Episode 215 - Burning Down The House

Appropriate title. By the end the house that Janet built was ablaze!

I'm going to say right off the bat, I love this episode. It's everything a season finale should be. There's a lot of controversy going on all over the internet, but as far as looking at a season finale on a hugely popular cable show, wanting to make sure fans return - Janet Tamaro did her job well. We will be discussing this, debating, arguing, and discussing some more for the next seven months. That's what they want.

Anyone who has read my reviews knows I love Paddy Doyle. I knew this was gonna be a good episode just for the Maura/Doyle relationship. I wasn't disappointed. There is an entirely different side to Maura that comes out with him. It's fascinating watching the transition. I hate that he may die. Not only cause I love Doyle but because it makes it that much harder for Jane and Maura to come back together. I'm really hoping he survived.

I love the new relationship between Maura and Constance. I hope they have Bissett under contract to come back for some more episodes. I'm really interested in seeing that relationship progress. Loved when Maura told Doyle "That's my mother." My brother was adopted and "our" mother will always be his mother. The fact that she didn't give birth to him doesn't matter at all.

We see throughout this episode the accumulation of the strong friendship that has grown over the last two years between Jane and Maura. Jane is the first one Maura calls. Jane stops everything and races to the hospital, then doesn't want to leave. Maura is her first thought in the morning when Jane wakes up with Dean. That's what makes the ending brilliant. In one moment that's shattered and we all fear it can't be put back together. Brilliant!

On to Dean. I am not a Dean hater, I could take him or leave him, but I really hope they don't follow the books. (Jane and Dean are married in Tess Gerritsen's novels.) Coming in and out is fine with me if there's a purpose and not just boy-toy. Definite purpose here. If he hadn't shown up things would have been different. It's Jane who yells "Gabriel no!" When he's about to shoot Doyle. From what I can see he betrayed Jane's trust and that will definitely come into play. She needed to trust him and his betrayal could cost her Maura's friendship. Oh yeah, there will be hell to pay.

Now Doyle should've ran, or dropped his gun after Dean shot him. It was stupid to raise it back up. It was pointed at the cops and that is what cops are trained to do. Gun pointed at you - shoot! Jane went on instinct. I got that and I do not hold it against her. Look at how upset Jane was when she ran to Maura and Doyle. She didn't want to shoot him. But all Maura could see is her father dying, a man she didn't realize she loved until that very second, and it was her best friend who took the kill shot. Wouldn't anyone be angry? Maura is angry at the people who shot him, angry at herself for pushing him away when now there may not be time to have a relationship... Maura is angry and I get why. She's angry at Jane. I get it. It's not unrepairable. She will not be angry forever. Wounds heal. If he lives I predict it will take a shorter amount of time for Maura and Jane's friendship to mend. If he dies, it's still doable, just a longer timeline.

They have to work together and that helps in mending fences. When forced to face the person day in and day out, to be reminded of what made you like them in the first place, it helps the wounds heal faster.

Looking at it from a strictly television aspect, I think the chemistry between Angie and Sasha is so strong that it'll be awesome to see the darker side of that relationship. Especially coming from Maura. The sparks will be fantastic!

Also on the completely practical and logical side of things, the show is called Rizzoli & Isles. Although angst between them can be played out for a while, they are the lead characters and will have to come back together. That's only logical if TNT hopes for at least three more seasons. Season three will be angst driven, at least for part of it. We can be pretty sure of that. But it will resolve, and in most cases friendships become stronger.

Major kudos to Sasha Alexander for an extraordinary performance. All over Twitter people were passing around the tissues. I tweeted it last night and still mean it: If she doesn't win an acting award there is no justice in this world!

Angie Harmon embodies Jane Rizzoli and the more subtle aspects of her performance in this episode was wonderful to watch.

To Sasha, Angie, Janet Tamaro and all the cast and crew: Thank you for a great second season. I can't wait for the third!

Is it July yet? ;)

Episode 214 - Don't Stop Dancing, Girl

Not a bad episode, but not the greatest. They can't all be outstanding, and this one certainly was not.

Episode 213 - Seventeen Ain't So Sweet

Liked it! Funny! More coming soon...

Episode 212 - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

I liked this one. I like a little angst every once in a while between the ladies.

Family dinner - we're seeing that more and more at Maura's. I like it.

I was glad Maura pushed Tommy away when he tried to kiss her, but not for reasons you may think. Love rizzles but don't have an issue with them being straight. The reason I was glad she didn't kiss him is because she knows Jane's thoughts on the subject, and respects Jane and their friendship enough not to jeopardize it.

Wasn't thrilled with the Frost/ex storyline. Not exactly sure why, but I think the episode would have been fine without it.

I'm sure everyone has an opinion on Maura not telling Jane. I for one understand both sides. Maura had to keep quiet. They make you sign the paper to ensure you stay quiet. Jane's brother was just arrested and her best friend knew it was coming. Naturally she's pissed.

Love the blood/paint thing. I even made a short video highlighting all the "reddish brown stain" times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7LLHu3X4Ng

The whole "how long do you think you'll hate me" scene was done well. The looks between Jane and Maura speaks volumes. The best part though is after Jane leaves, the smile on Maura's face. She knows it's not gonna be long before Jane forgives her.

The last scene was quite possibly the best scene in the entire show. Jane willing to put her feelings aside so Maura can be happy with Tommy. Maura putting her feelings for Jane ahead of any possibility with Tommy. True friendship.

"I like Tommy, a lot, but I love you." Yep, she said it. :)

Episode 211 - Can I Get A Witness?

Liked the opening of this episode. Different for R&I - done well.

There were some great parts to this episode, and overall I liked it. Mostly I liked the fun parts.

Bass! He finally made it in an episode this season! It was a cute scene.

"Why is your door unlocked?" Well, Jane why are you just walking in like you live there? ;)

Angela was amusing. Stanley was unnecessary.

Korsak was great. Loved his willingness to protect his source and the interaction between him and Jane. It was great seeing Jane standing up for him and showing her loyalty.

Maura changes a tire... no more needs be said. ;)

"Code 10, that's lunch. I'm off for a personal. That's when you have to do number two." Gotta love the good doctor!!

Maura actually had the best lines this episode.

As I said I liked the episode overall.

Episode 210 - Remember Me

Wow, amazing, awesome, loved it!!

More to come...

Episode 209 - Gone Daddy Gone

One of my favorite episodes. I love Maura and Doyle. When they're together it brings out a side to Maura that we otherwise don't see.

I tweeted Sasha about them: "I love the scenes with you & John Doman! Do you both like the ongoing father/daughter storyline?"
Sasha's response: "I love it when he comes around! I think it's a very interesting side to Maura!"

I agree. :)

I will admit as this series moves along I am less and less interested in the "crime" unless it has a huge effect on Jane or Maura's personal lives. To me the crimes should be used simply to move the characters around, not for some great mystery to be solved. That may be the other thing I like about Doyle. Crime is always around him but it's about how it effects Maura and her relationship with her father.

Interesting to note that with other crime shows I'm the opposite. I'm more interested in the crime and how they solve it. I think that's a testament to these characters. I'm much more invested in them.

Maura - My Opinions

I'm not understanding the negativity out there for the character of Maura. There's a lot of comments on different blogs stating how Maura is a different character, too many changes, don't like her "chasing men"... huh?

Please understand I'm not looking to change anyone's mind, we all have a right to our opinions. After reading the negatives I simply have a need to state my opinion and stand up for a character, actress and show that I love.

First lets talk television shows as a whole:
In television there is always a growth period - that's usually the first and second season. In the first season you learn about the nature of the show, the characters, certain dynamics, etc. In the second season you explore pasts, delve into personal issues and changes in their lives. Second seasons are called Sophomore seasons and can make or break a show mainly cause it's the most growth. You survived Freshman year and now you know what you want to be. Every show has it's Sophomore year. There's not a show out there that if you go back to the first season those characters look the same as the last.

Inconsistencies: Always. Everywhere. Continuity is an issue with television shows mainly because something comes up you want to explore (as a writer) but now you need to change/rearrange character history a little. It's everywhere and in every show I've ever watched. It's better now then it used to be. 70's shows had no consistency from episode to episode. Sometimes it was like the previous episode didn't exist! But then a lot of you aren't old enough to remember that, so let's move on. ;)

Okay on to the character of Maura:

The first season was predominately about Jane and the crimes. We learned about Maura through her interaction with Jane and through her ME job. We were only ever in her home once! So, we didn't really see the full well-rounded character of Maura. IMO Jane was fleshed out much better then Maura in season one.

Let's talk men - Lots of negative comments about Maura sleeping around. Again I say, huh? Who was it trying to get Jane to sleep with Jorge? There were hints of Maura liking to date men throughout. Is it more blatant in season two? Yes, cause we're actually seeing Maura's private life. And come on, it's not like she's had a dozen men! The doctor in episode 201 she had been dating for months we just didn't see it. She wanted to sleep with Giovanni, big deal, women do that! And Ian, who I actually liked, was the love she couldn't have. They go way back to her Doctor's Without Borders days - which, btw, is consistent with season one. He wasn't some new "stud" showing up on her doorstep.

I read in a couple of places that Maura would never "harbor a criminal", "that's not Maura", "She wouldn't do that." Really? Did fans create this character? I'm not trying to be mean here, honestly, but who are we to say what they would or wouldn't do? I went through that in another fandom, going off that "she would never behave that way!" Until I realized it's a television show that others create, not me. I don't own them, I watch them. Do we agree/like everything the characters say or do? Maybe not. I won't watch a show if I don't care about the characters, even when they do/say things I want to slap them upside the head for. Which has happened in this show, but I still care about them, I still love the show.

Back to Maura and Ian: My personal opinion is that Maura would do exactly what she's done. She agrees with what Ian is doing. He's helping people, and risking his life and freedom to do it.

That leads me to "How could Maura have these relationships when she doesn't like live people?" Yes, that's basically what I read several different places. In the first season, episode two, Maura tells Frost about how she overcame her fear. She says, "It worked for me." When she was talking about how the dead, helping the dead, helped her it was already past tense.

The whole can't lie thing:
Personally I think the writers backed themselves into a corner. Everyone can lie, some are just better at it then others. The quirks that Maura had/has were threatening to turn her into a caricature instead of a complete well rounded person. The not lying in her work is still there. Jane's learned to trick her into "stating the obvious" but Maura still won't do it on her own. She needs the complete facts. It's the personal life where the lying line has completely blurred. I even commented on it in another review. It was odd at first cause they did set her up to never lie at all, but personally, I think it was necessary to change that. It would be very difficult to write that character for 10 years (here's hoping ;) with her never able to keep a secret or tell a white lie.

On to the actress:

I didn't read this everywhere, but it was enough that I needed to comment. If you don't like a character that's cool, but why would someone then say that they don't like the actress because the actress has input and could change it? Actors are worker bees. Anyone in the industry will tell you that. Unless you're an A-lister demanding millions of dollars and story rights, you come to work, learn your lines and do your job. The only thing an actor has a say about is how they play the scene. And even then it has to jive with what the director wants.

Sasha Alexander is one of the most generous actors out there. She spends hours answering fans tweets and makes sure all fan mail gets looked at and answered. It upsets me to think anyone would blame her personally because they don't like a character she's playing. All the other stuff above, seriously, it's a tv show, in the end not a big deal. But I will stand up for the actors' portraying those characters because they don't deserve to be attacked. They're doing their job - portraying characters as written by the writers and directed by the director. And for these characters to be as popular as they are, I'd say they do their job very well.

Okay, I'm done. I'm sure you're all glad... all of you that made it this far. ;)

Thanks for reading and again, if you don't agree, cool. No hard feelings at all. We're all different, makes for a better world. I think one of my Twisters told me that recently. ;)

Everyone is welcome to comment.

Episode 208 - My Own Worst Enemy

I've been bad about keeping up with these reviews. Sorry :(

Okay, let me say right off the bat - I watched the promo (mainly Maura's 30secs) I don't know how many times. Maura in love = sexy!! Yes, I love rizzles. Yes, I love subtext. But they're straight in the show and will remain that way, and honestly, that doesn't bother me. If they were gay it would be a completely different show. My love for the show is their relationship - straight or gay, doesn't matter. It's a good representation of women's friendships. Not catty or bickering like so many shows like to portray. Sticking up for one another, being there for each other in times of crisis... or sitting on the couch watching a game and drinking a beer. ;) That's the heart of this show - Jane and Maura's friendship - and I love it.

I say all that because I had no problem with one of Maura's "love of her life" showing up. I thought it showed a whole new side to Maura and I liked it. She was gorgeous and sexy and smiled a lot! Sasha did a fabulous job playing "in love." The texting scenes were too funny!

I like jealous Jane too. What girlfriends haven't gone through the "guy" putting a bit of distance in the friendship - even just temporarily. It happens and when you're the single one you miss your best friend! Played very well and very amusingly by Angie. :)

I loved the foot scene when Jane says "I, I, I thought Maura was gonna do it." OMG that was priceless! Well played Ms. Harmon! And again in that scene Maura is a smiling fool!! Now I may be bias - I LOVE Sasha's smile. Never can get enough. :)

The end was heartbreaking. Who didn't have tears in their eyes when Maura broke down? Jane was wonderful! When she offered to give Maura a "ride to the airport" it showed she was a true friend.

I'll admit I wasn't into the crime part of the episode. I'm finding this season I am less and less interested in the case and more into the lives of these wonderful ladies.

Next weeks looks intense! Doyle is back and it looks like he's going to totally disrupt his daughter's life.

Episode 207 - Bloodlines

Coming Soon

Episode 206 - Rebel Without a Pause

Coming Soon

Episode 205 - Don't Hate the Player

I loved this episode! The subtext was all through it. Several great scenes that I'll touch on.

Check out my favorite moments in my Subtext video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UojQFOugfjc

I'm not going to recap the episode, for I assume if you're reading this you saw it.

I love the beginning. I always like the Rizzoli family and love how Maura is becoming a part of the family. I like Tommy. Reminds me of my youngest brother - the loveable screw-up. Janet Tamaro commented that his stuff would get darker as the season goes along. I'm looking forward to it.

Locker room: Jane knows Maura well. In fact they both are at a point where they can read each other better than anyone. Maura has loosened up on the "guessing" I would assume from working with Jane.

Oh, jumping to the fingerprints - Maura throwing Jane out - Love it! The look on Jane's face is priceless and I have to say I really like the strong "don't push me" Maura. :)

"This is not CSI: Boston, Jane." Great line.

The cloths swap. What can I say that everyone hasn't already said. One of the best scenes of the series.

Maura: Your suit is a real booty-call magnet. I got hit on twice... by women.

LMAO at that. And Jane's reaction, "really?" Oh just priceless.

Stolen TV: Love the touch on the arm from Maura.

The last scene was great. As I said in the beginning - Love the Rizzoli family. Now we add Korsac. Maybe they're gonna follow the books with Angela and Korsac.

All-in-all one of my favorite episodes.

Episode 204

Coming Soon

Episode 203

Loved this episode!! Everything about it. And subtext galore!! :)

The interaction between Jane, Maura and Angela in the beginning was fun. You can see the start of Maura becoming an extended part of the Rizzoli clan. At the garage it was cute how Jane pushes Maura in front, but as soon as it appeared Maura had an interest in Giovanni Jane gets between them. Jealous much, Jane? ;)

It's great to see this other side of Maura that we only saw glimpses of in season one. As we watch Maura get more flirtation this season we also see Jane get more and more jealous. I love it!

Jane: You don't want to sleep with me.
Maura: Head tilts and eyes say "Are you sure about that?"

You know what I heard with the whole "You are not the boss of me" conversation?  "Jane if you won't wake up and go out with me then you have no say in who I sleep with!" lol

"It would be faster if you'd come to my house." She killed me!

Nice to see a bit more from Frost and Korsak.

And Jane pimps out her best friend for free car repair!! Notice the jealousy is all gone at that point. lol

Maura is keeping beer in her fridge. Guess Jane is spending more time there. :)

Lick your face - ewww but the scene was funny.

"Did Giovanni notice anything but your cleavage?" Jane keeps noticing Maura's cleavage. ;)

Now what I don't get is Maura suddenly became a great liar. I know it's for the plot, but she tells "white lies" throughout the episode. I believe in a tweet Sasha said it was the frantic situation, but the "He's hot" "The car's hot" in the beginning was not frantic. Hmmmm

Can I just say I love the whole bear scene between Jane and Maura. Too cute.

I like the brother and sister interaction. Very real and natural.

BFF scene: Awesome! Very funny! And I'm telling you Maura was contemplating the threesome! lol

Episode 202

Coming Soon

Episode 201

I loved this episode. We've been waiting a long time and the anticipation was killing me, but it was worth it.

The first scene with both Jane and Maura was everything I expected. I had read the script that was online for that scene and they played it just as I imagined. I love the bantering between these two characters. It's what drew me in to the show to begin with.

Best line: "You are my business."

I really liked how Maura knew there was more to Jane's pain. It brought home how close they are. Especially when you consider they had never socialized outside of work before the pilot episode.

Jane dealing with the trauma was good to see and done very well. However, I do feel there were some missed opportunities for some really deep emotional scenes between Jane and Maura. It was like they start down that road then stop. One scene in particular is before and after Jane leaves the autopsy. That could have been a great "let your fears out with the one person you trust" scene. Maura knows more is going on - it's not physical pain.

"... you had a life threatening injury, but you're strong, healthy... somethings gotten in the way of your healing."

Naturally Jane plays it off, but Maura knows better. I think they both do. Then later Jane asks what do you do when fear is killing you - so perfect for Maura to get Jane to dig deeper emotionally, but instead she explains how hard it is to die of fear.

All that set up and they just cut to Jane "upstairs."

I'd love to read a fanfic continuation of that. (Hint hint fanfic writers) Time constraints, lots of plot-lines that have to continue - I do understand some of the reasons why the writers didn't delve that deep, I just think it would have been a great emotional scene for the characters as well as great for the actors.

I loved the scene in the kitchen between Jane and Angela. Even with all the arguing and Angela driving her daughter crazy, they are still mother and daughter - they love each other and take care of each other. Very much reminds me of my relationship with my mom. She could drive me insane but when push came to shove she was there for me, and I was there for her.

I did wonder about the change in attitude about Tommy. In the last episode last season I thought Tommy was out? And Jane was very negative about him coming home and mom was ecstatic. Now he's still in prison, it seems Jane thinks he's doing well and mom is negative. In the grand scheme of things, no biggie. It just struck me as odd.

Okay, the doctor was a jerk, but I loved Maura in the scene in her kitchen. Briefcase in the gut - you go girl! Also, I love when Maura tells Jane the whole reason for helping Angela is "Because she's your family."

Sasha tweeted that her favorite scene in this episode is the one where Maura gets in Jane's personal space. That was pretty amusing I will agree.

Then there's "When I talk do you here, blah blah blah, Maura, blah blah blah?" Funny.

Once again though they're leading into a real intimate get down to the emotional issues scene then BAM the house explodes. Don't get me wrong I understand the point of Jane needing to get back to work and prove to herself she's still got it and you have to show her "still having it" but some talk - more then they had - before hand would have been really nice, in my humble opinion. :)

Overall, a great beginning to season two. Yes, even with my complaints, I still loved the episode! :)

Kelly/Taiko

Check out my Screen Caps of this episode. As of 7/14/11 there posted in 3 parts with probably 2 more to come.