6A - Monday, February 11, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 "Hello? Yes, this is doctor." Tedious M Tm "MC yet an day m ticular year ft drama closed on Practi, six sea the cri ninga cancel of FO Mob the CV Owens Harm' week have j ite gen year a Morni much- couldn "M( snooze every shows "Hous hour o with o ferenc( that n done 1 much 1 Morni vision? plete w New TNT What's intended to set "Mon- day Mornings" apart is a minor aedical drama twist on the generic genre. Every week (on Monday mornings, if has no pulse you couldn't guess), the surgeons of Chelsea General Hospital are By ALEC STERN subjected to "mortality and mor- Daily Arts Writer bidity" meetings. During these meetings, Dr. Hooten (Alfred onday Mornings" gives us Molina, "Spider-Man 2") reviews other reason to hate Mon- the cases of recently deceased ornings. It has been a par- patients and interrogates the doc- 'ly tough tors who cared for them. The or medical series is based on a book written S. ABC by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the doors Monday is created by perennial television "Private Momi presence . David E. Kelly ("Ally ce" after McBeal"), whose recent misfor- sons, and Pilot tunes on the broadcast networks itical pan- (remember "Harry's Law"?) led and quick Mondays at himto pursue his first cable series. lations 10 p.m. Though there's nothing special X's "The TNT about the script, what really drags Doctor," "Monday Mornings" down are its V's "Emily insufferable characters, not one s, M.D." and NBC's "Do No of which is likeable. Molina's Dr. '(which was cancelled this Hooten is as sadistic a chief of staff after only two episodes) as his Monday morning meetings. eopardized this fan-favor- Ving Rhames ("Mission: Impos- are. TNT hoped that a new sible") could not be less believable nd its new series, "Monday as Dr. Jorge Villanueva, the mor- ngs," could give the genre a ally sound surgeon with a tough needed reinvigoration. They exterior. Dr. Napur (Sarayu Rao, 1't have been more wrong. "NCIS: Los Angeles") gives new onday Mornings" is a meaning to the word annoying, -fest and lacks al'most whileDr. Park (KeongSim, "Glee") aspect that has propelled is written so stereotypically that like "Grey's Anatomy" and the character is borderline rac- e" to become hits. The first ist. Likewise, the lead of the show, f the series leaves viewers Jamie Bamber ("Battlestar Galac- ne resounding feeling: indif- tica"), does nothing special as Dr. e. Viewers will recognize Tyler Wilson. ot only has the show been The first of the meetings focus- before, but it's been done eson the case of a female patient better than this. Is "Monday who had been under the care of ngs" the worstshow on tele- a particularly inept physician. 'No. However, it is a com- The other doctors have even vaste of time. nicknamed him "007" because, )flday of his apparent license to kill. Fans of "Grey's Anatomy" should realize that Kelly ripped this off directly from the ABC series. In the pilot episode of that medical drama, the doctors gave George O'Malley the exact same nick- name (for the exact same reason). What should serve as an intrigu- ing introduction to highlight the show's premise, the open- ing meeting just emphasizes the harsh and unpleasant nature of both the "M&M" meetings and the show in general. Apparently, the doctors at this Portland, Ore. hospital aren't allowed to make mistakes when presented with rare medical cases. The series also seems unsure of what kind of medical drama it wants to be. On the one hand, a "Grey's Anatomy"-type show is unapologetically soapy: Doc- tors move from one to the other, having sex in on-call rooms and arguing about their personal lives over open patients in the O.R. On the other hand, "House" and "ER" are more medically focused. "Monday Mornings" is in its own world, struggling to find any kind of balance. The existence 'of this show is downright perplexing, par- ticularly because it does noth- ing worthwhile in the entire first episode. Much like the characters, the show has zero redeeming qualities and the pilot doesn't even graze the surface of compelling drama or thought- provoking characters. Without a doubt, "Monday Mornings" will eventually end up the victim of a Monday morning meeting itself, with a TNT executive having to answer for this colossal failure. Is that rib sauce or blood? Cable-quality 'Cards' deals Netflix a winner By SAM CENZHANG Daily Arts Writer "House of Cards" has the sort of pedigree that puts the audience on notice. The show makes no pre- tense that it's anything other than a star House of vehicle for two- Cards time Academy Award winner Netflix Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty"). When the credits roll, the cinematically shot and frenetically plotted "House of Cards" feels like something much bigger than television. Of course, "House of Cards" isn't exactly television. Netflix is transforming from content plat- form to content producer, and its evolution doesn't start small. For one, every episode of "House of Cards" is available, right now. It's an obvious prestige project,, starring an established movie star in Spacey, who's sure to gar- ner serious consideration for an Emmy. In today's ludicrously crowded field of Best Leading Actor in a w candidates, that's praise about as high as possible for the credibility Spacey brings to any project. Spacey completely dominates the first two episodes by virtue of screen time - sheer pres- ence and the particularities in the show's storytelling. He commands the screen as Fran- cis Underwood, House Major- ity Whip and Representative from Gaffney, S.C. Not only that, he also directly addresses the audience, which by itself is not at all innovative. Indeed, the show isn't even the first whose title starts with "House of" to employ 'a protagonist-narrator played by an Academy Award nominee. (That dubious dis- tinction belongs to Showtime's disappointing "House of Lies" and Don Cheadle.) However, the device, as worn-out as it has seemingly become, suits "House of Cards" and its star perfectly. The dialogue is overwrought, appropriately so for such a mas- ter of ham as Kevin Spacey. There are moments, though, when it threatens to veer from overliterate into unlistenable. The first two episodes are filled to bursting with exposition, plotlines and characters, all of which seem to demand a sub- stantial amount of screen time. When the camera centers on Spacey, and the rest of the world drops away in the moments when Spacey breaks the fourth wall, the show and Spacey are given room to breathe. Lines that threaten to become corny are instead delivered lightly, with a wink, and we become RELEASE DATE- Monday, February 11, 2013 Los Angeles Times Daily Edited by Rich Norris and Joy ACROSS DOWN 34 Le 1 Tip, as one's hat 1 New-_: India's 36 Lo 5 Empty spaces capital 37 Pa 9 Subsides 2 Hunter iss 14 Suffix with switch constellation 39 Re 15 Wilson of 3 Heads on beers dis "Wedding 4 Hint oftthe future 43 Ex Crashers" 5 'Take a shot!" 44 Lik 16 Texas shrine 6 Informed (of) ha 17 Tall tale teller 7 Attack, aswith 49 Ch 18 "Deck the Halls" snowballs Ab syllables 6 Stockingtear 51 Pr t9OTear to shreds 9 Military practice 0wl 20 Residential loan 10 Visitohfrom atar 23 About to happen 11 Treat jet lag, ANS 24 Bronzetfrom a perhaps day atthe beach 12 Earthbound S T 28 Rene'strend Aussie bird R E 29 Appear to be 13 Dip, as bread in S E 31 Lingus: Irish gravy carrier 21 Dad's partner 32 Russian fighter' 22 "Lemme__!" D I I ets 25 Vocalist Judd E C t 35 "I'd like to hear 26 Reallystrange C AI the rest' 27 Bride's purchase C Hc 38 Italian violin 29 Baserunner's A N maker option 40 Squeak stopper 30 Scat legend 41 Rigsnon the road Fitzgerald I T 42 1974 Jimmy 32 Flagship store at W Buffett song New York City's I NI 45 Reasonsfor Herald Square S E extrainnings 33 Wordsfrom one S TI 46 'Tastesgreat!" with a bad hand xword 47 Pot's inspiration 48 Sow or cow 1 2 5 0 5 5 50 Whatsocial 141 climbers seek 52 Curtail 17 1o 56 Office communication, w 2 21 and what can literally befound 23 in 20-, 35- and 42-Across26 59 Gangster John 32 33 34 35 36 known asThe Teflon Don" 6 39 40 62 Twice-monthly fide 42 4s 63 Paths of pop-ups a a7 64 Place on a s 51 pedestal 65 Showsome so snJ spank 66 "That makes 58 so nne1 65 67 Saunter 64 en 68 Vehicle on runners s769 ro68o 69rsont ownership ByGailGrabowskiandBruceven (c)2013TribuneMediaServices, Inc 0 Crossword Puzzle yce Nichols Lewis tter after beta 52 Simple trap ng, long time 53 Far from rking ticket talkative uer 54 Intro giver sistance to 55 Snooped ease (around) pel 57 Pulls the plug on e a slingshot 58 More than ndle lifelike ristmas, e.g.: 59 Precious stone br. 60 Big name in oof of kitchen gadgets Nnership 61 Profs' helpers WER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: A G F i L M T R A D E S T U R N E E S O R E S T T S U P O N T W E E T Y T M I S T R A W M A N N P E O R I A E S S E 0 C H "iES P E D N D L E M A S P O L A R O R U S S I N 1 S E S O IN T IV L I C E C E P A T R I O T O D O A E ID I G I DT RS TMY E L L Y E P U N Y I C E DIReditor@aol.com 02/11/13 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 16 22 24 25 26 27 537 J 41 44 45 48 49 s2 5a354 s5 7 e 5 ? 63 i 66 5 9 A. 02tl 1/13 Call:#734-418-4115 Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com NSUMMERE~ARBOR PROPERTIES Award-Winning Rentals in Kerrytown Central Campus, Old West Side, Burns Park. 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Prkg extra cost where avail. 847-7196. www.theislandhouse.com cappomanagement.com 734-996-1991. complicit in the joke and are fur- ther drawn into Frank Under- wood's web. The arch glance to the camera trademarked by "The Office" 's John Krasinski has never served a more crucial pacing and structural role. David Fincher ("Zodiac") was hired to be David Fincher, and these first two episodes are very David Fincher indeed. There are too many examples of directorial pyrotechnics to list, from shots outside the Rayburn building to a scene inside a dirty hovel. When it comes down to it, Fincher is one of the preemi- nent directors of his generation, and his directorial work here is exemplary. Unfortunately, his directorial involvement with the show ends with the second episode, so there is at least some concern that this may be the visual high point of the entire series's run. A 13-hour Fincher film you can watch on your laptop. Fincher's ascension to the ivory tower of executive pro- duction, however, won't damage the show irrevocably. Any show would be better off with Fincher calling the shots, but the nar- rative momentum created by the first episodes isn't merely a function of masterful direction. Despite the inevitable pacing hiccups created by an overload of storylines, Kate Mara ("Dead- fall"), Robin Wright ("Enlight- ened") and Kristen Connolly ('The Cabin in the Woods") all deliver excellent undercard (as it were) performances, and they are the biggest draws outside of the event horizon that is Spac- ey's presence. Though Netflix provides a unique delivery system for the show, "House of Cards" by no means revolutionizes the form of serialized drama, even though there's no weekly wait for the next fix. It hits all the notes one would expect from a season- long production, despite being made available like a 13-hour film. Every episode is comprised of small problems that are solved and fit into a larger tap- estry, slowly'unraveling over the course of a season. Anyone who has ever watched television will know exactly what this is like; "House of Cards" is essentially a glorified procedural. Despite that, the show is compulsively watchable, exquisitely shot and deftly balances restraint and melodrama. Reports of weekend binges through all 13 episodes are quite common, and that's really all the endorsement you need. FOLLOW @MICHDAILYARTS!