Sarah Fain Movies

Based on a series of popular mystery novels by James Patterson, the ABC crime show Women's Murder Club received an abudance of pre-release publicity not so much because of its source material, but because it represented the long-overdue return to television of former Law&Order regular Angie Harmon. The actress was cast as San Francisco police homicide detective Lindsay Boxer, a woman whose near-obsessive dedication to her job had caused the breakup of her marriage to Lt. Tom Hogan (Rob Estes), who thanks to the machinations of the scriptwriters was now her boss at the department. Joining forces with three other women in the crimefighting profession, Lindsay specialized in solving allegedly unsolvable murder cases. Her collaborators included medical examiner Claire Washburn (Paula Newsome), who despite her "workaholic" habits was able to approach her job objectively, and to devote ample time to her wheelchair-bound husband Ed (Jonathan Adams) and her sons Derek (Neilan Benvegnu) and Nate (Drew Matthews); assistant DA Jill Bernhardt (Laura Harris), whose mystery-solving activities occasionally took a back seat to her romantic entanglements with defense attorney Hanson North (Kyle Secor) and doctor Luke Bowen (Coby McLaughlin); and newspaper reporter Cindy Thomas (Aubrey Dollar), who was tolerated by her colleagues--albeit just barely--because she possessed a photographic memory (It was Cindy who insisted upon referring to the foursome as the "Women's Murder Club", much to the discomfort of the other three. Other regular characters included Lindsay's steadfast police partner Warren Jacobi (Tyrees Allen), Jill's no-nonsense superior, Deputy DA Linda Park (Denise Kwon), and Tom Hogan's new bride Heather Donnelly (Ever Carradine), a kindergarten teacher. Combining CSI-style procedural drama with Grey's Anatomy-style soap opera, Women's Murder Club" debuted October 12, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although the gritty cop drama The Shield would become the FX's network longest-running dramatic series during its fourth season, a serious drop in ratings at the end of season three could well have precipitated the show's cancellation. Giving the program a major shot in the arm was the addition of two new regulars, Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson. Close is introduced as Monica Rawling, the new captain of the Farmington District Strike Force and the new (nominal) boss of tough, brutal, and borderline-corrupt Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis). Rawlings has been appointed to her post after Mackey's former captain and longtime enemy David Aceveda (Benito Martinez) is elected to the city council. Though certainly not enamored of Vic's strong-arm tactics and questionable ethics, Rawling is willing to give the detective a relatively free hand in dealing with the district's most vicious drug dealers. Even so, both Aceveda and Rawling intend to closely monitor Vic's movements, forcing him to play it "straight" (or as straight as he's capable of being) throughout the season. The promotion of Rawlings has a profound effect not only on Vic but also on his fellow detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder), who is bitter over not being promoted to captain herself.

Anthony Anderson is cast as Antwon Mitchell, at once the most formidable and most frustrating adversary that Mackey and his team have ever come up against. Once a powerful drug lord, Mitchell has managed to win release from prison, and is now regarded by many of the power elite as a reformed man, a dedicated community activist. Of course, Vic (and the viewers) known that Mitchell hasn't changed a bit, and in fact is a more dangerous mob leader and drug pusher than he'd been before his arrest thanks to strong ties with the Russian mafia. But to the public at large, Mitchell is virtually a saint, and thus above suspicion when the you-know-what hits the fan. Even when Vic and Rawlings have Mitchell dead to rights, he manages to wriggle out of their clutches, leading Vic to suspect that there's a mole in the ranks of the strike force -- a mole who may or may not be his longtime colleague Shane Vendrell (Walton Goggins). Vic's determination to expose Mitchell heats up after several cops are murdered in a well-planned ambush. In giving Vic a tacit carte blanche to blast Mitchell's operation apart, Rawling puts her own job on the line. Ironically, what ultimately seals Rawling's doom is not her war against drugs, but her fierce determination to bring the city's most heinous child abusers to justice. Bringing Glenn Close and Anthony Anderson to the fold turned out be the best thing that had happened to The Shield in years. The series ended its four season posting its best-ever ratings -- indeed, some of the best ratings in the entire realm of cable television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Now that his soul has been removed, Angel (David Boreanaz) reverts to his demonic self, Angelus, for the first time since season two of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Locked in a cave in the hotel basement, Angelus taunts Angel's comrades but refuses to offer any information about his connection to The Beast (Vladimir Kulich). Biding his time until he can escape, the fiend amuses himself by revealing everyone's secrets, including the illicit tryst between Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Connor (Vincent Kartheiser). The resulting tension among the ranks gives Wesley (Alexis Denisof) the opportunity to step up his romantic pursuit of Fred (Amy Acker); Gunn (J. August Richards), of course, is anything but pleased. Angelus finally does cough up the dirt, but only after Cordelia secretly promises to submit to his every desire in exchange for the information he has. It seems that more than 200 years ago, The Beast sought Angelus' assistance in battling the mystics known as the Svea Priestesses. Out only for himself, Angelus refused, allowing the enchantresses to banish The Beast from this dimension. Learning that the current Svea Priestesses live nearby, the Angel Investigations team rushes to consult with them. Instead, they find only the women's corpses. Realizing that Angelus' one bit of wisdom is now useless, the gang prepares to restore Angel's soul -- but find it's gone missing from the hotel safe. Originally broadcast February 5, 2003, on the WB network, "Soulless" marked season four, episode 11 of the supernatural soap opera. This episode was directed by actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As the newly re-ensouled Angel (David Boreanaz) come to grips with the impending arrival of his grandchild, the gang tries to research what the little tyke might look like. The secretly evil Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) doesn't bother to share the fact that her offspring is already wriggling, rippling, and morphing inside her belly, nor does she let slip to daddy-to-be Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) that she's been emotionally manipulating him from day one. Meanwhile, super-powered thief Gwen Raiden (Alexa Davalos) reappears seeking help from Gunn (J. August Richards) on a mission to rescue a kidnapped little girl. Once again Gwen's story turns out to be a self-serving fabrication, though Gunn enjoys helping her achieve her actual goal: the theft of a top-secret military prototype she believes will enable her to control the electricity that crackles through her body and kills everyone she touches. Despite his reputation as just a piece of muscle, Gunn uses his smarts as well as his brawn to help Gwen get her wish. He's rewarded when the shy virgin allows him to become the first man ever to get past first base with her without being electrocuted. Meanwhile, back at the hotel, The Host (Andy Hallett) heads into seclusion to complete a ritual that will realign his empathic abilities. Anxious to prevent Lorne from "reading" her perverted aura, Cordy prepares, literally, to stab him in the back. Just then, the lights come up and Angel appears, rueful that his suspicions about Cordelia's treachery have been confirmed. Originally broadcast March 26, 2003, on the WB network, "Players" marked season four, episode 16 of the supernatural soap opera. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

As Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) continues to care for -- and flirt with -- the amnesiac Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Fred (Amy Acker) faces her demons, both figurative and literal. After five years as an other-dimensional slave and another two working with Angel Investigations, Fred is delighted to get back into the academic realm with the publication of a paper she's written about quantum physics. But at the symposium where she's been invited to deliver her findings, an enormous demon foe crashes the party through a mystic portal. Angel (David Boreanaz) and friends fight off the beast, then follow its trail to the local comic-book store, where Angel is excited to learn that he's something of an underground sci-fi sensation. Fred, meanwhile, makes a less delightful discovery about Professor Seidel (Randy Oglesby), the scientific mentor who has just stepped back into her life. Fred learns that it was Seidel, threatened by her scholarly abilities, who engineered the original portal that sucked her into the demon realm of Pylea years ago. The normally pert and unassuming Fred resolves to kill the man who ruined her life, and she turns to tortured former teammate Wesley (Alexis Denisof) for assistance. Just as Fred is about to execute Wesley's plan to kill Seidel, her boyfriend, Gunn (J. August Richards), shows up to beg her not to take a human life. Certain that Fred would never be able to live with herself, Gunn himself snaps Seidel's neck just as the doctor is being sucked through yet another demonic portal. Fred and Gunn's budding romance is clearly past the carefree phase. Originally broadcast November 3, 2002, on the WB network, "Supersymmetry" marked season four, episode five of the supernatural comedy drama. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide