Notes on a vacation ...

Just a couple quick comments since I’m meant to be on vacation this week. Naturally, that doesn’t stop there from being television.

In fact, I’ve spent a good portion of this week watching movies – movies that have been piling up for months on my DVR. I watched this really cool brain-bender featuring Kiefer Sutherland as a Peter Lorre-type doctor in “Dark City.” I also watched this bizarro thing called “Suspiria,” which I’m submitting as Exhibit A and “Zardoz” as Exhibit B for why people in the ‘70s shouldn’t make films.

"Rescue Me"

I’ve also been watching series television. This week saw the premieres of “The Closer” and “Rescue Me.” I think I’ll hold off talking about “Rescue Me” for a moment except to say that Callie Thorne really has some kind of range. Between her Sheila character on “Rescue Me” and her Dr. Dani character on USA’s “Necessary Roughness” – she’s actually competing with herself directly there – those characters are completely different, and yet she does such a good job in bringing a unique voice to both.

"The Closer"

Kyra Sedgwick returned as Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD in “The Closer” last Monday and got the seventh and final season off to an excellent start with a classic whodunit. A rapper and his friends are celebrating the release of his new CD at a house party when violence erupts and they’re all gunned down. Suspects included shunned gangbangers and the rapper’s producer, and Brenda had to choose her moves carefully because Major Crimes was under the direct supervision of Commander Taylor – Chief Pope was being transferred to traffic, much to his irritation – and Taylor kept trying to take an active role in Brenda’s interrogation.

The main thrust of the episode, however, was the investigation into Brenda’s conduct regarding a confessed murderer from last season who Chief Pope had promised immunity. Brenda was furious and returned the man to his home, knowing there was a good possibility that he would become a target of gang violence. In that he did and was in fact found dead, the man’s mother filed a wrongful death civil suit against the LAPD and Brenda was named. Capt. Raydor will be investigating it and it seems like it will be an awesome story arc to follow across the season. That and the fact that in the closing moments of the premiere, Chief Delk, announcing the new organizational chart for the top brass at the LAPD, appeared to have a stroke and collapsed.

Or could he have been poisoned? In the nerve center for Major Crimes itself? On the verge of making such significant and, for so many, life-changing pronouncements? So many suspects, all so seemingly above reproach. Either way, what a way to close out a series, and it got off to such a great start. New episodes of “The Closer” premiere at 9/8c Mondays on TNT.

"The Glades"

The other show I wanted to talk about a few weeks ago following the death of Peter Falk – I was just reminded when I saw “The Princess Bride” again the other day – was “The Glades” on A&E.

Now in its second season, “The Glades” is a sort of standard police procedural with just a little more character development than others, which is why it seemed not at all out of place when a protégé of the medical examiner in the show had a good catch on a clue at a crime scene. In fact, she had the luck she did because she was the person who had planted the clue to find in the first place because she was the whodunit.

Now, investigator Jim Longworth, if Jim were working with Dexter he’d have caught him by now. His first case he tracked down where his partner had murdered his wife or something, and he reads people very well. He has that whole Columbo “Say, one last thing” vibe going which always solves the case. In fact, I hadn’t thought of it before hearing about Peter Falk’s passing, but he does take up the mantle of the perspicacious workhorse gumshoe in a way I don’t encounter much anywhere else. Everyone else seems to need a lot of flash and glitz and swagger. Jim is content to have solved the case. “The Glades” air new episodes Sundays at 10/9c on A&E.

"Platinum Hit"

Bravo’s “Platinum Hit” came right out and said it has no interest in song-writing talent this week when the judges identified the worst song as having been submitted by Johnny and Nick, identified the lyric they liked the least as being contributed by Nick, saw Nick’s combative little boy sulking throughout, know full well that all Nick is is a mouth with a bad attitude, but chose to get rid of Johnny anyway because Nick is the “bad boy.”

And yeah, I don’t like him. I haven’t throughout. I’m not supposed to. Nick’s arrogant and self-absorbed, he’s got that ridiculous fauxhawk and more to the point, he is so fake. He complains and talks big for the cameras but then, right after saying someone is the worst songwriter in the competition (pot calling kettle, by the way) gives them a big hug and fake compliments. OK, yeah, he’s not untalented, but contributionwise he presented very little this week – Johnny didn’t “not hear” him; it’s called “editing” – and sabotaged the whole deal, and that should’ve been plenty enough to get rid of him. And oh yeah, Johnny can write songs. Nick just needs to get lost.

“Platinum Hit” continues Fridays at 8/7c on Bravo.

Coming up

Coming up, well, the big deal for me this week is the return of “Breaking Bad” Sunday night, with encores Wednesday night. Also coming up, something called “It’s Worth What?” Tuesday night on NBC, and the new season of “Hell’s Kitchen” Tuesday night on FOX.

I’m still only really focused on “The Nine Lives of Chloe King” on ABC Family, where I noticed Jossverse writer Mere Smith has been added to the writing credits to improved effect.

They’re showing “Sin City” on IFC Wednesday night, followed by “American Psycho,” which I believe seemed very cutting edge at the time.

Plus, speaking of movies, “Captain America” opens next weekend and I for one am very much looking forward to it. Wonderful weeks, everyone.