(S01E12) It feels to me that a big chunk of the first season of In Plain Sight was Brandi's great adventure, and tonight's show was the big finish. In a twist that was both surprising and satisfying, the loose ends were tied up and the air was cleared for the show to return for more chapters in the Shannon family saga. And all that other stuff that Mary's been doing with the Witness Protection Program, too.After nearly eleven hours (give or take) of Mary's frustration with her mother and sister, it all came to a head. Directed by John Badham (Saturday Night Fever), this was an episode heavy on the drama, and he did a great job balancing the FBI investigation, Marshall and Stan's efforts to save Mary's career, and the family dynamics. From the first scene between the Shannons, there was no question that this was not going to be a warm and fuzzy examination of their feelings. Mary dropped the hammer when she told Jinx and Brandi how much trouble they were in.
Kudos to Mary McCormack. She looked like hell for most of the show, which was completely appropriate after what she'd been through. Her performance was excellent.
It was hard to feel sorry for Brandi. She was crying and moaning like she was the victim when she created the entire disaster. Mary had every right to be furious with her sister. Brandi's reckless actions endangered all of them.
Jinx's revelation -- that Mary twas not her father's favorite -- was cruel beyond belief. I loved it when Mary was able to trump her with the letters. Also, considering the fact that Mary's such a savvy character, it would have been incredulous if she'd thought she was her father's favorite based only on her wacky mother's stories. It made sense that Mary had proof of his feelings. Of course, next season is going to have to get in to where Mr. Shannon is. I wouldn't be stunned to find out that he's in WITSEC and Mary's his handler.
The back story about Biscuit, the teddy bear, was sweet. I could really relate, too, because those flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz gave me nightmares when I was a kid, too. It was also nice and appropo that Raph was the person to remind Mary that Brandi's family and she needs Mary's help.
Were you worried that Mary was going to be found with the suitcase of meth? I was. Then I thought she must have had a plan or something because just as she told Brandi when she wanted to make a run for it, the FBI would stop her before the car was down the street. Instead, Mary, Jinx and Brandi were all shocked to see towels in the suitcase instead of drugs.
The final shot of Raph taking batting practice in a baseball stadium, with the grounds crew putting white chalk down the foul lines, was the perfect button on the season. The smile on his face was not in reaction to his swing (which was awful), it was because he knew what was really lining the field. Raph turned out to be smarter than all three Shannons put together. He's also a really good guy.
In Plain Sight is now officially over for 2008. I'm anxious to see where they take the show in 2009. I'm even curious about Mary's annoying family, which is something I thought I would never feel when the series began.
Other points of interest
-- Great line. "I'm the hall monitor in this family and nobody likes the hall monitor."
-- I've wanted to like Lesley Ann Warren, but I just don't. She's all wrong for this role. (She was terrible on Mission: Impossible, too, as one of the replacements for Barbara Bain -- but that was 1970.) She's too hysterical...all the time.
-- Dad's letter to Mary was perfect. I mean, considering the fact that he was abandoning her, the sentiments were great.
-- Spanky wouldn't drink a Diet Coke but he'd eat powdered sugar donuts? I guess he got that Michael Phelps body from proper eating habits.
-- Mary's description of the taste of blood was graphic and pretty gross. "A sickening, sweet smell. I don't think it's ever going to go away." All the booze in the world wasn't going to erase that taste.
-- The authorities have the right to rip up someone's home with a search warrant. They have the right, but it's really disgusting that they can do so much damage and just walk away. And, yes, they do it all the time.
-- As I said last week, Stan finally has proved himself. Marshall also was the real brains, figuring out that Rebecca's kid was Spanky's because of the RH factor. Love that Marshall.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-18-2008 @ 2:14AM
Michael said...
The family fight was so raw, so real, my jaw dropped and made me want to hug my mom. Best episode evar. I disagree. I think Warren is perfect for the role. She's got a nervous energy in her character that makes understanding Mary a lot easier. Was that a tear? Kudos for closing with Raph's smirk. Was he really drunk?
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8-18-2008 @ 2:36AM
xnifex said...
I don't think he was drunk. I think he may have took a swig of alcohol to get it on his breath but did it to get the coke.
Great ep! I was waiting for Mary to kill Brandi for tearing up that letter. Can't wait to see where they go from here.
8-18-2008 @ 8:01AM
Glen said...
What was the song at the end of the episode? "Make me an Angel." Is that the title? Who is it by? Thanks.
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8-18-2008 @ 9:15AM
CygnusTM said...
Bonnie Raitt: Angel from Montgomery
8-18-2008 @ 9:19AM
Toby OB said...
I believe that was "Angel Of Montgomery". It's written by John Prine, but that may have been the Bonnie Raitt version; not sure on that part of it.
I hope that helps.
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8-19-2008 @ 8:35AM
mike said...
Yup the Bonnie Raitt version. One of the perks about closed captioning is that it often indicates the artist. And considering the number of female singers that have done that song you need that clue.
8-18-2008 @ 9:33AM
Carole said...
I hated for the show to end. I've never seen anything as real as the family arguments. It had to be so real for all of them to film. My only question with the whole episode was how did Rafe get all that coke out if he was riding a bike? Didn't they see him at the end of the street? Any ideas?
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8-18-2008 @ 9:57AM
el said...
I think Raph took the coke when Brandi was at his house and Brandi just never opened the suitcase after that.
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8-18-2008 @ 10:14AM
Richard said...
I don't do a lot of TV but I really enjoyed this show and am looking forward to next season.
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8-18-2008 @ 11:17AM
Gordon Werner said...
Spanky didn't want the Diet Coke because of the artificial sweeteners ... powdered sugar doughnuts use sugar
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8-18-2008 @ 11:57AM
taya said...
I thought that it was the dad that took the coke. The dad always knew what going on in their lives.
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8-18-2008 @ 12:29PM
Gesbree said...
I believe that Raph helped out, but did anyone get the sneaking suspicion that the guy with his cap down doing the lines on the field was their father??? My husband and I both thought the same thing at the same time. I guess we will find out next season!
Though I must say... lining the field with drug seems somewhat... dangerous... to me.
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8-18-2008 @ 1:17PM
Carissa said...
Lining the field with drugs seems more than dangerous. Players slide in that stuff all the time. It was a bit disturbing that someone thought that was a good idea. And, yes, I did get the impression the man pushing the striping machine was dad.
Am I the only one who was really, really wishing that Brandi and Jinx would have made a deal and gone off together into witness protection never to see Mary again? Next season could have been her finally living on her own, taking control of her life and perhaps something about her father. Frankly, I'm disappointed they are still in the picture.
8-18-2008 @ 10:13PM
nattyff said...
I soooooo thought that too!!!
8-18-2008 @ 2:40PM
James J. Gutierrez said...
mom and sister were completely gross. used to like them, but the show took a turn and now i really hate them.
guy in the cap was dad...but why wouldnt mary just have disolved the meth in the tub using hoit water and send it down the drain...or how about just multiplke flushes...
put it in a car to try and drive it away is just completely stupid and really poorly written.
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8-18-2008 @ 2:57PM
Diane said...
OK, so I lied. I didn't quit watching the show, but I did quit complaining about it except in my mind. I was very caught up in the drama of Mary and the letters and everything and then they cut to commerical and it felt like the momentum of the feelings just stopped.
I really enjoyed the ending. Mary caught with the blankets- everyone in shock over where the coke had gone.
I was wondering the whole time this was going down where Raph was, thinking it was weird that he was no where around. His smile was truly priceless as he was at batting practice (wish he had more of a part, for that matter Marshall too). I didn't even think that it might be their dad or that he was really in the picture. kinda like prison break... hmmmmm
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8-18-2008 @ 6:58PM
LadyOracle said...
It was an awesome season finale except for one thing. There would have been traces of that meth EVERYWHERE whether the bag was there or not. It would have been in Brandi's trunk and on the floor and in the family and Mary's work car. I can't even believe that the feds wouldn't find it if they tore up the house like that.
This one was a little too neat, but overall the performances were great.
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8-18-2008 @ 9:04PM
Jimmy said...
I agree with you that Jinx's "revelation" about Mary's father was cruel, but I also thought it was cruel of Mary to keep those leters to herself for 30-odd years, especially for her sister, whose problems can easily be traced to abandonment by her father. I came away with the impression that Mary realized she screwed up by not sharing the letters. After all, her mother and sister were abandoned, as well. Brandi had the perfect comeback for the letter revelation.
I wasn't all too thrilled about this series when it first started, but it slowly grew on me. Mary McCormack was the major reason for that. Cable has given us yet another strong female character.
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8-18-2008 @ 9:05PM
Jimmy said...
I agree with you that Jinx's "revelation" about Mary's father was cruel, but I also thought it was cruel of Mary to keep those leters to herself for 30-odd years, especially for her sister, whose problems can easily be traced to abandonment by her father. I came away with the impression that Mary realized she screwed up by not sharing the letters. After all, her mother and sister were abandoned, as well. Brandi had the perfect comeback for the letter revelation.
I wasn't all too thrilled about this series when it first started, but it slowly grew on me. Mary McCormack was the major reason for that. Cable has given us yet another strong female character.
Reply
8-18-2008 @ 9:06PM
Jimmy said...
I agree with you that Jinx's "revelation" about Mary's father was cruel, but I also thought it was cruel of Mary to keep those leters to herself for 30-odd years, especially for her sister, whose problems can easily be traced to abandonment by her father. I came away with the impression that Mary realized she screwed up by not sharing the letters. After all, her mother and sister were abandoned, as well. Brandi had the perfect comeback for the letter revelation.
I wasn't all too thrilled about this series when it first started, but it slowly grew on me. Mary McCormack was the major reason for that. Cable has given us yet another strong female character.
Reply