A Clearer View of "In Plain Sight"

Every story, no matter if it's a book, a play, on TV, in a movie, or told around the campfire, has the elements of plot, characters, and setting. When it's told on television, additional elements such as music, photography, and allowing for commercials are also important.

I don't have any squawks against the plots or settings of "In Plain Sight." The music and photography are fine, also. That leaves the characters.

Considering each of the regulars, I decided that they're all okay except for the lead, Mary Shannon. But, she's the main character! What can possibly be wrong with her?

It's simple. She speaks.

When she's yelling or on the phone in the throes of fake passion, anything where her voice isn't her normal speaking voice, she's fine. However, when actress Mary McCormack's speaking normally or doing the voice-over, the two of which are most of her lines, something in her near-monotone voice clicks on the "BORING" switch in me.

Something similar happened before with the movie, "Hero," starring Jet Li. I like Jet Li and his films aren't boring, yet I kept falling asleep. As many times as I tried to watch the movie were the number of times I conked out. I finally realized that it was always at about the same point and eventually figured out that the problem was the music. The first time, and every time since, that I watched the movie with the sound off, I was able to stay awake the entire time. It's a beautiful movie, too.

So, there I was last week, watching "K-Pax" starring Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges when Mary McCormack comes on portraying the wife of the character Jeff Bridges is playing.

Guess what happened.

It's a good thing she didn't have many lines.

Then yesterday, during the "Law & Order" marathon on the USA Network, there's a man in the witness protection program and U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon is flying into New York from Albuquerque.

So now, not only is it doubly confirmed that McCormack's normal speaking voice drives me to distraction, I also know from where the premise of "In Plain Sight" came.

The mystery is solved.