In Plain Sight (1.2)

Sunday, June 8th, 2008 @ 10 PM

USA

In Plain Sight - Season 1, Epiosde 2 - "Hoosier Daddy"

Mary protects a 10-year-old witness from being returned to his father, one of the largest drug traffickers in the Midwest. (USAnetwork.com)

Manatee: I am strangely interested in this show, though all logic tells me I should hate it.

Marmot: It's not terrible, like Canterbury's Law or New Amsterdam or other "case of the week" type shows.

Manatee: It's definitely not as bad as those two. I wonder if my expectations are lower since IPS airs on USA as opposed to one of the networks

Marmot: It's not as good as some of the shows on FX or AMC, but I've never watched anything on USA, so I didn't really know what to expect. I always hear good things, but I've boycotted the USA Network since they canceled Cartoon Express in the mid-80s.

Manatee: That's a long time to hold a grudge. USA does not have the best programming. Monk (going into its 7th season) is highly popular and does very well in the ratings. But it's not my cup of tea. Their programming is a little timid for me. A little too soft (see: Starter Wife). Burn Notice is decent but still on the fluffier side.

Marmot: I saw part of one episode of Psych once. It looks like it was made 20 years ago.

Manatee: The quality is also not that great. With IPS I feel like it wants to go a little edgier but then it holds back. Mary has the serious "Law & Order" type cases, but she also has to deal with a kooky mom and wacky sex-pot sister. And you have the comic relief of her boss mixed in.

Marmot: I don't really get why her mom and sister are so ribald. Their daughter/sister seems fairly normal, except for her habitual list making. However, the mom is having trysts with a pirate and the sister has a suitcase full of drugs and doesn't own anything that extends past the knee.

Manatee: I think it's in their best interest to write these two out. Does it give Mary another dimension to her character to have a crazy uncontrollable home life? Or is it added in because she's a woman?

Marmot: I think it's supposed to juxtapose with her nature - centered, strong woman in the midst of chaos both at home and at work. But she had two scenes with the mom and sister. One where she yells at them for being a mess, and another where they try to stop being a mess but still end up looking crazy (i.e. the door to door cosmetics sales).

Manatee: I don't think she is that strong or centered at home. She can't control her home life very well. But it does show a soft side of her (giving her mom $2500, which is clearly a mistake) which you don't see that often at work. Except in last night's episode where you see her reaching out to this young boy and actually caring. I'm not sure where this show will go. On one hand you do have the procedural side which sort of gets changed up week after week. But then again, how many witness protection cases can one city have? But on episode #2 I'm already sick of her family/personal side.

Marmot: I didn't see the pilot, so the only exposure I had to her home life was yelling at her mom and sister to get their acts together and clean up her house, so she gave off the impression of being the normal, grounded roommate compared to the other two loud and irresponsible roommates. I was kind of surprised that the mom and sister didn't start playing quarters in the living room.

Manatee: She is definitely more 'mature' and 'normal' than her mom and sister, but I don't think she has control of either of them. She obviously is not happy about the living situation (which PS did not get resolved). The sister did not pay rent nor did she circle the calendar. In the pilot, they threw her a surprise party which is nice, but Mary dreaded it. Her sister steals Mary's “booty call's” car and also has a suitcase full of drugs. Her home life is basically way out of order whether she knows it now or not. She certainly will soon. I suspect that the sister/drug problem will come to a head in a few more episodes.

Marmot: That's going to happen, for sure. Where did the sister come from, anyway? And did she live with her mom at the beginning of the pilot?

Manatee: She came from New Jersey. I think she was with her BF there. There was a little phone call last night that shed a little light on the info. She just arrived via train in the pilot. The mom already lived there. Not sure why.

Marmot: Well, I think I'll keep watching it. It was interesting enough to keep my eyes open, but if the case work is too similar each week, I may just give up.

Manatee: Only time will tell.