TV Show Review: In Plain Sight - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Wonderful acting and complex characters

Cons: Characters only marginally likable

The Bottom Line:

An uneven start

Yet I would keep tuning in

Due to characters

Why Do I Watch?  The Answer Isn't In Plain Sight

Since my summer TV watching is made up of several crime shows on the USA Network, I put the first season of In Plain Sight on my must watch list last summer.  And all summer long, I kept watching.  Now that makes it sound like I was hooked, but that wasn't the case.  In fact, as the season ended, I found I was still hot and cold on the show.

Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) is a Federal Marshal with the Witness Protection Program.  Working along side her partner Marshall Mann (Fred Weller), she helps witnesses adjust to their new life in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Since most of these people are criminals who agreed to testify against other criminals, that isn't always easy.  For example, there's the con artist who may or may not have set her sights on a new mark, yet gets her picture in the paper.  There's the man who brings his wife and mistress into the program only to decide it was time to break up with his mistress.  And even when the witnesses are innocent, their lack of desire to leave their old life behind them can lead to problems, too.

If all that weren't enough, Mary's personal life is far from calm.  She is supporting her dead beat mother (Lesley Ann Warren) and her sister Brandi (Nichole Hiltz).  Not only has Brandi fallen for Mary's sometimes boyfriend Raphael (Cristian de la Fuente), but she is also hiding methamphetamine until her boyfriend can arrange the sale.  What will happen when that little bombshell comes out?

Mary was advertised as a sharp tongued, independent woman.  I figured this would be another in the comedy/mystery shows that USA has made a summer staple.  And I think that was my first disappointment.  I found Mary more annoying than funny with lines that were harsh.  Yet, while she can be harsh with her clients at work, she is so easily manipulated by her mother and sister.  While I certainly found their relationship realistic, I also wanted Mary to throw them out on their ear.

And yet one of the big reasons I kept tuning in was to see what would happen with the meth that Brandi had.  Yep, a definite conflict.

The actually witness protection cases were quite good.  Even though we usually saw the clients for only one episode, I was touched by the emotions these people were going through, sometimes years after they initially entered the program.  There were several cases where I had no clue how they'd resolve things.  And there were several cases where the plot was completely predictable.

One area where I can't fault the show is the acting.  From the guest stars to the main characters, there isn't a weak performance in the bunch.  My favorite is Fred Weller's Marshall Mann.  And, no, it isn't because of the obvious pun in his name.  His obvious concern for Mary shines through at every moment.  He's the only one who holds his own against Mary and doesn't try to manipulate her.

I honestly think my biggest problem with the series comes down to characters.  I normally like to have good guys to root for, and here they are few and far between.  Yet the acting makes these very flawed people very real and keeps me coming back.

This set collects all 12 episodes from the first season.  They are in wide screen and full surround, and you can't complain about how they look and sound.  Extras are limited to deleted scenes, but there are some for every episode.

This review was written before the second season aired.  While I'm still not a big fan of this season, I did grow to love the show as the characters mellowed.  So start with In Plain Sight season one and watch how things develop.