SPOILERS: Last 4 episodes of Rizzoli & Isles Season 4

• Paddy Doyle asks Maura to let her biological grandfather, Patrick Doyle Sr., temporarily stay at her house.
• Casey is made a colonel and gives Jane an ultimatum - He will re-enlist unless Jane married him. It's believed that's how the season ends.
• Jane and Maura get massages in episode 5x13.
• Tommy Rizzoli and Frank Rizzoli Sr. will appear in 5x14. Tommy is also in episodes 15 & 16.
• Hope tries to make amends with Maura.
• Tommy announces some big plans - an engagement.
• Frankie sustains an injury and ends up getting closer to Maura.
• Lee Thompson Young's stand-in and body double is featured in the final episode. (via Nanci Cascio)
• Tommy starts slipping back into old bad habits and fights with Frankie.
• Jane reveals some shocking news. (Possibly engagement to Casey.)
   

Source: All around the internet.

Season 4 SPOILERS

Here are some spoilers I've found from around the internet.

• If you ever wondered what it would be like if Maura and Jane switched places, then an upcoming Rizzoli & Isles season four episode is for you. When a suspect with information decides that Jane is not a "nice lady," Maura is the only one he trusts and thus, she will be the one interrogating him. Jane doesn't let Maura just waltz in there unprepared, of course. That's where the fun starts. (EOnline)

• Episode 3x01: Family issues and politics take center stage after a community parade turns deadly. Maura struggles with her own family issues. Casey makes a surprise visit along with some shocking news. (tv.com)

• Bass and Joe Friday are BACK! (Janet Tamaro)

• As for the new season as a whole, Angie Harmon enthuses, “We’ve gone back a bit towards the pilot, as far as going more dramatic. The playful banter is still there, but the cases are a lot more serious — which I’m excited about.” (TVLine)

• Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco will recur as Lt. Det. Rafael Martinez, the newly appointed head of the Boston Police Department's drug unit who has a personal and professional history with Jane. (TVGuide)

• Paddy Doyle (John Doman) is back and standing trail for murder. It's no secret Maura's family storyline is one of my favorites in the show. Here's what we know:

In Episode 4 Paddy stands trial and Jane has to testify against him. Plus we learn that Doyle and Cavanaugh grew up in South Boston together, and Doyle worked as Cavanaugh's confidential informant to help get drugs out of the area. (TVGuide)

On the first day of Paddy’s murder trial, Maura gains insight into her father from Hope (Sharon Lawrence). Korsak opens up about Cavanaugh’s tragic past. And in an unexpected twist, Maura must decide which side she’s on when she and Jane unravel a shocking secret about Paddy and Hope that affects them all. (TNT)

• Maura and Cailin (Maura's half-sister) start to bond so much that the teen ends up staying with Maura. (TVGuide)

• Rondo will be in Episode 5!

• Giovanni is back.

Episode 308 SPOILERS

Daniella Alonso will debut in her recurring role as Riley Cooper, a new neighbor of Jane's who captures the attention of Angela, Frankie, and Frost. "I can't share details because there's a twist to my character," Alonso teases. "It's been a blast to be on the show... I've been working with everybody!" [Soap News]

Jane moves to a new apartment after the stalker incident in episode 307 "Crazy for You".

Rizzles alert: Jane and Maura lying on the same mattress with glasses of wine. [Absolutely Angie]

Maura speaks Serbian.

Frankie has an interview with Cavanaugh about moving to detective.

Official TNT Synopsis:
A bride is killed right before she walks down the aisle, and Jane and Maura must figure out if the groom’s ex-girlfriend is a suspect, or if there’s a deeper connection to the bride’s European roots. On the home front, Jane has a new neighbor who captures the attention of Angela, Frankie and Frost.

Sharon Lawrence talks about working with Sasha Alexander

With "Throwing Down the Gauntlet" airing tomorrow night, the interviews with Sharon Lawrence, who plays Maura's biological mother, have begun to appear.

Here are the two most recent interviews:

Were you already a fan of Rizzoli & Isles? What attracted you to playing a role on the show?

Sharon: Yes, I was very interested in the launch of it because for years I've worked with an organization called Women In Film. We are a support network for women in the executive and creative positions in the industry. So the fact that it was a show sourced from material written by a woman and then created as a television series by a woman and it stars these wonderful actresses and is about women in the workplace, I was very interested.

What can you tell us about your character?

Sharon: I play Dr. Hope Martin who is the birth mother of Maura Isles. She is someone who we find out from Maura, not only shares the DNA of our leading lady but shares a passion for science. She herself is a pathologist and works to develop techniques to identify the remains of victims of the Bosnian wars. So she has dedicated her after the loss of a child to connecting those who have passed with their families and their stories. I think it may be a window into the psychology of loss. Especially women, are so committed to connecting, that even in the midst of their own sense of loss they may find healing in helping other people. Particularly to fill the gaps of the mystery of a story. 

So, does Hope know that Maura is her daughter?

Sharon: This whole relationship is still a mystery to Dr. Hope Martin. She is not aware that the woman just inches away from her across the lab table is indeed the daughter that she thought died at birth.

Are you in one episode or is it a longer story arc?

Sharon: It's a longer story. There are three (episodes) at this point.

Can you share any behind the scenes tidbits from the set?

Sharon: Sasha Alexander is such a great actress and such a lovely person. She has a great sense of balance in her life. I felt really compelled to find the resemblance (between the characters). I mean, we look alike which was helpful and kind of stunning how much we did favor each other but the physical behaviors is what I found really interesting. To observe her as an actor and try to incorporate that into some of my own characterizations. It was also really fun to watch Angie Harmon and Lorraine Bracco together. They're a scream. They should just take it on the road. They are really entertaining.

Source tv spoilers 

PCM also did a great interview with Sharon Lawrence where she talks more about working with Sasha Alexander and Bruce McGill.

Rizzoli and Isles Episode 305 SPOILERS - TV Guide

More photos from this episode here >>
  





TvGuide.com:

How does Maura track down her birth mom on Rizzoli & Isles? — Jessica
ADAM: With a case, of course! Maura reaches out to her mom, Dr. Hope Martin (guest star Sharon Lawrence), who just so happens to work in the same field. But don't think she tells Hope up front that she's her long-believed-to-be-dead daughter. "It's drawn-out," Lawrence, who will appear in three episodes, tells us. "Hope has a daughter from her marriage. There's a lot to play. Maura's too smart to throw in a bit of information that could blow up in everybody's face, so it'll take a bit."

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 "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

Sasha Alexander Interview - TV Choice - minor Spoilers

My comments are in yellow.

From TV Choice:

Sasha Alexander and Angie Harmon have brought writer Tess Gerritsen’s smart medical examiner Maura Isles and tough Boston detective Jane Rizzoli to life on the small screen. Now the second series of Rizzoli & Isles heads towards a dramatic climax that threatens the pair’s close friendship…

TVChoice speaks to Sasha Alexander, whose credits include NCIS and Dawson’s Creek, about the show, dead bodies, Sophia Loren and being dubbed in foreign languages…
The first season of Rizzoli & Isles ended in a hail of bullets. Is there another cliff hanger ending to this series?
There is.
What was the reaction to that in America?
People were really shocked because it was intense. But I think that they were mostly worried about, and most interested in seeing during season three, how this will affect Maura and Jane moving forward.
Jacqueline Bissett returns to play your mum Constance Isles in the final episode. What’s it like working with her?
Oh she is so amazing. She is so beautiful and hasn’t had a load of plastic surgery done to her face. I looked at her and said, ‘God you haven’t done anything to yourself.’ She’s just beautiful, smart and really funny. We’ve had a really good time. She hasn’t done a lot of television so it’s been fun to have her around. I like the storyline we’ve had to do, the mother-daughter relationship, which is unique to see on this type of show.

I love that Jacqueline Bissett is allowing herself to actually AGE! She looks beautiful with lines and wrinkles. She actually looks *gasp* real! ;)

The third season of Rizzoli & Isles starts during June in America. Have you any inkling about what’s going to happen?
We have some inkling but not too much.
So they like to keep you in suspense as well?
Yeah. But I will tell you that from Maura’s perspective, I feel like the situation she’s in at the end of season two really changes her. I think it deepens the relationship with Jane. I think that there is definitely going to be love interest involved this year. The crimes are continuing to be very strong and it’s overall really growing in direction. I’m feeling that there is a lot of synergy between all the characters, there’s a lot happening personally and in work.
Although Rizzoli & Isles isn’t as graphic as CSI, did you go to any real autopsies as research for playing Maura?
I did. When I worked on NCIS I went to some autopsies for that. Also, working with David McCallum who plays Ducky, I was able to sit in on a lot of stuff and watch him. So I knew what the job entailed. It was a question of how do I make that my own, and how do I make this feminine, fashionable, educated woman believable as this scientific brainiac?
We do have a real-life detective on the show as our technical adviser, Detective Russell Grant, and he will be there and help me through the scenes in terms of understanding what tools I would use, how I would hold them, what I would do.
I’m actually planning on going back in a month or so to visit a new facility that they have in Los Angeles.

I think it's awesome that she's going back for more research.

Are there any anecdotes from filming you’d like to share?
In the autopsy rooms we have actors playing dead, but it’s not easy, it’s really hard because you can’t move anything. We were laughing not long ago because they had cast one of the dead bodies and he only had nine toes, and the costume person put a pair of flip flops on him. We were like, ‘Why are there flip flops?’
We laugh a lot and there are so many things to get very grossed out about. We’re like two girls in a locker room.
Do you laugh much on set or try to make each other laugh?
Oh yeah. It’s my ultimate goal to make Angie Harmon laugh almost in every scene. Absolutely. If I can’t make her laugh we’re not having a good day, and I think vice versa. We’re like kids sometimes and laugh about really immature things, and it makes the other adults feel rather uncomfortable because we’re being completely, ridiculously silly.
We laugh about all sorts of stuff. I once had to take photographs of a man’s chest. I had to draw on the chest and take pictures, and I realised I had just been taking pictures of the man’s nipples. I would show Angie the photos in the middle of the scene and it would be a close up of this man’s nipples, and we would start laughing. It can be very crass and very silly.
If we were an English show then we could really push the envelope much more with a lot of the comedy and a lot of the grossness because I feel like in the States they have to keep it safe. But in the UK we could really be much more crass and people would just think it’s completely normal and funny. You guys have an amazing sense of humour.
Rizzoli & Isles has been tremendously popular. Is it nice to have a hit show where the two lead characters are female, which is a rarity in television?
Absolutely. There hasn’t really been a show that has had that besides Cagney & Lacey. I think that’s what people have responded to. It’s a male-dominated world this crime genre and to see two very strong female characters, who are very different and represent two very different types of women, in a very positive way, is fantastic. I’m very proud of the fact that it represents women in a very positive light.
A lot of shows are very samey, so it’s nice to have something a bit different…
Yeah I totally agree. That’s what I responded to initially. I liked the characters and that it wasn’t pretentious. It had a murder-mystery feeling about it that I really liked, and then add to that the characters. We know about their lives, we know about them, and then you have somebody to really connect to.
Maura and Jane are from Tess Gerritsen’s books. It was interesting to see how they were going to be adapted for the small screen, and it’s worked really well…
Thank you. I think that they have done a great job. You can never adapt something exactly from a book whether it’s television, movies, or whatever, and be dead on, but you can certainly have your interpretation. Hopefully it is within the tone and the same perspective as the books. It’s always difficult — a book is a book and we’re making 15 episodes a year and Tess has written, what, nine books? So they are going to have to expand on it. But I think we should make a movie and we can take one of Tess’ fabulous books and bring it to the big screen.

Sasha's willing to do an R&I movie! Let's get that info to the people who can make it happen. ;) It wouldn't be able to actually be like one of Tess' novels because the characters are different, but I never got a Xena movie so... ;)

You’re a mum of two (Lucia, five, and Leonardo, 16 months). How difficult is it juggling work, learning scripts, and a new baby?
You do get half a year to yourself, so that helps, but when we are shooting it is challenging for Angie and myself. Angie has three children and they live on the other side of the country in North Carolina, and we shoot in Los Angeles. I live in LA so I’m lucky because my family is here, but it is tough. We work on average 12 to 15 hour days.
We had a favourite moment when Angie and I were shooting a scene where we had to be very dirty in a beaten up car, water was coming in, and we were in a dangerous situation. It was a very unglamorous moment and Angie looked at me and said, ‘Mommy I want to be an actress!’ People don’t realise how unglamorous it can be, and it is a lot of work. It makes the weekends family time. My friends have to understand I don’t really have any time for myself or to go out that much. It’s work and it’s family while I’m shooting.

That scene was leaked not long ago. If you like spoilers and want to read it go here.

You produce as well as act. When you’re away from Rizzoli & Isles do you plunge yourself into other projects or are you taking a little step back because of the baby?
The producing stuff — I have a couple of film projects I have been working on. One that I’m writing. One that I’m doing with my husband, Edoardo Ponti. When I’m not shooting the show I’m working on those.
This past year I didn’t want to do a movie or anything because I had just had the baby and went right back to work about six weeks later, so I really needed a break and I just wanted to be with my baby and family and recover. Six months is a lot of work and when you’re done you just don’t want to do anything. It depends also on the project. If something comes along that’s really exciting and I feel like I can’t not do, I’ll speak to my husband and figure out what makes sense for us because he’s a director. We try to always have one of us at home.

She's writing! Very cool. Hope that project comes to fruition for her. I would love to see her in another movie. Preferably a dark, serious drama or thriller.Sasha tweeted she would love to go darker, so here's hoping.

Talking of your husband Edoardo, isn't Sophia Loren your mother-in-law? Are you always asking her anecdotes about Hollywood?
Ha Ha! Not so much any more, but there are always great stories. How can you not asking about everyone and everything? She was in a very different time and she is fascinated by how quickly we work now. When she did movies she would have months to prepare. It was different. But she has the utmost respect for me and my work and I'm very lucky — she's amazing. I complain to her and she'll laugh and help me out.
You came to England to study with the RSC and Cecily Barry when you were younger. What do you remember about your time in London?
I was in high school so I didn’t venture off a whole lot but I remember it being really cold. I didn’t have one in LA but I remember needing a coat and a scarf. But it was beautiful.
I love London. It’s my husband Edoardo’s favourite city and we love it. We talk about the possibility of moving there some time in the future, so we’re big fans of the UK. I love everything about London — I love the people, the energy, the fashion, the restaurants, the buildings. I always say to people when they go to Europe you have to go there.
Is it true you are learning French at the moment so that you can apply for French citizenship?
Yes. My husband is a French citizen, he was born and raised in Geneva and Paris, and so are my children. After a certain amount of years I could become one as well, and I feel if I’m going to be, then I should certainly speak the language. I’m not sure if they will give me one if I don’t!
You already speak Italian, Croatian, Serbian and English, so when they come to release the Rizzoli & Isles DVDs in those countries you don’t need to get someone to dub your voice, you can do it yourself!
I wish I could because they always choose somebody whose voice is much higher than mine. All my friends in Europe that watch the French one say that the voice really doesn’t have my tone and I heard that Angie’s as well in German is so high, and she’s got a very deep voice, so it’s kind of funny when you don’t get to do it yourself.
I do know the woman in Italy though. I actually chose her, I said, ‘She’s going to do me.’ It’s a very difficult experience. The voice has so much to do with a person’s character. What you hear can entirely change your perspective on the show so it’s interesting to me when somebody is chosen that hasn’t at all got the right tone.