Vintage

Flashpoint

“That is the pink power ranger!” I declared with great excitement to my wife on watching the opening credits to Flashpoint.

She didn’t believe me and so had to pause through the opening credits to confirm that, yes indeed that really WAS Amy Joe Johnson.

She’s not the star, btw, but she does a good job.

Flashpoint is a show about the tight niche team of an LA Special Response Unit.  Ten years ago this would have been a show about LA’s SWAT team, but since then the linguine spined limp wrested Californians have tortured their SWAT members by calling them “Special” Response Units.

I understand that everyone in California is retarded and that the cops really probably need to have a “Special” unit for all their intelligence deprive populace to “Respond” to their stupidity, but come on!  You’re not fooling the rest of America!

Still regardless of whether or not the Californians call their SWAT team an SRU or a SWAT team, you’re still just as dead if you don’t do what they say!

I can hear the argument from one of our “special” Californian legislatures, “But SWAT just sounds so mean and intimidating.  We wouldn’t want to unintentionally intimidate a violent deranged criminal!”

I just read the Wiki on Flashpoint and apparently they’re filmed in Toronto CANADA, and based on the Canadian SWAT variant.

I say again, “YOUR NOT FOOLING ANYONE!!!!”  It’s a fracking SWAT team!

Okay, back to the show.  First off on my terribly nonconforming scale of one to seven, I’d like you all to know that I think that Flashpoint is a solid seven.

We’re already into the second season of Flashpoint now, and each and every episode is completely awesome.

I remember sitting down and watching that first episode and walking away, thinking, there is NO way that they can top that or even come close to matching that!

I was pleasantly proven wrong.  Each and every episode is just as exciting, compelling, and interesting.

And this is how they do it; Moral Ambiguity.

Most of the antagonists in this show are likable people with plausible grievances and they are presented in a manner in which you genuinely want them to succeed.  (Sometimes even the cops who are planning on putting a bullet through their brains want them to succeed as well, they are so compelling.)

The other technique that they use is to continually develop or present exposition on what seem like fully fleshed out three dimensional characters.

Greg Parker is the “Star” of this show, as much is it could have one, in that he’s the primary on the team and usually has the task of talking down the suspect (ahem, sorry, I meant “person of interest.”)  Enrico Colantoni if a phenomenal actor and has a dynamic character to play in Greg Parker.  He’s a divorced Dad who is still pained at that loss and draws from that pain to do his job very well.  He is in essence also the perfect boss; Empathetic, supportive, non-abusive, understanding.   Kind of a surprising twist and not at all what you’d expect out of Hollywood.

We have Ed Lane who is a happily married father whose wife loves him and understands his work demands and is really understanding.  Mind you I’m shocked that Hollywood would actually understand let alone write in a character who is for all intents and purposes “Normal!”  Oh, wait.  This is a Canadian show.

Then there’s Jules Callaghan (Amy Joe Johnson) playing the single white female career minded beautiful woman who’s just fine being single, darn it all!  At first I liked Jules a lot for her focus and drive.  

Sam Bradock is the FNG, new to the team just off the C-130 from Iraq where he specialized in putting down terrorists on a daily basis.  David Paetkau does a good job of playing the guy who could do no wrong stuck in an unfamiliar environment and newly challenged beyond his former scope.  I’m a little pissed that Sam and Jules are sleeping with each other.  With the rest of the team doing everything right and doing it well and convincingly, this indiscretion screams at you.

Unfortunately, Lou Young seems to be a token black guy.  I just pray to God that no one messes up his character by trying to make him “interesting.”

On the other hand we also have Spike, Rolie, and Wordy who appear to be our “Red Shirts.”  They are developed sufficiently that you can feel some sort of distinction, but they are for the most part NPC’s.

It would appear that even though this is still a 7 (out of 7) there are some things about this show that really make me angry.

You can catch this one on CBS on Friday at 9:00 p.m.

I’ll also report that this show made it on the air due to the Hollywood writer’s strike.  Let me be kind enough to my fellow writers and encourage you to STAY ON STRIKE so that we can actually get some more decent shows on the air!