Three Rivers - news, links, discussion - part 8 **SPOILERS**

[Fleur de Lisa]

I am not all that thrilled with the timeslot of 3R--then again, it could have been a Friday night and that would have sucked (but not in a Mick way*) even more. Between football delaying the start of the show, and counter-programming, that is a tough night.

Correct me if I am mistaken, but lo those many years ago, didn't Gray's Anatomy start on Sundays?? Then they got the coveted Thurs nite slot.

Regardless, I am with grace---I am watching 3R as long as it airs.

I do understand CBS's promoting of Alex--he was the lead on ML, he is co-starring in a feature film with JLo (or whatever she is calling herself nowadays)--it makes sense for them to capitalize on his stardom. Having said that, is it fair for the show's fate to be balanced squarely on his delicious shoulders? No. In almost any ensemble cast, there is a lead role---and he is it in this one.

*stole if from ya, Phee bc I liked it so much!

[carniegal]

Well, IMHO the donors & patients appear to be main focus of the show. They could have gotten anyone to be the doctors. They are like 2D characters, no real substance. It is a pity these 4 very talented actors do not have the scripts to match their talent. We want background they don't have. We want more time in the doctors lives. I don't think they want the show to go that way.

But if TPTB are pushing Alex as a sex symbol, they have missed the mark. Don't get me wrong, the smile & the EoW still shine through, but not with any real heat behind them. His 30 seconds to 2 minute blips on screen just don't get any depth.

Right now I do not care about these characters. I did care about 2 vampires & a nosy reporter.

Since I don't like medical shows I'm hoping that is not colouring my opinion.

[aolver]

I agree with you totally MoonMad, not that my opinion holds any weight.

[carniegal]

I have to add I don't like vampire shows either.

[lafluffy]

Well, IMHO the donors & patients appear to be main focus of the show. They could have gotten anyone to be the doctors. They are like 2D characters, no real substance. It is a pity these 4 very talented actors do not have the scripts to match their talent. We want background they don't have. We want more time in the doctors lives. I don't think they want the show to go that way.

But if TPTB are pushing Alex as a sex symbol, they have missed the mark. Don't get me wrong, the smile & the EoW still shine through, but not with any real heat behind them. His 30 seconds to 2 minute blips on screen just don't get any depth.

Right now I do not care about these characters. I did care about 2 vampires & a nosy reporter.

Since I don't like medical shows I'm hoping that is not colouring my opinion.

carniegal, I couldn't have said it any better or that incisively. You rule!

[wpgrace]

my lovely Fleur!

Yes, Grey's started on Sundays... but that is the same channel as the Housewives. I don't recall if the DH was on yet then or not... but Grey's woulda aired without the Housewives as competition. And I think Boston Legal also started on Sundays. Again, same channel as the Housewives...

For as little as I know about tv and show business... weird that I even know that.

Oh, and Alex can totally play the lead, and I think if they let Andy (and the show) develop, we WILL see layers. It's just that they DO spend a lotta time with guest stars on this show. So the slow reveal of the docs' personalities is gonna be very slow indeed. Hopefully not fatally so. But I like Andy. I like the way Alex plays him. He's just a good guy... and a smart guy. And a guy who does his difficult, creative, and life-or-death job without fanfare. And then lives with the consequences, also without fanfare. He's a very real person. There are such people in the world.

[darkstarrising]

Hi grace ,

Agree about the layers and needing to focus on the docs. Just left feedback on the CBS page to that affect (there's a tiny little link at the bottom of the page for user feedback). I praised the strength of the ensemble cast and indicated that character development would help the show (so would a better timeslot).

I don't expect a response, but I'll let you know if I get one.

[MoonMad]

I agree with you totally MoonMad, not that my opinion holds any weight.

Well, seeing as you agree with me, your opinion holds weight with me aolver!

Carniegal, what you say is quite true, although I hadn't thought of it until you wrote it. As it is now, anyone could be playing all these doctor characters and they're just not using the talent the actors share to the best advantage. I'm hoping that changes as time goes by. Unfortunately, writers can't seem to make a character interesting without also making them damaged and it's starting to get a bit old having doctors and nurses as drug addicts, maritally unsound, depressed or antisocial. It's kind of sad that a normal, fairly well-adjusted, likeable, workaholic doctor is considered boring isn't it?

Grace, what you say is SO true. Real doctors and nurses are out there every day doing what we see on TR. But it doesn't make for riveting television does it? Moonlight used the plots to drive the characters' behaviour, but TR isn't doing the same with their plots. The stories are the stars and the characters are just along for the ride. I think that's where it falls down so far. Unfortunately, this is the story the producers want to tell. I'm happy to watch the show the way it is now, as I know many of us are, but new viewers, who aren't fans of the stars, or who aren't personally affected by organ transplantation, may need more motivation to tune in each week.

[nutmegger911]

Did anyone else catch the TR smackdown shown on Trauma?

Spoiler:

They were talking about assignments and one chopper pilot said all they had a transplant transfer, then "How Lame."

Feeling a bit threatened, are we?

[allegrita]

OK, that's just freakin' rude.

[nutmegger911]

Yeah, but it is telling. They are concerned about his popularity. It's tough to compete with the blood mojo.

[francis]

carniegal, I agree with some of what you said. But I don't get the vibe that the doctors are taking the back seat to the patients. On contrary, the patients change every week, the doctors stay and that's their chance on backstory. In coming weeks we will get to see more. For now we have some on Miranda, but with all that's going on they can't reveal everything of everyone. That would be boring too. Of course we're impatient now, but the writers have to pace themselves and give everyone a bit of focus once in a while. We didn't get backstory on Mick for some time, too. It took 14 episodes until we saw his WWII experience, and we got only glimpses of his ex-wife until episode 7.

[darkstarrising]

carniegal, I agree with some of what you said. But I don't get the vibe that the doctors are taking the back seat to the patients. On contrary, the patients change every week, the doctors stay and that's their chance on backstory. In coming weeks we will get to see more. For now we have some on Miranda, but with all that's going on they can't reveal everything of everyone. That would be boring too. Of course we're impatient now, but the writers have to pace themselves and give everyone a bit of focus once in a while. We didn't get backstory on Mick for some time, too. It took 14 episodes until we saw his WWII experience, and we got only glimpses of his ex-wife until episode 7.

you're right, francis. It did take some time before we got any real backstory on Mick, but part of that was the direction of the show kept changing. The other difference with 3R is that there are multiple characters to develop backstories for. Hopefully, in the next few episodes, we'll get some more info on them.

[wpgrace]

Mick's VO helped us to get to "know" him before we got all the back story we wanted... altho, in fact, I NEVER got all the back story I wanted...

Now, I got awakened at 3 this morning by the dog, who had peed on my kitchen floor and then had the "courtesy" to wake me up and tell me about it... so before getting back to sleep, I of course obsessed over our guy... cause, admit it, that's what a chunk of us do...

Anyway, while I am thoroughly enjoying Andy, he IS somehow different for Alex, and I think part of why we may be having a bit of trouble settling in to him is that Alex (who CAN play a lead, no worries, IMO) does specialize in playing characters who have, not faults really, but vulnerability. Think about it... they all have a glaring emotional soft underbelly...

For Will Bryant, the vulnerability was... Mary.
For Jack, it was his injured sister and his hapless (and illegal) effort to provide for her...
For Michael, it was glaring Mommy issues...
For Marcus, well, he was fronting being the Big Bad Criminal, but he was both less competent and less brazen than he wanted the world to believe...
For Kevin, it was Vic, who ran circles around him...
For Marshall, the brother with more talent (and Marshall's waaaaaayyyyyy too little screen time)...
And for Mick, the monster within...

What is Andy's vulnerability? I dunno. Hard to say. I think Alex is doing a great job playing a doctor. i totally believe him as a doctor. Making that doctor the riveting character all the above are... we're gonna need to see Andy's vulnerability... it could happen, but they'd've done the show a service by giving us a hint or a glimpse of it within these first two eps... but I'm in. For however long the ride I am enjoying this man on my tv.

[Josefismysire]

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Three Rivers is in the leeeeeeead!