Right off the bat, MTOTC rips off the band-aid by putting the recasts up front. This is good as it allows the audience to try and move past the absence of Chloe Webb, Marcus D'Amico & Paul Gross. Nina Siemaszko does an admirable job as Mona, despite lacking Webb's goofy charm. Whip Hubley appears older than Paul Gross as Brian but, most of his role seems to be about stripping down & he fills out that aspect of the role. My biggest issue is the miscasting of Paul Hopkins as Mouse. Either he doesn't understand the role or, he & the director chose to take it in another direction. Either way, most of his scenes serve as an unwelcome distraction to everything else going on. Also, and I realize this was a flaw in the books, Mouse's adventures only seem to be about his "love life". It's kind of disappointing to have the major gay character only be about him having or trying to have sex.
Otherwise, the first episode starts quite well, picking up shortly after the deaths of Edgar & Norman, moving through DeDe's unplanned pregnancy and most of all, continuing the storyline of Anna Madrigal's big secret. This will be a major story line through all iterations of the series. As always, Dukakis & Linney nail their roles, Campbell is still handsome & charming, and Thomas Gibson revels in the nastiness of Beauchamp Day as he plots against DeDe & her impending delivery.
Finally, there is the introduction of Mother Mucca (Jackie Burroughs) who seems a bit over the top at first but, she settles in fairly quickly. Overall, worth your time.
Otherwise, the first episode starts quite well, picking up shortly after the deaths of Edgar & Norman, moving through DeDe's unplanned pregnancy and most of all, continuing the storyline of Anna Madrigal's big secret. This will be a major story line through all iterations of the series. As always, Dukakis & Linney nail their roles, Campbell is still handsome & charming, and Thomas Gibson revels in the nastiness of Beauchamp Day as he plots against DeDe & her impending delivery.
Finally, there is the introduction of Mother Mucca (Jackie Burroughs) who seems a bit over the top at first but, she settles in fairly quickly. Overall, worth your time.
