deneenmatthews-91901 I happened upon the Guardian and watched all three seasons over the past couple of weeks. I loved Simon Baker's character, Nick. He was the most honest of the bunch and my favorite, with Alan Rosenburg (Alvin) a close second. Nick had faults and displayed behavior consistent with issues realistic based on his upbringing. While he was continuously the one everyone else used as the convenient fall-guy, he was the one who developed most in spite of the people who influenced him. I found him to be the most honest - accepting fault when it was his and honoring the consequences and those belonging to others as well. I enjoyed that the show dealt with real life issues and created an awareness around subject matter relatable to all. Now, the character I enjoyed the least.... Lulu. At times, I really thought she was "lulu." She was way too inconsistent and was always finger pointing, neglecting to see any of her own issues - of which she had many. I just felt that she seized every opportunity to beat the hell out of Nick. I am so tired of seeing her type cast throughout TV series - condescending, negative, bitter, and mean. Every time she spoke it was with a scowl on her face, like her upper lip was stinking. While I'm all for women who are strong and smart and on top of their careers, I''m over the cold suited props who every time they open their mouths, it's to hurt someone. She punished and punished and punished. I almost wish there was another season and Hollander let Nick move on... What would that look like? She used everything against him and never considered him. Yes, he was wrong to sleep with that trashy chic in the office, and he knew that. At least he told her himself and took his punishment like a man. But it just went on and on with her. Alvin made great point that she was 50% of the relationship... but that didn't provoke any thought for her. Her demeanor was fake, cold... She didn't add any value to the other characters. I'm usually a sucker for a love story, but near the end, I wanted him to run as far as he could from her. She was toxic. Then, the pregnancy, proposal, and baby makes three (well, maybe one, because she, of course, was the only one that mattered). I couldn't understand why she worked in a humanitarian capacity, because her character was anything but... I was outdone! With all the miss-nose-up-in-the-air, she couldn't smell her own mess! She was messy, and tactless. She didn't want a man, she wanted a little boy and then was mad when that's what showed up. If the intent was to dislike her character... then it was a successful role. ARGH!!The rest of the cast, played their roles well. Jake needed a good ole a-- whooping and Burton - no award recommendation for father of the year - but - he was consistent. I loved the advocacy intention for "The Guardian." I was glad that Nick followed his heart in the end. I really wanted to see him become more self-accepting and develop further absent of the abusers around him, but Season 3... THE END!

ctomvelu-1 I have written here about this short-lived show in the past. Simon Baker is a perfect fit as the troubled son of a famous lawyer, played by Dabney Coleman of MARY HARTMAN fame. Because of some drug transgressions, the son, also a lawyer,must put in time at a child advocacy law firm. He also continues to work for his old man, and the two often do not see eye to eye. As time goes on in this show, things change: the father is up for a judgeship and the son starts his own law firm. Also, the son is hot for a lawyer at his father's firm, but alas, she loves another. The cases are usually intriguing, but the show is really about the father and son, and both actors pull off this thorny relationship with aplomb.There is an occasional soap opera aspect to the show, but it is kept to a minimum. Well worth watching, if a little depressing, as the son never seems to be able to stay out of trouble. It is not a lighthearted show and humor is basically nonexistent. Maybe that's why the show did not last longer than it did.

Pepper Anne Fans of 'Judging Amy' or 'Family Law' (pre-Tony Danza) would probably have enjoyed this television series which was pretty much Simon Baker's claim to fame (at least as far as being a recognized actor in America) as he was cast as the lead, Nick Fallin. The basic premise was that Fallin, as punishment for drug use, is sentenced to fulfill a term of community service. Already skilled as a lawyer, he is sent to split his time between being a high-time lawyer and working as a part-time "Gaurdian" (basically, legal defense for minors) at a Legal Aid firm. Fallin seems more determined not to put too much heart into this work, despite the tragic cases that pass through the system, but, as most characters in these types of situations do, he can't help but sometimes become disheartened with the difficulties of the system or his clients. I didn't really like Baker's performance. I couldn't tell if his lack of emotional (I don't think I ever saw him smile more than once or twice during the three years of the series) was intentional, or just Baker's limited acting abilities.But, flanked by the talents of Dabney Coleman who later takes on a full-time role as Fallin's father, and Alan Rosenberg, who plays the more idealistic member of the firm, Alvin Masterson, among other interesting characters in the supporting cast, provide a nice counterpart to Baker's sometimes deadpan manner. CBS seemed to have made some effort somewhere from the mid 90s to early 2000 to bring in shows about people who worked in some form of social service. 'L.A. Doctors' was about doctors dealing with the bureaucracies of the health care system (among other things). 'Family Law' primarily criticized the treatment of minors in the system (and, sometimes domestic violence, among many many other topics). 'Judging Amy' is one of the most successful of these shows in which nearly every character works in some different form of public service, so there are many opportunities there to analyze things. But, it seems, that few of these shows (save Judging Amy, which may be the last of its kind on CBS) manage to stay long on this network, often sacked for more of the same criminal investigation shows following the immense (but now waning?) popularity of CSI.

ajmollo-1 Just saw the 2/10 episode about Down's Syndrome. This was the most sensitively written, acted and directed hour of television I have seen in many years. I believe the Academy should recognize the wonderful creative work of this episode when it comes time for Emmy nominations. The program raised difficult issues and didn't offer easy, pat solutions. BRAVO! to the cast and director and writers for a job well done.