Crash

As he did with the character Jordan Collier on "The 4400", Mr. Behr is overseeing the conversion of a shockingly rich materialist, Seth Blanchard, toward improving the plight of mankind. I loved how, before his conversion, the issue of poor people being displaced for new projects that benefit the middle class (condo construction and redevelopment, for example) was tackled, if only at a glance. In this case, Blanchard was lobbying a city counsellor to allow his football stadium's construction, which would be a blight to the working class and poor of the neighborhood, by falsely claiming it would bring jobs to the area. This is a very interesting start to what is sure to be an examination of faith and religion.



I also loved the allusion to the store-owner mother, Wendy Olinville, who might not be able to afford her diabetes medication, given her meager income. It's tough times for small businesses in America nowadays, and Mr. Behr understands this. This is an opportunity to connect to the health care debate, and I'm proud of Behr and his writers for being willing to do so.



The most exciting aspect of the storyline was the moment when the baseball mentor, Bo Olinville, called the pitcher's girlfriend a "whore". It's a small thing, but, in the context of what appeared to be a seemingly perfect person, it creates a alluring sense of mystery. I was wondering if the scene at the end of the season premiere meant what I thought it meant in terms of alluding to some disturbing tendencies in this character, and I returned to being quite disinterested in this character for most of this episode, but this small moment at its end affirmed more of this darker and very realistic aspect of his personality. What are his real motives? I really wanna know.



What are somewhat less exciting scenes involve Blanchard's drunken wife, Maggie Cheon (Grace Park) -- despite an interesting scene in which she calls her agent in a fit of sadness about her pregnancy in the context of a damaged marriage and finds no compassion, only business-minded help about rescheduling the book tour -- and the beautiful Inez who chats up men; the latter's arc seems a bit obvious. However, if there's anything I know about Ira Behr, there'll be surprises in store.