Nighttime Drama
You know it's winter when it gets dark around 5 pm. I never quite get used to that, until the first time I step outside after work and it's dark and snowing. Which, given how warm it was today, won't be until January.
Last winter, I may have mentioned, was one of the warmest on record in Wisconsin. The ferry across the Wisconsin River around Sauk City ran well into January, easily beating its previous record for lateness of operation into the depths of the season. But it got up over 70 today and was downright lovely out; indeed, at a few points I wondered why I wasn't wearing shorts. I've even got my fans running at home tonight (albeit on "low").
However, I didn't bike today, because I had errands to run after work (picking up things for my Hallowe'en costume), and I need to take the cats to the vet tomorrow, and take the car to the shop on Wednesday, and surely by Thursday it will be cold again. Sigh.
Now keep in mind that I have watched very little nighttime drama over the last decade. I watched Law and Order for a while, early in the 90s (back when Michael Moriarty was starring in it; gosh, I liked watching him), and of course I've watched some SF series. But otherwise none of the standard doc/cop/lawyer fare. But now I'm watching The Practice and Homicide.
My early verdict gives a big edge to Homicide, between these two shows. Both Homicide episodes I've watched so far have had at least one storyline which runs to completion in the episode, and the murders are smartly played as mysteries, evoking a certain Sherlock Holmes feel. The characters are distinct, entertaining, and their relationships are quickly and starkly drawn in just the two episodes I've seen.
On the other hand, this episode of The Practice does little to introduce its characters, and indeed there's little to distinguish them as characters. The episode lurches from courtroom to law office to interview room and back again, with a few small "character snippets" thrown in here and there. In general, the points of law are well-presented and well-argued, although I let out a great, "HUH??" when a jury returned its verdict and the judge promptly overturned it and ruled the other way (although I think the case - involving workplace discrimination - was civil, not criminal, which may have had something to do with it; but I wish it had been explained). It was kind of jumbled and unsatisfying, all together.
But, I know better than to judge a series by one episode (ghod knows there were plenty of poor Babylon 5 episodes in their first season, and many mediocre ones in the last two seasons), so I will stick with The Practice for a while. But I hope this episode isn't typical of the series.
Now, I wonder if there are any other nighttime dramas I should watch? I think I can skip ER, since I am not really a fan of the "doc" shows.
Well, heck, I still have plenty of cartoons to watch. I just re-watched the Superman "Mxyzptlk" episode tonight, I fact. What a riot that one is...
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