Pitchy Rather Than Bitchy: Bravo's "Hey Paula" Fails to Entertain

I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for train wrecks.

So it was hardly surprising that I tuned in last night to see Bravo's new reality series Hey Paula, just to sneak a peak at the, er, flaming wreckage of star/glutton for punishment Paula Abdul's life.

Sadly, Bravo's docusoap seems more like a glorfied campaign to spread the word of just how much work Paula really seems to do (the tearful entrepreneur is a spiritual sibling of Blow Out's Jonathan Anton, it would seem) and how completely misunderstood she really is. Take the case of the designs she did for the Bratz movie; I'm not entirely sure if she was asked to do these designs, did them of her own accord, or what, but Miz Paula claims that she spent her own time and money creating these costumes whilst the other Bratz producers refused to return her calls. When they finally do (and want to see the costumes stat, on the day of the Grammys, no less!), Paula grimly faces herself in the mirror after they've "worn" her down: "I'm a warrior," she says as she turns her coiffed head to get a better look at her award show hair.

Um, would a warrior cry at the drop of a hat? Or let her dog nearly choke to death on a priceless diamond-encrusted ring on loan from a jewelry company? Hardly. Instead, Paula comes off less like the unpredictable basketcase we know her to be and more like an imbalanced airhead who has surrounded herself with incompetents and who works just so damn hard to be taken seriously.

Make no mistake. Incompetent is what her "friends"/employees are, to the highest degree. I'm not sure how long it takes for two (yes, two!) people to pack a bag for a diva's one-day trip to Philadelphia, but it takes assistant and her clothing stylist Kylie what seems like nine hours to do so and they still manage to pull the wrong outfit for Paula to wear on the red eye flight (tighter-than-tight jeans rather than comfortable sweats). With support staff like these, who needs enemies?

Where are the Robertson Boulevard tantrums, the sobbing jags backstage at awards shows, the complete and utter break from reality that seem to fuel Paula's life? Anything that would possibly serve to explain her highly erratic behavior on American Idol? Instead, we're meant to think that Paula is a candidate for sainthood because she got on that plane to hawk her QVC merchandise after attending the Grammys, that she slaved away for days on neglected movie wardrobe designs, that she's picked on by Joan Rivers, that her assistant didn't pack the right plane-appropriate clothing for her. The list goes on and on.

If all we're getting on Hey Paula is the surface-level personality Abdul seems to be displaying (along with an obnoxious portion of whine and cheese), then I've already gotten my fill. Instead of the train wreck I had hoped for, all we seem to be getting here is the PR machine working overtime.

"Life on Mars" Finds Its Sam Tyler in Actor Jason O'Mara

One of the questions I get asked fairly regularly via email is what ever happened to David E. Kelley's US adaptation of Life on Mars?

Being a huge fan of the original UK Life on Mars, I was fairly underwhelmed by Kelley's script, which did little more than transport the action from 1970s Manchester... to 1970s Los Angeles and slightly Americanize the dialogue. As for the rest, it's all basically the same: Sam Tyler chases serial killer, arrests Colin Raimes, has car accident, wakes up in 1970. Oh, except, this time around Annie is a full-on female detective, rather than a WPC in a skirt.

The project was meant originally for fall consideration but when the pilot for Life on Mars--which had only cast Rachelle Lefevre (Life on a Stick) as Annie--failed to cast the ever-crucial role of series lead, it was placed on hold until an appropriate Sam Tyler could be cast.

Cut several months forward to today, where ABC has announced that it has finally managed to find its lead for Life on Mars: Jason O'Mara, whom Monarch of the Glen fans will remember as Fergal.

O'Mara--who has also appeared in Band of Brothers, Men in Trees, In Justice, and The Closer--had most recently appeared in the pilot for Marlowe (expect a review of that failed pilot next week) and has a talent deal with ABC, the network behind Life on Mars.

Life on Mars' director Thomas Schlamme feels that O'Mara is the perfect choice to play the conflicted time-traveler (or madman) Sam Tyler. "When I read the script, the bad news was that in order for the project to work, we needed an actor who could play confident yet lost, forceful yet frightened, withdrawn yet available, and uncompromising yet funny," said Schlamme. "The good news is we got Jason O'Mara."

The pilot for Life on Mars will begin production on August 14th and is said to be under consideration for midseason. I'll be trying to get my greedy mitts on the completed pilot as soon as it goes through editing, so stay tuned.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); Kyle XY (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); George Lopez/George Lopez (ABC); Standoff (FOX)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: The Gil Mayo Mysteries on BBC America.

It's an all-new mystery series on BBC America starring Alistair McGowan (Bleak House) as Gil Mayo, a single dad and detective. On tonight's episode, Mayo and Alex bicker and the team solves a crime at Scissors Palace.

Eternal Flame: Jason Dohring Heads to "Moonlight"

In one of the strangest casting twists ever, Veronica Mars' Jason Dohring has joined the cast of the rapidly repopulated vampire drama Moonlight.

The news comes on the heels of yesterday's announcement that Sophia Myles (Doctor Who) would take over for Shannon Lucio in the retooled CBS drama, from studio Warner Bros Television and production company Silver Pictures, which--not coincidentally--produced Veronica Mars as well.

Dohring will co-star as ancient vampire Josef, who is a confidante of the main character, a vampire/private investigator played by Alex O'Loughlin. Dohring replaces sexagenarian Rade Serbedzija, who appeared in the pilot presentation.

Since then, Josef's character has been re-envisioned as a significantly younger, roguish hedge-fund trader.

I'm not sure quite what to make of this recasting though Dohring does deserve a plum post-Veronica Mars gig. Thoughts?

Faced with Comfort Food, Micah Stumbles on "Top Chef"

Cards on the table time. I was really let down by most of the contestants on last night's episode of Top Chef ("Family Favorites"). Am I alone in that statement?

Sure, part of my frustration might be that I was watching this episode around 1 am after attending the Transformers premiere, but one of the reasons I love this series--a full head and shoulder's above FOX's similarly-themed cooking competition Hell's Kitchen--is that on any given week the chefs show an extraordinary range of inspiration, creativity, and talent. None of those things really came through in this week's challenge, which asked the chefs to reinvent stodgy American comfort food and update it with a modern twist and an emphasis on low-cholesterol.

To me, that seems like a really interesting challenge and I expected to see some really innovative takes on dishes like chicken a la King, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, fish sticks and french fries, tuna casserole, and pork chops. I'll admit that I don't eat most of those dishes (ahem, food snob, ahem) but, in my own way, I do love comfort food and would gladly eat something deconstructed and innovative that's based on one of these classic dishes, so long as it wasn't covered in grease or loaded down with macaroni. (Anything involving a can of cream of mushroom soup is strictly verboten in this household.)

In any event, I was interested to see what the chefs would pull out of their hats when faced with such an enticing challenge. However, I can't say that I was really impressed by the dishes or techniques that they utilized. It was hardly a surprise that Howie and Dale--the only two chefs who produced anything that came close to fulfilling the brief--ended up in the top two. (I, like the judges, had a hard time coming up with a third best dish and decided to leave it there.)

Howie's fennel-crusted pork chops with apple fennel salad and sultana raisin emulsion perfectly captured the spirit of this challenge, updating the tired old pork chops and applesauce for the new millennium by ditching the baby food staple for a crunchy fennel and apple slaw while never sacrificing flavor for low-cholesterol. (Take that, Joey!) Meanwhile, Dale took a family recipe for pierogies and transformed it into an update on chicken and dumplings, giving the two generations of Elk Lodge members a memorable dish: chicken-filled potato dumplings with broccoli, horseradish, and celery root.

The other competitors? Not so smart. I thought half of the dishes looked atrocious and must have tasted even worse and the other half just seemed clueless about the challenge and tried to take the easy way out. (Hello, Lia, I'm looking at you!) Brian may have had immunity after his genius performance at the Quickfire Challenge, but that's no excuse to throw the brief out the window and I am glad that the judges took him to task at the judging table for doing just that. His lobster and shrimp roll with lobster broth looked delicious but lobster is one of most cholesterol-laden things you can possibly eat; nor am I sure what the thematic connection to his original dish was meant to be. Odd and disappointing.

Did anyone else notice that the editing of this episode was especially tight? We skimmed over most of the dishes in the Quickfire Challenge, with nary an on-screen caption and the pacing on the Elimination Challenge was similarly mercurial. I nearly missed Casey's rib eye Sloppy Joe's with butter pickle and apricot compote as it went by so quickly.

I'd agree with the judges that CJ's tuna casserole--here updated with whole wheat pasta and yogurt and a flax seed tuile--was just awful looking, comprised of a grassy green mess that resembled nothing less than foodie roadkill. Hung's skinless yogurt-marinated chicken and pasta with vegetables was a beige mess on the plate and didn't recall fried chicken and mac and cheese to my mind at all. Similarly amateurish was Joey's lasagna with turkey sausage, eggplant, and mushroom, a messy pile of pasta sheets, sauce, and color filling a bowl to the brim. (What happened to elegant plating?)

I am, however, stunned by Lia's thinking that she had this challenge in the bag with her grilled chicken sausage with dijon lentils, carrots and onions. Had she made the sausage herself (as Brian did recently with seafood sausage), things may have turned out differently. But she grilled and cooked the sausage with some Guinness, undercooked the lentils completely, and then prepared some vegetables. A winning dish? Hardly. Way too many shortcuts going on here and nothing innovative.

In the end, the two worst perpetrators were hands-down Micah and Sara M. I'm really not sure what was going on with Sara's take on chicken a la King, here presented with a puree of mushroom sauce, couscous, and watercress salad. Sure, Hung messed her up by turning down the oven where she was cooking her chicken to cool down, but the flaws of the dish were in the idea itself rather than the execution; what relevance does this dish have to the original? Color me baffled. But it was Micah's jaw-droppingly bad rendition of meatloaf and mashed potatoes (easily the most versatile one at their disposal) that had me reconsidering these chef's creativity. Her Italian-style meatloaf with smashed garlic potato and roasted pepper sauces was inedible, leaving an odd aftertaste and an even odder texture.

It was only fitting then that she should be the one to pack her knives and leave. I felt conflicted by Micah as she proved herself so unpredictable and inconsistent: the winner one week, in the bottom three the next, she was all over the place. Sure, she missed her baby (did she remind us enough?) but she had an odd attitude this week, even in front of the judges about the food, which probably didn't endear her to Tom, Padma, guest judge Alfred Portale, and Ted Allen--who now seems to be filling in for Gail. Sayonara, Micah!

Next week on Top Chef ("Cooking By Numbers"), the chefs must work together in teams of three, Joey and Lia butt heads, and Howie admits making an error in judgment.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Pirate Master (CBS); My Name is Earl/The Office (NBC); Smallville (CW); Ugly Betty (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office/The Office; Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC); Men in Trees (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Pirate Master.

On tonight's episode ("Loose Lips Sink Ships"), Nessa proves she'll do anything to stay aboard the Picton-Castle. Hmmm, anything?

8:30 pm: The Office.

It's the first of three installments of The Office tonight. Up first is "Office Olympics," when Michael and Dwight leave the Dunder-Mifflin employees on their own, Jim and Pam launch some games of their own devising, namely the Office Olympics. Get your Flönkerton scorecards ready.

9-10 pm: The Office.

Up next is one of my favorite Office episodes, Season Two's "Booze Cruise," in which Michael takes the employees of Dunder-Mifflin on a cruise, but things get out of control for everyone. Especially Meredith. After that it's "The Secret," where Jim is forced to pretend to be Michael's best friend after telling him about his crush on Pam.

An Open Letter to Sophia Myles, New to CBS' "Moonlight"

Dear Sophia,

I've been a fan of yours ever since I saw you in that absolutely brilliant episode of Doctor Who ("The Girl in the Fireplace"), where you appeared as the headstrong and lovelorn Madame de Pompadour. You've appeared in other productions high up on my radar, like Extras, Masterpiece Theatre's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Underworld: Evolution, Art School Confidential, and Tristan + Isolde.

So what are you doing slumming it in CBS's fall drama Moonlight (formerly known as Twilight)?

Sure, I'm sure your agent at ICM sold you on the fact that it's a starring role on a network series (the Tiffany Network, no less) and played up the fact that they brought in Angel co-creator David Greenwalt to punch things up, but come on now, Soph. Did you see that abysmal pilot presentation they shot with Alex O'Loughlin and The OC's Shannon Lucio (whom you're replacing)?

Now, let's be honest: you're definitely more of a leading lady and much more of a serious actress than Lucio, who imbued "beautiful, ambitious" investigative reporter Beth Turner with a blasé MySpace generation mentality, but I was really hoping for more from you than appearing in a third-rate Angel/Forever Knight ripoff.

I'd urge you to reconsider, but we all know that the clock is already ticking for Moonlight, the odd man out in terms of CBS' fall schedule. Tick tock...

Sincerely,
Jace at Televisionary

Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Cane"

Question: what do Jimmy Smits, Hector Elizondo, Polly Walker, Nestor Carbonell, Rita Moreno, Paola Turbay, and Alona Tal have in common?

Answer: they all appear in CBS' cracking and taut new drama Cane, which launches this fall. Cane charts the soapy twists and turns in the lives of the Duques, a wealthy family in the lucrative rum business who must fend off takeover advances from the shifty Samuels clan, who'd like nothing better but to put the business started by pater familias Pancho Duque (Hector Elizondo) and now run by adopted son Alex Vegas (an incandescant Jimmy Smits) firmly under their thumb.

The matter at stake in Cane is the titular sugarcane, used in rum-making, which is now being considered by politicians as an ethanol fuel alternative... which means big bucks for who ever gains control of those massive sugarcane fields. Add to this the fact that there's bad blood--as in Shakespearean-scale blood feuds--between the two families (the Samuels may have played a part in the kidnapping and murder of the youngest Duque a few decades back) and you have a series that positively thrums with the beat of conflict.

In Cane, Jimmy Smits is at his most magnetic, playing Alex as a family man deeply divided by conflict; in his case, it's the pull between duty and morality as what's best isn't always what's right. In the pilot episode alone, he must decide whether to step up as the new head of Duque Rum and cast out his jealous brother, focusing his energy on building up their budding empire, or whether to succumb to the tantalizing lure of revenge.

As Alex's parents, Elizondo and Rita Moreno provide a gravitas as well as an emotional pull; Elizondo is all charm and rules his clan with an iron fist in a velvet glove. The rest of the cast is equally luminescent: Rome's Polly Walker does her best Southern black widow here, imbuing Ellis with a lithe energy matched only by her bitter poison; Lost's Nestor Carbonell radiates with the jealousy of an overlooked sibling and an air of self-entitlement that is fueled by years of rage at his family. Together, Carbonell's Frank and Ellis make the perfect pair, blending spite and acidity. Paola Turbay is perfectly cast as Alex's wife Isabel, who turns a blind eye to the conflict within her husband, seeing only the product of his upbringing: the luxury of the Duques family set against his childhood as an orphaned Cuban refugee.

Rounding out the cast is Eddie Matos as youngest son Henry Duque, who'd rather avoid the rum business altogether and focus on his passion: clubs; Michael Trevino as Alex's equally conflicted son (family business and college or the love of his beautiful girlfriend and the military?); Veronica Mars' Alona Tal as Jamie's girlfriend Rebecca; and Lina Esco has Alex and Isabel's deceitful and rather spoiled daughter Katie.

Cane, created by Cynthia Cidre, is a slick, beautifully polished production that sucks you in from the opening scene. It's filled with heat and color and perfectly captures the Cubano scene in South Florida, each scene bursting with a vibrancy rarely seen on network television. CBS will have its hands full convincing a fickle viewing public that it's not a "Latino series," per se, but rather a soap opera that happens to revolve around a Latino family. Those unwilling to open their minds and watch a series populated by minority actors will miss out on a gripping, sensational series about what it means to fight (sometimes tooth and nail) for the ever-elusive American Dream.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The King of Queens/The King of Queens (CBS); Most Outrageous Moments/Most Outrageous Moments (NBC); Hidden Palms (CW); The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Last Comic Standing (NBC); Hidden Palms (CW); American Inventor (ABC)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Traveler (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8-10 pm: Hidden Palms.

On the sixth episode of this eight-episode teen thriller/relationship drama ("Dangerous Liaisons"), Johnny confronts Greta about the bloody angel costume Liza discovered in Cliff's room, while Nikki catches Cliff kissing Eddie's mom at a party. On the penultimate episode ("Stand By Your Woman"), Johnny tells Greta and Liza about Cliff's affair while Cliff tries to win back Nikki while fending off Maria Nolan.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

On tonight's episode of Top Chef ("Family Favorites"), the chefs are tasked with working with some exotic shellfish, CJ makes a muddy mess out of tuna, and the contestants get themselves into hot water... in the jacuzzi.

10 pm: Traveler.

On tonight's episode ("The Trader"), Tyler and Jay go back to New York to investigate some financial ties to the bombing while Will attempts to avenge his girlfriend's death.

Family Reunions, Straight Edges, and Power Tools on "Big Love"

Was it just me or was last night's episode of Big Love exactly what you needed after a long day of work?

Last night's installment of Big Love ("Reunion") dealt with several dangling storylines, while introducing a few unexpected twists into the mix. Who else thought that we would see Bill casually return to the Juniper Creek compound? Or Alby sell out Roman? Or, hell, that Bill would steal Roman's business model?

Bill. Bill's been a fairly level-headed guy the past season but it's beginning to worry me that cracks are showing in his tough veneer. His angry confrontation over the defaced billboards had me a little concerned but he does have to protect his family. Now, however, I'm simply shocked to see that he's compromising his own morals to go after Roman's new business plan: an investment in video poker games. In order to raise the cash to go after the company (which should make Roman super-pleased, no doubt), Bill has decided to cease his plans to open a third Home Plus store. The consequences? (A) He and the entire Henrickson clan will be less visible with only two rather than three stores (good!), and (B) he'll have to sell out his own moral beliefs in order to do so (bad!), something he had confronted Roman about doing. If drinking and gambling are immoral, then why enter into a (lucrative) business that glorifies and promotes both? Can you be financially successful and morally sound in today's age? Is Bill being pragmatic or is he going down a path to hell lined with the very best intentions? You decide.

Nicki. I really amazed myself by how much I suddenly cared about the prickly Nicki, who usually ends up irritating me with her shrill hysterics or manipulative plots; instead, I was stunned to see how much her character has grown and changed over the last few episodes (while still remaining, at heart, that old Nicki). Rather than tell Papa Roman that the feds were en route to the compound, she saved that bit of information for her husband Bill, a shift in thinking that should have occurred years ago. I cannot tell you how much I cheered at this turn of events, especially since Nicki is now 100% clear on who outed the Henricksons as polygamists at the Beehive Awards ceremony. Given her innate fear of being found out (and quite possibly torn limb from limb by a pitchfork-wielding mob), Nicki felt completely betrayed that her own father would put her and her children in such jeopardy. That said, was I the only one seriously horrified by Bill's laundry-strewn rendition of "Jesus Loves Me for a Sunbeam" to Nicki before their garden tryst?

Adaleen. Can I just say how bloody much I love Adaleen? She's a completely loopy character in a series that's filled with them. When she's not handing over mother-of-pearl-handled guns in tupperwear containers or cutting huge carcasses of meat with power tools, she's issuing such verbal gems as "Get the plane on the runway!" and reminding Bill that the last time she saw him was when he broke into their house through the window. (Oh, yeah, almost forgot about that.) It's clear that she loves Nicki in her own way, but I couldn't help but be creeped out by her lesson on the rather, er, twisted branches of the Grant family tree. I'm hoping we see more of Adaleen in the next few weeks and I would love to know her true feelings about her family. More than, you know, her speech to crazy son Alby about it not being a "smooth move" to poke his father in the eye. Seriously, with family like this, who needs enemies?

Ben. I really feel for poor Ben. Caught between his lust for older girlfriend Brynne and his religious leanings, he's floundering for solid ground. I'm glad that the playfulness that exists between Ben and Margene didn't cross a line into something inappropriate (despite what Barb might think) and that Margene came through for Ben in a pinch. It's interesting to see Ben get drawn into the straight edge world (which, ladies and gentlemen, is not only alive but thriving these days), a blend of asceticism and heavy metal, in which the followers swear off alcohol, drugs, casual sex, etc. Ben does seem to believe in the tenant of plural marriage (as evidenced by his conversations with his dad), but is tempted by the pleasures of the flesh, and now even more confused by his friend Jason Embry (Kyle Gallner)'s stance on straight edge. Of course, the fact that Ben got beat up rather than tattooing himself leads me to believe that he won't end up a follower of straight edge. But will he be able to find some moral footing in a world where premarital sex is verboten? At least it was Sarah and not Barb who caught him in flagrante delicto... though Barb is already none too pleased that Benny's girlfriend is out of high school.

Alby. The guy still terrifies me and I'm glad that the series' producers are finally delving into his back story (repressed homosexuality) and might finally deal with last season's bizarro scenario in which he picked up a rent boy, made him a sandwich, and then beat his own head against the wall. With Alby wearing a brown suit after selling Roman and the compound out to the feds (rather than the traditional all-white for the family photo), I have a feeling Alby will be a solo agent for a while. But let's hope that he and Roman will be forced to wage a holy war against each other. (I love Nicki's insistence that he should drop the matter of his poisoning, because he survived.)

Rhonda. I'm so unsettled by Rhonda, if only because I really can't tell what her motives are, other than self-preservation. She betrayed Barb's kindness by telling Roman about the award last season and was directly involved in the plot to out the Henricksons; she dutifully records a song for the Grant Family Singers album (shudder) but then conceals herself in Bill's truck when he and Nicki flee the compound before the family photo. Just what does Rhonda want? Is it a "normal" life or does she want the status of being sealed to the prophet? I loved the shot of her legs sliding out of the trunk and gliding over to the Henrickson house... she quickly throws her arms around Barb but her expression--and sideways glance--make me wonder just what Rhonda REALLY wants and why she's there. Is there something more to her appearance than just an attempt at running away from Roman and the compound?

Hell, I haven't even mentioned the appearance of Bill's uncle Eddie (Brian Kerwin, a needed addition, what with Bill's dad's sudden "trip to Mexico") or Lois' concealment of her laundromat business. Or the fact that Joey is trying to take the fall for Wanda's poisoning. But when you're given an episode filled with so many delicious twists, one can't help but remember why you fell in love with Big Love in the first place. Me, I'm just happy that the Henricksons are finally back in my life.

Next week on Big Love ("Rock and a Hard Place"), Rhonda threatens to blackmail Nicki into letting her stay; Bill, Don, and Eddie meet with the owner of a polygamy-friendly video poker business; Brynne and Ben celebrate their 3-month anniversary with Margene; and Sarah tries to persuade Heather to accompany her to a movie with Scott. I can't wait!

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); Gilmore Girls (CW); According to Jim/According to Jim (ABC); On the Lot (FOX)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Veronica Mars (CW); Shaq's Big Challenge (FOX); House (FOX)

10 pm: 48 Hours Mystery (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); Primetime (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: MI-5 on BBC America.

Missed MI-5 (aka Spooks) the first time it aired (if you can call it that?) in the US on A&E? BBC America is giving you a second chance to catch this taut espionage series from the beginning. On tonight's episode ("The Rose Bed Memoirs"), the team is forced to contend with the aftermath when a jailed Parliamentary member's memoir leaks to the press.

9 pm: Veronica Mars.

I'm still so bloody angry at the CW I can taste it. But before Veronica Mars disappears off the airwaves completely, catch the few summer repeats while they last. On tonight's repeat episode ("Of Vice and Men"), Veronica is disappointed in Keith's relationship with Harmony, but she's got relationship issues of her own as she and Logan have a major fight. Meanwhile, Veronica edges closer to solving the rapist mystery, but ends up drugged by the Hearst College rapist.

9:35 pm: The Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea on Sundance Channel.

The brilliant documentary--armed with a wicked sense of humor and John Waters as narrator--has its US television premiere tonight. Get a chance to catch a glimpse into a little seen world, populated by a cast of remarkable eccentrics, and a forgotten piece of California history.

"Battlestar Galactica: Razor" DVD to Be Extended

Looking for a little more Battlestar bang for your buck?

According to TV Week's James Hibberd, NBC Universal plans to release a special extended-edition DVD as a companion to the linear television premiere of the two-hour Battlestar Galactica "movie" ("Razor") that acts as a bridge to the Season Four premiere scheduled in January 2008 and serves as the first two installments of the final 22-episode BSG run.

The DVD release for Battlestar Galactica: Razor will include at least 15 minutes of original content and may in fact end up with significantly more added value features. (Hmmm, personally, I'd love a teaser/sneak peek of Season Four on that disc.)

Battlestar Galactica: Razor is scheduled to air this November on Sci Fi.

Fear Itself and Spirit Guides on "The 4400"

If you haven't seen last night's episode of The 4400 ("Fear Itself"), do yourself a favor and stop reading now.

As for the rest of us, let me offer a big sigh of relief and say, Cassie (Tristin Leffler) was Kyle's ability after all!

It looks like several readers of this blog were correct when they surmised that the enigmatic Cassie--who seemed to be feeding the oft-misused Kyle Baldwin some rather interesting facts and theories over the last two weeks--was in fact Kyle's new found 4400 ability, thanks to his dose of promicin.

Whether Kyle will retain this ability (more on that in a second) or whether Jordan will soon rip it from him remains to be discovered. Regardless, I think it's a brilliant twist in a series that has already proven itself to be unpredictable and dangerous. I was hoping it wouldn't be another mind-trick from the future (god knows we've seen that enough), but rather a device to further Kyle's character and bring about a major plot twist in the process.

I'm a little confused as to what exactly Kyle's power is though. Cassie is somehow the embodiment of this power, a sort of red-haired, artistically-talented spirit guide (if we believe Kyle to be the shaman prophesied by the White Light) or a manifestation of his fears/desires/beliefs? Is she his superego, his id, or his inner demon? Has someone on the staff of The 4400 been reading a little too much Philip Pullman?

I'm not sure where I weigh in on this one, but suffice it to say I do think that she is propelling Kyle towards something, whether he wants to go there or not. Kyle must have half-believed the promicin overdose would have brought Shawn out of his coma otherwise he wouldn't have listened to Cassie. But at the same time, Cassie seems to know many, many things (i.e., the existence of White Light and the prophecy) that Kyle couldn't possibly know. So is she what she claims to be or is she something far more dangerous?

This being The 4400, I'd probably opt for the latter but regardless of who or what Cassie turns out to be, I'm just as hooked on this series as ever.

Next week on The 4400 ("Audrey Parker's Come and Gone"), when a promicin-positive woman with a new 4400 ability to astrally project from her body is murdered, she must use her ability to lead Diana to her killer, while Shawn decides to begin using his healing ability again and reopens the 4400 Center.

Casting Couch: More Richardson on "Nip/Tuck" While Peregrym Not Grim on "Reaper"

Nip/Tuck fans wondering just what happened to Julia won't have to wait very long to find out.

After months of speculation about whether actor Joely Richardson would return to the drama series, FX has announced that it has concluded a deal that will bring Richardson back for 15 of the 22 episodes of Season Five.

Richardson, who appeared in 11 of 15 episodes of Nip/Tuck last season, had made comments that she would be departing the series in order to spend time with her family, including her daughter, who was believed to be seriously ill. However, Richardson's daughter has since appeared to have recovered.

As for Richardson's character, Julia, she was last seen moving to New York with her daughter Annie and son Conor in the season finale. Just how the series' writers will get Julia and the kids to Los Angeles, site of the new McNamara/Troy offices remains to be seen.

In other casting news, the CW has announced that it has recast the female lead on fall dramedy series Reaper.

Missy Peregrym (Heroes) will play Bret Harrison's adorable co-worker whom he has a crush on; she replaces Nikki Reed, who played the role in the original pilot.

Peregrym is familiar to many Heroes fans as shapeshifter/illusionist Candice Wilmer; she also appeared on Life As We Know It.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The New Adventures of Old Christine/The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Age of Love (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); Family Guy/Family Guy (FOX)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Age of Love (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (CW); Ex-Wives Club (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Science of Love (NBC); Supernanny (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: Big Love on HBO.

HBO's polygamist family drama Big Love is back. On tonight's episode ("Reunion"), Bill and Nicky travel to Juniper Creek for a family reunion... and are reunited with Bill's uncle Eddie, while Barb catches Margene and Ben in, er, a rather compromising position.

9 pm: Hell's Kitchen.

No, I don't know why I am still watching this train wreck of a culinary competition. On tonight's installment, a team's failure to identify even the most pedestrian of foods during a blind test test lead a furious Gordon to arrange a rather stomach-turning test.

Casting Couch: Vance and Garcia Part of "Prison Break" Gang

Casting on Season Three of FOX's crime drama Prison Break has kicked into high gear.

Just a few days after announcing the casting of Jodi Lyn O'Keefe (who will play a shadowy government agent named, yes, "Betty Crocker") and Robert Wisdom, FOX has added two more actors to the mix, both of whom will play integral roles in the drama's third season, set in Panama.

British actor Chris Vance (All Saints) will play an enigmatic character named Whistler, a fellow prisoner at SONA Prison, where Michael has just been incarcerated. (No blueprint-heavy tattoos for him.) Meanwhile, Danay Garcia (CSI: Miami) will play Whistler's Panamanian girlfriend, Sofia. With Michael and Whistler being held captive at a prison, and Sofia and Linc on the outside, expect each pair to team up to launch an escape or, uh, prison break.

Both actors have been hired as series regulars on Prison Break's third season, which kicks off this fall.

Pilot Inspektor: NBC's "Journeyman"

What is it exactly that sparks our imagination when it comes to time travel? Is the notion of traveling beyond our lifetimes to catch a glimpse of a future world, unfettered by the bonds of our mortality? Or is the sense that we all would love a chance to travel backwards in time and get a shot and fixing the wrongs in our own lives?

In NBC's new fall series, Journeyman, Dan Vassar (Rome's Kevin McKidd) gets an opportunity to do the latter when he finds himself unwittingly traveling back in time to points within his own life. It's the first time travel story on television that I can think of that doesn't use a time machine (thank god!); instead the wherefores and hows of Dan's ability are left a mystery... for now, anyway.

Created by Kevin Falls (The West Wing), Journeyman deftly manages to combine several different genres--sci fi, relationship drama, action, romance--into one slickly produced package that is beautifully directed by Alex Graves (The Nine). The effect is more akin to The Time Traveler's Wife than Quantum Leap, presenting us with a series that can be at the same time procedural and loosely serialized, as Dan is forced, each week, to prevent/cause some change in the past and figuring out the limitations and causes behind his time traveling ability.

This being a drama rather than a wish-fulfillment fantasy, Dan's ability is more of a curse than a blessing and, as a lead character, Dan is a wholly flawed hero (the very best kind, one could argue); he's married to a beautiful woman, Katie (Gretchen Egolf), with whom he has an adorable moppet of a son, but their marriage is tested by several factors, including the fact that Dan is a recovering gambling addict who drove his relationship to the brink of failure. He's a brilliant reporter, but his job is in jeopardy already when he begins to have unexplained absences... and time-travels while behind the wheel of a car, resulting in a spectacular auto collision. Oh, and did I mention that his wife Katie was once the girlfriend of Dan's estranged police officer brother Jack (Reed Diamond)?

There's also the ghost of Dan's dead fiancee, the beautiful Livia (Moon Bloodgood), haunting the proceedings. Livia died years before in a mysterious plane crash, putting Dan right into the orbit of his bro's girl Katie, who is seen in the past giving Dan the once-over. We're not told what exactly led Katie to leave Jack for Dan, but it's clear that her decision is one factor in the distance between the two brothers.

In the past, Dan saves the life of Neal Gaines (Christopher Warren), a man attempting to kill himself; not unsurprisingly this has major consequences in the present day and Dan is forced to clean up the mess he created... while also attempting to save his marriage in a dramatic and romantic reveal after Katie begins to believe that, rather than time traveling as Dan claims to be doing, he has turned to drugs. If you've seen the teaser trailer, you know exactly the moment I'm talking about, but rather than spoil it for everyone else, I'll be deliberately vague and just say that it involves Katie's wedding ring, a toolbox, and a certain patio.

Of course, this is a weekly drama, so there's never a happy ending at the end of the first hour. In the past, Dan is lead into temptation by a run-in with Livia; if he sleeps with her in the past, is he really cheating on Katie? (Short answer: yes.) But it underscores the notion that he's still, after all of these years, in love with his dead fiancee. And with the power to travel through time, couldn't Dan alter the past and save her life? The pilot episode doesn't answer this question though it does raise several others with a jaw-dropping reveal late in the game. As for what that is, you'll have to watch the series this fall. (I can't spoil everything now, can I?)

Besides for the lush visuals (check the scene with the falling bits of calendar) and taut plot, Journeyman also sports a fantastic cast. Gretchen Egolf (Roswell, Martial Law) is wholly believable as a suspicious but loving wife, going out of her skull trying to figure out what's going on with her husband and whether she wants to hold onto him. Moon Bloodgood is perfectly cast as the mysterious Livia; you can see why, years after her death, she has still managed to infect Dan's thoughts and dreams. As Dan Vassar, Kevin McKidd is absolutely magnetic in this role, presenting Dan as a man of constant inner conflict, propelled by a reporter's need to seek the answers to all of life's mysteries. McKidd presents Dan as a wounded man, humbled by his circumstances, attempting to atone for his past and unable to fix his present life. In the hands of a lesser actor, Journeyman could have crumbled under the audience's disbelief at Dan's time traveling abilities; instead McKidd grounds the series with a palpable gravitas. You do believe that this guy's guy can really travel through time and that he has as difficult a time wrapping his brain around that as the audience at home.

NBC has given Journeyman an amazing sign of confidence by granting it the plum post-Heroes timeslot on Mondays at 10 pm. It's a testament to the depth of this series, the creativity of its creators, and the strength of McKidd's leadership that the network would get so fully behind a high concept like this one.

If Journeyman proves as thought-provoking and thoughtful as the pilot episode indicated (as well as lure in both male and female audiences), the Peacock may have finally found a promising companion for its sole break-out drama hit. Fingers crossed.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); Kyle XY (ABC); Bones (FOX)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); National Bingo Night (ABC); Standoff (FOX)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: The Gil Mayo Mysteries on BBC America.

It's an all-new mystery series on BBC America starring Alistair McGowan (Bleak House) as Gil Mayo, a single dad and detective. On tonight's episode, Mayo and the team investigate a a murder in a residential care facility.

Chillin' and Grillin': Sandee Goes Up In Flames On "Top Chef"

Hello Televisionary readers. Christine Fortune here filling in as Top Chef fan/reviewer for Jace while he’s across the pond in London. So, while he's enjoying tea and biscuits what did Jace miss on Top Chef ?

This week's quickfire challenge was a fruity affair focusing on Florida's most important ingredient...citrus (or "sunshine" as Padma called it). Guest judge Norman Van Aken, the "Godfather of Florida," was tough to please. He was most put off by Micah's avocado soup which turned out more like avocado pudding and was also annoyed at Sarah for not even being able to describe her dish (she mumbled something about shrimp). Sarah was not only confused about her dish but also seemed bewildered by the fact that Norman Van Aken was "so critical with his critique." Um, isn't that what critique is? The top three competitors were CJ (in spite of seeds in his dish), Tre, and Hung. Tre's hot and cold salmon looked delicious but it was Hung's slow roasted sea bass with citrus crumble that marked him the winner of the challenge, keeping him and Tre in stiff competition.

A champagne barbecue hosted by Lee Shrager was the brief for this week's elimination challenge. Most of the contestants went into the challenge feeling confident except for Micah who was missing her daughter (or moping about losing the quickfire challenge as Hung suggested) and Sarah who almost spent all of her money on meat at the store and then, during prep, burned her hands on scotch bonnet peppers, clueless to the fact that they're one of the hottest peppers in existence. Once at the challenge, Sarah continued to have problems, this time with the amount of charcoal she was using (a mountain-sized pile), prompting Sandee to name her the "Queen of Charcoal."

Surprisingly enough, both Micah and Sarah came out on top for this challenge. Sarah's Korean BBQ was a smash, partially due to her decision to serve her food in easy bite size pieces. And it was Micah's creativity with her dish, lamb with grilled halloumi and pomegranate sauce, which drew the attention of the judges. But it was Brian who came in first with his seafood sausage which perfectly fit the brief of upscale barbecue and gave him a chance to redeem himself after last week's snake and eel catastrophe.

On the bottom of the list were Joey and his boring BBQ chicken, Sandee and her poached lobster, Howie and his dry pork, and, shockingly, Tre, last week's winner. The judges complained that his dish, a peach glazed salmon, was either too salty or too bland. At the judging table, Joey and Howie criticized each other's dishes which escalated into an argument about who was more of a man which was funny because they were both acting like bratty little boys. I kind of hoped that they would both be booted but it was Sandee who came up short. Her decision to poach the lobster and then just heat it on the grill did not impress the judges who were looking for a real barbecue dish. All of the judges agreed, though, that the level of food was excellent this round and the bar had been raised high early, which means it's only going to get tougher. Howie and Joey better dry their little baby tears and get cooking.

Next week on Top Chef ("Family Favorites"), the chefs are tasked with working with some exotic shellfish, CJ makes a muddy mess out of tuna, and the contestants get themselves into hot water...in the jacuzzi.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Pirate Master (CBS); The Office/The Office (NBC; 8-9:25 pm); Smallville (CW); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); The Office (NBC; 9:25-10 pm); Supernatural (CW); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)

10 pm: Shark (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Pirate Master.

On tonight's episode ("Death by Coconuts"), flirting between shipmates could turn into full-blown romance, Jay must deal with the fact that Sean went against their deal, and the latest treasure brings a twist in the game: a Royal Pardon.

8 pm: The Office.

It's the first of three super-sized installments of The Office tonight. Up first is "Casino Night," the Season Two finale, in which Michael hosts a casino-themed charity fundraiser in the Dunder-Mifflin warehouse and, oh, yeah, there's that kiss.

8:41-9:25 pm: The Office.

It's one of my favorite episodes from this past season ("Branch Closing"), in which Michael tries to keep the employees of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton upbeat after he learns that their branch will be shutting down, leading everyone (especially Stanley) to imagine how their lives would be better if they DIDN'T work there anymore.

9:25 pm: The Office.

It's the final of three episodes tonight on The Office ("The Merger"), in which the Scranton and Stamford branches of Dunder-Mifflin are merged together, causing a few reunions (ahem, Jim and Pam) and some new faces around the old office (Karen and Andy).

Dunder-Mifflin: The Videogame?

Yep, you read that headline correctly.

NBC Universal has licensed the rights to comedy The Office to gamemaker MumboJumbo, which plans to translate the series into a "humorous game in which players have to handle jobs and play pranks at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch."

The company has also acquired rights to The Office cast's likenesses and plans to portray Michael Scott & Co. as bobblehead dolls in the game. Likewise, the game will feature clips from the series.

MumboJumbo already has plans for sequels in the near future and will release its Office game not on platforms like PS3,Xbox 360, or Wii, but rather on handhelds like PSP and Nintendo DS. Players will also be able to download the game from various websites.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the random news but I'm keen on anything Office-related that raises the series' visibility. As for others, I wonder how many seconds of gameplay it will take for players to throw Jim and Pam together...

Pilot Inspektor: ABC's "The Thick of It"

So, okay, you might not end up getting to see the pilot for the US version of The Thick of It, what with ABC passing on the comedy. (Though, as previously reported, several broadcast and cable networks seem interested in reviving the series.)

I couldn't let too long go by without at least taking a look at the pilot, considering that the UK version of The Thick of It is one of my favorite Britcoms of recent years and this project had brought together two of my favorite comedic talents: director Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show) and writer Mitch Hurwitz, creator of the much-missed Arrested Development. So it had to be a comedic match worth its weight in gold, right?

Not quite. I had anticipated the savage energy of the original The Thick of It, which follows the travails of a hapless Member of Parliament as he is both saved and doomed by his staff (with a little help from himself, of course) and negotiates the treacherous waters of governmental politics, with its quick-change opinions and quicksand sense of morality. The US version, however, translates the action from London to Washington, D.C. (as expected) but loses the whiplash-fast dialogue and quick-cut camera work of the original, instead giving it the sort of casual looseness of, well, a Christopher Guest movie.

The most glaring error in direction is the change in character of brutal enforcer Malcolm Tucker, played here by Oliver Platt. Unlike Peter Capaldi's sinisterly intelligent Malcolm (pictured), whom you believed capable of easily snapping someone's neck out of frustration as he casually flung out expletive-laden bon mots (a force of nature, really), Platt's Malcolm seems a little too chummy, a little too, well, friendly. I understand that Malcom is meant to smile that Cheshire cat grin while stabbing you in the back, but I found it a little hard to believe that the party whip's enforcer would be just so calm and collected. I missed that tempest in a teacup, especially as it infused the original with some genuine spark and humor. Here, Platt adds nothing to the proceedings and weighs down the action with a ho-hum performance with little real depth. It's depressing.

John Michael Higgins is suitable as hapless Congressman Albert Alger, so out of touch with the world that he's never heard of The Daily Show or Jon Stewart (he believes them to be two separate people), whose main goal in life seems to be getting a Vice-Presidential mug to bring home to his wife, following a meeting with Dick Cheney at a secret, undisclosed location. Likewise, I thought casting the dour Alex Borstein as the much put-upon press secretary Hope Mueller was a step in the right direction; Borstein radiates middle-class discontentment and a somber frustration with her lot in life. And Michael McKean is pitch perfect as conniving hanger-on Glen Glahm, who has made sycophantry a verifiable art form. (I'm not quite sure why writers Mitch Hurwitz and Richard Day turned junior speech writer Ollie into a woman and cast Rhea Seehorn, but that's a question for another day.)

It's frustrating that a project with such a stellar cast and such amazing auspices falls so flat. Sure, there are a few laughs, such as the subplot about 80-year-old Congressman Stillman who--following an accident in a bouncy castle--may or may not be faking a coma in order to avoid getting entangled in a political scandal, and the opening five minutes, depicting Henry Winkler as the putative star of the series, a Congressman forced by Malcolm Tucker to resign. But the rest of the pilot feels particularly tedious, despite cribbing liberally from the opening episode of the British series; it feels rather like a reheated episode of Spin City.

Hurwitz tends to work best when he's unfettered by network involvement and when he lets his imagination truly go wild, as with the over the top hijinx of the Bluth family. I was hoping for more than a little of the wit and creativity of his last series and wished that Hurwitz and Guest would have really captured the vicious energy of Washington, throwing their talented cast into the snake pit of politics today and fulfilling the meaning of its very loaded title.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition (CBS; 8-11 pm); Most Outrageous Moments/Most Outrageous Moments (NBC); Hidden Palms (CW); The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator? (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm)

9 pm: Last Comic Standing (NBC); One Tree Hill (CW); American Inventor (ABC);

10 pm: Dateline (NBC); Traveler (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Hidden Palms.

On the fourth episode of this eight-episode teen thriller/relationship drama ("What Liza Beneath"), Johnny goes to see Eddie's mother for some answers about her son's death, Cliff tries to rid himself of Travis, and Greta makes a confession to Johnny.

10 pm: Top Chef on Bravo.

On tonight's episode of Top Chef ("Sunny Delights"), the chefs are tasked with working with fruit and are judged by guest judge Norman Van Aken, while new regular judge Ted Allen finally deigns to make an appearance.

10 pm: Traveler.

On tonight's episode ("The Tells"), Tyler and Jay uncover a security box with Will's collection of aliases and some evidence about the museum bombing; Will is interrogated by his employers while the FBI make a key arrest.

Casting Couch: Marshall Scrubs in for "Nip/Tuck"

Sean McNamara is about to get a new love interest.

FX has announced that it has cast Paula Marshall (Veronica Mars) in at least four episodes of drama Nip/Tuck next season. It's unclear what her character will be, but it's understood that Marshall will be playing a new love interest for Sean (Dylan Walsh).

Also on the docket: pay increases for Walsh and co-star Julian McMahon, who are set to return for a fifth season of Nip/Tuck, which began filming earlier this week, albeit with significant salary bumps.

Both have received seven-figure bonuses on top of their 5% increases, bringing their wages to roughly $3 million or $125,000 an episode, giving each of them a 25% increase from Season Four.

Nip/Tuck's fourth season ended with with Sean and Christian pulling up stakes and heading out to Los Angeles, where they have opened a new practice in a city where appearances are the only real currency.

Pilot Inspektor: FX's "Damages"

Other than Pushing Daisies (already a favorite pilot/drama of mine for next season), the single best pilot script (among, yes, the 120+ scripts I read for work) was for FX's new legal thriller series Damages.

Ask anyone in the television business who read the script and they'll tell you the same thing. Written by the writing team of Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, the script for Damages was a taut, gripping, be-careful-or-you'll-fall-over-the-knife's-edge sort of affair, a rare feat for a legal drama that also has the distinction of not having a single scene set inside a courthouse. (Legal drama-adverse readers, take note, the writers claim that this will carry over into Season One and promise nary a single courtroom cross-examine.) So I was breathless with anticipation when I finally got to see the completed pilot for Damages a few weeks ago.

What exactly is Damages? I can only describe it as John Grisham's The Firm meets Murder One, an intricate stunner of a mystery spread out over the first season that sets righteous crusader/litigator Patty Hewes (the transcendant Glenn Close) against corporate fat cat Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), a billionaire who screwed his employees out of their pensions. Patty and Frobisher will each stop at nothing to win this case and literally millions of dollars hangs in the balance of this lawsuit.

Enter Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), a promising young lawyer with heaps of ambition making the rounds at all of the top New York City law firms. She's offered a job by Hollis Nye (Philip Bosco) but when she mentions that she's also meeting with Patty Hewes, the offer is rescinded; as soon as Patty meets Ellen she'll fall in love with her. Of course, working for the icy Patty has its price. The woman makes The Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly seem absolutely radiant by comparison and Hollis later has Ellen sign his business card... over which he writes the rather disturbing words "I was warned." Not exactly a promising start for young Ellen's career choice.

Of course, all of this happens in the past. In fact, Damages' pilot begins in present day when we see Ellen, dressed in lingerie under a trenchcoat, stumble out of a luxe apartment building's elevator, covered in blood, and stagger out onto the Manhattan streets. It's a jarring image, recalling somewhat the image of Ronette Pulaski doing something similiar in the beginning of the pilot for Twin Peaks. (Tonally, it also recalled the opening of the BBC's mini-series State of Play.) Ellen is taken into custody but she's non-responsive. She's finally identified by Hollis after the police discover his business card in Ellen's pocket.

Just what happened to Ellen and whose blood is all over her comprises the series' first season mystery arc. But first we're treated to a series of flashbacks that establish just how Ellen entered Patty Hewes' world. Ellen interviews for a position with Patty's right-hand man Tom (Tate Donovan), who vets her before scheduling a meeting with Patty, which happens to be the very same day as her sister's wedding. Tom forces her to choose between her career and her family and Ellen chooses the latter, only to have Patty herself show up at her sis' wedding and offer her the job. After all, it's a rare day that someone turns Patty down. And before you know it, Ellen signed a deal with the devil... though in a story as intricatedly plotted and skillfully executed as Damages, there are a number of well-dressed devils, all of which make an appearance in the pilot episode.

The casting in Damages is flawless. As Frobisher's vicious lawyer Ray Fiske, Zeljko Ivanek (Lost) is fantastic; luring his victims in with false Southern charm and a cheshire cat's smile. It's fantastic to see Ted Danson in a role that truly challenges him as an actor; his Frobisher is all arrogance and crude will, walking through life with the naivete of the super-rich and the self-entitled. Rose Byrne is perfectly cast as Ellen Parsons, brimming with naive enthusiasm and palpable ambition who finds herself caught between the domestic pleasures of life with her adorable boyfriend David (Noah Bean) and his sister Katie (Anastasia Grffith) and the visceral pleasures of working for the tyrannical egomanaic known as Patty Hewes.

As Hewes, Close has perhaps found the role of her career; while I used a Devil Wears Prada reference earlier, Patty is nothing like the Anna Wintour-clone from that story. Instead, she's a multi-layered career woman and mother, conniving and brutal, Machiavellian in her plotting. Patty plays to win, not just her legal cases, but in life and she's made a career of stamping out the opposition. In Ellen, she claims to see much of herself and wants to mentor her young associate and mold her into something fierce. Close transforms Patty from what could have been a caricacture in the hands of a lesser actress and imbues her with a courage of conviction; the viewer walks away believing that Patty really does sleep the sleep of the righ