donna-406 Reviews

The InBetween (2019)

Enjoyed It More Than I Expected

[9/10 · 31 May 2019]

The "In Between" pilot had many twists that I didn't see coming. I was expecting something straightforward, along the lines of "The Ghost Whisperer" or "Medium" but this one, so far at least, has layers. I'm not going to get into any details because I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't seen it yet but suffice to say, I hope that the writers and show runners continue in this vein.

I will mention that though that some of the critical review left me confused. For example, the comment about the main character's ingratitude when being given a gift. That was a very biased interpretation of the scene. What actually happened was the main character was unexpectedly visited by a detective who had, not once but twice been outright rude to her, and then he unexpectedly shows up at her home very early in the morning. His gift? A pasty. Oh was she supposed to fall all over herself with gratitude? He's lucky that she even deigned to speak to him and didn't slam the door in his face. And then, when she allowed him in and answered his questioned, he insulted her psychic abilities again by accusing her of "just guessing". So much for the other reviewer who said that he was convinced in the first 15 minutes.

We're we watching the same show? People really do see exactly what they want to see.

Burn Notice: Truth and Reconciliation (2009) Season 2, Episode 14

Excellent Performance by Basil Wallace

[8/10 · 9 April 2011]

The episode itself was only worth a 7, but Basil Wallace's performance as Claude Laurent, the grieving father seeking justice, is what elevates this episode to an 8.

I had never heard of Mr. Wallace before but found his performance so poignant that I had to check him out on IMDb. The scene in which he confesses that he needs to redeem himself for having been a coward because he felt he didn't try hard enough to save his daughter - wow he was so good it felt like reality had walked into Burn Notice. And what the heck is reality doing in a spy show? The guy is that good. And all the while he is doing an accent. Just wow.

As I said, the episode itself is a tad ho-hum, predictable writing overall, and only slightly advances the overall arc (at the end of the show we find out some information about the assassin). But watch it anyway. Basil Wallace's lesson in acting makes it worthwhile.