Reviews

Donald Pleasance with that diabolical voice has always been a great villain! But in this one, the writers made a mistake. By his character's o NOT! It's one thing to drag an unconscious man into the wine cellar but to dress a dead man in a tight diving suit,lift him into the car then drag him down a rocky cliff to the ocean-had he simply pushed him he would've landed on the rocks NOT in the water!That's why I only gave it a 7!

Don't get me wrong-I enjoyed this episode but there were some technical glitches that spoil the usual quality of the show. First, as to the lion-I know Robert Conrad loved to do his own stunts so there's no doubt he was in the cage while the lion was a safe distance away.And while I am totally opposed to using (and abusing) animals in circuses or television shows when there are other options, the OBVIOUS insert of film footage for the lion's close up just ruined the scene. Then there was the appearance of the mystery woman, who played with her earring- everyone knows when a woman does that the her hand and the earring are on the same side of the body-NOT awkwardly using her left hand to play with her right earring! Of course they probably decided to do it that way so her right hand would be free to drop the rose but she could've merely stopped playing with the earring for the few moments it took to drop it! Finally, the fight in the warehouse, where West is thrown against the large crates then there's an obvious awkward splice where he's suddenly under a large heave crate as it falls on him! Then there's a mysterious jug with some equally mysterious gas emitting from it(a sort of McGuffin- as Hitchcock would say).Using the fine cord that he's attached to a rafter,visually straining, West pulls the cord and slowly lifts the crate and slides out. But despite having this heavy weight on him, he' s able to quickly get up(no fractured ribs or bruised legs)and escape before the mystery gas has any effect. As I said, I liked it but it feels as if they were rushing and spending their usually quality time thinking things through. Fortunately this is an exception in this well-done series and Robert Conrad and Ross Martin are so good they make the obvious sexist attitude tolerable!

I was drawn to this series primarily because of Kiefer Sutherland, whose work on 24 was exceptional as well as his work on film! But another unexpected appeal came as I began to watch it and it seemed, quite happily to me, that Kiefer's character embodied many of the finest qualities of President Obama! And now in this most recent episode, Bombshell, it seems that the resemblance between Moss, played by Mr Pierson, and Vice President Biden is not a coincidence! I wish this series much success both for its own merit and for giving the audience a bts look at the truth( rather than the still constant abusive accusations and rhetoric) of the Obamas/ Bidens administration and the great loss if we don't fight to continue their tremendous legacies!

Continuity is ESSENTIAL for any sequel and/or remake! This is why-except for the terrific music video, the remake of Wild Wild West failed(no offense to Mr Branaugh( terribly miscast as a descendant of Dr Miguelito Loveless)Mr Smith and Mr Kline,who didn't even try to capture the character traits that made James West and Artemus Gordon so iconic-one GLARING ERROR-they NEVER referred to each other by their LAST NAMES-it was always Jim/James or Artie/Artemus! ThatThat's what made the first TV- movie Wild Wild West Revisited so good!Their characters were "enjoying" the type of retirement you would have expected and their reintroduction into the Secret Service was also completely accurate! And while there will always be only ONE Dr Miguelito Q Loveless (his duets with Antoinette as well as his verbal eloquent duels with James West were priceless(it was obvious though never spoken(James almost did in the Night Loveless Died when he thought he was talking to his "uncle") that they mutually respected each other)but no one could have been better cast as his son than Paul Williams(who hinted at his father's heart but as many children's perspective only saw the pain that he suffered and blamed them)! That's why this 2nd TV-movie, while the characters of James and Artemus are still true to form, I spent much of the movie trying to figure out who Professor Paradine's father was?! I kept going over in my mind the list of all the villains until I finally realized that for some inexplicable reason the writers had chosen to create a "new former "villain! Then, when I saw Victor Buono as Dr Messenger(clearly and an admirably done spoof of Kissenger)I thought that the "Paradine" character was a McGuffin and kept waiting for the moment when Dr Messenger pulls off the disguise and reveals that he is in fact the inimitable Count Manzeppi! But it never happened! So that's why I only gave it an 8-no fault of the actors Robert Conrad Ross Martin Victor Buono and Jonathan Winters(who I truly liked but would have been better had his character had substance), but of the writers forgetting the key-Continuity!

I have enjoyed ALL of the Jesse Stone movies immensely(non rating lower than a 9 and a few I'd like to rate higher than a 10)-I believe, along with the movies Three Mile Road,Quigley Down Under&3 Men&A Baby, it's the BEST work he's ever done! I love that he makes Jesse Stone's flaws and issues relate-able to everyone! I enjoy his interactions with his therapist, played so truthfully by William Devane(who I have loved since his realistic portrayal of JFK in Missiles of October) and with his various "consciences" -from Boomer to Steve( having had two rescue dogs as my companion(the 1st passed 6yrs ago the 2nd I have been with for 5 years)I always say they rescued me much more than I rescued them!) Now to the question that I continue to wish someone would ask in one of the movies-What is the deal with constantly saying "Jesse" when he's the only one there? Was that an idiosyncrasy created by Robert Parker or is that a Tom Selleck touch? It's not natural when you're having a one on one conversation to keep saying the other person's name-unless you're "Emily" on the Bob Newhart Show-who gained "popularity" by constantly saying "Bob"! If anyone knows the answer please tell me. Thank you.

As powerful and timely now as it was then and I agree it's something ALL world leaders should be required to view at least once a year! It's also much more genuine than Thirteen Days in which producer Kevin Costner inflated his role to make it appear that his character, Kenny McConnell, was closer to JFK than his own brother,the AG,Robert(the ONLY TIME nepotism worked)! Also I feel William Devane and Martin Sheen did EXCEPTIONAL jobs not only in mastering the distinctive Kennedy accent but their personalities and spirit-not to mention a slight physical resemblance(Devane including a reference to President Kennedy's physical difficulties-the use of the rocker&painfully reclining on the sofa)I saw it when it first aired and seeing it now(any advances in technology had no effect) all the performances, but especially theirs,took me right back to those heart-stopping moments! I have seen both William Devane and Martin Sheen in many other performances but I always remember this as some of their finest work! It's also a stunning reminder of how essential it is to have someone with a calm, intelligent, experienced, diplomatic mind in charge with the sole focus being not just on the protection of ALL Americans but ALL peoples of the world! This also supports the documents that were discovered decades later(Peter Jennings of ABC News did a documentary on them)regarding the last minute communication DIRECTLY between Kennedy and Khrushchev,who bypassed the "interference" of the others who favored war, and acknowledged that they BOTH wanted the same thing- PEACE for their people! Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of either current regimes of Russia or the United States! Oh it made me miss President Obama even more!

I have been waiting for someone else to pick up on the chemistry between them-especially for Pete! It was evident throughout the series in various, often subtle, moments but this reunion, for me, echoed it loud and clear. But unfortunately what also became obvious to Pete is that he'd been carrying this torch alone and Julie had no regrets and her choices. That's what made this ending, for me, so tragic because while Linc and Julie had their new lives and families to return to,Pete was stuck in a job he loathed (running his father's business) with no family-and I always felt that if there were a sequel to this it would be Linc and Julie reuniting for Pete's funeral after his suicide!

But even under these circumstances, this TV-movie was 10,000% better than the remake movie which except for the title and the characters' names bore NO RESEMBLANCE to the series or this sequel AT ALL!

Thank you katfo!