Tuesday 9 January 2018

Remember That Show...

I'm starting something else new. Yey! As I've been getting rid of DVDs from my collection (making room for a whole load I got in the sales) I'm not looking to my TV boxsets of which I used to me so proud of, now as they literally gather dust, I'm getting rid of things. As there is so much TV to watch on Netflix, Amazon, BBCiplayer, 4OD, Now TV (tired now) I have less and less time to rewatch my TV DVDs. So, I'm writing posts about shows I haven't seen in years and will most likely be getting rid of. But there are some things that will remain (30 Rock and Battlestar Galactica are going no where, same goes for Sabrina the Teenage Witch).



Hey, do you remember that show where there were two US marshalls and they were best friends and they actually worked for WITSEC (witness protection) and each week they'd have to sort out a problem or relocate someone...

When talking about TV shows, most of my stories begin with 'back in Uni' or 'back in school when no one watched the same shows as me', well, this one is the former. Back in Uni I watched a hell of a lot of TV and there nothing wrong with that at all. I also watched a hell of a lot of films too, I was after all studying Film and TV production. I'd watch shows with friends, some recomendations and quite a few on my own. An old pal of mine still actually as my copy of a mini series that edged me into the horror genre, it became a running joke that she still has it. But its been nearly 10 years so I'll let that one go.

I was looking for something new to watch because inbetween waiting for 30 Rock to come out each week I needed something to be hooked on. These were the days believe it or not before Netflix and the best streaming service out there was BBC iplayer. I looked for cheap first seasons/series and decided if it was worth pursuing. In Plain Sight was a show I had seen the trailers of a few times so bought up season one cheap and got stuck in.


Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) is a US Marshall working for WITSEC, she is unapologetic, stubborn and damn fine agent. She has difficulty retaining romance relationships and wrangling her mother and sister who always seem to find themselves in trouble. Her best friend and partner, Marshall Mann (Fred Weller) is the guy that always has something to say and seems to know a little of everything. They are the perfect duo whether they are on a case, looking after a witness or just bantering over coffee. Each episode consists of Mary and Marshall taking in a new witness(es) and dealing with whatever trouble occurs as well as keeping the secret from her family that she is a WITSEC agent. The story that continiously runs in the background is about Mary's father who disappeared when she was young. She joined the marshalls originally to find her father. A few estranged half siblings show up looking for their father throughout the five seasons, hoping for answers too.

I was and am a huge Marshall Mann fan, his dry wit and stone cold look was at times hilarious, plus the chemistry between him and Mary was hugely entertaining. For me it was different from other 'cop' or 'detective' shows as it was about witness protection, which is why I love Line of Duty so much which is about the anti-corruption team, something different. As the show had five seasons, the show must have been doing something right. Ending on an explosive note then (in my opinion) an anti-climax with a short last season. Just in case anyone's interest is peaked I won't spoil anything.

I managed to find season two while at uni but after that the trail went cold. I saw a couple of episodes from season 3 through the help of the internet but I had to wait a few more years before I got to see season 4 and later 5. The DVDs weren't even available in the UK annoyingly, but I have seen the complete series available and it is very tempting BUT I think my Mary and Marshall fandom days are done....for now.