Saving Grace: A Review

Number One on “My List” is Holly Hunter.  What can I say, she is a wonderful actress, and would be one of only a few women for whom I would give up my single life and remarry.  I have been “in love” with this woman since first seeing her in the Coen brothers’ 1987 movie Raising Arizona. Now, after many years as a top notch film star, she is embarking on a side trip to television in order to star in the new TV series Saving Grace. After having watched the premiere on Monday (and watching it again on Thursday), I am happy to say that this is a move I totally approve of.

When we first see Grace Hanadarko (okay, the last name is stupid), she is having an affair with Ham, her married partner (Kenneth Johnson) in the Oklahoma City police force.  And when I say we see her having an affair, I mean just that.  If there’s one thing to say about Holly Hunter in addition to her talents as an actor, it is that she looks great for her age (49).  The problem with Grace, is that she is a masochistic hedonist of sorts.  She works hard, lives hard, hits hard, drives hard and drinks hard.  To use the cliche, she lives her life on the edge, and so it’s not difficult to imagine that she will soon run into some serious problems.  She does just this about 12 minutes into the first episode when she hits a pedestrian while driving home more than a little intoxicated after a long night of drinking.

When Grace realizes the deep crap that she is in, the first thing she does is say, “Don’t do this to me,” as if anybody and everybody is to blame for her predicament but herself.  Then Grace does what many people do when they think there is no way out of the mess they have created for themselves:  she asks God for help.  And help does come, in the form of a tobacco-chewing, good ol’ boy angel named Earl, played admirably by Leon Ripley, lately of Deadwood fame. And mind you, this is no “Touched by an Angel” angel.  This is an angel who tells us, as if we couldn’t see it for ourselves, that he likes a good chaw.

Of course, the show isn’t only about angels and divine intervention.  Grace is a police detective, and the case on this episode has to do with the disappearance of Maddie (sp?), a ten year old girl who has gone missing.  But in many ways, the case this week is just a backdrop for introducing us to Grace, her multitudinous problems, and the other characters on the show.

In addition to everything I’ve already mentioned,  including the solving of the Maddie’s disappearance, there is a cow with the markings of the face of Jesus on its side, a flamingo joke, Laura San Giacomo as Grace’s police lab technician friend, Bailey Chase (an alum of ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’), and some excellent soundtrack music, including Everlast’s “Saving Grace” (series theme song), Tom Petty’s “Saving Grace”, ”Mein Herz Brennt” by Rammstein, and Los Lonely Boys’ “How Far Is Heaven.”  And as an added bonus, I believe that James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) will be on next week’s episode.

I mean what else does one need for a decent television show?  While it did seem at times that this initial episode wasn’t firing on all cylinders, I think this series shows promise, and I will stay tuned to it of for no other reason than to pay a visit with Ms. Hunter every week.  For some other reviews of Saving Grace I recommend checking out the sites found here, here, here, here, here, or here.

The schedule for the next few weeks is below.  If you like quality TV, check out Saving Grace.

Monday, July 30, 10:00PM ET — Bring It On, Earl TV-MA-LV 
Thursday, August 2, 11:00PM ET — Bring It On, Earl TV-MA-LV

Monday, August 6, 10:00PM ET — Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned TV-MA-L
Thursday, August 9, 11:00PM ET — Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned TV-MA-L

Monday, August 13, 10:00PM ET — Would You Want Me To Tell You TV-MA-LS
Thursday, August 16, 11:00PM ET — Would You Want Me To Tell You TV-MA-LS

Monday, August 20, 10:00PM ET — Keep Your Damn Wings Off My Nephew TV-MA-L

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As a side note, The Hollywood Reporter stated on Wednesday that “TNT’s new drama series “Saving Grace” had a big debut Monday. “Grace,” starring Holly Hunter as an Oklahoma City police detective, averaged 6.4 million total viewers at 10 p.m. Monday, making it the most-watched basic cable series premiere of the year, according to Nielsen Media Research.

For those interested, here is a clip of the pivotal scene from the pilot, followed by Tom Petty’s “Saving Grace.” (a great song)