After Mary went through being drugged, kidnapped, almost raped and shot, there was the inevitable aftermath of it all. How she would react around her mother and sister was something I was curious to see. Emotions ranged from sadness to anger with Mary eventually coming up with quite speech before her family. She’s always been very sure of herself, but that was taken to a new level tonight.

The scene between Mary, Brandi, and Jinx was without a doubt far more emotional than I was expecting. We’ve seen a little emotion from Jinx and Brandi before, but there was some deep-seeded anger and resentment that came forth for a very powerful scene.

Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon on USA’s In Plain Sight

The ending was very nicely done, though at this point, who really thought Mary had the drugs in her car when she was stopped? I like that sort of editing, but I, for one, never fall for the obvious.

With so much dirty laundry being aired tonight, I have to wonder what’s left for next season. We know In Plain Sight has already been renewed for a second season, but I think the writers covered a lot of the loose ends in regards to the daddy story. Sure, we could get to meet the father who bailed on his family, but that’s about it.

The season wrapped up so nicely that I swear I’ve seen series that were canceled do a worse job of wrapping up their show when they knew it wasn’t going to be renewed. I thought “A Fine Meth” was a terrific ending.

Rating: 9.0

The teaser USA ran after last week’s episode gave away this week’s plot. Frankly, it gave away too much in my opinion. You knew how things would play out before the episode even aired. This isn’t a show that is full of shocking moments. That being said, Jinx flipping out on Mary in the beginning of the episode was rather surprising. I didn’t expect her to react like that.

Lesley Ann Warren as Jinx Shannon

Brandi’s in a pretty tough spot. She seems to be digging herself a deeper and deeper hole with no way of getting out. The suitcase of drugs is not something she can simply move out of the house. Judging by the teaser for the season finale, this becomes a main part of the story.

When Mary grabbed for her gun when she was tied up, I had one of those “you’ve got to be kidding me” moments. It was very clear that her hands were tied in a way that would prevent her from using the gun. It felt like it was thrown in to cover the possibility of a handful of (stupid) fans wonder why Mary doesn’t just pull out her gun; it didn’t serve any purpose to me. Mary seems too smart to think that would have worked.

In an episode that was fairly full of drama, the comedic relief was there thanks to Marshall and Stan. Marshall’s crack about how Jinx dresses was hysterical, as was Stan’s locking the FBI agent in the other room at WITSEC HQ.

I thought “Stan By Me” was much improved over most of the episodes in this, the first season. The drama wasn’t overly intense and the show’s sarcastic sense of humor came through to make this episode shine. With the season finale just a week away, I’m looking forward to seeing how Mary handles things back home.

Rating: 8.6

This week, Mary dropped her sister, Brandi, off at the airport but it was all a trick. Brandi’s rather sneaky, much more so than I thought. She stashed a load of meth in a suitcase and hid it in her room at Mary’s and was back with her boyfriend, preparing to sell it.

That story turned out to be rather interesting. I wasn’t sure how Brandi was going to handle all of that. She doesn’t seem to fit in with the drug-selling and drug-using crowds. I really liked seeing her turn in that couple. Leaving a baby in the tub wasn’t the wisest thing to do, but it allowed for the only really emotional scene featuring Brandi in this season so far.

Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon and Frederick Weller as Marshall Mann

The plot for this episode focused on two protectees Mary and Marshall are supposed to take care of. One can only imagine the trouble protectees can be sometimes, but Mary and Marshall were really taken aback when their protectees met one another and fell in love.

We met Tasha Turischeva a while back and I was hoping she’d come back in an episode. Angela Sarafyan does a nice job of playing an innocent young woman here. Sure, she didn’t seem to innocent when she was making out with the scheming Russian, Serge. Serge’s explanation for how he paid for his electronics seemed too good to be true. He’s a criminal, so I knew he had an angle somewhere.

Again, the love triangle, which I thought was over, returned at the end. I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of any of those three.

Rating: 7.3

The love triangle is the only aspect of the story that lasts for more than one episode. Mary and Marshall protecting a dirty cop didn’t pan out to be all that interesting of a story. And the fact that he and Mary slept together a while back didn’t make it any more compelling.

Cristian De La Fuente as Raphael Ramirez, Nichole Hiltz as Brandi Shannon

The end of “Good Cop Bad Cop” left me very curious about Brandi. Her past hasn’t been discussed all that much. What she has to transport for her “friend”, whether it’s drugs or money, isn’t going to go well, I suspect. I can’t wait for Mary to have to come to Brandi’s rescue at some point because she’s gotten in over her head.

The one constant in this show is humor. The dialogue on the show reminds me The West Wing — it’s very fast paced. Because there is so much dialogue, and its spoken so quickly, the jokes are over and done before you know it, leaving little time to react. If things were toned down a little bit, I think people would get more enjoyment out of In Plain Sight.

Rating: 5.2

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight

Religion had a big influence on the characters featured in the show. The couple, who were devout Catholics, were very much opposed to getting a divorce and were told by their priest that God wanted them to be together. That’s something you tend to hear quite often.

Despite all sorts of problems with their marriage, the two stuck it out and went into witness protection. To be honest, I was a bit surprised by this. They seemed to have all of the common marital conflicts, but it seemed to all come out publicly (in front of their priest), which is less than opportune.

Frederick Weller as Marshall Mann. Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon

The love triangle that is Mary-Raphael-Brandi continued into this week, much to my appreciation. There were some pretty awkward moments here, namely the scene when Brandi and Raphael were in the convertible. Raph is in a tough spot. But to be honest, I don’t see what’s so attractive about Mary’s character. She’s pretty, but she’s never there as a girlfriend. She’s a work-a-holic and devotes very little of her time to herself or family. You never really see her hanging out with her family. Cut her loose and hang out with Brandi.

Jinx, meanwhile, is busy trying to relive her childhood dreams. Caught up in the idea of her auditioning for a play, Jinx found herself talking with the bar owner, who had dreams of his own which never panned out. The writers haven’t really found a role for Jinx yet. She seems to just float around and get in whatever tiny idea the writers conjure up for her.

The conclusion to the main story was less than impressive. I forecasted what was going to happen probably 20 minutes into the show. It felt like a nice little wrap-up, but really, that doesn’t diminish from the fact that it was an all-too simple way to end the episode.

Rating: 6.5

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight

Fred Weller as Marshall Mann and Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon

McCormack plays Mary Shannon, a U.S. Marshal working in the highly-secretive branch of the witness protection program (WITSEC) who relocates Federal Witnesses – many of whom are career criminals, and many who are innocents that had the misfortune of witnessing a crime. They all have one thing in common – someone wants them dead. Mary’s job is to make sure that doesn’t happen, while at the same time attempt to manage her own dysfunctional family.

In Plain Sight is currently airing the first season on USA Network. Tune in at 10pm ET/PT.

Mary and Marshall had quite a problem on their hands this week when a young girl witnesses a gang shooting and she and her family have to be relocated for their safety. Things are hampered by the arrogant father.

Marshall hasn’t had to run the show very much. Mary tends to do that with Marshall doing a thing here and there in the background. Frankly, I’d like to see Marshall take control a little more often. He’s not that intimidating-looking, but he seems to be able to handle himself… verbally at least. He stood up to the doctor without too much hesitation. I thought Wendell Pierce (The Wire) did a good job of portraying the father.

Tina Lofford as Debra McBride, Wendell Pierce as Walter McBride

For the past couple of weeks, the writers have been hinting at a possible love triangle with Mary, Brandi, and Raph. It gets a little play here and there, but that story was certainly a go here. Raph is Mary’s girlfriend, more or less, but Brandi is getting closer every week, though she doesn’t want anyone to think so.

None of the witness protection storylines have done a whole lot for me thus far. I’m really just here for the characters and their interesting behavior.

Rating: 6.8

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight

This topic was brought up in what I’d have to admit was a rather dramatic episode. The threat of an impending death was never there in my opinion, but the emotional drama was definitely present. All of this comes up when Mary’s mother receives a letter from the FBI stating they will be declaring her husband dead now that he’s been missing for 25 years.

Frederick Weller as Marshall Mann, Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon

It certainly begs the question: what happened? All we know is that he was a loving father, but his compulsive gambling became a big problem for not only himself, but for his young family. Who knows, maybe the family is better off without him. Gamblers who owe people money can bring unwanted company and violence to their family.

Gambling was a theme throughout the episode, as it also dealt with two protectees of Mary’s. She saved their lives several years when they entered WITSEC and now the youngest is involved in gambling. The only problem I had with this plot is that the character seemed rather young to be into gambling. I’m sure there are people out there who started out younger, but for me, it wasn’t my favorite part of the story.

My favorite part is, and will always be, the interactions between Mary and Marshall. They’re both very different people and Marshall is becoming a very funny character. His story with his ex-teacher’s-aid was somewhat interesting, but it really just served as the comedy for the evening. Without this, “High Priced Spread” would have been far too dramatic. Instead, it was a very well balanced episode. I would, however, like to see Jinx and Brandi a little more. I think the writers should be able to keep those two in the show and still show Mary and Marshall saving the world, one protected witness at a time.

Rating: 8.2

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight

Anyway, Mary was put in a rather precarious position when she and Marshall had to help a new protectee bring in his wife and mistress. She objected to it, but humorously pointed out in a voice over that the desire to not have to eat cat food makes people go against their principles.

Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon, Sherry Stringfield as Beth Arnstein

You sort of knew how this part of the story would go along. So it was no surprise to me when Jay ends up shot and his wife is accused of doing it. Having it all happen right after she learns of the mistress does a good job of misdirection on the behalf of the writers. All eyes are on her, while you know someone else was responsible.

The main story wasn’t what kept me interested in the episode. Instead, the Raphael/Brandi/Mary triangle had me on the edge of my seat. I was quite pleased to see that Raphael and Brandi were able to get along for once. They’re always at one another’s throat. Here, they were able to actually communicate without yelling at one another… after a while.

Half-way through the episode, I was sort of hoping Brandi would make a move and maybe she and Raphael would hook up or something. Mary doesn’t seem to be that interested in Raphael, aside from a physical relationship. Once Brandi let Mary know how she felt about him, Mary seemed to finally come around and show a little appreciation.

It’s still unclear what the future is with these three, but I’m hoping Raphael ends up with a good relationship. It’s rare of a young male character to be interested in a relationship over sex, so I’m rooting for this guy.

Marshall’s becoming more and more fun to watch. He sort of reminds me at times: quick witted, smart, and low-key. He’s the sort of character needed to balance out the chaos Mary brings to the show.

I think In Plain Sight has come a long way. It’s not nearly as rough as it was in the first few episodes. A few of the characters are fun to watch; it’s not an overly dramatic series, thankfully. When summer comes around, I expect more of a lighter show, similar to USA’s other hit shows, PSYCH, Monk, and Burn Notice.

Rating: 8.2

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight

David Foley as Horst Vanderhoff

It didn’t take long for this episode to take a decidedly dramatic turn, however. Marshall has been seeking a job elsewhere, out of WITSEC and Mary learns of it. Her reaction wasn’t very surprising and neither was Marshall’s explanation. He doesn’t like protecting Mary from the world or the world from Mary. I couldn’t blame the guy one bit for looking for another job.

All that being said, the episode well balanced, showing plenty of drama, along with a fair amount of comedy. Despite being shot in the shoulder and lung, Marshall still managed to come up with a few wise-cracks, not to mention turn into MacGyver with that rubber tube/bottle of water trick to keep himself breathing. I wasn’t expecting that. Then again, we haven’t learned a whole lot about Marshall in the series. The first three episodes have pretty much been just about Mary and her family.

Speaking of her family, the problems from the previous week, specifically the dog eating the cosmetic samples, came to a head. Jinx told Brandi about and ended up spending the entire episode drowning their sorrows in booze. I can’t say just how depressing this was to watch. These two characters have been a lot of fun to watch, but now, I wanted it to end. The fun was over.

I would like to say that this episode will have some sort of lasting impact on Mary and Marshall’s relationship, but I can’t say that just yet. On some shows, big events will impact their characters, and some others, it’s as though it never happened. There’s not enough of a track record to go on yet, but I’m hoping Mary appreciates Marshall a little more after this.

Rating: 7.6

Download Episodes of In Plain Sight