So last week, when I got back from the East Coast, I was as sick as a dog. I didn't have energy to do anything, except lay on the couch and watch TV, even that was a chore. So you know I must have been sick. By the second day, I had watched all of my Tivo'd shows. It was Friday night, I'm usually out on Fridays ;-) but I happened to be fighting the effects of TheraFlu when a show came on called Men in Trees. It's with Anne Heche, who I either love or hate. Last thing I saw her in was Nip/Tuck and she was great in that, so I thought I'd give it a try. I loved this show. I found out later it's produced by the same people who did Sex and the City, so no wonder.
Basically the shows about Marin Frist (Heche) who's a relationship self help guru. She has a wonderful fiancée , Graham, great friends, including her publicist, Jane, and even a sorta stalker, Annie. Her life is good. On her way to a speaking engagement in Elmo, Alaska, she discovers from Graham's laptop which she accidentally took, that he's been cheating on her. She wallows her sorrows in a bar run by ER's Abraham Benrubi, giving me little hope his character on ER survives being shot by Sam's husband at the end of last season.
Things aren't like New York in Elmo. For one, the man/woman ratio is 10:1. Nearly every person she sees is a man. Um, excuse me while I book a trip to Elmo, Alaska. I hope this town is fictional because if it's not, it's going to be swarmed by single desperate women. Did I just call myself desperate? Anyway, her stalker, Annie, has followed her up there after hearing about her break-up with Graham. Annie's harmless, and probably good for Marin to see a familiar (female) face. Annie thinks everything Marin says is gospel, but after being blindsided by a cheating mate, Marin doesn't have as much confidence as she once did.
In the inn she's staying in, sharing a bathroom with her, is Sara, the local prostitute. The guy who runs the inn, Patrick, is played by Derek Richardson. He played the younger version of Harry in the Dumb and Dumber sequel/prequel. He's absolutely adorable and also does the morning radio show, which he wants Marin to guest on. Marin also hooks him up with Annie, which is a great match, they both love and have read all her books, following her "dogma" as well.
After having a few too many to drink, Marin goes to her lecture, which of course is attended by all men, one in particular man, Jack. Guys in movies or shows named Jack are almost always sexy and strong. This one is one of those. There's an immediate attraction, with me and Jack. He has a dog, tracks bears, pulls her out of the ice water when she accidentally falls in. They huddle together in his observation cabin thingy, naked, to keep warm. She thinks she has him pegged, because she knows just what all men want and are really trying to say. Unfortunately, he's not like most men, neither are most of the men in Elmo, which fascinates her.
Her publicist and friend, Jane, comes to get her, she has an appearance on Oprah, but after the experience with Jack, Marin wants to stay. She was going to write a new book on finding the right man and getting married, but since that didn't work out, she's going to stick around Elmo and write her next book.
This show is cute, clever, and I just love it. Of course Marin gets into the typical city girl in a country town trouble. She blow dries her hair which shorts out the whole town. Everyone hates her because they can't watch the big football game. She ends up getting drunk and going home with a stranger in the town who turns out to be Jack's brother. They didn't sleep together but you can tell Jack's a bit jealous when he thinks that. This is the time that Graham decides to come try and win her back, in the bar that everyone's hanging out. He makes the mistake of commenting that he knows she wouldn't sleep with this guy because she's predictable and would never do anything like that. I guess he thought it was a compliment. Jack gets up and says that he slept with her. This prompts all the people who were mad at her, to realize how bad she had it, and how much she likes it in their little town. Everyone stands up and says they slept with her, making her realize what a family these people are going to be. Can you tell I like this show??? Tune in on Friday nights on ABC at 9pm. Tivo it if you have a date!
