Bingeworthy TV: Rizzoli & Isles

When Bones ended after 12 seasons, I didn’t know where to turn. I thought my days of enjoying a funny, suspenseful murder mystery show with well-developed characters and an engaging overarching plot were over. Little did I know, something even better was waiting for me! I fell in love with Rizzoli & Isles with the first episode.

Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) is a homicide detective who works with medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) to solve crimes for the Boston Police Department. Before the show begins, the two are already best friends, and their deep care for each other is evident. That certainly helped me as a viewer become invested in both Jane and Maura very quickly, sharing these characters’ love for each other in spite of their quirks.

Jane is feisty, sarcastic, very good at her job as a detective, and can become grumpy when things don’t go her way. Maura is brilliant, fun-loving but socially awkward, and often has her head in the clouds, or in her science. Alone, each of these characters sounds like a boring trope, but together (as happens to most of us when our best friend is around), they are much more vibrant and complex. Maura helps Jane lighten up in spite of herself, and Jane helps Maura face reality even when it’s difficult. They continually poke fun at each other while still appreciating one another’s work, intelligence, and heart.

So much about this show makes its characters feel more realistic than others. It was refreshing to watch a formulaic mystery show featuring two female protagonists with a complicated, genuine friendship. I was also grateful to see that the characters on Rizzoli & Isles experience and process the trauma their jobs cause on-screen. From what I’ve seen, this is rarely done well (if at all) in violence-driven plots, and it makes the show much more relatable and believable.

The minor characters, too, contribute to the richness of Rizzoli & Isles. As someone who’s watched many movies and TV shows, I have a high standard for realistic fictional relationships, especially between family members, and this show blows all others out of the water. I loved watching Jane’s family bicker, watching friendships break and be mended, and watching police department office drama play out. And, of course, any good murder mystery show requires a little history of the setting (Boston), a couple of creepy serial killers, and mysterious back stories for a few characters. Rizzoli & Isles has it all!

Prepare to fall in love with Jane and Maura and their friendship. Then call me so we can cry together about the show ending so perfectly after seven seasons, and about how no other show could ever hope to be this good.

~Rachel, Technical Services

Bingeworthy TV: Eureka

The Syfy channel has long been my go-to stop for quirky television shows. Some are dark, some are just plain crazy, but every once in a while there are shows that combine funny with weird (in my world I call that quirky). Eureka happens to be one of those shows.

Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), a U.S. Marshall, is driving through the Pacific Northwest with his delinquent teenage daughter, Zoe (Jordan Hinson), when he has a car accident. Jack and Zoe end up walking into the small, seemingly backwards town of Eureka to seek help. As it turns out, Eureka is anything but backwards, it is a town full of geniuses. President Harry S. Truman, with the help of Albert Einstein, created the town of Eureka to protect and nurture America's most valuable intellectual resources. Through a series of events, Jack becomes the sheriff of this small town and over the course of five seasons we learn that it doesn't take a genius to solve problems.

Every season of Eureka has an over-arching problem or mystery to be solved usually involving some sort of invention or top-secret technology. Each episode also has an event that takes precedence and often ties into the larger story. Watching Jack discover new things about Eureka and try to figure out life in a town full of high IQs (while being of "average" intelligence) is entertaining. Zoe, as a new girl attending a high-school full of geniuses, is a little bit harder to watch.

 
Jack spends the majority of his time with his deputy, Joe Lupo, and with Dr. Allison Blake. Allison is the liaison between the Department of Defense and Eureka. She is often at Jack's side when he has to troubleshoot problems that arise. Dr. Henry Deacon is a brilliant scientist who moonlights as a jack-of-all-trades. He quickly becomes Jack's closest friend. My personal favorite character is Dr. Douglas Fargo. When (not if) something goes wrong, Fargo is usually in the middle of it. Some of my favorite actors play regular or semi-regular characters in later seasons, including Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day. It is truly amazing how a town full of geniuses can do so many stupid things.

Early in season one, a character is digging for something in a dumpster and when he finds it he says "eureka". As cliched as that was, I laughed out loud.  Eureka ran from 2006-2012. Initially the show was picked up for a sixth season, then seemingly at the last minute it was announced that the fifth season would be the last.  One additional episode was ordered to allow the series to have a proper finale. Upon a recent re-watch, some of the technology doesn't seem so groundbreaking, but I still enjoyed the show almost as much as when it was first released. 

~ Amy, Adult Services

Staff Review: The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan

First let me say that The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan is not a feel-good read, but it is a very fine and important book -- fascinating, well-written, and entirely accessible to the layperson. It is receiving a lot of attention -- it's the 2018-2019 selection for the University of Wisconsin's Go Big Read program for one thing -- so hopefully it is sounding a loud alarm that our incomparable Great Lakes are once again in dire need of help.

I read the book because I love the Great Lakes. I was also under the mistaken impression that the passage of the Clean Water Act decades ago had solved most of their problems. The Clean Water Act did help -- immeasurably. But new challenges, including farm run-off (exempted from the Act), unbelievably destructive invasive species, water shortages in distant places, and the myriad threats of climate change, once again endanger the lakes.

Egan spends several chapters describing some of the most harmful invasive species -- quagga mussels, zebra mussels, round goby, Asian carp, and alewives, to name just a few of the 180 invaders. These creatures were introduced by way of ballast water in shipping freighters (ballast water was also exempted from the Clean Water Act) and through the channels and canals dug to connect the lakes with the Mississippi River basin and eastern seaboard. The author then meticulously examines the lakes' other threats, from pesticide run-off (which causes eutrophication) to climate change.

All things considered, Egan closes the book on a cautiously hopeful note. The Great Lakes ecosystem has proven somewhat adaptable, which is heartening. Even more heartening is that a lot of hardworking, educated people have a very good idea of what should be done to stop the degradation: the concrete steps we need to take to shut the gates to invasives, reduce farm run-off, and otherwise rehabilitate the lakes. Most heartening of all is that, following the book's publication, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, as the rehab plan is called, survived the 2018 budget process with its full funding intact. Perhaps Great Lakes area lawmakers read Egan's book and recognized its clarion call.

~Ann, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: NCIS

Do you love CSI, Criminal Minds, or Law & Order and want to find a similar show? NCIS is one of the longest-running primetime TV series* and is perfect for your next TV binge. It follows a team of investigators with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that investigate murders involving the US Navy and Marine Corps. It is the perfect mix of forensic science investigation and tough police-type interrogations.

The main character is Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Mark Harmon). He is a no-nonsense leader that has a great team of investigators that change over the seasons but have included Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Other recurring characters include the medical examiner Ducky (David McCallum) and my personal favorite: goth-loving forensic scientist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).



The show is full of action and suspense and is geared toward an adult audience. It contains many mature themes and every episode has graphic images so it might not be for those who get squeamish at the sight of dead bodies! However, there are plenty of humorous moments to cut through the tension.



Overall, I recommend this series to anyone who likes drama, forensic science, or investigative shows. There are many complex plot lines that keep you on the edge of your seat and each character is extremely well developed. It is perfect for binging because some of the storylines go across the entire season, so you want to keep watching until the end!

~Thea, Technical Services

*NCIS is a spin-off of the earlier military crime series JAG and you can see Gibbs's first episode (Ice Queen) in season 8 of JAG.

Bingeworthy TV: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey has become the gold standard of period dramas. For many people, nothing will ever compare and though it ran for 6 series (we call them seasons on this side of the pond) and ended in 2015, Downton Abbey is still incredibly popular. Created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey was co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. Episodes aired on ITV in the United Kingdom first and then after a series ended it aired on PBS in America.  

Why is Downton Abbey still so popular you may ask? There are many reasons: compelling characters and storylines, amazing scenery, amazing costumes, incredible writing...the list goes on. Downton Abbey follows the Crawley family, the hereditary Earls of Grantham, and their servants from the period between 1912 and 1925.

As part of the backstory, the main character, Robert, Earl of Grantham, had married an American heiress, Cora Levinson, to resolve past financial difficulties. Her considerable dowry was contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity. Basically that means that only a male heir can inherit the title and Cora's dowry can only be passed on to said male heir. The bad news is that Robert and Cora have 3 daughters and no sons. The oldest daughter, Mary, was to marry her second-cousin Patrick, second-in-line to the title. More bad news, the series starts with the Crawley family finding out that Patrick and his father James (first-in-line to the title) perished during an ill fated ocean voyage. Maybe you've heard of it? The ship was called the RMS Titanic.

(I wonder if Rose and Patrick were acquainted?)

For six seasons the lives of all those living at Downton Abbey are affected by historical events that took place during 1912 to 1925. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic, the Crawley's also experience the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Irish War of Independence, to name a few. Throughout all of this, we see the rise of the working class and the decline of the British Aristocracy. The Crawleys, and their servants, struggle to cope with the changing dynamics of the world around them.

The cast is truly amazing and, in my opinion, Maggie Smith shines the brightest as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Her acerbic wit and one-line zingers often bring some much needed levity to some of the more dour storylines. Nobody does disapproving facial expressions like the Dowager Countess of Grantham. 

If you haven't watched Downton Abbey, sit down with a cup of tea and give it a try. It is truly a masterpiece (see what I did there?). If you have a yen to travel to England, the real Downton Abbey is called Highclere Castle located in North Hampshire, and was used for exterior shots and most of the interior filming. If you are already a fan and wish to read more about Downton Abbey, here is a handy list of books you can check-out from Carnegie-Stout.  

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Avatar: The Last Airbender

“Water... Earth... Fire... Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he still has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world.”

This is a lot of pressure for a twelve-year-old boy who just came out of an iceberg. Aang, the last of the airbenders and title character of Avatar: The Last Airbender, has been encased in suspended animation for a hundred years. During that time, a war has raged and the Fire Nation has committed genocide against the Air Nomads, leaving Aang as the last of his people. In order to restore balance to the world, Aang has a year to master the remaining three elements. In each nation there are individuals who can “bend” or control their element through psychokinetic martial arts. The avatar is the only person who can master all four elements and is tasked with maintaining peace and order in the world and acting as mediator between humans and spirits.

Aang sets out on his flying bison, Appa, with his new friends Katara and Sokka to find the water, earth, and fire bending teachers so that he can realize his potential as the Avatar and end the war before it is too late. As awesome as this responsibility is, Aang is still a child and finds plenty of time to have fun and get into all kinds of shenanigans while evading and a couple times escaping Fire Nation custody. This show is fun for the whole family; children and adults alike will be riveted by Aang’s adventures, heartbreaks, and transformation into a young man with the weight or the world on his shoulders.

~Becca, Technical Services