I liked "Kidnapped". It was well acted (by Hutton especially) and intriguing. I think it has a different type of non-reality to it than other thrillers I've seen.
From its portrayal of a family who's literally in the stratosphere, class-wise, with their old continent sophistication; the self-made millionaire in Conrad Cain who has who-knows-what skeletons in his past; the symbolic and evocative names of its characters, like Cain, Knapp, and Virgil; the tagline ("Suspect everything"); all of it put me in the mind of British serial television mysteries like "Rebus" and "Poirot". For a movie comparison, look no further than "Gosford Park".
Ack, not "Gosford Park"! That film is booooring and "Kidnapped" wasn't :-)
I found the show riveting (enough to sit and watch it without simultaneously multitasking on the computer, playing with my cats, etc., heh heh). I find the plot intriguing, I love Jeremy Sisto (he can take his shirt off any time, as far as I'm concerned), and Delroy Lindo & Timothy Hutton are awesome as usual. I'm very interested to see how they will sustain the conceit for a whole season. Not too worried about plot holes or season two at this point, either--I want to see how the story progresses before I worry about anything else.
What ABC show is going to go up against "Kidnapped"? Is it "The Nine" or something else?
Judging by last night's ratings, where "Kidnapped" got spanked by "CSI: NY" and a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat, I wouldn't be shocked if it wasn't even around by the time ABC premieres "The Nine" in a couple of weeks.
Sigh... NBC viewers just refuse to watch anything but "Law & Order" in this timeslot, don't they? The only plus is that "Vanished" will no doubt follow it out the door.
For some reason, I just think this show is a victim of "serialization overload." It's well done, it's well-acted, and the story is compelling enough, but it just comes oh-so-slightly short in the "sucking you in" department. And, with so many serialized dramas around this year, any show that doesn't suck you in immediately is going to fail.
That's why The Nine is going to do so well; that pilot was the only one that completely sucked me in and made me pay attention.
Delroy Lindo, nuff said. I firmly believe had this aired before Vanished it would have gotten more praise. From the pilot alone it has more intrigue and potential character development than Vanished could have ever hoped for. Time will tell, and I still plan on watching both, but rooting for the NBC rookie to pull it out.
"Kidnapped" was ok, but I thought it felt like an unfinished episode of "Without a Trace." Where was the intrigue? If there is some reason beyond wanting money that the boy was kidnapped, then they didn't do a very good job of making me wonder what was going on.
And what a bizarre ending. I felt no suspense. A phone ringing...ok. What exactly does that mean? I just didn't get it.
However, I love, love, love Jeremy Sisto. And Dana Delany. I just wish they had given us less bungling by the FBI and more drama between the family. The FBI should have come in much, much later. Like, they could have made it much more suspenseful, if the Delroy Lindo character near the very end of the episode finds out that his friend is still alive, instead of somewhere in the middle.
I agree with the idea that no one caring/noticing/reporting a shoot-out on the streets of NY was rather bizarre. And what about the kid who was let go? Wouldn't he have told the school or his parents what happened to him and why he is so traumatized? And why were the parents not panicking when their oldest daughter couldn't be reached?
I wanted it to be better and make a little more sense as to why I should continue to watch.
My complaint is probably the most superficial but ...
Would it kill NBC to get a different typestyle for the credits on each show? I can halfway understand Studio 60 cribbing their credit typeface from The West Wing, but why does Kidnapped have to use the exact same font?
Other than that, I liked it. Smart cops & smart villains always makes for good entertainment.
Excellent show - far better than Vanished, which I still continue to watch for some reason. The production values here are quite good; I really believe that the action is occurring in New York City. NBC has spent a lot of $$ promoting this show so I hope that they don't give up on it. Hutton, Delany, Sisto et al. clearly kept me riveted.
I liked "Kidnapped". It was well acted (by Hutton especially) and intriguing. I think it has a different type of non-reality to it than other thrillers I've seen.
ReplyDeleteFrom its portrayal of a family who's literally in the stratosphere, class-wise, with their old continent sophistication; the self-made millionaire in Conrad Cain who has who-knows-what skeletons in his past; the symbolic and evocative names of its characters, like Cain, Knapp, and Virgil; the tagline ("Suspect everything"); all of it put me in the mind of British serial television mysteries like "Rebus" and "Poirot". For a movie comparison, look no further than "Gosford Park".
Is good.
ReplyDeleteAck, not "Gosford Park"! That film is booooring and "Kidnapped" wasn't :-)
ReplyDeleteI found the show riveting (enough to sit and watch it without simultaneously multitasking on the computer, playing with my cats, etc., heh heh). I find the plot intriguing, I love Jeremy Sisto (he can take his shirt off any time, as far as I'm concerned), and Delroy Lindo & Timothy Hutton are awesome as usual. I'm very interested to see how they will sustain the conceit for a whole season. Not too worried about plot holes or season two at this point, either--I want to see how the story progresses before I worry about anything else.
What ABC show is going to go up against "Kidnapped"? Is it "The Nine" or something else?
Judging by last night's ratings, where "Kidnapped" got spanked by "CSI: NY" and a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat, I wouldn't be shocked if it wasn't even around by the time ABC premieres "The Nine" in a couple of weeks.
ReplyDeleteSigh... NBC viewers just refuse to watch anything but "Law & Order" in this timeslot, don't they? The only plus is that "Vanished" will no doubt follow it out the door.
For some reason, I just think this show is a victim of "serialization overload." It's well done, it's well-acted, and the story is compelling enough, but it just comes oh-so-slightly short in the "sucking you in" department. And, with so many serialized dramas around this year, any show that doesn't suck you in immediately is going to fail.
ReplyDeleteThat's why The Nine is going to do so well; that pilot was the only one that completely sucked me in and made me pay attention.
Delroy Lindo, nuff said. I firmly believe had this aired before Vanished it would have gotten more praise. From the pilot alone it has more intrigue and potential character development than Vanished could have ever hoped for. Time will tell, and I still plan on watching both, but rooting for the NBC rookie to pull it out.
ReplyDeleteI still like "Vanished" better.
ReplyDelete"Kidnapped" was ok, but I thought it felt like an unfinished episode of "Without a Trace." Where was the intrigue? If there is some reason beyond wanting money that the boy was kidnapped, then they didn't do a very good job of making me wonder what was going on.
And what a bizarre ending. I felt no suspense. A phone ringing...ok. What exactly does that mean? I just didn't get it.
However, I love, love, love Jeremy Sisto. And Dana Delany. I just wish they had given us less bungling by the FBI and more drama between the family. The FBI should have come in much, much later. Like, they could have made it much more suspenseful, if the Delroy Lindo character near the very end of the episode finds out that his friend is still alive, instead of somewhere in the middle.
I agree with the idea that no one caring/noticing/reporting a shoot-out on the streets of NY was rather bizarre. And what about the kid who was let go? Wouldn't he have told the school or his parents what happened to him and why he is so traumatized? And why were the parents not panicking when their oldest daughter couldn't be reached?
I wanted it to be better and make a little more sense as to why I should continue to watch.
My complaint is probably the most superficial but ...
ReplyDeleteWould it kill NBC to get a different typestyle for the credits on each show? I can halfway understand Studio 60 cribbing their credit typeface from The West Wing, but why does Kidnapped have to use the exact same font?
Other than that, I liked it. Smart cops & smart villains always makes for good entertainment.
Excellent show - far better than Vanished, which I still continue to watch for some reason. The production values here are quite good; I really believe that the action is occurring in New York City. NBC has spent a lot of $$ promoting this show so I hope that they don't give up on it. Hutton, Delany, Sisto et al. clearly kept me riveted.
ReplyDelete