DJariya

Synopsis:



Episode 10 of 13

Aaron Ashmore (Smallville) guest stars again as Mary & Brandi's supposed half brother---I hate this storyline and Brandi's stupidity.

Promo:

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Fist of Doom

wmansir

another to that.

I thought they were going to cut down on Mary's home life and focus more on witsec but it seems instead they are keeping the family drama and shoehorning in an expanded B story with Marshall and Stan each week. The result is that instead of the witsec stories getting stronger they are getting watered down.

EDIT: The show still has a problem hooking me with the characters each week. I don't know if it's the time constraints of the new 3 sub-plot format or just poor writing but the characters, particularly the witnesses, seem very hollow this season. Some are bland, some are stereotypical and some go so far as to approach caricature, but even when they have personality they are still missing something.

DJariya

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...ight-cut/8733/

We now have an official explanation for the episode cut from 16 to 13.

John McNamara, IPS's new showrunner, had to leave the show for medical reasons.

aynrandgirl

Brandi is suddenly not pregnant, which none of the characters notice.

Deftones

was she pregnant before?

DJariya

She's not pregnant on the show. We just speculated that Nichole Hiltz may be pregnant in real life because of the change in her face and the way they shoot her on the show.

aynrandgirl

The round belly, enlarged breasts, and change of blouse style were somewhat of a giveaway too. The belly is gone in this episode but (as you would expect) the rest remain.

wearetheborg

Again, something seemed missing from this episode, could not get into it.

morganahere

The whole family storylines have been awful. The melodrama mother was horrible. The sister/half-brother don't work.

Can't they do more with Marshall and Stan??? We love them.

Keep a way from the made-up conflicts in the family. I liked that secretary they took off. They need more supporting characters. It's too intense w/ Mary on the screen all the time.

And what's with the bad Botox on Brandy? First season, Mary's lips were inflated badly and now Brandy's eyebrows are arched weirdly.

DJariya

Yup, I agree with most of your comments. Although I think they have done a better job writing more interesting cases. And I think they have done a better job making Mary a little more likeable especially with the voice-overs giving us better insight into her. Haven't done a thread eps 11 and 12 as I fell a few weeks behind. Will get caught up for the season finale next week.

As far as Eleanor, She's married to IPS's creator David Maples and USA fired him from the show prior to this season. She wasn't under contract, so it was pretty obvious she wouldn't be coming back.

morganahere

Thanks for the info!

Well that explains the disappearing Eleanor we liked so much. Why did they fire Maples?

morganahere

Agree, that the cases are less mechanical, less witness-in-jeopardy, and more character-driven. That really engages the viewer.

DJariya

USA didn't like where the show was heading creatively. So they canned him and another producer Paul Stupin. Hence, they hired a new producer John McNamara.