The New Season

Several television shows have premiered over the last couple of weeks.  Herewith, some thoughts:

Crossing Lines (NBC): Basically "Criminal Minds" with an international flavor, "Crossing Lines" focuses on an elite group of crimefighters recruited from across Europe (plus one disillusioned New York City detective).  This task force functions as an investigative arm of the International Criminal Court, pursuing criminals who cannot otherwise be pursued, due to the cross-border nature of their crimes.  (Personally, I always thought that was what Interpol was for.  Of course, I've also never been quite sure whether Interpol was a real thing: It sounds far too cool to be real.  Where was I?)

Unlike most new TV shows, "Crossing Lines" is refreshingly non-continuous; that is, each episode functions as a stand-alone story.  There is an ongoing subplot featuring a shadowy Russian criminal mastermind who is responsible for the murder of the young son of one of the team members, but one doesn't need to know much about this plotline to follow the events of any individual episode.  The question is, Will this subplot be enough to keep people coming back week after week?  The answer, for me at least, is No.

Under the Dome (CBS): I was looking forward to this one.  Based on the Stephen King tome of the same name, "Under the Dome" tells the story of Chester's Mill, a pleasant New England town whose residents one day find themselves trapped under a transparent but unbreakable dome.  While the basic concept and main characters are familiar from the novel, the producers have taken some liberties with the plot--changing some details, adding and deleting others--presumably to give themselves the option of exploring further storylines depending on how successful the show is.

The show's not bad, but I have one quibble with what has been done with one of the major characters, James "Big Jim" Rennie, the show's primary villain.  In the book, he is the "Second Selectman" of Chester's Mill, but he effectively runs the town, including several shady enterprises in and around Chester's Mill.  For the show, the producers have changed Rennie's title to councilman--a wise move, in my opinion: I read all 1,000-plus pages of Under the Dome, and I STILL have no clear idea what a "second selectman" is.  I assume it's some position of authority unique to Maine--the kind of title that probably comes with a free chicken and unlimited use of the town snowplow.  Another choice made by the producers, however, is far less satisfying.

Rennie is played by Dean Norris.  Now, I have nothing against Dean Norris as an actor; indeed, as a member of the "Breaking Bad" ensemble, Norris (who plays Walt's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader) has my utmost respect.  But while Dean Norris may be any number of things, he is most definitely not "Big."  Big Jim Rennie needs to be an imposing physical presence--the part fairly screams for John Goodman--and Norris just does not convey any sense of physical menace.  Maybe he'll grow into the role--but he'll need to have quite a growth spurt.

Ray Donovan (Showtime): Remember "Pulp Fiction"?  Remember Harvey Keitel's character, "The Wolf," the guy who cleans up other people's messes?  Well, Ray Donovan  (Liev Schreiber) is basically "The Wolf," only not quite so amusing. By far the best of these new shows, "Ray Donovan" revolves around an all-purpose fixer, the guy you call if you're a Hollywood A-lister, and you wake up with a naked dead woman in your bed.  Ray's family consists of his brothers Terry (Eddie Marsan), who is suffering from Parkinson's, and Bunchy (Dash Mihok), who is dealing with alcoholism, drug addiction, and other long-term repercussions of having been molested by the family priest; Ray's father (Jon Voight), who has just been paroled for unspecified crimes, and whose reappearance in Ray's life is less than welcome; and Ray's wife Abby (Paula Malcomson), who is desperate for a more mainstream version of the Hollywood dream than that provided by Ray's shady profession.  As "Dexter" (which it follows on Sunday nights) staggers to an end--none too soon, if the season premiere is any indication--"Ray Donovan" provides a nice palate cleanser.

Not Right, Not Illegal

Brace yourselves, Nation: George Zimmerman is not guilty.  Now, this in no way means he is innocent, nor does it mean he should not spend a significant amount of time in jail.  But he probably won't.  Because he's not guilty.

I know this doesn't feel right: An unarmed young man, Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed by Zimmerman, an overzealous wannabe-cop, who claims that Martin "attacked" him.  The fact that Zimmerman was following Martin around, despite being told by a 911 dispatcher that they (the authorities) "didn't need him to do that" certainly weakens Zimmerman's claims of self-defense.  At the same time, though, the fact that Florida has a by-now-well-known "stand your ground" law--which enables people to claim self-defense despite, essentially, not needing to defend themselves--makes a successful prosecution difficult--particularly when the victim is no longer around to provide his side of the story.

Were George Zimmerman's actions right?  Absolutely not.  Were they illegal?  Under Florida law, probably not.  The fault lies not with the prosecution--nor even entirely with George Zimmerman--but with the benighted state of the criminal justice system in the redneck South.

Perhaps, if and when Zimmerman is acquitted, a federal civil rights case could be filed against him.  I don't know all the technicalities involved in such a prosecution, but I do know that such things have been done before.

Of course, if acquitted, Zimmerman will need to be careful.  After all, the stand-your-ground provision states that anyone "who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force if he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself."  Given Zimmerman's proven propensity to use deadly force at the slightest provocation, wouldn't anyone in his vicinity have the right to stand his ground and defend himself accordingly?

Happy Fourth

At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, or attracting unwanted attention from the NSA agents who are undoubtedly monitoring this blog, I must admit that the Fourth of July has never meant all that much to me.  As a lifelong academic, for whom summers have largely been "work optional," I don't even necessarily get the standard excitement one would associate with an extra day off.  Still, I suppose I should take a moment to express some gratitude for the fact that I live in a free country with a functioning, democratically elected government, and where said government doesn't arbitrarily monitor or detain its citizens.

Well, close enough.

No Fish Like an Old Fish

A shortracker rockfish caught off the Alaskan coast may well be the oldest living fish--or, at least, the oldest formerly living fish--ever landed.  According to its driver's license (I'm guessing), the fish is approximately 200 years old:

(The rockfish is the one without the glasses.)

You know, looking at this picture really makes you think about the magic and mystery of the natural world.  It also goes to prove that, while beauty fades, ugly just goes on forever.

Back in Town

Well, I'm back.  If you were wondering, I was in Vegas for the past couple of days.  For that matter, I was in Vegas for the past couple of days even if you weren't wondering.  And if you weren't wondering, why weren't you wondering?  For God's sake, I've been missing for three days!  You people would all make terrible parents.  Anyway, I was meeting up with FOS and Family (not to be confused with "Fox and Friends"--the title of which I've never understood: I mean, I get that it's on Fox, but there's no one on the show named "Fox," right?  So the title implies that the show is hosted by the network. . .and its friends?  Someone needs to get on this right away.  Where was I?).  We had a nice time despite average daily temperatures that approximated those on the surface of Mercury.  Seriously!  I'm not sure it dropped below 100 degrees the entire time I was there.  It was 106 degrees at 11:30!  P.M.!  Why do people live in this place?  Sure the breakfast buffets are awesome--prime rib and blintzes!--but you have to survive through the night to be able to enjoy them! Reveling in the spirit of "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," FOS and I threw inhibition to the winds and partook of that time-honored, red-blooded American-male Sin-City tradition: a trip to the Pinball Hall of Fame!  Yes, folks, I am a nerd.  Anyway, good to be back.