By Kenn Gold
Mary McCormack stars in USA’s summer series, In Plain Sight, as smart, smart mouthed and very sexy U.S. Marshal, Mary Shannon. Assigned to the federal witness protection program, Mary must aid the reluctant victims who have had their lives upended by either what they have done, or what they have seen, and find themselves starting new lives and new identities. This is a job that is part baby sitter, part law enforcement, and sometimes involves being a new best friend. Along with her partner, Marshal Marshall Mann (Fred Weller), Mary investigates murders, buys groceries, and helps the folk in the witness protection program get through their days, sometimes even buying porn so a witness can choose her new breasts that she has been promised as part of her deal for testifying against her former boss. Mary’s supervisor (Paul Ben-Victor) is obviously smitten with her, and a subplot of the pilot involves him trying to find a birthday present for her, but he doesn’t quite get it. First he buys expensive perfume, then fancy shoes, neither of which would interest this sassy lady. Her lover (Christian de la Fuente) doesn’t know exactly what her job is and is left hanging often as Mary runs off to live her secret life on the job. Coupled with the family drama of a returning sister with her own hang-ups (Nichole Hiltz) and a mother who can see that the sister does know wrong (Lesley Ann Warren), the show is full of family drama against the backdrop of Mary’s secret occupation.
The action in the pilot involves the murder of the son of a former gangster who is under Mary’s protection. In tracking down the truth behind his killing, she confronts both his former criminal associates who are in town looking for him because someone didn’t obey the rules about leaving their past life behind, and a local business man who may have had more to do with the murder than it seems. Fred Weller’s Marshal Marshall adds a deadpan sense of humor into the mix, and plays well off of both McCormack and Ben-Victor. Todd Williams plays a local homicide detective who knows there is more to the case than meets the eye when he finds a second ID on the victim. But Mary isn’t telling any secrets. Bobby D’s fascination with Mary’s work just may translate into a bit of an infatuation with her as well.
Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, In Plain Sight makes ample use of the area’s natural beauty, as well as it’s Native American Indian population. A worthy successor to last years hit Burn Notice, this show is suspenseful and beautiful, and looks to be a welcome addition to the networks Character based dramas.
