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Boston
Public
Ch 5, Tues, midnight Mad About School You know it isn't an ordinary school when the teachers go at each others' throats while some search for a make out place, and the students bring guns to class and make drug deals with peers. It's just as obvious this isn't a local school because there aren't any scenes of teachers scolding students via a phone camera or long queues of pathetic weepy parents for primary 1 registration. Good morning class, and welcome to Winslow High, school and insanity ward to teachers and students with enough dramatics to put even soap Days of Our Lives to shame. The 3rd season of Boston Public returns with many changes, especially significant ones like popular teacher down in the dungeon [a place for errant remedial students] Harry Senate (Nicky Katt) exiting the show and new cast members Joey McIntyre (yes, that pop singer who sang 'Stay the Same'), Cara DeLiza and Jon Abrahams deputising as faculty staff. An ominous sign that the David E Kelly-produced show is taking the highway of soap opera histrionics like his other projects (eg The Practice or the former Ally McBeal) is evident in the 1st episode. In this opener, the students stage a protest that resulted in a riot, and a pregnant student gives birth in the toilet. Whatever happened to boring history lessons on the American civil war and wearing goggles in chemistry labs?
Subsequent episodes are equal to the theatrical task. The racial slinging matches between Marla Hendricks (Loretta Devine) and Danny Hanson (Michael Rapaport) that escalated into a knockout scene is - pardon the pun - blowing and downright hilarious. And when Steven Harper (Chi McBride) delivers a comical and clownish scolding to both during a meet-the-principal session, you can only ask, "Where's the naughty kid?" All of a sudden, school seems more interesting. In another quirky scene, vice-principal Scott Guber (Anthony Heald) holds a mock trial after discovering a student who charges fees for providing room and security to students having sex in the basement (so much for the local government promoting the entrepreneur spirit in students). Clearly, the mock trial bears mark of Kelly influences from his other lawyer show, The Practice. The rest of the season contains several shocking revelations from a teacher who comes to terms with his sexually abused past, and another faculty member facing a manslaughter charge. On a lighter note, we see hot babe teacher Ronnie Cook (Jeri Ryan) romancing arrogant alpha male teacher Zach Fisher (Jon Abrahams), and American Idol finalist Tamyra Gray (who did a duet with Kelly Clarkson on 'You Thought Wrong') making her TV debut as a student named Aisha who gets to display her singing pipes on the show. Anthony Heald deserves a worthy mention for his underrated role as the strict and preppy VP among an ensemble of young pretty faces. He may get on the student nerves with his Nazi-like style, but he wins much sympathy for his portrayal as a lonely person who yearns for some love. Boston Public, in its 4th season in the US now, is going strong and it's easy to know why. As the audience, we want to escape into a world where we know that the teachers aren't angels as professed to be and the students are pretty cool like ourselves. For that, this high school drama gets an A. Rating: |
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