The Beast

Kudos to Christine Moore for how she put together the Nadia episode of The Beast on A&E with Patrick Swayze. If she ever needs a demo reel of how extraordinarily good she can be, this one surely is it.

An astonishing bit of directing, and best of all it surfaced the remarkable actress Angela Gots (who I never seen before except without recognition in a House episode) in the role of a lifetime.

I see she has worked in movies and TV for 8 years and repeatedly shown flashes of extreme brilliance in small parts, but this is where she really gets to let it all hang out.

Nadia is a really driven character - a Rumanian woman driven to "traffic prostitution" in the United States in hope of tracking down her baby which her family had sold to illegal American adopters when the family were desperate for cash. And she achieves her comeuppance in taking down the villain of the piece - wow does she get her comeuppance!

Everything about this Christine Moore episode is just perfect. Script, casting, locations, lighting, music, and on and on. And she picked Angela Gots and directed her, in this astonishingly compelling and fearless performance - her scene in the warehouse is a classic.

May they both go to showbiz heaven for that.

Patrick Swayze first impressed me with "Dirty Dancing" and I had hoped to see him helm a spate of musicals. After nearly losing hope, I had the pleasure of watching Swayze again in "Ghost" and was impressed by his soothing mix of masculine sweetness. Given the enormous success of these two films, plus his impressive stint in "North and South," I surely expected a spate of impressive Swayze movies. Alas, then came the insipid "Next of Kin" (ruined by a "Hollywood" ending), the turgid "Point Break" and the sleazy "Road House". I was apparently one of few who enjoyed "FatherHood," but I was really beginning to give up hope that Hollywood would EVER take full advantage of Swayze's dramatic abilities. Ironically, but fitfully, along comes "The Beast" to give Swayze a chance to REALLY demonstrate his "acting chops," just as his boyishly handsome looks wasted away to cancer, with "The Beast," which is also the darkest, grittiest "cop show" I have seen since "The Shield".

While I admire this 13 episode homage to the Swayze persona, I really wish the producers would repackage this excellent series with a new leading man. Certainly, any number of fine actors could play rogue FBI agent Charlie Baker; Liam Neeson, Denzil Washington, Russell Crowe, Michael Chiklis, Hugh Laurie, Jamie Bamber, Timothy Oliphant, David Morse and Will Patton come immediately to mind.

NOTE TO PRODUCERS: If you DO decide to revive "The Beast," either for theaters or RV, PLEASE retain the style and music of the original series, as both are superb.

I give "The Beast" a solid "8".

It seems that only interpersonal emotional dramas gather the votes. The Beast is emotional, but it is not Little House on the Prairie. Swayze as maverick FBI agent is ably abetted by his new partner, well-portrayed by Travis Fimmel, in catching the bad guys and finding out 'who-dunnit' in an event 15 years prior. The characters are hard men who suppress their emotions to get the job done, yet this is who they are. Why this show has low ratings? I can only guess that there is not enough emotional interaction among the characters, and female interest is definitely low. Yet this is what makes the show gripping. Who will snap? Who will betray and who will be betrayed? Are the 'good' guys really the good guys? Even the bad guys are not what they seem at times. This is action drama that revolves around Swayze, who, health issues in real life or not, delivers a driven performance as if each case might be his last. If you don't like The Beast and don't want more of it, what are you doing watching cop shows? Go back to your reruns of Friends and Seinfeld, instead.

I saw the airing on 15 January 10:00 - 10:52 PM EST (this unusual time slot is what was scheduled). It was tight, well edited, grim, brilliant. I went to watch it with a friend and his cut was completely different. We both recorded another upcoming showing (17 January 6:00 - 7:00 PM EST and PST).

The showing on the 17th was far inferior; out of order, dumbed-down, slowed down, important points left out, and truly disappointing after the brilliant cut I had seen.

And if you are going to craft a show like this, don't decapitate it by blanking out every other word! Which versions did people see? Did anyone else catch two different versions of this? Which did you like better?

I should start by highlighting that I am biased, Patrick Swayze is a legend in my eyes and his untimely death robbed the world of a hugely talented actor, may his soul rest in peace.

I don't think bias is necessarily a bad thing though, of course that is for you to judge. This TV series was cut short at the news of Patrick's death, which while understandable, maybe the biggest mistake ever made. Its an amazing show. If you think that weekend TV such as law and order, csi etc is good viewing, you will be blown away by this show. The script is nothing short of a masterclass, it takes you to the very last minute of every episode and never has you guessing what's going to happen, because, well simply you just don't want to, it leaves you wanting more.

Its gritty and realistic and while sometimes pushes the boundaries of what may be believable for some, Sir Swayze always makes it feel real. The tension builds from the first episode and rumbles all the way through, so you're never disappointed. If you like hard hitting feel good TV, this is ideal for you, and if you like Patrick Swayze, this is a must see TV series.