Golden Boy

Over the Winter break, I also got into a TV show called Golden Boy. It was a series that aired on CBS back in 2013. Golden Boy created by Nicholas Wootton is about Walter Clark (portrayed by Theo James), who is destined to be the youngest police commissioner in the history of the NYPD. This is the story of how it came to be. It begins 7 years before he became commissioner, when he was a rookie cop who saved the life of his partner who was shot and a hostage. Several people witnessed this, and he would get promoted to detective and offered the position of his choice.

            Clark asks to be assigned to a homicide task force. When he arrives, one of the detectives who was the star of the unit until Clark arrived, resents his presence. And the detective Don Owen, (portrayed by Chi McBride), assigned to him feels as if he's babysitting him. But Clark sets out to do the best job he can.  He deals with new people like his co-workers Deborah McKenzie (portrayed by Bonnie Somerville), first grade detective Christian Arroyo (portrayed by Kevin Alejandro), and Detective Joe Diaco (portrayed by Holt McCallany).

            What really drew me to the show was the rich storyline. I thought it was well planned and thought out. It kept me wanting to know more about the show. Plus the director and writers focused some episodes on each of the characters back-stories.  To be honest I thought it was going to be one of the other cop shows that were on TV like CSI but it wasn’t. They only made 13 episodes but I wish they made more. The way they focused on the characters and give them rich personalities was great.

            One of my favorite episodes I analyzed was the pilot. If the pilot wasn’t great it wouldn’t have drawn me to the show. As i was watching the show, i noticed the scenery is not just set in one place. It explores all the places in New York City. It explores Brooklyn, Bryant Park, Manhattan and even some clubs.  Even the transitions included landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square.  

             The scenes  were mostly set outside so i didn't notice too much lighting when they were on location. But when they were in the Precinct, i noticed the lighting in the interrogation rooms. They did have natural lighting just from the room itself but you notice where the light shines on the characters faces. 

            With the camera movements, i noticed they were fast paced in some scenes. But in cop shows like this, it makes the atmosphere more intense if the camera movements follow the character.  If they were interviewing people, you can notice they use wide shots and close ups to get the detectives like Walters and Don's reactions or even the victim's reactions. 

              All in all i loved this show. I wished they continued with it because the season finale was fantastic. It tied up all the loose ends. I would recommend this show to anyone who likes a little bit of drama and some action.