"It's New Orleans; there's always something bad coming."

When you have the highest-rated drama on television, there is a temptation to milk it for all that you can. We've seen it happen with both the Law & Order and CSI franchises. The results tend to be mixed, with some capturing and even exceeding the popularity of the original. Others never quite seem to connect and are gone while their mother ship is still on the air. It's too early to tell if NCIS: New Orleans will fall in the former or latter category. There's certainly plenty of the tight writing and production value that the NCIS label is known for. The cast is better than average, and we have the addition of an iconic city with plenty of personality to help drive the atmosphere of the show. But how does that translate on a week-to-week basis? The jury's still out on that one.

Good Kill is a term used by drone operators to signify whether ordinance have successfully hit the intended target however the term takes on some much more meaning. Ethan Hawke portrays a former jet pilot now transitioning into a position as a drone operator. Day in and day out, he surveillances areas from thousands of miles away periodically eliminating targets that would look to destroy American lives. However when his section is loaned out to the Central Intelligence Agency, the clear cut targets become less clear cut and both his personal and professional life begin to suffer as he struggles with the morality of what he does.

Ethan Hawke is Major Thomas Egan, a former jet pilot transitioning into the position as a UAV operator. Egan is not entirely comfortable in his new position, preferring the inside of a fighter jet to a bunker. Early on, it is clear that Egan is trouble by his situation. Despite being able to go home and be with his family as opposes to being deployed with the possibility of never seeing them again, Egan is as his wife would say is miles away.

"Let's Be Careful Out There!"

Hill Street Blues turned television on its head. It featured an incredible-sized ensemble cast. The use of so many characters was a considerable risk. Would the writers be able to provide us with enough meat for each to care what happens to them? The answer was a resounding yes. We cared. We cared so much that Hill Street Blues broke the standing record for Emmy nominations and wins before its seven-year journey ended. Bochco used stories that carefully intertwined each character in a tapestry that never quite ended. Episodes were not wrapped up into tidy little packages of resolution each week. Some storylines took the entire seven years to tell. He wasn’t afraid to kill off a beloved regular cast member, so we were always kept off guard. No one was invulnerable. That doesn't mean you were not treated to a full story with each episode. The formula usually allowed for one complete story each episode, a part of a 3-5-story arc, and finally threads that might weave themselves through years of the series. There just weren't any throwaway lines or characters. You could never be sure where one minor thing might blow up into compelling drama down the road.

Not really sure the title matches the film, but then perhaps there is a hidden significance that I’m not getting. Well, here is a real gritty tale about addiction told within the context of a love story. Animals follows a young couple that appears to be so deeply in love that they are willing to do anything for one another. In fact the only thing that seems to have the capacity to tear them apart is their shared drug addiction. This film really emphasizes the ideal that couples must have a shared interest. Sorry, that was my attempt at humor.

Animals pulls no punches and really shows the gritty side to addiction, all the while attempting to show a love story. Throughout the film, Bobby and Jude commit petty crime in order to support their habit. In the beginning their cons are somewhat impressive and have a sort of elegance to them; however, as withdrawal sets in, the cons become more and more flawed, and their desperation is almost palpable. This is something that was illustrated very well: desperation. In select scenes, I began to feel a slightly bad for them, especially when the pain and agony of their situation began to tear at the one thing that valued, each other. Here is the conflict; it was those scenes when the film had the most effect and was truly compelling such as in the conclusion of the film when Bobby forces Jude to make a decision that will affect their relationship. In truth, you know what his answer will be before he says anything, but you feel a great deal of dread in anticipation.