ORIGINAL EPISODES, FRIDAYS @ 10PM ON NBCGoodbye, Ed Deline. For me Ed was always the center of the show, he set the pace, the tone and was the reason I came back week after week. I will ofcourse keep watching but I don't see myself as much a fan of the new Monticito. Tom Selleck is great but he is no James Caan. So as we bid Ed farewell we welcome yet another owner of the Montecito, Jim Cooper (Is this the O.C.?).
A lot happened during the two-hour fifth season premiere yet I find myself without much to say. Mainly this is because Las Vegas has never been about quality as much as good old-fashioned fun tv. The first hour pretty much wrapped up the season finale's stories. We find out that not only did Ed shoot Mary's father but so did Mary. Although it was Ed's shot to the heart that signed his death certificate. Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Mary. She got in the car and with Danny's help she left town never to be seen again. Mary (Nikki Cox) was a significant character and will certainly be missed by all Las Vegas fans, including this reviewer. Meanwhile, we at least had a chance to say goodbye to Ed. His signature in your face persona shined throughout the episode as he hunted down the perpetrators of the robbery at the hotel. I don't think he could have left any other way than sneaking off without anyone knowing how he left or where he went. At least Gillian now has her husband back.
Sam escaped her kidnapper, Peterson, after throwing him out of the plane traveling 15,000 feet above ground. It was nice to see it effect Sam as much as it did. She always has such a tough exterior that you knew there had to be something that could crack it. Over the years we've gotten a few glimpses at the softer side of Sam but this one effected her more than anything in her past. Being responsible for someone's death can do that to you, even if it was in self defense. Personally, I think the fact that she was almost raped is what hurts her more than anything else.
Danny finds out Delinda survived the explosion by falling 2 floors down the laundry shoot. Smart thinking by Delinda (she has a genius I.Q. after all). FINALLY he also finds out that he's going to be a father. It would have been nice to see him a bit more excited about it but I guess Mike is right that it's just going to take some time for it to hit him.
Mike, well he's just the normal guy. He pretty much spent both episodes in the surveillance room. He figured out that it was Ed who shot Mary's father but it didn't help keep him out of jail or on the show. More importantly, he got to figure out how Dr. Eric Haber (The Cosby Show's, Geoffrey Owens). I loved The Cosby Show so it was great to see Elvin back in action. Nice catch with that invisible ink stuff. That's what an MIT Grad can do in Vegas!
Also, in the second hour we got to meet Jim Cooper. I think he's a decent character but if you're going to be successful on Las Vegas you need to be a bit more outgoing than this. Every character has something they bring to the table and so far his is just a bit to lame for this show. Hopefully this will change because with the departures of Nikki Cox and James Caan if the show can't establish itself with a solid new direction I have a feeling it won't be around much longer. He is still a bit of a mystery as far as his background is concerned which adds just a bit of spice to the story. His impact on the hotel could prove to be fun to watch with the "Anything Can Happen" motto, despite the fact that it's insanely cliche'. It would be nice to see Danny step up with some ideas and get more involved rather than his usual running around beating people up.
Overall the show deserves a solid thumbs up. It's on a short leash for me now that Ed is gone but I look forward to seeing where it goes from here. At least we still have Vanessa Marcil.
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