E-Ring

Critics of this show say there is a fundamental flaw with the concept of E-Ring: the main characters, including the protagonist played by Benjamin Bratt, are not really heroes.

The line of thinking says that characters have to operate completely autonomously to be considered heroic. The comments I've seen point out that Bratt and his colleagues (including boss Dennis Hopper) direct others to do the work but need to get approval from above for that work to be carried out. In other words, they don't DO anything themselves.

I watched the episodes I've seen with a jaundiced eye, the critics' words in mind. But Bratt comes off as, while slightly arrogant and naive, a true crusader who is learning to work the system to get very heroic things done. Along the way he designs some pretty creative military missions.

Jerry Bruckheimer may be stretching himself a little thin, but this one is pretty darn good. I would give it 7 out of 10. For one thing, the acting and writing (discounting a few egregious clichés) is better than CSI: Miami.

We want E-Ring returned to it's original prime-time location. It made Wednesday evening something to look forward to. Enjoyed the action & the personal interchange of the characters. Ventures into the Middle East are informative. We considered E-Ring an intelligent introduction into the workings of our military & state departments. A look into our covert shenanigans is helpful in keeping the American people aware of our government's activities in other nations. Excellent & interesting cast! Powerhouses like Dennis Hopper & Benjamin Bratt really added spark! We were also really looking forward to MSgt Jocelyn Pierce's budding romantic relationship. Hopefully, E-Ring will return! Soon!

The political and bureaucratic hurdles facing covert operations make an interesting and informative juxtaposition to the actual operations themselves. The show is like the West Wing (with somewhat less left-wing bias) combined with The Unit (without the soap opera/Desperate Housewives storyline). The characters are realistic, and the special forces exploits appear fairly plausible; however, I doubt that Pentagon staffers head into the field with any regularity, even if that does make for good television.

I enjoy E-Ring and hope NBC or another network picks it back up and continues to run it. (It would be amusing if E-Ring were to go the way of JAG, which started on NBC, was dropped at the end of the first season, and then ran for nine additional, successful seasons on CBS.) Whoever runs it, I certainly hope the show is not killed for good.

Thanks for reading.

-dave

The pilot of this show was great. Action-packed, well-written, and well-acted. It reminded me a lot of Tom Clancy's writing. Those who think the show was too "macho"... well, that's Special Forces for you. They ARE like that. I wouldn't be surprised if Benjamin Bratt spent some time for Special Forces types in preparation for the show. I also loved Dennis Hopper as the colonel (great to see Hopper in action!) and the actor playing the under-secretary is one of my favorite character actors. The Marine sergeant was the perfect senior NCO -- "I make things work while you guys skate on thin ice". The characterization was brilliant! I enjoyed "E-Ring" immensely and will be following it weekly... and I'm not just saying that because a cousin worked props on the pilot!

Overall, I enjoyed the show but the nomenclature got on my nerves. The producers need to research and use the correct terms. Boskowitz was not an "agent". In the intelligence world, an "agent" is a foreign national who provides information to the agency. Boskowitz is a CIA officer. CIA employees take an oath of office. The Chinese "asset" was not an "asset". She was an "agent", a foreign national who provided intelligence. Aside from making all the CIA characters look like bumbling careerist fools, the show was pretty good but, please, use the right names for people, positions and things! It ruins the authenticity of the show when these details are not correct. I'll look forward to future shows.