Scrub-bing In Again

Boy, was last night a fun night of television. First up was Leverage, which really seems to have hit its stride. I was, as you may recall, initially concerned over the fact that the show's twists weren't very twisty. Happily, they seem to have abandoned the notion of doing a twist the past few episodes. It's a change that works far better for the show — no twist is better than a disappointing one, and, by the way, who ever said that every crime show had to have a twist?

What I'm really curious about is how people find our Leverage team. To me, it seems very A-Team-like. After all, it's a bunch of criminals (whether wrongly accused or not) doing good deeds for those in need. What's more A-Team than that?

While I'm a fan of many of the cast members of the show, the guy who I think I might like best on the series is Hardison, who is played by Aldis Hodge. Hodge is someone who, to this point, has never been on my radar, although he's had a lot of roles (including a recurring one on Friday Night Lights). Hardison's background briefings and explanations of what the team is going to do (or has done) is definitely one of the show's highlights. As I may have said before (I've certainly thought it), his speeches combine humor, cutting edge technology, and straight-up information in an entirely wonderful fashion. I'm actually always a little saddened when the briefings are over, because they might be the best part of the show.

Actually, my biggest complaint about last night's episode has nothing to do with the story, acting, editing, or directing. It's a complaint I have about so many shows and movies, and while I'm sure there's a valid explanation, it's something that's always bugged me. I've never understood why people on television shows and movies always pretend to drink from empty cups. Almost anytime there's a beverage container shown where we can't see the beverage in it, the container's empty. Simply looking at the way the people handle the cup, that's apparent. A paper coffee cup without coffee has no weight and handles differently than a paper cup with coffee in it. It's all too obvious when there's nothing in the cup. Surely the prop folks could come up with a weighted cup or fill a cup with stones so that the look could be, approximately, correct. Couldn't they?

Up second last night was the return (albeit to a new network) of Scrubs. I have to say, I was terribly worried that the show would be a shell of its former self for this season, but it doesn't seem to be, at least not from the two episodes we saw last night. Sure, it may not be quite as witty or insightful as it once was, but there was still something to recommend it.

The first of last night's two episodes did cause me to laugh out loud a couple of times, while the second episode was the one with "heart." It was one of those episodes that had funny moments, but much more focused on the serious side of working in a hospital. Quite honestly, I prefer the funny episodes, but I think I still understand why they do the serious ones.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the addition of Courteney Cox. She was funny and her character definitely fits in well with the rest of the weirdos at Sacred Heart.

The more that I think about it, the more I think that it being good last night is more bittersweet than truly wonderful. The numbers for the show last night weren't great, and as happy as I am to watch the show still, I can't imagine that this won't be its final season. If this season was a massive disappointment – unfunny and unlikable – it would be far easier to say goodbye.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to suffer with good TV and upset about it ending.