Round Two: The Glades

The Glades: Season 1, Episode 2 “Bird in the Hand” (B+)

Love him or hate him, the lead character on this show truly makes it interesting. Having him narrate his own opening credits says a lot about the format about this show and just how him-centric it is. He just seems to get so excited by the opportunity to really annoy some people and makes cases that might otherwise not be anywhere near as fun or engaging infinitely more so because of his energy. After all, most of this episode does revolve around an endangered bird. The delivery of lines like “is it still a crime in Florida to shoot a mail carrier?” and the look on his face after he says “how about if someone drained the gas tank?” are part of what makes his charisma so effective. He’s not the only one with the great lines. Leave that to the guy who refuses to be his new partner: “another way to get shot: hanging out with the wife of a guy in prison” and “that’s contagious; go home” in reference to the excitable medical examiner’s case of pink eye. Francesco Quinn was an inspired choice to play the drug lord who ended up getting busted on his illegal possession of the endangered newt, and his rivalry with the boss was fun. What’s most enjoyable and entertaining about this episode is the relationship between Callie and Jim, which is progressing quite a bit despite her best efforts. I liked her line at the end of the episode: “What often seems like a beautiful new challenge may end up being more trouble than it’s worth.” I’m definitely interested to see him try.