Melanie's Review
Laurie's Review
Melanie's ReviewMountie on the Bounty is an epic story, far more tale tale than cop story. Everything is writ large and colorful, from the supersticious sailors in the portside tavern to the "Big Time Crazy" Mountie with her Wonder Woman cutlass. Not to mention Fraser's turn as Captain Marvel (right down to the trademark "Holy Moley!") as he rocketed through the air. It's saved from its heavy implausibility by its bang-bang-bang pace--you never have time to stop and wonder because there's always another plot development. Like Call of The Wild, it's just "Hang on and enjoy the ride!" I did enjoy it, but the heavy "suspension of disbelief" level cost it some points in the final grade.
On close inspection, this episode has almost as many coincidences as Call of The Wild. The pirate from the US company that commits piracy in Canadian waters just happens to die on the car of the partner of the only US/Canadian joint police team in the midwest. The pirates' next target just happens to be a ship captained by an old friend of Fraser's father. The piracy just happens to be focused near a detachment of Mounties, which just happens to be led by an old friend of Thatcher's, which just happens to be in possession of a ship with working cannon and a selection of grappling hooks. Oh--and Thatcher's old friend is an old friend of Bob and Fraser's old friend--which just goes to prove that everyboy in Canada knows everybody else, after all.
The "millions of dollars in stolen gold" is right out of a pirate legend, but the illegal dumping of toxic waste is a much more realistic story. In fact, the idea that Illinois Lake Freight would have been making huge sums of money making toxic waste go away strikes me as the most realistic plot element in the whole story.
One thing I cannot fathom (pun intended) is that both Fraser and Ray would drive all night to reach the Henry Allen, in a car with a radio and a cell phone, and never tell anybody where they're going. The scene told from Dief's point of view, when Thatcher and Welsh discussed the pair's disappearance, is cute--but I would rather have not been told how Dief hears. It was more fun as a mystery.
I've said before that I really dislike the long underwater sequence--as much as I love to swim, I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of being trapped underwater. That sequence in the 150 meter corridor takes a very, very long time and I just don't like watching it. For the record, Fraser should have made that swim alone, with a rope. (It's a ship, there's gotta be rope around.) Tie one end of the rope at the destination, swim back to Ray and then they both could have pulled themselves through the corridor hand-over-hand much faster than swimming.
That said, the whole ship-sinking sequence was masterfully done. It can't have been easy to work with actors and cameras and all that water and debris--but they made it very believable, and very claustrophobic. I love the way they used all the dimensions--up into the ceiling duct, down (spash!) into another room, and so forth.
I appreciate that almost all of the cast members had the opportunity to get involved in the case. The Duck Boys had only a little more investigative work than they usually do, but Welsh, Thatcher and Turnbull broke out of the office in a way they had seldom done before. Frannie really got a chance to shine in this episode--not only in her hilarious interrogation scene, but also in her Elaine-like research and the lovely moment when she correctly interpreted Fraser's quotation "Here lies the body of John Brown, who was lost at sea and never found." However, she was way off-base with the idea that "forty-seven, eighty-five" could be a phone number in the 478 exchange. If it was a phone number, he would have said "four seven eight, five. . . ." 47, 85 is much more likely to be a license place (Thatcher's idea) or an address.
A lot of people seem to like the song 32 Down on the Robert Mackenzie, but I'm much more fond of Drunken Sailor and Barrett's Privateers. I really wish we could have heard more of the latter.
Duesies:Francesca [on phone]: Okay, so, orange baseball cap, orange slacks, orange shirt, carrying a pizza. . . Is there a light on the car outside with flashing lights marked 'Pizza' by any chance?
Welsh: Vecchio, you want to come in here for a minute?
Francesca [on phone]: Okay, and one more question. Did you order a pizza?Thatcher: Well, you're not going to take it, are you?
Fraser: Well, I haven't--
Thatcher: Because over the years we've developed a relationship. Working, of course, working relationship, and you might be hard to replace. Cost-wise. I mean, not everybody would live here in his underwear - uh, work - live in a place where he works.Fraser: You know, Ray, we do not know that he's a pirate. For all we know, he might be an accident-prone accountant.
Ray: You ever try to run a calculator with a hook?
Fraser: 'Here lies the body of John Brown, who was lost at sea and never found.'
Ray: Francesca, ask Fraser what that's supposed to mean.
Francesca: It's supposed to mean that your guy drowned, and then what? He swam, crawled, stabbed himself so that he could hang out with Mort?Ray: He's not blind.
Fraser: No, he is not.
Ray: How'd you know that?
Fraser: The involuntary movement of the pupils. It's a dead giveaway.
Lew: I was born blind. My eyesight's slowly getting better.Bob: Partnership is like a marriage, son. Give and take, up and down, who left the empty butter dish in the fridge. . . It isn't easy.
Thatcher: I think we should mount a coordinated search effort. I am offering you the entire resources of the Canadian Consulate.
Welsh: And those would be?
Thatcher: Constable Turnbull and myself.
Dief: [whine]
Thatcher: And the wolf.Smithers: Ah, Constable Fraser. . . I thought you were under cover.
Fraser: Well, I was.Bob: What's wrong with them?
Fraser: Well, theoretically they're dead.
Bob: Well I'm dead. There's nothing wrong with me. Look at them. They look pale. Look at me. I'm pink.Fraser: Running bowline, running bowline, running bowline. . .
Bob: You know what this is, son. You know what this is.
Fraser: What is it?
Bob: The rabbit comes out of the hole, runs around the tree, goes back in the hole and. . . No, no, no, wait, wait, wait. . . It's not a rabbit. It's a squirrel that goes up the tree. And it's a squirrel because the tail is longer, meaning the end of the rope. And it doesn't go back in the hole--
Fraser: Of course it doesn't go in the hole. It's a squirrel.
Bob: Exactly.
Fraser: Well, what does the squirrel do?
(Me: I never could remember how to do a bowline. I find it comforting to know that Fraser has trouble with them, too.)Smithers: She's my ship. I'll head her anywhere I damn well please, you mutinous, scab-sided, scum-sucking son of a poxied sea witch!
(Whaddaya know--a sailor who can cuss like a sailor.)Mort: If it would make things easier for you, I could slice the map right off his chest.
Thatcher: That might help.
Turnbull: Mmmmm. [THUD]Welsh: We have two officers in trouble.
Thorne: Say no more! Follow me! Recruits, to heel!Thorne: Do you know what's over there?
Welsh: No.
Thorne: The United States of America. That would be a foreign power. A damn big one, too.
Thatcher: We have a special relationship with the United States, Sergeant.
Thorne: Oh sure. England and Spain get along now. But don't forget about the Spanish Armada. Think about it. If Nelson hadn't been ready, we'd all be speaking Spanish, and I have no love for romance languages!. . . You an American?
Thatcher: Lieutenant Welsh is working with me.
Thorne: I'll keep that in mindThorne: Attention! Suck in that gut, cadet! Shoulders back, head up. Don't look at me. What are you looking at? Don't look at me! You call this shipshape? I've seen tighter sheets in a whorehouse. No slacking off. Look around you. Attention! The man beside you may not be coming back. We're going to see some real action today. Men will bleed. We're going to see some real steaming guts before this day is over! This may be your only chance to die for your country or at least be maimed or dismembered. Don't blow it!
Thomas: How much more of this do I have to listen to?
Francesca: Until you cough up, spill the jellybeans, sing like a teabird, and talk like a puppet.
Thomas: Talk like a puppet? What does that mean?
Huey: It means that we know you were in on the robbery.
Dewey: Illinois Lake Freight was behind it.
Francesca: Why don't you just tell us, Johnny? Spill your guts, 'cause if you don't I'm going to keep talking to you until you're pink in the face.
Thomas: Pink?
Francesca: Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm going to broil you, baby. I'm going to give you the second degree and if you don't believe me, ask them. I can keep talking longer than an attorney.
Dewey: Even longer.
Francesca: So, beef butt. . .Fraser: The sword is a unique addition.
Thorne: An essential modification for naval duty.
Turnbull: Ha. Completely unacceptable. It's a violation to the uniform. Using recruits to build a boat is one thing, but tampering with the uniform. . . . I'm sorry but I must put my foot down.
Thatcher: Thank you. That will be enough, Constable.
Thorne: Piss off.Bob: Wooden ships and iron men. Oh it's good to be back at sea again, Son.
Fraser: You've never been at sea, Dad.
Bob: Well, I've been contemplating a cruise. The roll of the waves, the glare of the sun, the exhilaration of the wind, dinner with the captain, Polynesians. . . .Thorne: Maybe we should take a swing around the lake before we go back, shell something on the American side.
Welsh: I'll break your jaw.
Thorne: I'll break yours first.
Blast from the Past:Blind Lew is carrying an editorial about crabgrass. Having spent much of the summer pulling up crabgrass from my friend's garden, I can sympathise with the guy in One Good Man who very likely wrote that editorial.
Nonsensical Duck Boys Conversation of the Week:Dewey: Heave. Not heat. Frost heave. Why would I say 'frost heat'? What the hell could 'frost heat' mean? Frost doesn't have heat, right? Heave is like when you throw up, you know. The frost sort of throws up the ground. That's why your foundation has been moving. That's why you got a basement full of water.
Huey: No, I got a basement full of water because the sewer backed up.
Whose Fantasy is it, Anyway?I've come to the conclusion that the "Sunset at Hign Noon" scene is Bob's fantasy--because he's the only person in the scene who doesn't get paired off.
He's known to be in support of a Ben/Meg relationship, and he pictures his son in a clumsy, childlike position. He conjures up a comely RCMB (Royal Canadian Mounted Bimbo) to distract Ray away from his son. He transfers the gay relationship to the relatively harmless Turnbull, and conjures up a RCMB (Royal Canadian Mounted Boy-Toy) for him--but not wanting to think about what exactly two men would do together, he pictures them arm-wrestling. ;-) The across-the-border relationship he transfers to Welsh and Thorne (which seems truly a fantasy since Thorne soon seems to be quite smitten with Smithers). And of course, Dief also gets a RCMB (Royal Canadian Mounted Bitch).
Third Runner-Up Nitpick of the Week:Why did the pirates shoot at the submersible? Why not just haul it back up out of the water?
Second Runner-Up Nitpick of the Week:
Sgt. Thorne and her troop of raw recruits just happens to have a spare constable's uniform with 3 service stars and rifle- and pistol-sharpshooter badges just sitting around on the boat? In Fraser's size?
Runner-up Nitpick of the Week:
The transfer document Welsh shows to Ray is for Raymond Vecchio--not S. Raymond Kowalski. He asks if that means he can have his own name back and Welsh says yes--but the transfer seems to imply that the identity goes with him.
Nitpick of the Week: (Thanks to M-A)
"Bloom, close, kick 'em in the head" won't get you very far. It should be "Bloom, kick 'em in the head, close."
Fraser Factoid of the Week:Godel was a German mathematician who founded this theorem that, loosely translated, means, everything I say is a lie.
Calling Doctor Frued:"We got two naked seamen here!"
Runner-Up Moment of the Week:Fraser: Gentlemen, there's something I'd like to get off my chest. . .
Man: What's that?
Fraser: Oh, the year was 1778, how I wish I was in Sherbrook now. . . "Moment of the Week:
Ray tossing his gun. (Although the nitpicker in me wonders how he managed it without his glasses.)
Heavy-Handed Censor Moment of the Week:On TNT, the word "God" was deleted from every verse of Barrett's Privateers.
Runner-Up Mountie Superpower of the Week:Fraser: You've just got to get streamlined, Ray.
Ray: How do you streamline your head?
Fraser: Practice.
Ray: How do you practice something like this?
Fraser: Holy Moly, look at that. It's a golden eagle.
Ray: Ah, Fraser, we're slowing down.
Fraser: Yep. That would be gravity.Mountie Superpower of the Week:
Sam Thorn's Wonder Woman cutlass. ("Ping! Ping! Ping!")
Snack to enjoy while watching Mountie on the Bounty:A thick stew with bread & butter. Good hearty food--just the thing after a long day's work. Open mouth, put in, then lead your crewmates in song.
Grading:
The Ghost Ship B The Partnership B+ The Roller-Coaster Ride A Everybody in the Act A Overall Grade A-
Laurie's ReviewMountie on the Bounty impresses me, flaws and all, though I easily overlook them. There's so much action and drama and a nice dash of humor, it's exciting, intriguing, fast paced and fun. The focus may be on Fraser and Ray but the scenes move back and forth between them and the rest of the cast, between the events on the lake and the precinct. The tale of the "ghost" ship carrying toxic wastes is interesting enough and probably could have carried the show, but it's more compelling with Fraser and Ray trying to mend their fractured friendship and partnership. I love the beginning with the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid takeoff, the ending with Ray and Fraser grinning infectiously, and everything in between.
This ep more than any other gives the secondary characters time in the spotlight. Huey and Dewey are working well together and have truly become partners, much like Fraser and Ray or Ray. It's not just about police work - we see their friendship in action. Francesca has finally become a woman to be taken seriously and makes a valuable contribution. Insp. Thatcher and Turnbull are involved in an official capacity and Thatcher especially proves herself to be a competent police officer, in contrast to the administrator we usually see. Welsh has increasingly more screen time and is no longer just the boss behind the desk who barks orders, issues reprimands and listens to the ramblings of his detectives and a certain Mountie. It's a treat to see him so involved away from the office.
I saw this ep in its first run and found the week's wait for the second part almost interminable. Paul Gross wore many hats for this superb ep and did an exemplary job. Not perfect but perfectly wonderful. Another key to its success is that the entire cast seemed to have such a great time filming it.
The music of the sea is marvelous and fits like a glove. I only wish we could have had more. The closing credits would have been the perfect time for a complete rendition of Barrett's Privateers, like Stan Rogers' Northwest Passage during the Call of the Wild credits.
The HMS Bounty is a work of art, and the blue of the sky and lake and all the red serge helps paint a breathtakingly beautiful picture. The mood is captured in detail and the scenes are expertly filmed. The music and dialogue take a back seat to what the eye beholds.
Favorite Scenes:Ben's clothes neatly laid out on his desk, the way he freezes when Insp. Thatcher walks in, his rushed explanation as he struggles into his clothes while sitting on the floor, and the zip of his pants while she's telling him to just stay in uniform. Camilla Scott is trying not to laugh during one of her lines, I think it's "during the day."
Ray moping around the station. What a comically sad contrast to Francesca's pizza conversation.
Ray telling Ben it's been a pleasure working with him and offering to give him a lift after being practically knocked off his feet, and the look on Ben's face after doing it. When Ray hit Ben they both wore looks of disbelief, but when Ben hits Ray, the look becomes one of pain.
Dief stealing the water bottle. I'd like to know why, since it wasn't junk food.
Lt. Welsh talking about the sea being his genetic destiny and Mort singing "ho yo ho! ho yo ho!" as they leave the morgue.
The look Ray gives Fraser when he asks him for the "other" evidence (gold bar), and Ray says, "I was gonna hold onto that."
The slow motion walk along the dock at Sault Ste. Marie, and that catchy music.
Captain Smithers hears Bob say "Skagway" but assumes it was Ben. I like the look he gives Ray. At the end of the ep Smithers hears Bob say "a bottle of rum" and wonders who said it. Quite a number of people are somehow aware of Bob's presence.
Ray sitting around holding the bucket while Ben happily shovels coal, their grungy clothes.
Ray freaking out when he hears the ship is sinking.
The "why are you yelling at me?" conversation while they're trying to find a way out of the ship. A yellow duck floats by about this time.
Their screaming as gravity takes hold and they plummet into the lake.
When Thatcher says to Turnbull, "I see your progress leaves something to be desired," he rather curtly retorts, "Well, with only four numbers, Sir, yes."
The buddy breathing scene is popular for various reasons but I prefer the ensuing conversation: Ray: Thanks. Ben: You're thanking me? Ray: Look, don't get too excited, Fraser. The jury's still out on this partnership thing, okay? Ben: Oh, well, don't worry, Mr. Instinct, I'm not excited. Electrical sparks start flying, Ray ducks under the water and Ben says, "Yikes."
The conversation in the submersible, Bob's participation, the strange looks, the nitpicking, and sweaty Ben and Ray.
Sgt. Thorn's warm greeting to Capt. Smithers, "Ed! Ed Iron Bottom Smithers! You still breathing?" followed by her purposeful striding across the deck, deflecting bullets with her sword.
Ben telling Vic Hester to lower his weapon and surrender, Hester responding, "Maybe I should just feed you to the fishes," and Ben's "Andy Calhoon oblique stroke Vic Hester, you are under arrest."
Ben and Ray's silent signaling (they're back in sync), and the marvelous gun toss, Ben firing the gun, the guys jumping down at the same time.
And last but not definitely not least, the two of them leaning against the railing, grinning at each other. Friends and partners once again.
Nitpicks:Even though Ben knows Blind Lew isn't really blind and he wanted to prove it, I think it was cruel to point the gun in his face.
Grade: A+
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