Television Reviews

NCIS: Origins – Touchstones

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  • Title: NCIS: Origins – Touchstones
  • wiki: link

A break-in of the evidence room and the theft of $41,000 dollars allows the show to explore the backstory of one of the show’s recurring characters in property master Kowalski (Michael Harney) as events bring old memories and feelings to the surface that cause him to resign (although he’s back with NIS by the end of the episode). The Kowalski situation is also notable for exploring his relationship with Granville (Daniel Bellomy) while the search for the missing money implicates a member of NIS and also allows for another appearance by Special Agent Gary Callahan and ends up being tied to events in “All’s Not Lost” as well.

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Shifting Gears – Grief

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  • Title: Shifting Gears – Grief
  • IMDb: link

I’ve watched a couple episodes of the new Hulu sitcom Shifting Gears starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings as bickering father and daughter who are forced to reconnect after she moves back home with her son following the disillusion of her marriage. The set up allows both to quip, and, at times, do a small bit of introspection. “Grief,” which focuses on Riley’s (Dennings) attempts to get her father to deal with the grief of her mother’s death, is the best of the episodes I watched ,while still firmly nested in the sitcom trappings of the show, which allows the walls between the two characters to come down long enough for some honest discussion of loss.

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The Irrational – Ghost Ship

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  • Title: The Irrational – Ghost Ship
  • IMDb: link

Aside from exploring family dynamics of Alec (Jesse L. Martin) with his father (Ron Canada), “Ghost Ship” feels like a story that could have been written for any number of procedurals that was adapted for The Irrational. The idea of unraveling a ship with a missing crew is an interesting setup, but the mystery turns out to be rather straightforward (even if it was fun to see Monk‘s Jason Gray-Stanford, albeit in a mostly thankless role). In terms of psychology, Alec is able to get a key witness to relax enough to provide answers, but the show is largely geared to Alec’s damaged relationship with his father and a necessary first-step to remedy that.

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Matlock – Friends

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  • Title: Matlock – Friends
  • IMDb: link

Throughout the season, CBS’ Matlock reboot has played with the idea of Madeline (Kathy Bates) has grown to care for the colleagues she’s working with while secretly spying on them for information related to the death of her daughter. Driven to find the truth, we’ve even seen Maddy close out an episode on the line “we’re not friends.” However, “Friends” showcases how things have changed and how the mock Matlock has come to trust and value Olympia (Skye P. Marshall) as a friend playing into growing friction with Edwin (Sam Anderson) over her priorities which is only further exacerbated over their disagreement on how to handle the bullying of their grandson.

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Will Trent – Floor Is Lava

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  • Title: Will Trent – Floor Is Lava
  • IMDb: link

In an episode that involves Will (Ramón Rodríguez), Angie (Erika Christensen), Faith (Iantha Richardson) and Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) all awkwardly trying not to disturb evidence (in the sequence which provides the episode its title), “Floor Is Lava” is most notable for walking Will and Angie through a series of meetings from some awkward on-the-job discussions to a tearful confrontation after hours to an honest break in their relationship that leaves the two firmly separated. Going along with this theme is another appearance of Marion (Gina Rodriguez) confirming her as Will’s new love interest.

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