The Unit (1 Viewer)

Mods, feel free to make this the "official" thread (if one is needed).

I thought it was pretty good. Good enough to earn a Season Pass.

Great beginning. The one part of the show I was a little worried about (the whole "wives" angle) was actually well done.

I must have blanked out for second...but why were Dennis Haysbert and Scott Foley in Idaho in the first place? I know they got weapons from that guy, and got the phone call as if they were expecting it.

I was a little disappointed in the lack of distinctive "Mamet" moments, but the potential is there.

it was OK. i'll give it a few more tries.

The call was unexpected, because they were caught off guard by the TV report. They were in Idaho to try to talk 'Ron Butterfield' into coming back to The Unit as their gunsmith. He obviously prepared the silenced pistol in advance from talking to Blane about the need to arm their latest find.

It was a great pilot that was let down a bit by the last 30 seconds... of all the men that Tiffany could have an affair with and she picks her hubby's boss? Plus for such a devoted wife this seems a bit non sequitur.

I was shocked (and pleasantly surprised) at how good the show was... as a mid mid season replacement I quite frankly expected crap. I must say I haven't seen Regina Taylor in a number of years and she's put on a *ton* of weight. She looks good but that was another shock to the system.

I thought it was ok, there were a few things that bugged me. I don't like the cliched wife of the new guy role that just can't handle the rules she must follow that allow for his safety. I mean this wouldn't be the first top secret job for this guy so she would be aware of the potential limitations that go with being his wife.

Also, Dennis Haysberts character would be carrying a bit of a higher rank than sargeant even if he was a "top sargeant" he would need to be a lieutenant or better to command inter-agency troops in the field.

I'll give it a few more trys though.

Somehow I don't think he's just getting a sergeant's pay though. Maybe they just call him that to throw the feds off.

Anyway, good pilot! I got a little worried about the wives too. If he's doing this, then he's been checked out by NSA or whatever, and they'd check her out too! I almost think she'd have to go through some sort of shrink to make sure that she wouldn't 'flip' out.

Glenn

I think the point was to reveal that she's not such a devoted wife after all. When you go back to the scene where she says goodbye to her husband (in front of his boss!) knowing what you learn in the final scene, it plays very differently. It'll be interesting to see where her character goes from here.

The talking toy was a nice touch. So casually worked in (twice), with no hint of the role it would ultimately play.

M.

It was ok- the Dennis Haysbert scene at the end where he takes down every terrorist by himself- INCLUDING the one barely peeking out from behind the hostage- was a little much.

I definitely heard some "Glengarry Glen Ross"-style halting dialogue in there, but it's not too obvious unless you're listening for it.

Its a heck of alot better than the "E-Ring", but I still miss "Over There".

As much as Mamet is associated with that style of dialogue, it's really the exception more than the rule, especially in his film work. Think of the scripts for The Verdict or The Untouchables or Wag the Dog, or even of Mamet-directed films like Heist or State and Main. (I started to include Spartan, but then I remembered it was more action than dialogue.)

M.

Well, I tuned into this show last night with the plan of picking it up for the whole season. After watching it, however, I may have to change my mind. I loved Haysbert as the prez on 24, but I just don't think he worked in the Jack Bauer type role. The writing, the acting and the overall premise of the show just didn't really appeal to me all that much. It had too much of a "Desperate Housewives" vibe for a show that's supposed to be about a covert group of operatives. I may give it another shot next week, but as of right now I can't say I'm really looking forward to the next episode. It's certainly nowehere near my other "appointment" TV shows(24, The Shield, The Sopranos, etc).

Well we don't know what type of sergeant he is, judging by the age and deamenor of the character it wouldn't suprise me if he were a First Sergeant. As for commanding troops in another division, that one is tough, but the "military guy" that was there looked like he was air force, so I'm thinking the Rangers would follow a Delta guy before the AF guy, regardless of rank.

And yet it still happens. I personally know of one incident between a Commanding Officer and an Ensign's wife and I had an incident on my boat with a Senior Enlisted person manipulating the watchbill to sleep with one of his subordinate's wife.

And, yes, in both cases they were prosecuted when caught.

A "top" is a first sargeant and either way non-coms do not solely command inter agency troops. This is a minor thing I know but sticks out like a sore thumb to me.

Variety is reporting strong ratings for the series debut, which at least gives it a chance of sticking around for a while:

M.

Michael, I agree with you about Glengarry being a bit of the exception...but for better examples of typical (and top-notch) Mamet dialogue, I look to The Spanish Prisoner, or House of Games.

I knew the top = first sgt (but perhaps not everybody else does). And I agree about the procedure deal. There was all kinds of issues in regards to procedures and tactics, like the Sgt clearing the plane alone with a handgun (yet they brought MP5's grabbed from the old guy), etc. But it's TV, it looks/sounds good for these guys to tell off the FBI guys, to just grab random troops at their will, etc. None of it will keep me from watching it next week though.

Andrew

The "Glengarry" style of dialogue is more noticeable in Mamet's plays, and it works very differently on stage than in film. I don't think I appreciated how big a difference it is until recently, when I saw the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross. It was the first time I'd had a chance to compare the same Mamet speeches spoken by live actors reacting to each other, as opposed to a series of takes assembled by an editor.

I agree that the dialogue in House of Games sounds more like the typical Mamet play, but I attribute that to it being his first time as writer-director and the fact that almost the entire cast was drawn from his stage productions (including then-wife Lindsay Crouse). But long before he took up film directing, Mamet demonstrated his ability to write in other rhythms than the one he's most associated with, and as he's become more comfortable as a film director, you can literally hear the "theatrical" patois slipping out of the scripts.

The Spanish Prisoner is an interesting example, because you can almost watch the transition happening before you. Scene by scene, even actor by actor, that familiar staccato appears and then disappears. By the time you get to Heist, it's all but gone.

BTW, I consider the dialogue in both Heist and State and Main to be "top-notch". But it's a different rhythm than Glengarry or House of Games (or, now, The Unit, which seems to have a different flavor altogether, at least so far).

M.

I liked this, it's a bit different, playing both the action and drama fields very well. It's a bit weird to see Scott Foley as a military guy, I really have only seen him in "Dawson's Creek", but he did a good job, it's hard to work in the same scene with Dennis Haysbert and stand your own ground.
Which leads me into this statement, Dennis Haysbert is the man. I love that guy, his guest appearence on SNL last week was great, I'll miss him as the prez on 24 but if I get to see him week after week on this show I'll be happy.

Robert Patrick always seems to play characters with questionable motives, but he's good nonetheless. That end reveal was very interesting. Made all the bitching from Tiffany the wife come into focus.

I didn't get so much caught up in the why is the Col. messing around with his subordinates wife, so much as when Mack finds out, I don't think court-martialing the Col. is going to be enough.

This is the first real Mamet thing I've watched but I've read about the hype, not too shabby, I now really want to see Glengarry Glen Ross.

I'll be tuning in next week that's for sure. Anyone know what the schedule for this is like? Is it running straight into May or...?

I remember reading somewhere that CBS ordered 13 episodes. Since the ratings for the pilot were good, it's a good bet they'll keep running it, and that would take them through the end of May.

M.

When they were in Idaho at the home of that retired Sergeant, the weapons expert's wife mentioned to the new man about following the instruction of the Sergeant Major/Haysbert. Then later on, the new guy called Haysbert "Top", so it appears the writers haven't made up their mind which rank he holds.






Crawdaddy

They are the same rank E-7 or above,

The "Top Kick" is the First Sergeant of the unit and that rank typically carries the rank of Master Sergeant.

http://www.easternct.edu/personal/fa...cock/ranks.htm