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NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Recruited (2011)
a magnificent performance by Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart, the well known and well beloved long-time button-down comedian, makes a magnificent performance in a serious dramatic role as Dr. Walter Magnus, the predecessor of the Duckman as the staff forensic pathologist at the headquarters of the NCIS. Newhart's vocalization, including his signature pauses and patterns, along with his facial expressions and other habits and tendencies, are easily recognizable, all of which priceless assets he beautifully transfers from his usual comedic playground to a serious character in a dramatic context. His portrayal of a sad, aging, somewhat confused man with Alzheimer's disease is particularly touching. Kudos to Newhart for a sterling performance!
Perry Mason: The Case of the Clumsy Clown (1960)
Intertwined threads are typical and realistic
One reviewer has expressed displeasure and disapproval about this episode. His complaints appear to reveal both his poor understanding of the formula for this series and his inadequate understanding of several of the key facts in this story. His analysis is quite shallow and almost juvenile. The intertwining threads here are typical of Perry Mason and Erle Stanley Gardner, yet the reviewer said that this is not simple or simplistic enough for him. His criticism is not persuasive -- just as his demonstrated difficulty with grammar, punctuation, composition, and articulation are also not persuasive. Despite his assertions, mature viewers do not feel puzzled about the plot or slighted by the resolution in the courtroom. Incidentally, the review in question should bear a warning against a spoiler.
JAG: Crossing the Line (1997)
An answer to the other review
The logic and the objections in the other review are no better than its grammar. The dialogue makes clear that the complainant has received even more chances than men similarly situated, that she is a substandard pilot who does not cut the mustard, that she is a menace to others and herself, and that she has failed and refused to use the chain of command by which to press her allegation. Further, the suggestion of racism is absolutely unfounded and inappropriate, for the story does not contain even the slightest hint of a racial question. Carrier-based flight operations take place in a serious and potentially dangerous environment, where the consequences of incompetence can be tragic and irreversible. The US Navy is in the business of national defense; it does not and should not provide a playground, a nursery school, or an amusement park for those who seek personal thrills in a sheltered venue.
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lavender Lipstick (1960)
A good episode and a good example
One other reviewer has criticized this episode, implying that it's mediocre or unexceptional. I respectfully disagree with his assessment, and I likewise respectfully suggest that he does not recognize or understand the formula for the Perry Mason series. This episode follows that formula, and it does so quite well. It even includes several atypical twists, such as the history starting 25 years earlier, the use of a steam room, the trick to keep a witness in town and to serve him with a subpoena, and the tagging of Paul Drake as a witness for the prosecution and his absence from the courtroom when the assistant district attorney was about to call Paul to the stand. The story and its branches are interesting, and the solution by Perry is well done and well presented.
JAG: Clipped Wings (1998)
Not racism -- not pure, impure, or otherwise
One reviewer, who describes himself as an Italian, has expressed much displeasure about the portrayal of his fellow Italians in this episode. His allegations are patently false. There is no reference to the mafia, no spaghetti or other pasta, and no mandolin music. The treatment and the portrayals of the Italians here are invariably sensitive and respectful. One Italian, Capt. Balducci, becomes caught in a lie (his false testimony) during cross-examination in a courtroom hearing -- just as both Harm and Mac have repeatedly caught US citizens in similarly compromised situations. Another Italian, Col. Marcello, is portrayed as biased, hard-nosed, and one-sided, just as the series has likewise portrayed many US officers and others. A third Italian, Signor Antinori, is portrayed as sincerely but incorrectly persuaded that previous low-level training flights had affected his daughter's health or pregnancy. Two other Italians, Franco Restivo and his daughter, Arianna, are portrayed as honest, honorable, and respected. Nothing in this episode even remotely presents one or more Italians as foolish, goofy, or stupid. Quite to the contrary, it presents them as real human beings with both desirable and undesirable traits, behavior, and characteristics. Yes, we well recall the unfortunate and regrettable incident at Cermis involving Capt. Ashby of the US Marine Corps. This episode, which first aired on 05 May 1998, clearly was a response to that accident, which had occurred on 03 February 1998. Two interesting points are that the airspeed of each aircraft was 540 knots, and the starboard wing of each aircraft struck something else. The first reviewer refers to the US Army and "USA soldiers". None of them is in the US Army; none of them is a soldier. All the US military people in this episode are members of the US Navy or the US Marine Corps, not the US Army. Further, JAG has never suggested or pretended that all of us US citizens or US military members are always completely good, or that any of us is ever perfect. Again, quite to the contrary, JAG presents a wide variety of imperfect people of various nationalities, both good and bad people, who display both good and bad behavior. No, this episode -- indeed, this entire series -- does not consist of racism or prejudice.