The Glades IS Matt Passmore

Carissa’s back Guest Clacking for us again, after sharing her thoughts on Eureka with us earlier this week.

Jim Longworth is frakkin cool. If you haven’t been watching The Glades, you’ve been missing out. A&E has given us one hell of an addition to the glut of procedurals airing on various networks. Keith reviewed the pilot which set the bar very high for the series’ future. The Glades provides a collection of very likable characters, who are down to earth, funny and endearing. They are believable; these people should be my friends.

Jim has a way of interacting with witnesses that makes them comfortable, but he doesn’t mince words. He has a smile on his face as he tells someone they may be his prime suspect. He nonchalantly says, “So you wanted to kill him,” with a little smirk and a sip of soda. I’d venture to guess that not everyone would enjoy his cockiness. That might say something about me that I find him so appealing — are you with me? (Yes, you too, dear readers … we’re a bunch of snarky smartasses.)

Medical Examiner (and quasi partner — ’tis the season, as this is the same set up over on Rizzoli & Isles) is a great foil for Jim’s acerbic wit. In “The Girlfriend Experience” they get a call that a ‘Carlos Sanchez’ is dead. Right after Jim realizes “those aren’t the spindly little calves of someone who walks golf courses as much as we do,” in walks Carlos. What really pisses him off is that he needs to spend the next day canceling credit cards and saving his good name.

Jim and Callie obviously have a thing for each other. They don’t try to hide it for any reason other than she’s still married to her incarcerated husband. Jim felt an immediate kinship with her son, Jeff, and their friendship has been important to his character development. I don’t think Jim expected his alliance with Jeff to backfire to the extent that it did in “Cassadaga.” Jim offers to be Callie’s date to a party, and is surprised she’s concerned about Jeff’s feelings. Jeff likes him just fine, he says. Callie replies, “Jeff loves you, I just think it might freak him out if we went on an actual date.” That’s an insight Jim wouldn’t have had, given his lack of parental experience. Everything about Callie and Jeff seems unfamiliar territory to Jim, and these scenes show his vulnerability as his incredible self-confidence takes a tumble. In these moments, he’s more human than when he’s driving the action on a case.

Like Brenda on The Closer, Jim’s crime-solving process IS the story on The Glades. The investigation and interpersonal moments throughout the plot are what drive the story; that there is a crime is merely a means to set it all up.

The episodes have been more good than bad, with the last (“Cassadaga,” episode 7) being the least entertaining to date. That’s not a bad track record so far. I haven’t noticed anything in Brett’s ratings posts specific to The Glades, but I’m a spaz. Not noticing something isn’t out of the norm.

I hope my commentary gives you at least one reason to want to watch The Glades. If nothing else, you can watch to see why my friend in Miami has a box with holes ready and awaiting the capture and shipping of Matt Passmore. Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! A little something for the ladies….

I hope to get the opportunity to dig into a full show to give you the character quirks and the flavor of the city in more detail. Each episode has a life of it’s own. If you would like to chat more about The Glades, please let me know!

Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Aug 28, 2010 @ 16:00 EST5EDT