My thoughts on Rizzoli & Isles season 5 premiere

[This review was written the day after the season premiere but was accidentally left in drafts rather than posted.]

Season 5 of Rizzoli & Isles premiered last night and before the episode was over #RizzoliandIsles was trending on Twitter. The writers, along with star Sasha Alexander were all tweeting live from the writers room. (Check out the picture gallery for some of the pictures they posted.) The ratings surprised me a little. Turns out the live ratings were lower than last season by almost a point. Season 4 was getting around a 6.8 and episode 501 received a 5.8. That doesn't include later 7 day viewings nor DVR recordings.

As to the episode itself - I enjoyed it. I thought the ratio of personal to case was good, and I actually followed the case with interest. Those who have read my past reviews know that I've always felt the weakest part of this series has been the crimes themselves. Last night I think they did good. If this is a sign of the future of this show under new showrunner Jan Nash then I'm happy about the change so far.

This site has rizzles in the title, and for those who may not know what that stands for it's the term used for those who see the subtext in Jane and Maura's relationship - that maybe they're more than friends. I have to be honest, I no longer look for, nor see much of rizzles going on. We all knew they were never going to get together. These are two straight friends who love each other like family. With the events in this episode and some spoilers I've read about things coming up the subtext is very much going underground this season. What surprises me is that I'm okay with that. I'd rather watch a good crime drama then have continued on the path this show was on. I'm not saying it was bad, but I know to a lot of fans like myself Rizzoli & Isles had gone from a show that we all talked about and watched together and loved, to just another show on television. Something had happened between the third and fourth season. For me personally I can't put my finger on exactly what it was but it showed in my waning dedication to my website and blogs.

I watched last night's episode twice. That says a lot. Season four I only watched the episodes once. Compare that to season one and two when I watched the episodes four to five times each. I'm hoping last night is a sign of my passion for this show coming back. Truth be told, I missed it.

SPOILERS

So Jane really is pregnant and is going to have a baby. Interestingly, Angie Harmon has wanted that for Jane. I don't see a problem, I just hope Casey falls by the way side. He has proven not to be relationship material.

I felt that they handled the death of Det. Frost very well. I'm sure next weeks episode will pay tribute to not only the character but the actor who portrayed him, Lee Thompson Young. From the previews tissues will be required.

SPOILERS Season 5 of Rizzoli & Isles

There are loads of spoilers out there for season 5 of Rizzoli & Isles and we've compiled a list of some of them. We'll be updating as more and more spoilers become available.




SPOILERS ALERT!

If you don't want to know what's going to happen don't read any further.

Episode 1 "A New Day"

• We won't find out about Frost's death until the end of the episode. It will be a car accident.
• Jane is pregnant.

Episode 2 "Goodbye"

• As the title suggests, the service for Frost takes place in this episode.
• Jane delivers the eulogy.

More SPOILERS:

• Maura meets a professor and begins to fall for him in Episode 5
• Tommy Rizzoli will be back for at least one episode.
• Susie Chang will be in quite a few episodes.
• Jane will possibly get a new partner by episode 8.

Source: The internet

Without Lee: Some of the cast & crew from Rizzoli & Isles tweets about Lee Thompson Young

I put some tweets together from the cast & crew
in memory of Lee Thompson Young.

I liked a Rizzoli & Isles crime story! What's up with that?

I don't know why. I can't explain it. Last night as I was watching the latest episode of  Rizzoli & Isles I discovered,  much to my horror, that I actually LIKED the CRIME STORYLINE. Ladies and gentlemen that does not happen with this show! Unless it has to do with Maura's mobster father I don't care about the murder nor who did it. What is going on here??

Episode 4x10

I look back at it now and it was not anything overly exciting. Drag racing. I don't get into drag racing. Car blows up. Okay, yeah and? I have been trying to put my finger on why it is suddenly the writers have managed to keep my attention focused on the crime.

If you look at my Rizzoli & Isles rants and reviews in the past I have always been upfront about the fact that the crimes in this show are secondary with me and I really could care less. It wasn't even some wonderful subtext between Jane and Maura. Nice friendship scenes and funny moments but nothing that screams rizzles. So, here I sit - baffled.

Was it just decent writing? Incorporating everything well enough to hold my interest to all of it? I really can't say. This season has been very up and down for me. A gradual build to one of the best episodes of the series (4x05) back down to the, 'yeah just another episode' episodes, and then this.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering out loud how or why this happened. Why now? Why this episode?

I'd love to hear your thoughts? Write to me here or on Twitter.
@kellyeneal


Posted from sister blog: Thoughts From a TV Geek

#1 Show We Can't Wait to Watch - Rizzoli & Isles

"Rizzoli & Isles" (TNT, returns June 25)

TNT's hit procedural puts a spin on the usual crime drama by giving us two female leads: hard-nosed cop Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and fashionable medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander). Plus, there's an unspoken sexual tension between the gals that plays well with a certain segment of the viewing public. "Prison Break's" Amaury Nolasco joins the cast this season as a former colleague of Jane's who's now in charge of the police department's drug unit. 

 

 

 

Source 

People.com ignores Sasha Alexander

Angie and Sasha on People.com.

This is a little rant of mine that I posted on Tumblr and decided to also post here.

I don’t do a lot of ranting, but with this video [Pictured on the left] I simply have to. It’s not about the video itself. It’s actually very cute. It’s the fact that the video is about Rizzoli AND Isles and has BOTH Angie AND Sasha in it, yet People.com titled it “Angie Harmon: Even the Dead Should Get Pedicures.”


Was Sasha not in the video? Are they not promoting Rizzoli and Isles TOGETHER?

Now I understand that Angie is the one who talked about the dead getting pedicures, but it’s the title of a video that they’re both in. They’ve completely ignored the other half of the “team.” Even the subtitle mentioned Timothy Hutton’s appearance in it but NOT Sasha! That upset me.

Now I know you’re probably thinking, “Hey, relax. It’s not really a big deal.” Normally I would agree with you, however I know there are a lot of fans out there who have felt, as I do, that Sasha’s been given almost a secondary role in the media. Combine that with the fact that this is the second television series that I’ve loved with two female leads that has had the media make one actress take a back seat over the one that they deem the “star.” The other was Renee O’Connor on Xena. At least that show was named for only one of the characters. Rizzoli and Isles are the two leads!

Angie has been on how many daytime talk shows in the last two years and it wasn’t until the series third season that Sasha gets on The Talk and Racheal Ray. This isn’t Angie’s fault. Please don’t think I’m blaming her, because I’m not. Not at all. This is the media and television studios, and it really upsets me.

Maybe Sasha doesn’t mind. In fact it wouldn’t surprise me if she doesn’t, and If that’s the case then I completely respect that. It’s just that when I saw that there was an “Angie” video, and then realized it was both of them, It really bugged me that Sasha’s name was missing.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

Lee Thompson Young on watching Sasha Alexander & Angie Harmon work.

“This is really a treat for me as an actor, to watch Rizzoli and Isles playing off of each other, and I’ve developed this analogy in my mind that it’s like watching Charlie Parker and Miles Davis having a little improv session, because their styles are so different.”

“They’re almost like polar opposites,” he adds. “And yet they find this rhythm together so they can play back and forth, and it’s like a master class. I feel like INSIDE THE ACTOR’S STUDIO every day. I’m like,’ “Wow, how did she get there?’ It’s really a pleasure to watch the chemistry between the two [Harmon and Alexander].”

Source

Sharon Lawrence talks instant chemistry with Sasha Alexander on Rizzoli & Isles

SHARON LAWRENCE
RIZZOLI AND ISLES
by: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?
A) I did the show "Rizzoli and Isles" and I am also on the show "Drop Dead Diva" again this season. I think that airs in August. I'm also in the film The Middle of Nowhere, which was just honored as one of the gala films at the LA Film Festival. It will be released by Participant in October. It won also won Best Director at Sundance for Ava DuVernay, the first African American woman to ever win that award. I also serve Women in Film, the group that's been around for thirty-five years working towards a global vision for women in the entertainment market place.
Q) What can you tell us about your character Dr. Hope Martin on "Rizzoli and Isles?"
A) She is the long lost and long discussed birth mother to Maura Isles. She is not aware that her daughter is someone who has actually enlisted her assistance in a technique to determine a murder victim. She doesn't know that the scientist working right across from in the lab is indeed her daughter. She does feel a real excitement about someone who shares her passion for this work and who respects the techniques she developed as a scientist in the 80s to determine bodies during the Bosnian War. That endeavor in her life is one that I think is very telling. She's reuniting the physical remains of people who have passed with their families. And actually, with her own story, she herself has a huge piece missing. She and Maura share that passion for the work that they do, that analytical sensibility, but they also have a big gap that only Maura knows the truth about.
Q) Were you a fan of the show before being asked to guest star?
A) Yes! And I was really a fan of the fact that it's based on a book written by a woman, Tess Gerritsen, and created as a television series by a woman, Janet Tamaro. I liked it stars two female leads and I think it very accurately shows the complexity that women have. These women are daughters, colleagues, friends and professionals and the show really does capture the modern woman's juggling act. It's very gratifying to serve their vision.
Q) What challenged you about this role?
A) Well, I think the emotional depth of a character who has lost someone is always a compelling thing to play. On "Drop Dead Diva," I also lost a daughter, but there is a much lighter and more soulful well draw from - a sense of completion. She is someone who has been able to move through her grief in a more productive way. This character is someone who is trapped in a way that she doesn't quite understand and certainly doesn't acknowledge. She is someone who lives in her mind the way Maura does. For me, as an actor, one of the challenges and one of the rewards was trying to find the way to create a realistic portrayal of mother and daughter who have never known each other, but yet share similar qualities. We physically resemble each other in a very striking way so that was easy or helpful. Then I worked to find the physical behaviors or quirks that Maura has and included them in my performance.

Q) Was there instant chemistry when you began working with Sasha Alexander?
A) Yes! Unequivocally it was great! She is an amazing actor. What she manages to balance - she's aware that she's only inches away from the woman that gave her away and who she's had all these complex feelings for. Her assumption about this woman is not true and she can't even reach out, touch her and tell her because it's literally an emotional bomb that could go off in their lives. Watching her work is just amazing.
Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film for the show?
A) Some of my favorite moments were around a dinner table with Angie Harmon and Lorraine Bracco, who are hysterical! Sasha is so gracious, graceful and playful and seeing their bond - that was really a delight. It isn't always like that, but this is a very happy group of people.
Q) What do you think it is about the show that continues to captivate so many viewers?
A) I think we can identify them as friends. We can identify them as people who work for a living. We can identify them with what makes them driven in their duty and what parts of their lives they have to work harder at balancing. I think you can't underestimate the chemistry between those two beautiful gals who are just easy and fun to watch, especially what they bring out in each other.
Q) You are a part of the social networking site Twitter. Why is that such an important place for you to connect with fans and promote your work?
A) I don't devote my Twitter feed to just my work. It's really just as much about things I find inspiring, interesting and compelling in life. For me, it's a way to find out things that I am interested in that other people are doing and sometimes pass that on. It isn't just a tool for business.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) I'm grateful that we live in a country where we can tell stories freely, knowing that women in Iran are killed sometimes for expressing themselves through music. We are very fortunate in this culture to have the freedom to tell our stories the way we see fit. I encourage women to understand that everybody's story is vital and valuable. You can put it out there in the world in many forms.

Source starrymag.com

Review: Rizzoli & Isles episodes 303 & 304

It seems that both of these episodes were a huge disappointment to the majority of the rizzles fans. I wasn't in the majority. Don't get me wrong, they were not the best Rizzoli & Isles episodes, by far, but I thought they were okay. They weren't spectacular where I'm chatting about them every day and watching them over and over, but they weren't so bad.

I guess to compare, I felt the same way watching the last two Rizzoli & Isles episodes as I do after watching an episode of Leverage. I like Leverage. It's funny and I like the characters, but I don't watch each episode five to ten times and I don't talk about them with friends. It's a normal television show I happen to watch and like. That's how I felt about the last two episodes of Rizzoli & Isles. (Although I'll admit I did watch them several times.)

That's why I'm reviewing both in one post. Not a whole lot to talk about.

Episode 303:

•  I love Jane and Maura. Whether they're friends, co-workers, family, or anything else. I love the chemistry, the banter, the teasing, the way they turn to each other in times of need. I love that Maura has become part of Jane's family. I simply love it every time Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon are on screen together. Period. 
• There were a lot of great one-liners in this episode, and I found myself laughing quite a bit.
• Dennis was a nice guy. If he shows back up I wouldn't complain. I like that he was into art like Maura. She hasn't really had anyone to share that with. 
• I love Rondo in this episode. I love that they're touching on his back story. It will be nice to see that unfold.
• I like Casey. I like that he and Jane have a history and also that the storyline is progressing slowly. You know what else I like? That Angela calls him Charles. I don't know why but I do.
• I really loved that Maura was waiting for Jane at the end. I did a screen shot titled "She Waits" for that. (It's a song by Zero 1 that went through my head at the time.)
  

Episode 304:

• Again, Jane & Maura together in a scene is always great. Some cute interactions in this episode. I like how Maura kept trying to get Jane to do something active.
• Love the dog! For those that may not know she's actually Lorraine Bracco's dog and really does do those tricks.
• I like that it was Maura that brought the dog back. Nice scene between her and Casey. Naturally the first thing she wants to do is to help him, and then she tells him to talk to Jane. She wouldn't promise not to tell. Love her.
• Maura and Angela should have at least one good scene per episode. Love them together.
• Speaking of Angela, her blogging was awesome. And Angela's Guardian's, so funny. Anyone shipping Angela and Cavanaugh? I wouldn't be surprised... It could happen. "Not one word Rizzoli." Too funny.

Crime wise Rizzoli & Isles will never be Criminal Minds (my favorite crime show.) When I want a great crime show I have that to turn to. The homeless vets were sad and I liked Rondo's involvement. The dolls were creepy, but the killer was predictable. Luckily, I don't spend the time trying to figure out who did it cause I'll find out in the last five minutes anyway. I enjoy the interactions, not only between Jane and Maura, but also Frost, Frankie and Korsak. I think Angie's comment about how they could have a Frost and Frankie sitcom was dead on. They've been funny together.

I do want to know what the hell Jane does besides piece together information that everyone else gathers for her. lol Has anyone else noticed that? Even Korsak seems to be taking orders from her when he's her superior! She stands there and says "look for..." "do we have..." and everyone gives her the answers. I want that job!

All and all two okay episodes. I'm really looking forward to episode 305. Maura's family is probably my favorite storyline in the series.

Rizzoli & Isles Season 3 SPOILERS - Maura & Hope

From Tvline.com:

Rizzoli & Isles | Speaking of complicated mother/daughter issues…. Now that we’re a few weeks into the new season and have dialed down the drama between the ladies, you may be wondering when Maura will delve into finding Hope, the woman who gave birth to her. Well, as Sasha Alexander told me, “It’s not until Episode 5 (airing July 3) that Maura decides that the curiosity is killing her, and she really wants to find her biological mother.” Played in a multi-episode arc by Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Hope’s introduction promises to be “very interesting,” Alexander says, in part because her adoptive mother Constance “did know her. It was all a bit of a secret to basically protect my life, because Paddy Doyle’s parents were not good people.” All told, she teases, the mother/daughter reunion serves up “a nice mystery.”

The official TNT synopsis of episode 5:

Jane looks for a way for Maura to meet her biological mother, Dr. Hope Davis (guest star Sharon Lawrence). Angela gets involved in a political campaign. And a nun from Jane and Frankie Jr.’s past returns. Matthew Del Negro and Jenny O’Hara also guest-star. 

From Entertainment Weekly:

Meeting Maura’s birth mother: The season premiere sets Maura on a path to find Dr. Hope Davis (recurring guest star Sharon Lawrence), who we’ll meet in the July 3 episode. “Maura, Jane, and Angela [Lorraine Bracco] stop in their tracks when they hear this woman speak. It’s like you’re listening to Maura,” Alexander says. “And Maura physically cannot talk around her. She’s so scared to interact with her because she doesn’t want her to know [she's her daughter], so it’s actually very comedic.” Even once Maura does speak, she’ll still keep her identity a secret. “There are moments when she’ll do something that somehow moves me, and I just burst into tears. She’s like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And Jane will be like, ‘She gets really emotional when we break a case,’” Alexander says. Maura will also learn she has a half-sister (Emilee Wallace). “She’s a pretty angry 18-year-old girl, and that’s gonna be an interesting relationship,” Alexander says.

 

Review: Rizzoli & Isles "Dirty Little Secret" episode 302

This was an episode that I had high expectations for. I knew Jane and Maura were going to make up some how in episode two and I also knew there was going to be a car accident and Maura was going to be injured. So, from that little bit of information I was expecting a very intense, emotional, heartfelt episode. I got that in the last twenty minutes. Because of that, this review is starting at the end.

The last twenty-thirty minutes were wonderful. I have no problem admitting that I've watched from the gals leaving Boston through the end about a half a dozen times. Part of it I know is because that's what I was expecting the episode to be, but also because it was good.

I loved how the accident was done. Completely out of nowhere, just how car crashes happen. When it turned serious at the lake I loved Maura's "Please. Trust me." Jane does, without question. It was good to see that their trust in one another was as strong as ever.

I felt bad for Jane. It's one thing to be used to watching autopsies and quite another to have to cut into your best friend's leg. I liked how Maura remained very steady during that scene. The pain must have been excruciating yet she had to make sure Jane would do it. It's been commented on that if you watch the "I'm not okay" part without sound... well just go watch, you'll see. ;) Seriously though, very well cut together and performed I thought. If I had a wish list it would be that the scene when Maura is lying in Jane's lap delirious from the pain was longer. Now I'll admit that probably has to do with the Xena & Gabrielle flashback I had to a beautiful scene in the sixth season episode The Abyss. (pictured) Injured Gabrielle, delirious, head on Xena's lap... Sound familiar? I think what I missed from Jane and Maura was more from Jane. Her chance to talk to Maura, maybe even apologize, something more then simply the "wake up," and the smile at Maura's delirium. Again, Xena could have influenced my opinions a little but not entirely.

Jumping to them restrained in the car. I liked that entire scene. I thought Sasha played out-of-it Maura very well. Jane was actually going to fake a conversation with her mother for Maura. Very sweet, especially under the circumstances. Then, she took the time to tell Maura "good job" on the Morse code. When your thrust into a situation like that, the petty fighting and anger disappears. Underneath, the foundation of their friendship is obviously very strong.

[Possible SPOILER for future episodes. Skip the next paragraph to not be spoiled]



I've heard the bickering will continue in the next episode. If that's true I find it interesting since their apology and especially the "I missed you" at the end of this episode was so heart felt. I've always said that an "I'm sorry" helps start the process of forgiving but doesn't necessarily instantly make everything okay, so maybe that's what's happening in future episodes.


[SPOILER FREE BELOW ]

The ending was fantastic. Who didn't get choked up when Jane told her mom that she had a doctor too? Both Jane and Maura did and you could tell that by "I missed you" they were both ready to break down. Emotional, heartfelt, very well acted. We all needed that hug. :)

The crime wasn't anything special. I thought the resolution was a bit weak mainly because the focus was on Jane and Maura, and honestly what reason could the bad guy have for putting them back in the car to drown. To make it look like an accident? They were restrained! Kill them right away, bury them, get rid of the car. There's also the fact of bad guys leaving victims alone to get out of the restraints instead of watching and making sure they die. However, I'm not complaining. I don't watch for the crime. It was all a way to get Jane and Maura in that car accident and to put them into even more jeopardy to strip away the hurt and anger. I get that and I'm completely okay with it.

It was nice seeing Frankie continuing to work towards detective. I don't know how it really works. I honestly thought when he passed his detective exam he was a detective. Maybe someone in the know would be willing to comment below and let me know. :)

Love Mama Rizzoli. Only a few scenes but so memorable. I simply love her. Making sandwiches for her girls and using that great mom guilt was so funny. Then the phone call in the car and Maura's re-wording of the book title. Priceless.

The bickering was funny. Maura's commanding "you stay" to Korsak and then chastising Frankie was total transference of anger. The TP was hysterical. Loved Maura's smirk after Jane walked out. Jane and Korsak a couple? Too funny. Basically the first 30-40 minutes were a completely different feel. Obviously done to give even more impact to the second half. I think there were missing scenes from what was in several of the promos. What happened to "How were we ever friends?" Unless Jane wasn't talking to Maura. Hmmm... could be.

After watching this episode a number of times (in it's entirety not just the last 20 minutes) I can honestly say I like it. It wasn't perfect but I can forgive the not-so-good things since we have Jane and Maura's bickering, angst, emotional making up, and more rizzles.

Review: Rizzoli & Isles "What Doesn't Kill You" episode 301

It's been a while so let me start with reminding everyone that I don't recap the episodes, I simply talk about them. I assume if you're reading this you've already seen it. Most likely more than once. :)

I loved this episode! It was everything a season premiere should be. Picking up where season two left off was definitely the way to go. Lots of fans thought that's how the beginning of season two should have gone after Jane was shot at the end of season one. That didn't happen but "What Doesn't Kill You" had too in order for the rift between Jane and Maura to make sense.

What I really loved about how the arguments between Jane and Maura were written in this episode was that we see that they're both sorry. From Jane's emotional "I shot my best friend's father," to Maura's "The way I reacted, I just bit Jane's head off" show how sorry they truly are, yet when together they get defensive. I really loved Maura's apology when Jane rushed up to her in the hospital. Alas like in real life, hindsight is 20/20. Had Jane simply said, "I'm sorry too," before rushing into the internal affairs investigation it would have nipped the rift in the bud and been over. Three simple words and Jane could have saved everyone a lot of heartache, but where's the drama in that? ;)

Another lost opportunity to make-up was when Jane stood in Maura's office doorway and said "You're back." Twice. This time it's Maura who ignores the chance to mend fences and as we saw lands the gals in a "cat fight." Notice though when Cavanaugh sends Jane to inventory Maura's reaction is also a loud "what?" That leads me to the fact that Jane took the time to get the truth from Constance about Maura's adoption and took Maura to see her grave. They may be fighting but they still love each other.

Speaking of the grave, I have a side-note, does anyone else find that when Maura's crying they start crying? She kills me every time. 

The relationships between parents and children have become one of my favorite parts of the series. They're all complex, brilliantly acted, and have heart and depth to them. The first scene with Maura and Constance was touching. Maura's "Would you have taken me if you'd known I was Paddy Doyle's daughter?" broke my heart. In one sentence we see the insecure adopted little girl. Constance response was spot on. Maura is her daughter.

Angela... I mean who doesn't love Mama Rizzoli! I love that Maura truly has become a part of the Rizzoli family. For Angela to say Maura was her daughter too just confirmed what we already knew. Touching, heartbreaking scene. My personal opinion was Angela should have stayed at Maura's. My Italian mother would have given me a piece of her mind for even daring to tell her to leave her home. Then would have gone on and on about how we shouldn't be fighting, blah, blah, blah... But that was my mom. ;)

I loved the flashbacks. A friend told me she felt the "putting on the wire" one, although funny and enjoyable on it's own, didn't seem to fit the reality of the situation when looking back at the season two finale. I disagree in that we all have times when we're in emotional, tense, stressful situations and it gets lightened with humor, adrenaline, and even some excitement. It's Maura who's very light-hearted in that scene, and it's Maura who's been put through the ringer emotionally before the undercover operation. Although her mother was still in the hospital, at that point Constance had woken up and Maura knew she'd be okay. Also it was going undercover, helping solve the case, there's excitement, nerves and adrenaline that get all mixed together when put in that situation. I noticed Jane stayed fairly serious throughout and I think that was very well played by Angie. That's what kept the scene in reality. I believed Jane understood Maura's behavior having been in that position so many times in her career, and was probably reminded of her own first time.

I'm one of those viewers who watches this show for the relationships not the crimes. The crimes move the story forward, but there are other crime shows that I watch for the crime of the week and how they solve it, along with character relationships (CSI, Criminal Minds) but personally on Rizzoli & Isles I'd be fine if the crimes were the B storyline. There are, however times where I really enjoy the crime solving and this was one of them. I got the feeling early on that it was connected to Paddy and the shooting, so it wasn't just a "crime of the week" it was integral to the personal stories.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this season. If the episodes are like this one it's gonna be a great season!

On a technical note, I have to say that the look and feel of this episode was fantastic. I've since heard that there was a new director. I noticed the difference. Great camera work, angles, pulling focus, lots of movement... Kudos to the Director and DP. It looked really good.

This weeks episode, "Dirty Little Secret," should be intense if the spoilers are any indication.


For over 130 screen caps of this episode check out the Picture Gallery. They're broken up into four parts.

rizzles.xenite.net
sasha.xenite.net

Angie Harmon TV Guide interview - Tension between Rizzoli and Isles

Angie Harmon was interviewed for TV Guide and talked about the tension between Jane and Maura in season three. She's happy, like a lot of people, that the tension between the friends doesn't just miraculously go away. Both Harmon and co-star Sasha Alexander have expressed their support for the friendship to grow back organically.

"If you have a fight with someone you love and care about, [you] don't just reconcile immediately," Angie Harmon tells TVGuide.com. "Things don't just fall back into place. Words are spoken, feelings are hurt and things happen. Fathers that are the head of the Irish mob get shot! That happens all the time! I like the fact that they didn't just make up immediately."

"It's very snarky and bitchy and childish and very funny," Harmon says. "How could you not be? ... There's still a lot of tension in there. I think the initial incident has calmed down, but now there's just that sort of leftover crap that they have to get through."

"I think one of the things that's so admirable about Jane is that she's loyal," Harmon says. "She's on the good side of the line. She's not a mean girl, she's not a backstabber. She's always gonna say what's on her mind right then and there. Even if Maura's going through a hard time in understanding everything, Jane's still gonna help her, even if it's on the sidelines of what Maura wants. What Maura wants is what Jane wants to get for her. I love that about her. I'd like to think that I would do the same thing for my friends, and they would for me."

Read more >>

Angie Harmon talks turning 40, fighting and romance

In an interview with City Times Angie Harmon talks about turning 40...

“I think my 39^th year has probably been my biggest learning year,” the actress says, “but in the end I’ve become more comfortable with myself. I realise my faults and all those things that most people are uncomfortable with in life. I’ve learned to listen to what other people are saying.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she hastens to add. “I always liked myself. I’m a huge Angie Harmon fan. But deep down I’m really starting to like who I am.”

Having to do fight scenes with Sasha Alexander...

“We left off last season with a horrible situation,” Harmon says. “We don’t do the cute little button-it-up-in-one-episode trick. Rizzoli and Isles had a horrible fight. When you love someone and fight, there are horrible things that are usually said or done. It takes a while to get over it.”

Harmon admits that it was difficult for her to fight with Alexander, her friend onscreen and off.

“The second week of filming these scenes, I couldn’t do it anymore,” she says. “I was like, ‘Let them be friends again!’

And the most romantic night of her life...

When she’s not working, Harmon keeps a low profile with her husband, former New York Giants All-Pro cornerback Jason Sehorn. He famously proposed to her on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2000, interrupting a show on which Harmon was a guest to get down on one knee and pop the question.

“It was one of the most romantic moments in my life,” Harmon says. “I was truly surprised.”

Read more on City Times.

Rizzoli and Isles Season 3 Articles, Interviews, SPOILERS Before Premiere

It's the big push before the Rizzoli & Isles season three premiere. Articles and interviews are popping up all over the net. Here's links and excerpts:

Sasha Alexander becomes more than just Angie Harmon’s partner in ‘Rizzoli & Isles’  

It's not easy to be the other woman in a cop show with Angie Harmon.
But Sasha Alexander has parlayed that spot into something impressive, playing medical examiner Maura Isles opposite Harmon’s Detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles.”
The third season launches Tuesday night at 9, and it’s a critical juncture for the gals.
They’ve been friends for years and now they also work together. Or at least they did until the last episode of season two, when Jane shot Maura’s father.

Okay, that may not be the dealbreaker it might seem to be. Maura’s father is a psychotic mobster who has killed dozens of people and is wanted throughout the civilized world.
Still, he’s her recently revealed dad, so she would have preferred Jane didn’t shoot him.
“It’s a huge ride for Maura this season,” says Alexander. “The whole mystery of her father and his past is changing her. She’s always lived in this world where she’s in control of everything, and now it’s another world she’s uncomfortable in.”
Maura’s also mad at Jane.
“She’s in total shock as the season starts,” says Alexander. “She’s very angry at Jane. It’s going to take a while for them to find their way back.”
Yet the fact there could be a way back reflects the strength of “Rizzoli & Isles,” which has clicked into place as a show that’s part cop stuff, part smart comedy and part character drama.
Taking nothing away from Harmon, whose TV legal credibility goes back to “Law & Order” and “Women’s Murder Club,” Alexander has slowly developed an intriguing presence of her own.
“In the beginning, the show was far more centered on Jane,” says Alexander. “She clearly had the advantage.
“But then as we learned more about Maura, we found it wasn’t what we expected. She has a lot of family and personal issues.”
She’s also a brainiac.
“She’s smart,” says Alexander. “She’s collected a lot of facts. But at the same time she has almost no sense of the effect she has on other people. She will say something funny and not know it’s funny. She’ll hear people laughing and not realize the joke is on her.
“It’s a challenge to play a character with no sense of irony. But at the same time, people like her.”
That part isn’t hard to understand. In one scene this season, Alexander says, Maura and Jane have to hide in a closet when they’re almost caught during an undercover operation.
“Out of nowhere, while they’re waiting,” says Alexander, “Maura starts talking about the history of leather, and its historical significance in sexuality.
“We had to stop the scene every few lines because Angie kept laughing.”
Let’s assume in this case that Harmon speaks for all viewers.
“The thing about Maura,” says Alexander, “is you never really quite know where she’s going.”

Source

For Rizzoli & Isles, 'The Anger Is Still Fresh' - Can a Deadly Crisis Bring Them Back Together?

“We start Season 3 maybe 20 minutes later, so the anger is still fresh, the resentment of [what Jane did],” Sasha Alexander tells TVLine of tonight’s premiere (airing at 9/8c). “For both Jane and Maura it’s very unclear – like, What just happened?”

So, things are a little complicated between the ladies? “I would say a lot,” Angie Harmon corrects us with a laugh. “But if you’ve ever had a fight with someone that you love or care about, this is the show for you. It’s very high stakes that these two are fighting for.”

As such, don’t expect tensions between the two to smooth out in a jiffy – a wrinkle that delighted the series’ leads. ”I like the way [series creator] Janet [Tamaro] wrote it, because it’s not tied up in a bow after the first episode,” Alexander shares. Adds Harmon: “It takes a little bit to bring them back together.” 

Read more >>>

 'Rizzoli & Isles': Sasha Alexander teases the new season

Meeting Maura’s birth mother: The season premiere sets Maura on a path to find Dr. Hope Davis (recurring guest star Sharon Lawrence), who we’ll meet in the July 3 episode. “Maura, Jane, and Angela [Lorraine Bracco] stop in their tracks when they hear this woman speak. It’s like you’re listening to Maura,” Alexander says. “And Maura physically cannot talk around her. She’s so scared to interact with her because she doesn’t want her to know [she's her daughter], so it’s actually very comedic.” Even once Maura does speak, she’ll still keep her identity a secret. “There are moments when she’ll do something that somehow moves me, and I just burst into tears. She’s like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And Jane will be like, ‘She gets really emotional when we break a case,’” Alexander says. Maura will also learn she has a half-sister (Emilee Wallace). “She’s a pretty angry 18-year-old girl, and that’s gonna be an interesting relationship,” Alexander says.

 A possible love interest for Maura: Eddie Cibrian will guest star in the June 19 episode. “Maura meets him on her autopsy table,” Alexander says. “Let’s just say his ‘special part’ gives him away.” Wait, we need her to explain that. “We think his character just had a stroke and died, so he’s still in his clothes on the table, and the girls are commenting on how hot he is when he’s on the autopsy table. It’s so inappropriate,” Alexander says. Look for Cibrian to return later in the season.

 Read more >>>

 'Rizzoli & Isles' starts season on tense note, but there should be fun to come

Maura Isles is not in a good mood as the third season of “Rizzoli & Isles” launches Tuesday.
That will happen when your father just got shot and your best friend was the shooter.
Isles (Sasha Alexander) is ordinarily the most rational and linear of people. Like a good medical examiner should be.
And her friend Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) is ordinarily the most compassionate and considerate of buddies. Like a good Boston detective should be.
In this case, however, Rizzoli didn’t have much choice, since Maura’s father is a Mob killer who was holding a gun himself.
It sounds complicated, but it’s explained well, even to someone who’s a newcomer to the show. That’s one of the reasons “Rizzoli & Isles” has become one of the best cop shows on TV.
It works as light summer drama, with lots of great banter between the women, and it works as cop drama, since it has put both of them in very dangerous situations at regular intervals.
Best of all, though, it keeps peeling away layers on both characters. Neither, it turns out, is quite as immune to men as it might seem, and both are struggling with mother issues, for entirely different reasons.
That could get trite. Here, instead, it’s fast-moving and fun. Lorraine Bracco has loads of fun as Jane’s mom and Sharon Lawrence will come in this season as Maura’s.
In fact, the whole cast gets in the spirit — and let’s bet even Maura won’t stay mad all season.

Source 

 Rizzoli & Isles Season 3: Sasha Alexander Previews What's Next, Big Guest Stars And More

I caught up with star Sasha Alexander to hear more about how the best friends begin to repair their relationship, and she also dished about some new guest stars, including Sharon Lawrence, who'll be playing Maura's birth mother, and Eddie Cibrian, who's Maura's new love interest. Alexander also talked about her character's darker side, the show's efforts to keep the strong female characters from becoming sex objects and whether or not she would do a musical episode.
Our conversation took place on the phone during a quick break from a particularly insane day of shooting -- there was a big party scene, and things sounded like they were getting a bit out of hand.

"It's actually a very funny episode where Maura is hosting the medical examiner symposium, so all of these very nerdy doctor types come ... so it's basically all these funny guys with Maura," Alexander teased of the upcoming episode. "Let's just say a lot of different chaos ensues with Dr. Pike, played by Ed Begley Jr., which is hysterical. He's so hysterical -- he has some very funny storylines this season."
She also gave us more of a glimpse into Begley's on-set/on-screen antics: "And then Ed Begley tried to stick his tongue in my ear, but hey! No, it wasn't him, it was his 'character.' [Laughs.] Just another day at work!"
Keep reading for more on what makes "Rizzoli & Isles" tick ...

Rough start for the ladies this season -- it's obviously not an easy situation for them to deal with, since Jane shot Maura's mobster father. What can you tell us about the state of their relationship when we return?
I think it's a pretty raw moment for both of them right when we return because it just happened, so there's a lot of confusion and a lot of raw emotion for both of them. And that gets even more complicated -- for Maura, she's now got her father in the hospital and her mother, and she's dealing with the fact that Jane just shot her father. For Jane, she ends up in a bit of hot water because they're doing an investigation on this, and because she knew that Maura's father was Paddy Doyle, she's sort of implicated in it as a possible suspect.
But the show is called "Rizzoli & Isles" -- these two can't stay mad at each other for too long, can they?
No, but I love it because I think that when you see the second episode and when they do come back together, they've really earned it in a way that I think is just going to deepen their relationship. I like it -- I think conflict is good. I've loved this storyline with Paddy Doyle ... I think it's really an interesting mystery that has been sort of unraveling about Maura's life, and it's provided us with some really cool stories. So it's interesting how it's now come around to it being Jane that stops him. I think it's really paid off in an interesting way.
And now we'll also get to meet Maura's biological mom as well -- I cannot wait to see Sharon Lawrence on the show.
I know! I haven't seen the episodes, but she was really great to work with. The first time she arrives, Jane and Maura and Angela are there and this woman appears, and the way she speaks is so Maura-like -- she has this hilarious monologue talking about birchwood, which is so random. They don't know that this is her, but just by the way she speaks and her mannerisms, they're like, "There's no way this woman is not related to Maura." It's a really wonderful moment, and Sharon and I had kind of an uncanny resemblance.

 Read more >>>

Angie and Sasha on each other & Season 3 of Rizzoli & Isles

Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander did interviews for Digital Media this week. Both spoke about each other and their chemistry. Here are a couple of excerpts with links to the full articles.

Angie talked about Sasha's audition and their friendship:

On working with Sasha Alexander and the chemistry between them, Harmon reveals that a few actors auditioned for the part of Maura Isles, but Alexander “kind of hit it out on the part.” Not only did she get the fact that Dr. Isles was this quirky and socially awkward scientist, but she also got the fact that Maura had friends.

Plus working together with Alexander for the past three seasons strengthened their friendship. “There was an instantaneous recognition and a friendship that’s grown and matured over the years,” pointed out Harmon.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325472#ixzz1vyj54JOi

Sasha spoke about the chemistry between her and Angie in her interview:

Was the perfect chemistry with Angie instant when you guys began working together? Did it take a bit of time for you all to gel? I mean, it looks flawless.

"You know what it was instant. It really was. We you know we never met before and we went in to do this read together and the moment that we read it you know we're very – we have very different energies in real life and I think that that translates. But the thing that we do have in common is you know I think it would be respect for each other and we both have the same sense of humor. So we definitely can make each other laugh a lot. And I think that those things you know they show on screen and look Angie is you know Angie is a beautiful and stunning woman. You know it's not easy to you know to find a right person to go with her. So I think that we both have really good qualities that kind of complement each other. You know we both look very different and we have different energies but yet I think that it really works. You know we're lucky. We actually, truly, when we do scenes together, I do feel like a certain click and a certain magic that I you know you can't say always happens."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/325383#ixzz1vyiUoTho

Angie Harmon Interview on Parenting.com

May 21, 2012

by Parenting Magazine

Mom of Finley, 8, Avery, 7, and Emery, 3, celebrity supercop on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, and Kung Fu Panda lover

Describe your parenting style in one word:
Fun.

Favorite TV family of all time (real or fictional):

The Cosbys. What I learned from them is that you have to have a sense of humor to be a parent and not take everything too seriously.

What's always in your refrigerator?
Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice. We add it to smoothies in the morning for breakfast.

Last meal you made for your family:
Halibut provençal. Sauté some shallots, garlic, brown the fish, add diced tomatoes, capers, and olives. With some green beans and rice on the side.

Craziest thing you've done because you were sleep-deprived:
I put my keys in the fridge and the milk in the cabinet.

Behavioral trait you hope your kids don't inherit from you:
Impatience.

Best piece of parenting advice you ever got:
I'm a perfectionist, and my girlfriend once told me, “OK, so you didn't get all three girls' hair brushed or one is wearing mismatched socks. It's not the end of the world.”

Last toy/object you helped your child find:
My oldest still has a blanket, but she's always losing it. It's often not a matter of it being lost, just that “Mom, I don't want to look for it, you do it.”

Who's your celebrity crush?
Sigourney Weaver. She's one of the reasons I became an actress.

Your pick-me-up:
Kung Fu Panda. I have the opening credits on my phone, and when I'm exhausted, I'll play it and it makes me laugh.

Jane & Maura vs. Xena & Gabrielle

I was recently asked to be on a radio show about the show Xena: Warrior Princess. It made me go back and watch some episodes to refresh my memory. You'd think watching them over a hundred times each would burn them into the memory banks, but I needed a little refresher. That along with the new season of Rizzoli and Isles looming on the horizon made me start comparing the two "couples," Xena & Gabrielle and Jane & Maura, along with the shows they inhabit. If you follow my website rizzles.xenite.net you'll know that I'm a rizzles fan and if you've been following me long enough you'll also know I'm a huge Xena and Gabrielle fan.

I began watching Xena in the middle of the third season, January 1998. I loved the friendship and the subtext. I read the fan fiction, watched and made fan music videos, even made my own Xena and Gabrielle website. I went to most of the east coast conventions all the way up to 2007 when I finally made it to the yearly Xena con in Los Angeles. I was completely immersed in the fandom for a lot of years. To this day I still keep track of what the stars, Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor are up to.

"I Kissed a Girl"

When Rizzoli and Isles began a friend of mine tried to get me to watch it. I didn't. Finally, in January 2011 she got me to watch the episode "I Kissed a Girl" and I was hooked. Interestingly, what hooked me was the banter between Jane and Maura. It had the same feel as the banter between Xena and Gabrielle. In looking back though, I realized that these two shows are so vastly different and the magic of the Xena and Gabrielle subtext could never be recreated with Jane and Maura.

Xena was a fantasy show. There was so much they could and did do that would satisfy or entice subtext fans. Where else could they have their two female leads kiss five times in six seasons and still have people call them straight? They also did little teases that subtext fans ate up like Xena's "hickey" Joxer spots in "Been There, Done That" followed by the look Gabrielle gives as if her and Xena had just been caught.

Xena's hickey

By the sixth season Xena's executive producer Rob Tabert, knowing it was the last year, decided to simply go for it and bring the subtext more to the forefront. No one, including the stars themselves, could say that Xena and Gabrielle were not a couple by the end of the series. That is something that I feel could never be recreated with Jane and Maura.

Rizzoli and Isles is essentially a crime drama, buddy show. It's patterned more after the 80's Cagney and Lacey or the 70's Starsky and Hutch, then the fantasy, Greek gods roaming world of Xena. The subtext in Rizzoli and Isles stems from the chemistry between the lead actors,  Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. The characters themselves are based on the novels of writer Tess Gerritson. In the books Jane gets married and has a child, and Maura has an ex-husband and is having a secret affair with a priest. There is no doubt they are straight.

When the show began there was never any doubt in the creators' minds that these women were straight. That doesn't stop fandom from seeing what isn't intentionally there. Jane and Maura became close friends who are always there for each other and support each other. They laugh together, tease each other, and enjoy spending time together. Maura has become a part of the Rizzoli family with Mama Rizzoli even renting Maura's guest house. As a lesbian, when I see these things I see my relationships with both friends and lovers. They're women, and women's relationships with each other are very similar whether it be close friends or lovers. The main difference naturally being whether there is a sexual relationship or not.

Season 2 "Sailor Man"

The producers have given a couple of nods to the rizzles fandom, most notably when Jane and Maura pretended to be a couple to stop Giovanni from chasing Maura. It was a cute little scene, but that's all it was, a nod, a way of saying, "Hi rizzles fans, we know you're there, and we love ya!" Personally I thought it was very cool of them. The other things we rizzles fans see, well I'll be the first to admit could be considered "reading into it." Do they stare a little too long like lovers do? Yes, at times they do. We call it eye sex. Heck even Tess Gerritsen tweeted that she finally saw it! So I started to wonder, is that simply the way the actors are? I realized that in both Angie and Sasha's other work I see it. Sasha speaks volumes with her eyes no matter who she's working with. Angie's last show Women's Murder Club had lots of shippers because of where and how Angie would look at others. Put these two actors together and that chemistry, the sparks, that thing no one can put their finger on happens. Even so, I know they will never, could never, do for the rizzles fandom what was done for subtexters in Xena.

These shows are two different animals, yet they do have some similarities. Both have strong female characters who become really close friends. Both have leads who date men that don't stick around for long. Heck, Gabrielle's usually died! Both have actors with strong on screen chemistry that allows a subtext fan to see more than just what's being said or done. What was special about Xena and Gabrielle though was we could see that they were soulmates. The romantic, there could never be anyone else, you complete me soulmate. The kiss in season six when Gabrielle had been in a year long sleep surrounded by a

Xena's kiss awakens Gabrielle's year long slumber

protective fire that only her true soulmate could walk through proved it. Xena jumped through the flames, kissed Gabrielle and Gabrielle woke up. We could never get anything from Rizzoli and Isles that makes us feel remotely like we did when we watched that kiss and knew for a fact that what we had always believed was true: Xena and Gabrielle where true soulmates. For Jane and Maura that only comes in fan fiction and rizzles fan videos.

Had Jane and Maura been out and out gay from the start it would have been a different show, maybe more like some of the fan fiction. That could have been very cool. First season they get to know each other, become friends, maybe finally kiss towards the end of the season, and second season is they're relationship and the struggles of working together. I would have enjoyed that. But that's not what the show Rizzoli and Isles on TNT is. They can't change course mid stream and they've never indicated they would ever want to.

The good news for rizzles fans is that the chemistry between Sasha and Angie probably won't dwindle, the eye sex should continue and add to that the fact that the characters will never get married on the show (according to producer Janet Tamaro) so we'll still have our subtext. We can see whatever we wish to see.

For me personally when I really want to see Jane and Maura as a couple I enjoy fan fiction and videos. I love the friendship in the show and truly hope that doesn't change. I'm even looking forward to the conflict between them in season three. After all the show is Rizzoli AND Isles, they have to make-up at some point. I believe that it will only strengthen Jane and Maura's friendship.

There's a part of me, however, that will always miss Xena and Gabrielle. I think they were something special that could never, and should never be replaced.


Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on Twitter. @kellyeneal