The Blacklist with James Spader

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by The Panda, Sep 19, 2013.

  1. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I worked a little bit on Boston Legal and got to see a lot of raw footage with Spader, and he was really, really good -- rarely screwed up, had a very consistent performance, and his character was very quirky and interesting. And Spader had days where he had five or six continuous pages of dialogue to memorize, all with complicated legalese and trial facts and stuff. The guy was extremely good at it.
     
    BluesOvertookMe likes this.
  2. PNeski@aol.com

    [email protected] Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York

    they started doing this stuff last season, Now they just added more ,another group who want to protect people who been wronged by using even murder ,they aren't nice guys, add these to the already bloated batch of bad guys in the background
    a crazy serial killer who has access to the Machine, a bunch of bad guys from the government who a some women now a the head, Of course the dirty killers in the police ,and you are still lelf with a crime boss who was saved by the same cop who
    tried to kill her son! Wait !!!there's a another group of Bad guys I forgot ,the guys who stole the virus
     
  3. zebop

    zebop Well Known Stranger

    That's my problem, she can't really keep up with Spader and I can see her "acting."
     
  4. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Spader did good work there. He was able to transform himself from a full heel to a good guy in between the time he started on "The Practice" to "Boston Legal". My Dad was friends with Shelley Berman back when he was a judge on the show and used to see him once a year in Solvang. The year I went out there, too, Berman invited Spader but he had to cancel. I would have loved to meet him.
     
  5. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

  6. DesertChaos

    DesertChaos Forum Resident

    Just watched Ep 2, not as interesting as the pilot but I think it still has potential...I'm glad they're giving it a chance.
     
  7. Karnak

    Karnak "81, 82, 83, 84..."

    Love Jane Alexander.
     
  8. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    Aussie TV's gone mad. They've played the pilot twice this week in prime time (Monday and Friday) and done the same thing with Elementary and Homeland. Hostages was supposed to start on tuesday but they're putting it back a week then repeating it the next day.
     
  9. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Yep, she is a lot weaker than Spader. He definitely has a performance powerful enough that he overwhelms everybody else in the room. At least in Silence of the Lambs, Jody Foster was so good, somehow she drew you in as she stood up to Dr. Lecter as best she could, and you empathized with her. I don't get that from this show, which is clearly trying to travel along similar grounds.

    American TV has been doing the same thing the last few years. When a show does well, or maybe when it doesn't do quite as well as they hoped, they find a bad timeslot later on in the week and rerun the same episode again just in desperate hopes of grabbing a few more viewers. And all the networks now typically rerun the show via the web or iTunes a week later, sometimes with embedded commercials.

    Yep, as far as I know, it's the first new drama to get a full-season order. It's possible Disney also got that for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well, since they own ABC.
     
  10. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    In Australia they usually repeat the new shows on their secondary digital channels. Plus they all have streaming web sites. Putting the first two episodes of Hostages on the primary network twice in two days in prime time (8.30 - 10.30pm) is an all time low.

    EDIT: Agents of SHIELD has been repeated TWICE this weekend. Saturday afternoon and late Sunday night.
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2013
  11. JorgeGvb

    JorgeGvb Senior Member

    Location:
    Virginia Beach
    We watched the first 2 episodes this evening. Overall I liked it. However, I wonder if the typical network formula for this type of show will get old fast.
     
  12. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    Spader has always been a favorite. He's great fun in in this part. I strongly agree he overshadows his costars. He had little screen time with Isabella Rossellini, who can hold her own. Jane Alexander could add some needed gravitas if she and Spader get some scenes together.

    Overall, a great showcase for Spader, but they'll need to provide him with other actors that won't fade into the scenery when he's onscreen.
     
  13. Paul J

    Paul J Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore
    Just got done watching the first two episodes on demand. Although I didn't get what made her rip up the carpet and find the box, I find it interesting so far. Apparently Liz is from Baltimore, I like that, and Spader is his usual self. First time I saw him was in the tv pilot of 'Diner' as Fenwick, he is always worth watching. It's a shame he was too young for Columbo, he certainly has an appealing Ham thing going on.

    Only question is when does Robert Vaughn shows up as his father and they compete for the camera?
     
  14. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    Everything about the second ep was totally predictable. Surely the FBI and the CIA get sick of being portrayed as fools in every single network series.
     
    Scott222C likes this.
  15. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    including "homeland" which is about ready to break up the CIA!
     
  16. Mylene

    Mylene Senior Member

    In Homeland even the CIA are paranoid about the government :p
     
  17. misterdecibel

    misterdecibel Bulbous Also Tapered

    After three episodes I've concluded that, in the parlance of Sherlock and Moriarty, it's "ordinary". And Spader is a ham. We've seen much better from Spader, and from Diego Klattenhoff. There's no nuance here.
     
  18. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    I liked this week's third episode best of all so far. Megan Boone is growing into her character and the supporting cast of series regulars were not portrayed as a bunch of stumblebums. It remains highly implausible but entertaining.
     
    Vidiot likes this.
  19. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant Thread Starter

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    Will Vaughn be a retired SF DA?
     
    Paul J likes this.
  20. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Robert Vaughn is too busy for "The Blacklist" and "he means business".

     
  21. nbakid2000

    nbakid2000 On Indie's Cutting Edge

    Location:
    Springfield, MO
    The second episode was a massive drop-off from the first. Are we to believe that the FBI wouldn't check the wait staff list at the very least?
     
  22. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I liked the third episode, too, and will continue to watch for now.

    But, Spader should already be dead. He has access to the smartest connections in the world so one of those smartest connections should have already figured out he is now helping the CIA.
     
  23. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    They can't kill him: the power of NBC will protect him.
     
    tonyc likes this.
  24. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I thought the third episode was weaker than 1-2, but it was still entertaining. I'm in the duration, I guess...
     
  25. Scott222C

    Scott222C Loner, Rebel & Family Man

    Location:
    here
    Watched two episodes - Spader is good, but the premise of the show is utterly laughable- so I found out that I do like my shows more "rural" - like "Longmire" "Justified" (although Justified should change something, cause its gotten really silly in the last season too) not even mentioning the top shows like "Breaking Bad" etc

    As soon as the CIA or the FBI or some other "mysterious" organisation is the focus of a show, it gets "silly" really, really quick IMO - they are either portrayed as complete hacks or supermen

    I really liked "Orange is the new black" - perfect balance humor, drama, tension, story arc - more shows like that should get a clue.
     

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