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Newbie here, and the best way I know how to start is to just jump in. I've followed Jamie's career since Hornblower, but I only recently discovered this blog which, considering my tendency to obsess, is probably a good thing. Although I'm not ready to pronounce MM a touchstone of Jamie's career (a la HH, BSG, or LOUK), there is potential.... Jamie and Jennifer Finnegan look great together. The cute quotient is off the charts, but I need more to jump on the Ty/Tina ship. The inherent messiness of their relationship should give their story mileage, but I hope as the story evolves Mark is given fuller treatment. As others have noted, thus far he is a non-entity; we know nothing about how his and Tina's marriage progressed to this point. We see him lashing out (with a nuisance lawsuit), but how do we know that Ty isn't the real home-wrecking jerk in this story? Or Tina, for that matter. Which came first, the affair or the bad marriage? Part of me really wants to see a Jamie character in a fully developed, sympathetic, high profile sexy romance because he doesn't have that on his pretend-resume. He has the fraternal, borderline homoerotic Archie/Horatio friendship from HH; the tortured, complex father/son dynamic of Adama/Lee from BSG; and the effortlessly devoted charm of Ronnie/Matt on LOUK. But look at the guy! He should be the ideal romantic hero! As relieved as I am that MM isn't a Grey's Anatomy redux, I also wish so much backpedaling wasn't necessary for me to really get behind a Ty/Tina romance. About last night's episode: I LOVED PARK AND SYDNEY SO MUCH! It was about damn time Hooten had to deal with push back. And it really hit me why Hooten's behavior has gotten on my last nerve. It wasn't his calling Michelle on her near fatal errors (which as she was struggling in the ER I knew she HAD to be called on them), but it was his complimenting her and putting her up on a pedestal to make her fall even harder and more humiliating. He could have had the same result by starting out with 'It must feel really good to have saved a life....but let me point out the ways in which you almost cost the patient her life.' It all reminded me of a saying I quote all the time at my job, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it." So. Much. This. I've remained patient with Hooten, because I tend to view this from the perspective of a patient/caregiver. Surgery is a very high-stakes profession, and highly skilled surgeons with lofty reputations need the occasional check on their egos to prevent complacency. Having said that, there are times when Hooten seems to enjoy twisting the knife just a little too much. His building Michelle up just to shoot her down approach smacked of gratuitous bullying at worst, and a lack of professionalism at best. Issues of privacy are still taken very seriously by the medical profession, even as it is increasingly difficult to maintain in our technology-driven culture. So, while it was unrealistic for Hooten to think the leak of a patient's condition to the media a simple matter of Ty breaking a patient's confidentiality, Sydney's cavalier attitude toward the lack of privacy was also inappropriate. Did these people never hear of HIPAA? As a Jamie fan, I want more Ty. As a fan of ensemble acting, I like seeing the wealth spread around. I've always been impressed by how Jamie manages to find himself surrounded by such talented people, and I enjoy watching those talented people work. A small moment--Fran's perfectly pitched "ch ching" when talking to Michelle about the benefits of positive publicity. I know it wasn't intended, but "ch ching" is too close to "ch chung" is an LOUK memory trigger for me, and I really had to concentrate to refocus on MM. Finally, Parks urgent "Do test NOW" when his young epilepsy patient listed Bill O'Reilly among literature's great authors. Indeed. I literally rolled off the couch laughing. Park is becoming one of my favorite characters. I love his economy of language. English may be his second language but he really knows how to use emphasis and inflection to convey his message--sometimes, I think he actually has better command of English than his English-speaking colleagues. Edited at 2013-04-02 10:02 pm (UTC)
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Well, I hope despite any tendencies you won't be a stranger because your comments are thoughtful and excellent. Welcome! :) I agree with so much of what you've said here, but especially this: But look at the guy! He should be the ideal romantic hero! As relieved as I am that MM isn't a Grey's Anatomy redux, I also wish so much backpedaling wasn't necessary for me to really get behind a Ty/Tina romance.Precisely. I'm all for a real romance with real problems and real ugly moments from time to time, but I feel as though all of these things (as well as the happier moments) would resonate more if just a few key adjustments had been made early on in the writing. Sounds like you've read most of what we've said before in previous ep discussions so I won't bang on about it again too much. ;) Having said that, there are times when Hooten seems to enjoy twisting the knife just a little too much. His building Michelle up just to shoot her down approach smacked of gratuitous bullying at worst, and a lack of professionalism at best.Yup. And yes, she did indeed make a serious mistake. However... well, I guess I can sum most of it up with the water pitcher. I know, it comes up ALL the time, often jokingly in tweets and that kind of thing can be fun but for me personally, the water pitcher has reached a point where it's become a parody of itself. If they did it more subtle-like, without the drawwwwwn out slow motion and the reactions from the peanut gallery, it might still work but as it is? WE. KNOW. SHOW. Shit's about to go down. So let's just have it! ;) Really, really needed to see the doctors' revolt actually happen. That scene could have gotten angrier, and I would have been fine with it. Like, maybe Gato gets up and upturns Hooten's table. Like the Panda cheese commercial:  (Little kick at the end is where he kicks the water pitcher across the room. *chortle*) ;) Finally, Parks urgent "Do test NOW" when his young epilepsy patient listed Bill O'Reilly among literature's great authors. Indeed.ME TOO. ;) They really have made the most headway with Park; I had such reservations initially despite Keong always being great, and he's been given the most room to breathe. And in his case, the repetitive bits aren't so repetitive; it helps keep "not do, dead" from falling into the catchphrase trap when we get Tina begging him to say it instead of keeping his mouth shut. Hee. Edited at 2013-04-03 04:17 am (UTC)
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Welcome! I'm glad you found the site. :)
At times, I've found it odd that Jamie has never really played the romantic lead. The closest he's come is BSG, but BSG was never primarily about romantic relationship. And Kara and Lee were never a couple in the traditional sense. I know some actors, particularly the hot ones ;), push for romance on screen and everything that comes with it, but Jamie has never done that. I think some of the actors who do push for it tend to be lacking in other areas (such as talent). I'm sure, on some level, Jamie knows how attractive he is, but being taking seriously as an actor is the most important thing to him. So, the fact he's multi-dimensional means, unfortunately, we get to see a little less of him...if you know what I mean. ;)
Having said that, there are times when Hooten seems to enjoy twisting the knife just a little too much. His building Michelle up just to shoot her down approach smacked of gratuitous bullying at worst, and a lack of professionalism at best.
::nods head vigorously in agreement:: He does seem to 'get off on' his take-downs to an extent. Which is disturbing.
Finally, Parks urgent "Do test NOW" when his young epilepsy patient listed Bill O'Reilly among literature's great authors. Indeed. I literally rolled off the couch laughing.
That was a very funny moment. Park seemed to be debating whether they needed to run the test until Bill O'Reilly's name was mentioned. :p
And a HUGE amount of credit to the actor who a) has elevated Park above a stereotype and b) conveys SO MUCH emotionally when he has so few words to use.
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The closest he's come is BSG
You could also argue that Un jour mon pere viendra came pretty close. Though certainly, there was a lot going on there that kept it from being a proper romantic lead, too.
I'm sure, on some level, Jamie knows how attractive he is, but being taking seriously as an actor is the most important thing to him. So, the fact he's multi-dimensional means, unfortunately, we get to see a little less of him...if you know what I mean. ;)
To be honest, if that weren't a factor I probably wouldn't be lollygagging around this comm the way I do. Much as I like looking at him, I like watching him go to town on a really juicy script more than anything and I really hope that's what the new show offers him. If he gets his shirt off, it's always a bonus. It's never the goal. ;)
Edited at 2013-04-04 07:22 am (UTC)
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I know some actors, particularly the hot ones ;), push for romance on screen and everything that comes with it, but Jamie has never done that. I think some of the actors who do push for it tend to be lacking in other areas (such as talent). I'm sure, on some level, Jamie knows how attractive he is, but being taking seriously as an actor is the most important thing to him. So, the fact he's multi-dimensional means, unfortunately, we get to see a little less of him...if you know what I mean. ;) Part of Jamie's appeal (for me, and I suspect for many of us) is his astute career instinct. From the beginning, he's carefully chosen roles to prevent his being typecast, and, considering the highly competitive nature of the business, that's difficult for a young actor to do and still work consistently. He's portrayed a diversity of characters in a wide variety of quality projects, and, at this point, his credibility as an actor is well-established. He's also entering his 40s, prime time for sexy leading men. Part of why I find the Ty/Tina relationship on MM so frustrating is that it feels almost like wasted opportunity, the vital romantic ingredient needed to pull in a larger core audience, had the hole dug for them not been quite so deep. I recall an interview from the early Hornblower days in which Jamie stated that 1)Cary Grant, one of Hollywood's most legendary romantic leads, was one of his favorite actors, and 2)he wanted to do more comedy. I'd love to see Jamie in a romantic comedy feature film, or in a TV drama/comedy (a la Parenthood or Modern Family) in which he's given opportunity to bring emotional, dramatic weight to a comedic role (or vice versa).
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Previously on...
