ABC's Conviction's Integrity Holds Up

Hayley Atwell is sassy enough to entertain, smart witted enough to keep us on our toes and vulnerable enough for us to care. Give Haley a multi-layer character like Haze Morrison and you are creating magic. 

If you cannot tell, I really love ABC’s new show Conviction and it is not just about Hayley. One very talented actress cannot carry an entire show and keep it going. It takes thoughtful and intelligent writing, creative casting, talented actors and a production staff who knows how to tell as story. 

So here is the scoop on Conviction, Haze Morrison is a brilliant young attorney, who is also the daughter of a former U.S. president. Haze, after being picked up for cocaine possession is blackmailed to head up NYC's new Conviction Integrity Unit. She and her team investigate cases where people may have been wrongly convicted.

Sounds like a pretty standard template for a drama, but Conviction is a lot more. Let’s start with the cast, Hayley Atwell, best known for her role as Agent Carter in Marvel’s Agent Carter and Captain America plays Haze Morrison. Her team consists of Merrin Dungey known for her roles on Alias and Once Upon a Time as Maxine Bohen, an ex-NYPD Detective. Emily Kinney best known for her roles on The Walking Dead and Arrow as Tess Larson the Paralegal, Shawn Ashford best known for his role on The Following as Sam Spencer DA appointed liason, and Manny Montana know for his roles on South Beach and Graceland, as forensic investigator Franklin 'Frankie' Cruz. 

The Conviction Integrity Unit chooses a case and has five days to determine one of three resolutions. The first to let the conviction stand, the case needs to go back to trial, and if proven, the conviction reversed. They start from the beginning, interviewing witnesses, reviewing and researching all of the evidence, circumstances and testimony. At the end of the five days a verdict is rendered and the truth comes out. 

The writing is leading and deceiving, mixing and mirroring the struggles of the reviewing case with personal struggles of the characters. Not just Haze Morrison but each member of the team allowing for character depth and laying. Love it!

Also a terrific platform for social commentary as well as the exploration of characterization, and interpersonal relationships. The show has great promise and I am looking forward to the coming year.

Conviction is on ABC, Monday’s at 10/9c, check your local listing for more information.

Come Find Me!

Coming Soon - Falling Water on USA

The story of three unrelated people, who slowly realize that they are dreaming separate parts of a single common dream. Each of them is on a mysterious and highly personal quest - one is searching for his missing girlfriend, one is searching for a lost child, one is looking to cure his catatonic mother - and it is the clues found in their collective dream that come to guide them. The deeper they dig the more they come to realize that their missions touch on stakes that are much larger than their individual agendas.

 Falling Water premieres Thursday, Oct 13th on NBC!

Free Serial Read - Jack Primus by Michael D. Griffiths

 Beneath the world of normalcy we all live in lies another world, one where supernatural beings exist. These creatures of the night hunt us; want to feed on our very souls, though only a few know of their existence. One such man is Jack Primus, who accidentally pierces the veil between this world and the next. With no other choice if he wants to live, he finds himself on the run, hunted by beings called the Xemmoni, an ancient race that sees humans as nothing but cattle. They want his soul, to feed on his very essence, and they will kill all who stand in their way. But if they thought Jack would just lie down and accept his fate, they were sorely mistaken. He didn't ask for this battle, but he knew he would fight them with everything at his disposal, for to lose is a fate worse than death. He would win this war, and he would take down anyone who got in his way.

Part One
 
 Safe For A Moment

 Ophir Pass Colorado

No one will find me here. No would wants to be here or could get here even if they wanted. I’m just below the tree line in some old miner’s shack. It leaks and I’m burning a cord of wood just to stay on this side of the glowing white light that wants to get all snuggly.  There is eight miles of four foot snow between me and the nearest house, let alone road.  I’m starving, but I should be able to heal.

Damn Darcarre.

Who would think those alley stalkers would in in some mountain town in southwest Colorado? One called Stoner no less. Maybe it is a trap for Stalwarts.
Before I even got a chance to plug in this laptop I bought, yep actually bought. (That hive of Ripperkah in Farmington had more than a bit of cash, and I’ll never turn down a fight with those offal)

So I know what you are thinking, how are you getting this message if I’m in some remote cabin? I’m going to write this now, before I head into telluride. Damn, the middle of skiing season, that place is going to be hell, but I’m sure they have plenty of email cafes.
When I get there, I’m going to try to send this off as fast as I can. I’m sure those Darcarre at looking for me. They won’t be pleased when they find the bodies.
If you don’t receive a second post, you’ll know what has happened.
Jack Primus.

 The Hitching Post

 As you may remember, I tore my way through the drifts of snow that were nearly up to my sideburns in an attempt to put my wounded body as far from the Darcarre as possible.

Then I got a ride.
 And what a ride it was/is.
Her name is Hannah. She is a petite blonde with blazing green eyes not to different in hue from my own. At first I hoped that she might have been another servant of Yig sent to aid me, but my subtle hints were met with puzzled stares, although she was forthcoming with he own hints of a different sort. I’ve have some bad experiences with blondes in the past, but for her I was willing to make an exception.
Things were going well and I had almost forgotten I was a hunted man until she noticed the blood. She slammed on the breaks and we were nearly hit by the car behind us. Despite their honking, she refused to start the car until I was able to convince her that the blood was my own and I was in trouble.
Her nurturing instinct must have kicked in, because she started the car and insisted that she take me to a hospital. I was even more adamantly insisting that  this was something that I couldn’t allow to happen and since I have already healed the worst of my wounds it wasn’t really necessary, but I didn’t tell her that part.
So instead we stopped at the base of Lizardhead Trail and talked. A few hours later it was hard to tell which of us was falling for the other more. After locking lips for another hour after that, she was more that happy to spring for a hotel room and I told her I was willing as long as we were heading north.
Snow began to fall as darkness set in. The roads were becoming bad and the narrow headlights were soon dimmed by an endless blast of snow. It was my hope that this storm might even scare these Darcarre inside.
Somehow we made it to a little hotel know as the Lonely Oak. After we went up to the room, there were a few moments of nervious tension, because the room only held one bed. Soon this didn’t remain a problem. Let me tell you spending the night with Hannah was as wonderful as spending spending the night in the leaking miner’s cabin had sucked.
There is still no sign of the Darcarre and I can only hope that I am in the clear. I’m sighing of now. There is a warm woman waiting for me.
Jack

Wounded and weary.

I was barely able to escape Telluride. The Darcarre were waiting for me. I had just managed to get off the last post before they moved in, coming at me from every direction. I’ll tell you one thing, I’m really need to start taking heads! Since those bastards are the only Xemmoni that can heal themselves, it seemed to be about the only way you can be sure they go down,  just like zombies.

One other thing, these five foot snow drifts make things almost impossible for hitchhiking. But I’m done fooling around. These scumbags got my bike, so this is an all out war!!! No one, I mean no one, touches the bike. They have it hostage, so back to Stoner I must go. Yet, overland is almost impossible and how can I trust any rides, not that they would trust me the way I’m looking and I’m sure this bloody arm isn’t helping any.
Wait, what, someone is actually stopping. Wow, a woman no less. And pretty too. I’m going to send this off, with my luck she is probably tainted, but you never know. Wow, yeah she is cute, I might as well try.
Again, if you don’t get another post, you’ll know what happened.
In Yig I had better trust.

Get in on what happened before Jack got to Ophir Pass or Check out more of Jack’s action here!