“I guess I abandoned you. It’s what I do, right?” – John
Here lies, Lone Star, a show far too good for network television.
With the cancellation of Lone Star now official, next week’s episode has been replaced by Lie to Me. And it’s too bad because Lone Star showcased two excellent episodes of dramatic television. But it was victim of scheduling as it couldn’t compete with Dancing with the Stars, Two and a Half Men, The Event, and even Gossip Girl.
It’s a shame because I’d have to think on cable, Lone Star could have stood a chance. You have to give FOX credit for putting this kind of show on the air in the first place, attempting to maybe add a little prestige to the world of network dramas, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. And I can’t even blame FOX for taking it off the air. After all, television is a business and the network owes it to its advertisers to put the best possible product on the air, both critically and commercially. Lone Star succeeded in the former but didn’t even come close in the latter.
Maybe the one complaint critics had was the lack of creative sustainability, but “One in Every Family” set up future storylines up nicely. The main plot seemed to be focusing a great deal on the semantics of Bob making the wind farm deal a success. He brought his reluctant father in to play the part of a technical advisor, but when he was relegated to an embarrassing (in John’s mind at least) cubicle, John showed signs of wanting to get out. Trammell’s disrespect didn’t help things, but it was Clint talking about the backstory Bob had created — in which Bob’s father abandoned him — that caused John to quit. The episode ends with him calling in a new partner to take down Thatcher, though we may never know who this partner is, sadly.
Also, I was pretty intrigued by the night out had by John and Drew. John was clearly working an angle. What that angle was is a mystery lost in time. *tear*
The B-Story dealt with the arrival of Lindsay’s sister, Gretchen. All of the stuff about the sisters’ feud seemed pretty inconsequential (though, again, it could have gotten better), but Gretchen digging a bit into Bob’s past would have set up some interesting plots in the future. Bob reacted believably enough to Gretchen’s veiled accusations, but there was a slight hint of menace when he discussed the colloquial way that “Gardner” used the word “son.”
While I’m disappointed that Lone Star is no more, I guess it’s better for it to be cancelled now rather than later when attachment set in. But really there’s not much else to say. I’ve heard speculation that a cable channel might pick it up, but I wouldn’t put any money into those claims.
Oh well. There always has to be that first show cancelled of the fall. Normally it’s a deservedly terrible one. This time around it happened to be an excellent show with even more promise.
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.