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?

Post from: FBI Dramas

I read that Steven Weber is joining Without a Trace. Does that mean Anthony LaPaglia is gone? — Janice
Mickey: Weber has only signed on for four episodes, so he’s definitely not replacing LaPaglia. Rather, their characters will be adversaries. Once he’s done ruining Jack’s life, look for Weber to resurface on Brothers & Sisters, where he spent time last season ruining Sarah’s life. (Note to self: Do not invite Steven Weber over for dinner.)

So based on this news, fans can rest easy. After all, I think the team and the show would just not be the same if LaPaglia decided to pull a “Gideon” (al la Mandy Patinkin’s departure from Criminal Minds).

The adversarial relationship between these two should prove quite interesting, especially in light of Agent Malone’s troubles over the years. From the guilt he’s felt on and off over his mother’s suicide, to his bout with depression, and later the divorce from his wife, Jack has been through a good bit of adversity. I suspect that he will be more than strong enough to withstand Weber’s character parrys.

Image with permission via Newscom

Post from: FBI Dramas

He takes the place of Agent Jack Malone (Anthony Lapaglia) as the leader of the missing persons bureau I presume, since Jack has been busted down to other duties. Also, there will be more involvement with the families of missing persons, and involvement with support groups.

Steven Weber is no newcomer to crime drama, as he’s appeared in episodes of Law and Order, Monk and Psych. In spite of this, I’m feeling this is going to be a bit of a shake up to the usual “Trace mood”, especially since its been said that Weber’s character does things differently than Jack. Does that mean we see no brutality from the Jackster this fall?

Without A Trace’s Former Glory?

Interestingly, when the fan asked about the show, they referred to the show’s “former glory”. I wonder what fans think of when they think of former glory. I’d say that of all the episodes that come to mind, one favorite is called “Copycat”.

In this episode, Jack has a final showdown with a very nasty fellow named Graham Spaulding. Here’s a fan video from the episode, which features some music from the actual episode, along with Massive Attack’s House theme. The rooftop scene of this episode is excellent:

Video: littleguinea

Post from: FBI Dramas