Round Two: Rizzoli & Isles

Rizzoli & Isles: Season 1, Episode 2 “Boston Strangler Redux” (B+)

From the first two episodes of this show, it seems clear that it’s going to be considerably darker than TNT’s other female-centric crime-fighting show, “The Closer.” This second round, just like the first, centers on a serial killer just starting back up again, making the cases infinitely more dire and deadly than a random killing. It’s a bit of a stretch to believe that Rizzoli only encounters such monstrously severe and important cases, but I won’t hold it against the show since it executes it pretty well. I’d also like to log the fact that my faith in law enforcement has been severely decreased after recent incidents on both “The Glades” and “The Closer” in the past two weeks and a screening of the “Law & Order: SVU” episode featuring Emmy-nominated guest star Ann-Margret, where (spoiler alert) the culprit turns out to be a cop. It’s unfair to blame this episode for being the straw that breaks the camel’s back, however, so I’ll let that slide. What this episode does do well is to bring out the secondary character, Maura Isles, and actually give her something to do. Her dorky baseball suit and her diagnosis of her date with a life-threatening disease after one quick kiss make her stand out as a memorable and fantastic character. I like the addition of Donnie Wahlberg as Lieutenant Grant in what I can only hope will become a recurring role. Wahlberg was excellent as an anchor for NBC’s all-too-brief cop show “Boomtown,” and I love the fact that Rizzoli still holds a grudge against him for stuff he did in middle school. In case you weren’t buying the fact that Angie Harmon is Italian, now there’s not only Lorraine Bracco as her mother but another undeniable Italian as her father, Chazz Palminteri.