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Post by maggiethecat on Aug 24, 2005 19:37:44 GMT -5
We've done a wonderful thread on the memorable endings of each Blind Justice episode. You know them all: "They're brown." "Thanks, now I know." Jimmy lifting his anguished face to the remembered colors of the rain. The bouquet and the Mulligan and the kiss. "I'd rather lose my sight than my courage." "You're my man and you've still got the gun." The "Moon River" reverie, the joyous return of Hank, and, so help me, ballroom dancing.
But what are our favorite beginnings? As memorably as each episode ended, let's talk about how they began.
Favorites, anyone?
While you can all probably guess that I'd choose the seminal bank shootout in The Pilot -- which introduced me to the Divine Mr. Eldard, who for some inexplicable reason had remained beneath my radar before 3/08/05 -- I might cast my vote for "Up on the Roof." Jim and Christie in the diner, loving, together, and then the drugged shift to a nightmarish reworking of the shootout, angst-ridden Jim waking again to panic and fear . . . .
Or how about Jim dancing around the locker room and almost bumping into Tom? Or "Seoul Man," with Happy Jim walking down the street with Hank on a sunny Manhattan morning, his light, sweet mood interrupted by a shot and the coffee dashed from his hand?
Let's go . . . !
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Post by housemouse on Aug 24, 2005 20:17:17 GMT -5
Strangely enough my favorite beginning is Under the Gun. I say it is strange because that is certainly not my favorite episode. But something about he and Christie eating dinner together, I don't know, I just liked it. A very close second would have to be Marlon's Brando. Four words - Eldard in a white undershit. Ahhh...
BTW, Maggie, have you gone back and watched some of his earlier work? I'm curious to know what you think of it.
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Post by rducasey on Aug 24, 2005 21:20:57 GMT -5
For me,it's gotta be the Marlon's Brando wake up scene. What a pretty picture of Jim sleeping soundly. Who's idea was it though to have that cell phone ring so soon?
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Post by maggiethecat on Aug 24, 2005 21:36:55 GMT -5
Strangely enough my favorite beginning is Under the Gun. I say it is strange because that is certainly not my favorite episode. But something about he and Christie eating dinner together, I don't know, I just liked it. A very close second would have to be Marlon's Brando. Four words - Eldard in a wife beater. ahhh... BTW, Maggie, have you gone back and watched some of his earlier work? I'm curious to know what you think of it. Haven't caught all of the earlier stuff, but I did catch Bastard Out of Carolina last night on Lifetime. OMG. Ron plays that most unreedemable of men, a screwed up and utterly beknighted lout who beats -- and subsequently attempts to rape -- his young, vulnerable stepdaughter. And -- believe it or not -- he manages to invest the character with such a battered and bruised kind of humanity that you actually understand the man. You don't empathize with the character (who could?), but you understand. It's an amazing piece of work, even more so when you consider that it was filmed some ten years ago when Ron Eldard was 29 or 30, basically a kid starting out. But this man hit the ground running when it came to talent. And I've also seen Sleepers, which he just plain steals. Again, a character we should hate but can't -- a stone killer who is utterly persuasive and sympathetic. When Trumpets Fade. Heartbreaking. What can I say? This man is a compelling combination of sensitive and strong. |
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Post by Eyphur on Aug 24, 2005 22:13:03 GMT -5
Or how about Jim dancing around the locker room and almost bumping into Tom? This gets my vote. It was so fun to watch the guys be uncomfortable. |
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Post by mlm828 on Aug 25, 2005 1:15:04 GMT -5
Strangely enough my favorite beginning is Under the Gun. I say it is strange because that is certainly not my favorite episode. But something about he and Christie eating dinner together, I don't know, I just liked it. A very close second would have to be Marlon's Brando. Four words - Eldard in a wife beater. ahhh... BTW, Maggie, have you gone back and watched some of his earlier work? I'm curious to know what you think of it. Haven't caught all of the earlier stuff, but I did catch Bastard Out of Carolina last night on Lifetime. OMG. Ron plays that most unreedemable of men, a screwed up and utterly beknighted lout who beats -- and subsequently attempts to rape -- his young, vulnerable stepdaughter. And -- believe it or not -- he manages to invest the character with such a battered and bruised kind of humanity that you actually understand the man. You don't empathize with the character (who could?), but you understand. It's an amazing piece of work, even more so when you consider that it was filmed some ten years ago when Ron Eldard was 29 or 30, basically a kid starting out. But this man hit the ground running when it came to talent. And I've also seen Sleepers, which he just plain steals. Again, a character we should hate but can't -- a stone killer who is utterly persuasive and sympathetic. When Trumpets Fade. Heartbreaking. What can I say? This man is a compelling combination of sensitive and strong. One of my favorite beginnings is Jim's "You're black?" routine with Tom at the beginning of "Dance With Me." It isn't the very first scene of the episode -- it follows Jim and Christie in Galloway's office -- but it comes before the opening credits, so it qualifies as a beginning as far as I'm concerned. About RE's other work, I've been holding a Ron Eldard film festival at my house, and I, too, watched Bastard Out of Carolina last night. Your observations are right on. In the hands of a lesser actor, his character would simply have been a monster. I was looking forward to seeing this movie, not to be entertained, but to see what he could do with this kind of character. I was not disappointed. Maybe we should start a new thread or category to discuss his work other than Blind Justice. |
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Post by kytdunne on Aug 25, 2005 4:20:34 GMT -5
What? No neat & tidy list?? Geez, how do you guys remember which opening for which episode? Here, I'll help y'all get it off to a start: Doggone: Shaving, Christie in a snit, Dunbar baffled (This list thing reminds me that I have failed to revisit the Absolutely thread in a while -- must remedy that. Soon.) Kyt |
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Post by verorl on Aug 26, 2005 8:10:19 GMT -5
My favorite beginnings would have to be the Pilot, Marlon's Brando and Doggone.
Maggie, I hated Ron so much in Bastard Out of Carolina!! HIs performance was awesome. I love Ron, but he was so good in there that I actually despised the character. Oh, and he absolutely steals every scene he is in in Sleepers! I love when they are at the bar, and he goes to the restroom and sees Kevin Bacon and does a double take! AWESOME!
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Post by shmeep on Aug 26, 2005 12:07:55 GMT -5
I love so many of the beginnings! I don't know which one is my favorite as an entire scene. Perhaps the Pilot or the dream sequence at the beginning of Up on the Roof. But my favorite first split-second image at the beginning of an episode has to be that close-up of Jim in Doggone, his face covered in shaving cream, as he carefully shaves by touch. I'm not a huge fan of Christie's freak out after that (although I like to think he provoked her in some way that men never do understand), but the shaving is really great. The Marlon's Brando wake-up scene is also divine.
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Post by doobrah on Aug 26, 2005 15:04:39 GMT -5
I love so many of the beginnings! I don't know which one is my favorite as an entire scene. Perhaps the Pilot or the dream sequence at the beginning of Up on the Roof. But my favorite first split-second image at the beginning of an episode has to be that close-up of Jim in Doggone, his face covered in shaving cream, as he carefully shaves by touch. I'm not a huge fan of Christie's freak out after that (although I like to think he provoked her in some way that men never do understand), but the shaving is really great. The Marlon's Brando wake-up scene is also divine. What Shmeep said. Especially the close up in th Pilot of RE's eyes with the thump tump heartbeat to punctuate the blink. One of the things that puts the Pilot at the top of the list is that the opening music and credits are better. Not that sappy, syrupy, redundant (let's show everyone's pictures, and then let's, uh, show them again!) theme music they used for the other 12 episodes. The Pilot has no dialogue (and doesn't need any) as you get to eavesdrop on Jim's morning routine in the kitchen, in the bathroom and getting ready for work. How great is that! |
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Post by hoosier on Aug 26, 2005 17:57:10 GMT -5
I narrowed mine down to four-- Pilot-sets the whole premise for the show--the shootout, cops down,Terry heading for cover,Jim runs to get the gun  ,Jim is wounded--you don't know that you aren't witnessing the shootout,you don't know its just a dream until he wakes up. Powerful Marlon's Brando-you think there is going to be wedded bliss until the fateful cell phone call, the mood is broken and no hopes of getting together that evening and Jim looks reeaallllyyy disappointed( I don't think I could have been that strong ;)Jim meets Karen and Christie watches from the window and you wonder whats going on in her mind as she watches the little interaction between partners. Up on the Roof--the new dream sequence,Jim and Christie happy,cuddling,joking--they need Jim's help and being our Jimmy he goes--he sees Terry and asks him if its safe to go out there (No Jim--don't go!!!)--he goes out the door and there is the gunman--he wakes up and Christie asks him if its the same dream and he says I think so,this event enters even a relatively safe and happy memory Doggone--Jim shaving! Major eyelash shot!!! Oh my gosh!!! Jim's confusion over why Christie is mad at him yet again!!! |
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,Jim is wounded--you don't know that you aren't witnessing the shootout,you don't know its just a dream until he wakes up. Powerful