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I’m sure
more than a few of you are familiar with
actor Simon Baker and are fans of “The
Mentalist.” I admittedly am as well,
but was made an even bigger Baker fan when
Paramount released the DVD set to his earlier
series, “The Guardian.”
I remember hearing about “The Guardian”
back when it originally aired, but never
really took the time to watch it. The series
ran three seasons, so when the DVD set was
offered for review I thought I might as
well check it out. I am glad I did. The
series was far from your typical ‘fall-from-grace’
lawyer series. It was well-written, well-acted
and well-produced. I’m surprised it
didn’t last longer.
Simon Baker starred Nick Fallon, an egotistical
lawyer who worked for his father’s
law firm and had everything. But we quickly
learn as the series began that Nick had
been arrested for drug possession and was
sentenced to perform 1,500 hours of community
service. This he does in the form of taking
cases for a local legal clinic. While it
sounds rather formulaic, what set this show
apart from others I’ve seen is Nick’s
reaction to his predicament. He loathes
the idea of working these cases, and that
loathing is real.
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Of course, he begins to go through a change of
heart, but it is not an easy change and it takes
most of the first season. And despite these changes
that he goes through, he is still flawed and makes
mistakes… huge ones. And let me tell you,
the first season finale is as good as TV gets.
Holy Moley, what a shocker.
Season two of “The Guardian” is no
different. Coming off the cliffhanger ending was
wholly satisfying and the entire season was quite
simply… awesome. Baker’s performance
is outstanding and quite different from that of
the role he plays in “The Mentalist.”
Dabney Coleman, who plays his father, is at his
best in this series.
The DVD release is a bare bones affair with no
extras to speak of. The sole intent was to get
the series into the hands of consumers. The packaging
is simple, my only complaint is having the episode
descriptions printed on the inside of the cover
so you have to remove discs to read them.
“The Guardian: Season 2”, despite
the lack of features is still well worth picking
up. Quite honestly, I’m very excited about
the eventual release of the third and final season.
Episodes:
Testimony
Monster
The Dead
The Next Life
Assuming the Position
The Living
The Innocent
The Neighborhood
The Dark
Sacrifice
No Good Deed
You Belong to Me
Ambition
Understand Your Man
Where You Are
The Weight
The Intersection
My Aim is True
Back in the Ring
What it Means to You
Burton & Ernie
Sensitive Jackals
All the Rage
Starring: Simon Baker, Dabney Coleman, Alan Rosenberg,
Rafael Sbarge, Charles Malik Whitfield
Extras: None
Specification: English Stereo
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 9/7/2010
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.paramount.com/homeentertainment
We'll give The Guardian: Season 2 a B.
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