When a network spends a long time on the fence about a series only to finally renew it for another season, the biggest concern for fans is that the new episodes won’t live up to the effort they’ve put into seeing their show get a second chance. Sound familiar, team Dark Blue?
So how do our favorite undercover cops stand up to that scrutiny? Not so fast, my friends. First let’s turn to the season one DVD.
I’m usually very anti TV on DVD that goes light on the extras. Even more so when there are none at all (save for a very short, uninformative season two preview). But what the producers of Dark Blue have put together is interesting; the entire set is sparse, from the package design to the featureless insides.
How’s that interesting? Because with Dark Blue season one it’s all about the show … and let’s remember how good of a show that was. Granted it took TNT a while to see it, but it was awesome. Remember?
Well, so far season two has not failed to disappoint! I’ve had the opportunity to preview the first three episodes of the season (the premiere, airing Wednesday night, August 4, is actually two episodes back-to-back), and they’re just as good as we remember the show being in its first season.
Well, almost. You see, when a show goes through a near-death experience like this one did, there’s always going to be something that the producers promise to change/fix in order to get a renewal order. And I have my theories about what that might be, based on what I’ve seen so far. WARNING: light spoilers ahead.
Everybody says Carter is too much of an enigma. Well, my guess is that we’re going to be seeing a whole new side of Dylan McDermott, which makes sense considering the fact that he’s who the show’s a vehicle for. And I’m all for it (not only because it’s great to be seeing him once again in something I enjoy him in, unlike The Practice) … although not necessarily if it means bringing in a new character who opens up a different side of him. You’ll see who and what I mean, but I’d rather see Carter growing tighter with his crew than someone else. And how about more on his now ex-wife and her kid?
Dean and Jaimie fans will be happy to know that boyfriend Scott made the move to San Francisco without her. What that means for them I’m not saying, but unfortunately (in my opinion), it does leave their coupling open as an option. I will say this, though: Jealousy is an ugly color.
And Ty? Well, I’m not so sure what’s up with Ty. He is MIA for much of the premiere, but then back in the swing of things in episode two. At first I thought he was done going undercover (remember that he and wife Melissa were thinking about kids), and then I started to wonder if his marriage was going to be the after-thought. There’s a lack of clarity there thus far, but Ty fans (like me!) should rest assured that by the end of the episodes I’ve previewed he’s back as a major force on the show.
As for the cases … not too shabby! I hope the writers can get creative with the types of criminals that the unit sets out to take down (I realize LA is heavy on the drug trade, but still), but I’m enjoying what I’ve seen so far. And the drum I was beating last season about longer-haul cases and multi-episode stories? Get set to see some of that from the get-go.
So, all in all, does Dark Blue season two live up to the hype?… You know it! See for yourself when the show returns, Wednesday night, August 4, on TNT.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 15, 2010 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
