"Without A Trace’s" Agent Malone: Too Much Of A Good Thing?
Some Without A Trace fans are none-too-happy about the focus of the series, with one even calling it The Jack Malone show. Here’s a video featuring Agent Malone as he playfully teases Agent Spade, and gives his new boss (Steven Weber) a frosty reception in a new season episode:
It does seem the focus has been on Malone (Anthony LaPaglia). Alternately, some fans agree they’ve been waiting on the resolve in Sam (Poppy Montgomery) and Jack’s relationship for some time, and they welcome the story arc.
I recall in Season 6 when Vivian (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) was put in charge of the task force, and in one episode, she was even placed in charge when Jack went missing. Those two (and the CSI cross-over episode with Gil Grissom) episodes are some of my favorites, because they focus more on the rest of the team.
This post does have a happy ending, and if you’ve seen the latest episode, Rise And Fall, you know exactly what I mean.
Do you like the way the story has been going thus far, or are you ready for more juice on the rest of the team?
5 Comments
Although I like all the characters on the show, Jack is my favorite, so I have no problem with the “Jack Malone” show. Also, they really do need to finish out the Jack/Sam storyline. Fans have been waiting for that for a long time and are thrilled that it looks like they might be able to work out. their relationship
This season has started out with the personal emphasis being on Jack and Samantha, and I think the writers have done a very good job of slowly building up towards a romantic reunion. I’m sure that the other members of the team will get their chance for some personal moments, and they all have been involved in finding the missing persons. In the last episode, for instance, Martin had a chance to shine, and he’s going to find some romance in his life this season. And we will soon see an episode that centers on Elena and Danny. Since Anthony LaPaglia is definitely the star of WAT, the one who makes the most money, he will always be the most utilized of all the actors, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I think future episodes will bring the other characters into the spotlight, so give it time. I don’t think even LaPaglia would want himself to be the focus of the whole season -they are just resolving his issues. Be patient. And if it was to be the Jack Show 24/7, I would be glued to the tv screen.
Jack Malone’s story on Without a Trace is the heart and soul of the show. Its actually kind of refreshing to see a prime time drama actually address the emotional damage caused by the stress of working in law enforcement. Too many shows just gloss over it and I am glad that they are taking the time to show us how Jack’s behavior has changed over the years and how that it’s lead him to the breaking point which got him demoted last year. Now we get to see him pick himself up, dust himself off and rebuild his life. That’s great drama and I’ve been glued to the screen throughout all of this past season. If the writers were going to pick one character to put through this journey, it makes sense that it would have been Jack, he is the main character after all. That being said, with Jack being reinstated soon, I predict a return to a more balanced situation with the other team members coming back into play. Martin had a really great storyline in the last episode and rumor has it that they are casting for an Elena-centric episode that will hopefully involve her relationship with Danny as well. The situation between Jack and Samantha will be hanging around as too, and we were warned it won’t be all sunshine and daisies, so look for more drama there. Given how they were writing his character, Jack’s story needed to be addressed and if some viewers were turned off by it, I’d bet just as many viewers were tuning in, me included. Heck, I MOCKED Without a Trace when it first came out as “just another dumb cop show.” Just this past season I caught an episode of “The Jack Malone Show” and have been hooked ever since. I can’t speak for others, but the focus on Jack made me a fan.
I love Jack Malone he IS the show!I love the fact that Jack & Sam might get together!
All the cast members a just great .Look forward to Tuesday nite.