A cheesy fashion photographer who has been pimping off some of his models is found with a pair of scissors sticking out of his back. Serreta and Logan trace it to one of his clients, now 38 and slightly over the hill, who's been making extra cash to keep her 15-year-old daughter in private school. The problem is that she didn't do it. She's arranging circumstances to make herself look guilty in order to shield someone else.
The episode rather stands out, even from the other this early in the life of the series, for two reasons. One is that there's more deadpan humor in the script, usually in wisecracks, and they're funnier, if not wittier, than most. I'm trying to think of an example but none comes to mind. If any does, later, I'll give you a call.
The other reason is that the acting is just fine, and not only from the usual cast. They don't get all that much screen time but Lorraine Toussaint, with her bandanna and Rastafarian braids is intimidating and her anger is frightening, until she becomes gentle and compassionate. Claire Danes as an exploited young model has a good grasp of the role, though her later parts in features were too few. Lauren Ambrose makes a brief appearance in a bit part, a splendid actress whose chief flaw was not looking more like Anne Hathaway or Jennifer Connolly.
It's about as good as the series gets.
The episode rather stands out, even from the other this early in the life of the series, for two reasons. One is that there's more deadpan humor in the script, usually in wisecracks, and they're funnier, if not wittier, than most. I'm trying to think of an example but none comes to mind. If any does, later, I'll give you a call.
The other reason is that the acting is just fine, and not only from the usual cast. They don't get all that much screen time but Lorraine Toussaint, with her bandanna and Rastafarian braids is intimidating and her anger is frightening, until she becomes gentle and compassionate. Claire Danes as an exploited young model has a good grasp of the role, though her later parts in features were too few. Lauren Ambrose makes a brief appearance in a bit part, a splendid actress whose chief flaw was not looking more like Anne Hathaway or Jennifer Connolly.
It's about as good as the series gets.