 Perry Mason-watching was a summer activity. It always aired at noon on weekdays, which meant during the school year -- no Perry. The same is true today; the same station that aired this hour-long formulaic whodunit show in the early 90's still airs it in 2008. And just like back then, summertime is the only time I can watch it. And I'm not exactly sure why I like to. Maybe it's because of my mom. She watches it too. And she tells me about how she and her brother used to watch it on their lunch break in college. She's probably seen every episode. We'll start watching it, and she'll go, "I remember this one." "So who's the murderer?" I'll ask, because I like to know. Her response is always the same: "I don't remember." Great. The show was simple: Perry Mason was a famous, intelligent defense attorney. Whenever someone was accused of murder or fraud, they'd go to Perry. This was a wise decision, because Perry Mason always won his cases. (Maybe there's an episode or two where he didn't, but I've yet to see one!) He would not only prove his client's innocence, but he'd draw out the real culprit through fancy interrogation (or just a simple "Didn't you. DIDN'T YOU?"-like demand). The bad guy would then crumble and admit everything. "Okay! Okay, I DID IT! And I did it because..." Pure gold. Like on any good dramatic series, Perry had an opposing force. His name was Hamilton Burger, and he was a lawyer who often went against Perry in trials. You can probably figure out this guy's success rate -- it wasn't good. Yet he was relentless -- almost as if every time he found himself face-to-face with Perry Mason in the courtroom, he was muttering to himself, Okay, this is it. I can feel it. This time it's MY turn. I know I've lost every case to that man so far. 563 wins for him, zero for me. But this is the one, this is the case that will change all that! But, as far as I saw, it never was his turn. For him to win would mean Perry would have to lose, and that would be shifting the balance of the universe in unnatural ways. For nearly a decade -- and then later, with a series of TV-movies -- the message remained the same: Good triumphs over evil, even in the courtroom. And nobody gets away with murder, not as long as Perry Mason's on the job. I like that. Return to the My TV Top 40 8/10/2008 (c)2008 AlligatorJuice.com  |
