Last updated on May 14, 2014
Who knows why I’m watching USA Network shows on Netflix, but I honestly needed a break after playing a hundred hours or more of Souls-series related content. After that constant tension, controller straining, and dark exploration, you need something to cleanse the palate. Why not light-hearted spy/detective procedurals? Heck, both are critically acclaimed in some circles, and I already like Chuck, so why not?
Psych – Honestly, I think Psych tries a little too hard to be interesting most of the time. You gotta remember that this show started prior to the newer BBC Sherlock show, but it definitely takes its inspiration from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s exhibition of deductive reasoning. Of course, the central conceit here is that our token white dude, Shawn Spencer, flies by day as a “psychic” who solves crimes. He’s just really good at ferreting out crime information. His partner, Gus (or Burton Guster, I guess), is a pharmaceutical researcher who also plays hypochondriac/anxious/nervous wreck. Sound familiar? I mean, seriously, there’s a fine line between inspiration and outright plagiarism in a new historical context.
Thankfully, Psych sets itself apart by being funny. Well, maybe not laugh out loud funny – think more “pleasant chuckle”. James Roday does his best Ace Ventura/Jim Carrey impression, while Gus often acts as a nerdy foil to his shenanigans and antics. I actually am a big fan of Jim Carrey, so none of this turned me off. Seeing a man act like he’s having a psychic visitation or message while employing physical comedy in the process does make me laugh. Will this work for everyone, though? Probably not.
If you’ve ever watched any sort of “crime show” on television, you’ve seen all these plots before, but the cast keeps it from becoming deathly serious. Somehow, murder becomes fun! The witty banter keeps your attention, and they somehow extract the maximum amount of goofiness into every situation. The ensemble cast do their jobs with great aplomb, and every makes sense when you get “THE BIG REVEAL”. If there was ever a cop show that the whole family could (in theory) watch, then this is really close.
I can’t really say more than that, since I’ve watched a total of four episodes or so. If the Internet has anything to say, then the show hits a groove in further seasons that might explain why people love it so. For me, though, I’m just not motivated enough to binge on this show quite yet (although I’m seriously tempted to do it!). In a word, the show entertains, but it doesn’t inspire devotion or anything. Just think of it as an excellent hour-long waste of time or procrastination. Also, when your wrist hurts and video games aren’t on the table, it works well enough.
Burn Notice -That is sort of an ugly photo up there. Apologies!
Quite honestly, I could describe Burn Notice in the exact same way as Psych. Here’s a “spy procedural”, where witty banter and light-hearted comedy work with spy action and investigation. Every cast member seems, from my perspective, well-chosen to provide our requisite roles, and it’s predictable in many case what will happen. Well, for the actual cast, anyway!
However, one of the elements that keeps me invested in a show that bounces topics and plotlines from week to week is the overarching plotline. Whereas Psych’s mostly about solving crimes, and you could probably watch a lot of it out of order, Burn Notice contains a secondary, though continuous, story that is best represented by the title. Someone put a burn notice on Michael Weston, a spy, and he wants to find out why. Spies get fired too, although in this case your assets are frozen and you must stay in one city for either 1. the rest of your life or 2. until you decide to leave that place, in which case the entire US government will find and kill you.
That makes for some interesting television, and so far the first season intrigues me enough to continue watching. Weston says he’s set up by somebody, but who? I honestly don’t have enough information to say, and that keeps me engaged when it comes to these sorts of shows. Plus, whoever did it keeps trying to kill him for whatever reason, and even in the midst of odd jobs no less (by odd jobs, I mean spy-related odd jobs). Otherwise, you’ve just got a good script and some great actors to fill the roles; if there’s no development, then what exactly is on offer here? Burn Notice succeeds, at the very least, on that level.
So far, at least blowing through Season 1, they did an effective job of setting the stage, making you like the characters, and then screwing around with a seemingly wonderful situation. After all, you can’t ever retreat from your past, especially if you go looking for the people who wronged you. Maybe some mysterious spy-related “higher-ups” want you to do something for them?
I do retain one complaint, however: what’s with all the women in bikinis and the frequent exploitation shots? As you know, I’m not necessarily a feminist, but do we really need to fill our transitions between, you know, important scenes with this? Eh, it’s Miami, and I suppose there’s something to be said for making a setting convincing. Just an observation, though!
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Honestly, I don’t have much more to say than that. It’s just light entertainment, after all, and I’m sure I could type up some long exposition about it, but I save that stuff for video games! So that’s tomorrow!
