Without a Trace

I've actually had some negative reactions to my positive response to this fine show... because it's about serious crime. But as a friend of mine said, there's a Good Shepherd quality to these FBI agents who seek out the lost. They are flawed, yes, but compassionate to others. A couple of weeks ago there was an episode with Hector Elizondo who played a priest who disappeared...he needed a liver transplant and time was running out. Try to catch this one on re-runs. He gives absolution to Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) and if you watched last season, this gesture and kindness are so meaningful. Elizondo's priest gives up the kidney, to repair for a sin in his past. So it's not just repentance, it's reparation. Very useful teaching for us to contemplate. Another show whose 60 minutes fly by...

It's November 30th and I just watched the last episode of WITHOUT A TRACE about three firefighters who thought that by doing one wrong thing they could right a bad situation for two of them. The story was so simply well-told, with the moral and ethical issues clearly defined on the one hand, yet grayed by the love of these three men for one another and their families and job as firefighters.

One of the reasons I like this show is that it isn't so blatent about promoting the current government's agenda (JAG and THREAT MATRIX) even though the FBI is involved. It's about real people and a group of FBI agents (with issues that transcend electoral terms) who have their own human flaws.