Charlie White- "He may not always do things by the book, but I for one have learned to trust Dwight when he's got one of his feelings."
One of the problems I have had recently with watching new tv series is that it is almost impossible for me to go in with a blank slate. Whether it's some review or a bunch of tweets, it's terribly hard to not hear a bunch of people's opinions of a show before it even airs.
Take Memphis Beat for example. Going into my viewing of the series premier, I knew that all the critics said it was nothing more than garbage. The Chicago Tribune's Mo Ryan tweeted the above quote complaining about how the writing was terrible. Now, on the one hand, this does help me and others figure out which series to give a shot and which to skip. But, on the other, sometimes I'd like to go in fresh and come up with an opinion that is completely my own. So even if I end up liking the series premier of this TNT drama, I'll be asking myself it is only despite said critics.
Well I tried my best to form opinions of my own here. I think the first ep was decent to good, as far as procedurals go. I've always liked Jason Lee. From his roles in the Kevin Smith movies, to his quick stint in romantic comedies, and most recently in My Name Is Earl. If Memphis Beat is going to work, he's going to have to carry it. And I think he pulled it off, for the most part. Going from a sitcom to a drama seems to be an easy transition, and his comedic chops help to build up the charm of his Dwight Hendricks.
The writing was a bit sloppy in parts, and some of the supporting characters don't appear to be too promising, but other than that I don't see many negatives (other than the fact that it's going to be a straight procedural). As far as the supporting roles go, Dwight's partner Whitehead seemed pretty useless in the premier. Then there was the Alfre Woodard sighting. After killing it as Butch McCray's mom in Blue Chips she has had quite the sketchy tv run. First she was brought on and sent home in Desperate Housewives. Then she was a part of two short-lived misfires, in My Own Worst Enemy and Three Rivers. This is not a good sign for the Beat.
If this show is about something other than Jason Lee's character, it is the city of Memphis and his relationship with it. I can't remember exactly what I read about the series's portrayal of Memphis, but I know it was negative. I wanna say I heard someone complain about it seeming like the city was just Elvis impersonators. Well I've been to Memphis twice, and that is almost it. There were the run-down dumps of the city and there was Elvis land. I thought this first episode did a good job or showing that.
I'm still considering whether or not to stick this out for a whole season. Jason Lee deserves the love, but I don't know if TNT can be trustworthy enough. I guess we'll see what happens.
A few more notes from Beale Street
-I liked some of the editing styles used, like the transitions that brought Jason Lee's voiceovers to the next scene.
-The bad guy's name was Ray Pruit? And he was beating on someone? This sounded all too familiar. I was just waiting for this dirtbag to break into an acoustic version of 'Hold On.'
-There was some good music in this premier, especially the montage with Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come.'
-Dwight is already getting commended by the big bad boss in the first episode? Isn't that something we need to work towards throughout the season?
-Nice ending with Dwight performing Elvis's 'If I Can Dream' in front of all of his co-workers. What a great song. Justin Gaston needs to get his act together if he's gonna let Jason Lee show him up like that.
No comments:
Post a Comment