Season Two of TNT's police procedural series Major Crimes -- a sequel to its earlier hit "The Closer" -- opens with Captain Sharon Raydor (Mary McDonnell) in a comfortable place at work, having secured the full trust and loyalty of her subordinates. Complications begin to arise on the homefront, however -- first with possible threats to the safety of Rusty Beck (Graham Patrick Martin), the teenage murder witness whom Sharon has taken under her wing, and then involving Jack (Tom Berenger), Sharon's ex-husband -- an attorney who resurfaces and tries to re-enter her life. Meanwhile, the department must work its way through cases including that of a missing child with gender dysphoria, a Latino man who turns up dead at a swimming coach's house, a spree killer who wreaks havoc on the community, and much more.
Lots good episodes, though I resorted to fast-forwarding to get through the repetitious "Rusty" scenes. The kid is a real pain (the actor, too), but it looks like he's here to stay. If you don't mind his whiney presence, get ready to enjoy 19 well-written and nicely-acted shows.
A drifter named Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton) brings trouble to small-town Minnesota and influences insurance salesman Lester Nygaard (Martin Freeman) into murder. Meanwhile, a pair of local police officers are trying to piece together a series of murders which they believe is connected to Malvo and Nygaard.
In some ways the TV expansion of the Coen brothers dark comedy improves on the feature film. Less crass, yet just as amusing in its own deadpan way, the show boasts stellar performances by Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton and atmospheric staging that captures the icy mood of the original story.
Both "Casablanca" and "The African Queen" look great on Blu-ray. The bargain two-disc set is hard to beat, especially with the inclusion of all the bonus material from the original releases. A great gift idea for fans of classic movies.