Graceland and I have had a love/hate relationship since the beginning. Sometimes I love what Graceland does and sometimes the randomness frustrates me to no end. I’ve tried to give up on this show at least a half dozen times and it keeps dragging me back in. Just prior to the Season 2 finale I was ready to walk away from the show once and for all until they hit me with that amazing season finale. After an oddly paced season the show suddenly remembered the core character relationships that make Graceland great and they had me firmly on the hook again. After viewing the Season 3 premiere I’m glad this show and I worked through our problems because this was every bit as good as the Season 2 finale. The biggest question is going to be whether or not they can maintain this pattern throughout the whole season.
B-Positive is Graceland at its very best as it focuses on the characters and the bonds between them. This show is lucky to have the cast they do because they can handle just about anything thrown at them. In the premiere they throw some big things at Serinda Swan and she makes Paige stand to the challenge. She gave many stellar performances last season throughout an intense storyline and she does not disappoint here. In fact, the entire cast rallied to deliver a great episode. Special notice to Daniel Sunjata who is right on par with Serinda this week in terms of what was thrown at him. Neither actor gets a moment to rest in this episode and they deliver one strong powerful performance after another. To get you through until Thursday here are some things you can look forward to seeing from each character.
Mike (Aaron Tveit), I could tell you his fate, but that would probably make this my last post ever. What I can tell you is that the answer regarding his fate is provided very early on in the episode following a ten day time jump.
Paul (Daniel Sunjata) has his hands full throughout the episode. He not only has to deal with Mike’s fate, but he also has to deal with a potential exit from Graceland. To top it off he has a new boss on his case that isn’t willing to play within Paul’s game book. He gets into a pretty tight spot and he’s quite literally on his own to deal with it. His day isn’t improved when a certain object from last season falls into less then favorable hands.
Johnny (Manny Montana) has a lot of supportive work to do this week, but when he gets his chance to shine he does. He has a heartbreaking reunion that doesn’t end quite the way some would hope. Look for him to be involved in a surprising act near the end which will cause many questions to be raised.
Paige (Serinda Swan), as I mentioned above, gets a lot thrown at her this week. Last season left her in a dark place and this season does nothing to improve on that. She can’t catch a break and to say she is in a tailspin would be an understatement. She is attacked and injured all before she throws herself into multiple dangerous and reckless situations. I look forward to watching her story unfold as they’ve setup quite an interesting arc for her this season.
DJ (Brandon Jay McLaren) spends the episode trying to normalize things around the house. He just wants the rest of the team to follow the chore wheel, but that is easier said than done while everyone is worried about being killed. Look for him to cope with the situations at hand in his own way which involves a lot of cleaning.
Charlie (Vanessa Ferlito), much like Johnny, is mostly here to support her fellow team members. She has a very good scene with Paige after her attack. I like how she has a realistic streak in her and she isn’t afraid to deliver some reality when needed.
Be prepared for a great return to Graceland as the show wastes no time getting right back into the action. There are some surprises and a lot of drama ahead in this season premiere. If the show can stick to the over arching storyline they setup in this episode then they are on track for a strong season.
Be sure to tune into USA at 10pm on Thursday night to experience the explosive return of Graceland.
Notable Quotes:
“…stop trying to save me!”
“I just put in my transfer papers.”
"He said it was easy. It wasn't actually that easy."
"I think things are a little too hot for us to pull off a homicide."
"Not to mention, we're supposed to be the good guys."
“My doctor says the no drinking line is overblown.”
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a local newspaper and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. A list of her favorite shows includes (but is not limited to) the following: 12 Monkeys, Orphan Black, Outlander, Chasing Life, Scorpion, The 100, The Night Shift, Bitten, Black Sails, 2 Broke Girls, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Continuum, Lost Girl, Faking It, Falling Skies, Finding Carter, Once Upon A Time, Orange Is The New Black, Switched At Birth, The Fosters, The Flash, The Originals, Teen Wolf, Under The Dome, & Z Nation. The upcoming shows she is most excited about are: Supergirl, Dark Matter, UnReal, Blindspot, Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, Stitchers, Recovery Road, Shadowhunters, Quantico, Code Black, Heartbreaker, and Chicago Med. She has a large and passionate dislike of ""reality"" TV, espeically ""reality"" dating shows, but has a weakness for Americas Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. But those two don't really count as ""reality"" shows, at least that's how she justifies those guilty pleasures. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operting under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
