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virginia madsen in elementary

Elementary

Elementary is a TV show that was shown on CBS from 2012 to 2019. It was an update on the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories based upon Sherlock Holmes.

Jonny Lee Miller would play Sherlock and Lucy Liu would gender shift the traditionally male of Watson to become Joan Watson. Other shifts in the Sherlock mythos would be updated which would either be well received by fans or turn people off the show completely.

Fortunately, more people didn’t mind the changes than did and the show managed to survive or a respectable 154 episodes over seven seasons.

The show itself presented itself as a typical Police procedural type drama with Holmes and Watson being drafted in to help on cases at the discretion of Police Captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn)

Virginia Madsen would join the show in the fifteenth episode of the fourth season, “Up to Heaven and Down To Hell”, as Paige Cowan, a former Police Detective who becomes romantically involved with Captain Gregson. Virginia Madsen as Paige Cowan in Elementary, sitting at a dimly lit bar or restaurant, engaged in an intense conversation with a man across from her. She wears a stylish patterned blouse and has a confident yet serious expression. A glass of wine sits in front of her, adding to the intimate and tense atmosphere of the scene.From there Virginia would appear in two more episodes, once more in the fifth season episode “Render, then seize her” and the second episode of the seventh and final season in the episode “Gutshot”.Virginia Madsen as Paige Cowan in Elementary, standing outside a bookstore on a cold day, dressed in a stylish black coat, gloves, and a patterned scarf. She carries a navy blue handbag and has a composed yet slightly apprehensive expression as she looks toward two approaching men. The scene captures a moment of anticipation and quiet tensionUnfortunately the character of Paige would never really live up to her potential, or to the talents of Virginia Madsen, which is a shame but I guess it’s how these things go, especially in TV.

This would be Virginia’s second time working with Jonny Lee Miller, both having previously starred in the short lived Smith TV show, though this time in very different roles for them both. And, also she previously worked with Aidan Quinn in the magically themed The Last Keepers a few years before. Like a little happy reunion on set then.

Availability:

Good, easily available on DVD in both Region 1 and 2, and probably all the rest you can think of.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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virginia madsen in smith

Smith

Ah. This one hurts. Smith was a TV show that aired back in 2006, briefly. It was one that I genuinely looked forward to watching. As well as starring Virginia Madsen it had a few of my other favourite actors in it as well.

BUT – It seems I was pretty much in the minority on this one, it was cancelled after just three episodes had aired. It was the first of the new shows aired in 2006 to be cancelled in fact. No messing about there then… There were 7 episodes in total to go at and only 4 of those aired originally.

It followed a crew of Professional Thieves led by a chap known as Bobby Stevens (Ray Liotta). Bobby is married to Hope (Virginia) who mostly turns a blind eye to her husband’s exploits, but is getting weary of it all. Bobby is looking to end his criminal career after a few more big hits which would have set him up with the money he wanted to retire on.
Virginia Madsen as Hope Stevens in Smith, sitting on a couch with an intense gaze. Her long, curly blonde hair frames her face, and she wears a black jacket over a white top. The dim lighting and warm-toned pillows in the background add to the moody atmosphere.Of course, it was never going to be as easy as all that.

Joining Bobby on his criminal shenanigans are Jeff Breen (Simon Baker), Tom (Jonny Lee Miller), Joe Garcia (Franky G) and Annie (Amy Smart).

Bobby is the brains of the bunch, he plots things out with an attention to detail rarely seen. Jeff is basically the guy that does the dirty work, a sociopath who won’t think twice about killing someone. Tom is a paroled convict looking to stay on the outside of prison going forward. Joe is the wheelman and general automotive king. Annie who while having brains, isn’t afraid to trade in on her looks.

All of the crew have respectable day jobs, they live their criminal lives in complete secrecy and minimise their exposure trying to ensure they never get caught. Obviously they all aren’t as clever as they think they are and the FBI are going after them whenever they get the chance.

And, that’s about all she wrote, or rather, he wrote. It ended before it could get going.
Virginia Madsen as Hope Stevens in Smith, appearing mid-conversation with a slightly amused expression. Her blonde curls frame her face, and the blurred background suggests an indoor setting with natural light.Virginia’s part in Smith is pretty much a supporting one, but she does get to show off her talents. She’s far from convinced by Bobby’s claims of going straight and we see her try to catch him out in his lies. Ironically, it’s her character Hope that is the one with the bigger “past” as we see her deal with parole and attending rehab classes.

It seems however that Virginia might not have been completely happy with her role, she has spoken of her disappointment with her role;

“Well I wasn’t that invested. In the beginning I was because it seemed like Ray and I would get to be Bonny and Clyde. That’s what they sold me and you know, that’s not what I got. What I got! I got a book club. That was the last script. I said “You’re joking. I have a book club!”. And they were like “Oh we swear to god” and I was like “But when do I get my gun?”

I’m a big fan of Johnny Lee Miller, Simon Baker, Amy Smart and of course Ray Liotta so in my eyes this one couldn’t fail when I first heard about it. And how wrong I was. Watching these episodes back I still can’t believe it did as badly as it did. Really is an odd one.

It, weirdly, has a decent rating and generally good reviews on iMDB, Rotten Tomatoes isn’t as kind with a middling rating but all things considered it’s not Hot to Trot bad. Still, at least I know I’m not on my own with liking the show.

Availability:
Well. I think it’s fair to say this isn’t the easiest of things to find. It never got a physical release. You can find downloads of it on YouTube, they aren’t the best (see the captures I’ve used) but they are better than nothing…

Gallery:

Trailer:

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