick attempt to take credit for the crimes of another but Brooks reveals Wright knows things only the killer would know and had the souvenirs. Brooks tells Steel there was a fourth boy killed, for stealing, after Dillon went down for the murders that Wright killed. The police unearthed a skeleton of a Caucasian boy exactly where Wright said the body was buried. Wright buried the boy because his mother needed him. He confessed the crimes to her and she begged him to stop. She died a few months before Sean's death.
Dillon's attorney accuses Steel of selective prosecution and presents him with a statement six years ago from a witness, who has since died, who claimed to see the third victim an hour after he had been fighting with Dillon (Peter McNamara). The statement is something Steel has never seen before but Dillon's attorney accuses him of burying the statement. They intend to investigate every detail of Steel's case then sue him for £300,000. Dillon accuses Steel of prejudice for deciding the killer had to be white.
Steel and Phillips go over the case files. Claudia Martin (Genevieve O' Reilly) was Steel's lead assistant on the case. When Alesha speaks with Claudia, she has no recollection of the witness statement and wonders how Dillon's attorney came to be in possession of it. None of the rest of Steel's team remembered the statement and none of the log books from the investigation contain evidence of the statement. Chandler speaks with Castle regarding the witness statement. Both trust their people and have nothing to hide. Steel questions Brooks at the statement but he cannot remember who he gave the statement to just that it was a young female wearing a suit. A disagreement ensues when Devlin accuses Steel of blaming the police for the missing evidence.
Castle informs Steel that Chandler notified him that Janice Hunter's statement was entered into the police database. When Dillon's defense team received a copy of the witness schedule three days later, Janice Hunter's name and statement was not on it. The schedule came from CPS so someone in those offices must have deleted it. Steel wants to find out who was on reception to sign for the statement but it's too late. Brooks and Devlin are there to arrest him on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.
In court, Steel pleads not guilty. The CPS lawyer trying the case, Samuel Cain (Tobias Menzies), objects to bail stating Steel will interfere with witnesses. Judge Rory Richards (Crispin Redman) grants bail. Steel petitions the judge to conduct his defense from counsel's row, which Richards grants. Alesha is removed from her office since Cain will be calling her as a witness. Steel asks Alesha to get some files from CPS for him but she's unsure if she can considering her new restrictions. She manages to get the files without getting caught.
In court, Alesha testifies about Steel's trial behavior and Cain succeeds in getting her to admit she has challenged Steel often and brings up the Don Marsh case. She testifies that Steel has never asked her to do anything that would make her feel dishonest in the eyes of the law. Claudia Martin testifies that Steel would interview several expert witnesses before he found the one that would say what he needed. She states Steel told the handwriting expert on the Dillon case his evidence could prevent more children from being killed. She tells the court she left CPS because she was uncomfortable with Steel's way of working and that he was absolutely determined to convict Andrew Dillon. She denies under oath that she deleted Janice Hunter's witness statement and says she knew nothing about it.
Steel begins his cross-examination of Martin by asking her if it was true she was having an affair with him (Steel) during the time of the case. The question shocks the courtroom and, especially Cain and Alesha. Cain objects to the question but the judge allows it. She admits to having an affair and that Steel was the one who ended the relationship causing Martin to leave having felt betrayed. Under oath, she tells Steel she would have done anything for him. Alesha gives Steel the files she took but chastises him for his treatment of Martin in court.
Cain questions Steel in court of his success rate as a prosecutor, which is 93%. Cain brings up the case of Dr. Alec Merrick and the rape case against him where Steel had him arrested on a false rape charge after his acquittal. Cain accuses Steel of taking the law into his own hands. Steel testifies that had he seen Janice Hunter's statement he never would have buried it knowing the real killer was still on the lose to murder more young boys.
Steel petitions the judge to call one final witness, Sally-Anne Hope (Rochelle Neil). Sally-Anne is a paralegal secretary. She worked at CPS six years prior for two weeks during the Andrew Dillon trial. He questions her about Brooks bringing a package to CPS regarding the Dillon case. She remembers the incident and testifies that she gave it immediately to one of the prosecution team. She identifies Claudia Martin as the person she gave the evidence to. The jury finds Steel not guilty.
Steel holds a press conference flanked by Alesha and Castle where he resigns from the CPS immediately. Alesha and Steel talk after his resignation but she is interrupted by a call from George Castle before certain things can be said.
Law & Order: UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada. Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
Season Four, Episode Six, Skeletons
Skeletons, Original Air Date: December 9, 2010 (Canada)
Skeletons, Original Air Date: April 11, 2011 (U.K.)
Based on Law & Order (US) "Trophy", Season 6, Episode 12 (31st January, 1996)
Two young boys are found murdered and a note found with both of the bodies leads police and the CPS to a name they've investigated and prosecuted before, Andrew Dillon. When new evidence comes to light that Dillon might not be guilty of the crimes he was imprisoned for, and his imprisonment guaranteed by missing evidence, Steel's freedom and career are in jeopardy.
A police search for a missing child, Sean Monroe, that includes the young boys father, Mick Monroe (Terence Maynard) yields a grisly shock when the lad's body literally washes out of a drain at Devlin's feet. Sean was killed by a single blow to the head with a heavy blunt-force object. He was killed then dumped into the drainage system. Devlin shows Brooks a paper he found on Sean that reads "They Must Be Destroyed" which is something Brooks thought he'd never see again.
Brooks and Devlin go to Steel and Phillips to inform them of the note and that it sounds like Andrew Dillon is back. Sean Monroe's crucifix was missing from his body and Dillon liked taking souvenirs from his victims. Dillon's family stopped coming to court but he did have a few loyal supporters that called him a "white power hero". Brooks and Devlin speak with one of the supporters, Carl Hareton (Mark Dexter) who informs them their Internet site was shut down for inciting racial hatred. Hareton was chairing a "meeting", a discussion about immigration. He gives them a list of the individuals in attendance at the meeting.
Time of death is ruled between five and seven p.m. and Sean ate shortly before he died. They speak with a woman from a local shop, Carla (Jade Anouka), where Sean bought the crisps and sweets he ate before he died. She remembered Sean speaking with the security guard, Marcus Wright (Jude Akuwidike). He ordered Sean away from the news agency so he couldn't look at pornography and walked the youngster out of the shopping center. He saw Sean go to the right. Brooks and Devlin next speak with Sean's mates at St. Justin's Church Hall. Ollie (Lewis Lempereur-Palmer) doesn't know why Sean was going the direction he was unless he was going to see Darren Powell (Tom Stuart) who runs a talent agency and was trying to get Sean to sign up with him. Darren admits Sean came to see him at half past five but went home when Darren had to leave early.
Angela brings them news that Darren's card was used at the station at twenty past seven even though he told Brooks and Devlin he left Sean at the station at quarter to six. In interview, Darren denies killing Sean but admits he left the station to have a pint. When questioned about why he left his teaching job at the ELPA without a reference Darren tells them it was because he got too involved with a pupil. The boy was being abused by his step-dad and Darren gave him a place to stay. The step-dad accused Darren and the boy was too afraid to tell the truth. Chandler interrupts the interview to tell Brooks another young boy has been found. The thirteen-year-old boy was strangled with his school tie and a note reading "They Must Be Destroyed" was found in his pocket.
Chandler holds a press conference on of the young boy's murder in appeal to the public for information. She refuses to disclose some details despite questions from the media and states it's far too early to tell if the murders are related to Andrew Dillon.
Brooks and Devlin speak with two friends Dean Amadal (Mohammed Mansaray) and Justin bale (Jack O'Connor) of the second murdered boy, Dev, to reconstruct his final hours. He had skipped school along with his friends and they were stealing from shops. Dean tells them Dev got caught for stealing around five when the boys split up. He saw a policeman manhandling Dev. Brooks cannot find a report of Dev having been caught in Green Lanes. Devlin suggests a security guard bringing their attention back to Marcus Wright. Marcus doesn't know Dev at first but admits he saw Dev stealing and he went after him but he got away. Devlin picks up a Bible from Wright's coffee table and begins reading from it. Wright grabs the Bible and a gold crucifix falls from it to the table.
They take Wright in for interview about the murders. Wright declines a lawyer and tells them the boys were sinners and God sought revenge. He didn't pick the boys, God did. Sean's sin was looking at pornography and Dev's sin was stealing. He said God wrote the notes through him. He drops the bombshell on them that the murders attributed to Dillon were murders he committed. Steel feels it is a sick attempt to take credit for the crimes of another but Brooks reveals Wright knows things only the killer would know and had the souvenirs. Brooks tells Steel there was a fourth boy killed, for stealing, after Dillon went down for the murders that Wright killed. The police unearthed a skeleton of a Caucasian boy exactly where Wright said the body was buried. Wright buried the boy because his mother needed him. He confessed the crimes to her and she begged him to stop. She died a few months before Sean's death.
Dillon's attorney accuses Steel of selective prosecution and presents him with a statement six years ago from a witness, who has since died, who claimed to see the third victim an hour after he had been fighting with Dillon (Peter McNamara). The statement is something Steel has never seen before but Dillon's attorney accuses him of burying the statement. They intend to investigate every detail of Steel's case then sue him for £300,000. Dillon accuses Steel of prejudice for deciding the killer had to be white.
Steel and Phillips go over the case files. Claudia Martin (Genevieve O' Reilly) was Steel's lead assistant on the case. When Alesha speaks with Claudia, she has no recollection of the witness statement and wonders how Dillon's attorney came to be in possession of it. None of the rest of Steel's team remembered the statement and none of the log books from the investigation contain evidence of the statement. Chandler speaks with Castle regarding the witness statement. Both trust their people and have nothing to hide. Steel questions Brooks at the statement but he cannot remember who he gave the statement to just that it was a young female wearing a suit. A disagreement ensues when Devlin accuses Steel of blaming the police for the missing evidence.
Castle informs Steel that Chandler notified him that Janice Hunter's statement was entered into the police database. When Dillon's defense team received a copy of the witness schedule three days later, Janice Hunter's name and statement was not on it. The schedule came from CPS so someone in those offices must have deleted it. Steel wants to find out who was on reception to sign for the statement but it's too late. Brooks and Devlin are there to arrest him on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.
In court, Steel pleads not guilty. The CPS lawyer trying the case, Samuel Cain (Tobias Menzies), objects to bail stating Steel will interfere with witnesses. Judge Rory Richards (Crispin Redman) grants bail. Steel petitions the judge to conduct his defense from counsel's row, which Richards grants. Alesha is removed from her office since Cain will be calling her as a witness. Steel asks Alesha to get some files from CPS for him but she's unsure if she can considering her new restrictions. She manages to get the files without getting caught.
In court, Alesha testifies about Steel's trial behavior and Cain succeeds in getting her to admit she has challenged Steel often and brings up the Don Marsh case. She testifies that Steel has never asked her to do anything that would make her feel dishonest in the eyes of the law. Claudia Martin testifies that Steel would interview several expert witnesses before he found the one that would say what he needed. She states Steel told the handwriting expert on the Dillon case his evidence could prevent more children from being killed. She tells the court she left CPS because she was uncomfortable with Steel's way of working and that he was absolutely determined to convict Andrew Dillon. She denies under oath that she deleted Janice Hunter's witness statement and says she knew nothing about it.
Steel begins his cross-examination of Martin by asking her if it was true she was having an affair with him (Steel) during the time of the case. The question shocks the courtroom and, especially Cain and Alesha. Cain objects to the question but the judge allows it. She admits to having an affair and that Steel was the one who ended the relationship causing Martin to leave having felt betrayed. Under oath, she tells Steel she would have done anything for him. Alesha gives Steel the files she took but chastises him for his treatment of Martin in court.
Cain questions Steel in court of his success rate as a prosecutor, which is 93%. Cain brings up the case of Dr. Alec Merrick and the rape case against him where Steel had him arrested on a false rape charge after his acquittal. Cain accuses Steel of taking the law into his own hands. Steel testifies that had he seen Janice Hunter's statement he never would have buried it knowing the real killer was still on the lose to murder more young boys.
Steel petitions the judge to call one final witness, Sally-Anne Hope (Rochelle Neil). Sally-Anne is a paralegal secretary. She worked at CPS six years prior for two weeks during the Andrew Dillon trial. He questions her about Brooks bringing a package to CPS regarding the Dillon case. She remembers the incident and testifies that she gave it immediately to one of the prosecution team. She identifies Claudia Martin as the person she gave the evidence to. The jury finds Steel not guilty.
Steel holds a press conference flanked by Alesha and Castle where he resigns from the CPS immediately. Alesha and Steel talk after his resignation but she is interrupted by a call from George Castle before certain things can be said.
Law & Order: UK airs on Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. on CityTV in Canada. Season Four is currently not airing in the UK and will air at a later date.
For more information:
Law & Order: UK ITV1 Official Site: http://www.itv.com/drama/copsandcrime/lawandorder/
Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166893/
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-18198
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