NatalieMovieLover I know I'm doing this a little late now that they've canceled the show. But, I wasn't really a fan of this TV series. At points of the show, Ashley Judd's character goes through the unnecessary. Gregory Poirier, I think made this to be too close to Taken. I don't know completely what he could have done to make it better, but there could have been a better plot. Things just went by a little too quick, not giving the next steps in the series to think itself out. I mean Ashley's character agreed with her son going somewhere all the way off in Italy on his own where I think she had no business agreeing with in the first place. Also at times is seems as if the there's no feeling in themselves when they're acting out a scene. At points its sort of dull. I think Gregory knew where he was going but some things just didn't come out right.

Olaf Weyer Do folks remember Human Target, which was kind of light and charming entertainment, the way The Fall Guy from the 80s was? Do you remember how ratings went down in Season 2, when they put in all that cheesy relationship stuff, while we were used to have a good and perhaps silly action show instead? Human Target should have been a warning to any producer that (bad and cheesy!) melodrama and action/suspense just don't mix. What was the downfall for Human Targets season 2, might well become the downfall for Missing, right from it's very beginning.It's okay to have some dump and thrilling action (like breaking into the French Intelligence Service by hitting the fire alarm, hahaha, what a joke!) as long a show is consistent in being dump and silly - it's quiet alright really, if you just wanna have some fun with the "incredible". If the fire alarm thing had happened in Human Target, it might have gotten away with that. Missing does not.Having melodrama along the ride, the most serious of all ingredients, just doesn't make a good mix with dumb action. Look at the canceled Terra Nova. Did SciFi and soapish family drama make a good mix?So if the action is dump, you might ask, does the cheese and melodrama come across believable and heartwarming or heart breaking? The answer is a simple "Nope" - which means, there are more troubles here than just mixing dumbness with seriousness. Perhaps the show isn't very honest not only with the mixture of ingredients, but the single ingredients too? An example (SPOILERS):In Episode two the Harddrive guy tells our main character, she must stop thinking like a mother and be a cold analytical agent again. In a later scene we have HIM remind her of she being a mother, her love of her son - all that stuff - while they on the job! If motherhood is what he believes makes her loose focus, why won't he shut his mouth about it?! The hardrive character makeup is sacrificed here, to highlight our heroines emotions and it's not even very well written, it is total cheese. And why do we have to be reminded of motherhood anyways, as if it were some alien concept or something you would need to clarify the emotions that are involved?! What do we need to know to understand her character, that leads to her (the) action(s). We need to know this:She's a former agent, she is able, her son has been kidnapped and she's gonna do something about that. Period. We can have the show highlight her emotions when the show itself is on it's emotional high - when she fails at a certain action task, she is crushed, when she prevails she is hopeful or joyful. But driving in a car and needing Hardrive to have a family on it's own to have a talk about parenthood, thats an emotional filler. It is wrong and it is out of place. You don't tell a story like that. You built a tide and you ride on that tide, you have the emotions go up and down on with that tide or you don't have a touching story, you end up having it being cheesy and to greater effect: Untrue. But then the action (fire alarm) is untrue too, so perhaps this makes the show okay again? Like dumbness on both levels bringing some kind of balance? Dumb is dumb, make no mistake about that, it only adds up.So. If you don't make the action any smarter lets look at the cheese again. We need scenes were we see her feel the loss (like when the boy is kidnapped into the van, when she discovers the fotos in the warehouse, when the plane gets away with him), cheese that is connected to the action, not as an end in itself - so PLEASE!!!!! leave it at that. The TALK about motherhood really isn't necessary at all, we know what makes her tick and drives her from the very first minute! We don't need any pseudo-philosophical debate about motherhood, in a way that it sacrifices the characters (like Harddrive) involved and the good action we see.Establishing emotions can always come across as cheesy. Thats why you use it sparecly and at the right moment and not just so. Oh and having our characters do something dump because it is good action (like climbing that wall to get into the French Intelligence offices) that's alright too, as long as our characters are smart enough, finding out, there is no other way to do it. The audience is very aware there was another option than climbing that wall. Perhaps if there had been guards on the stairwell who would not move despite the fire alarm, it would have been more believable. It would have taken a single camera shot to establish going up the stair was no option. It also have a been moment for a mother who wants to safe her son have that sinking feeling, you know, instead talking about it in a boring disconnected car scene! EDIT: JUST WATCHED EPISODE 3. SPOILERS!!!! Plot holes: - How did our heroines friend end up finding her in the first place? Why is our heroine so stupid to have the bag with the fake passports in it just sitting on her bed? Why is the friend opening it in the first place? Why kidnap that friend to a boat without gagging her, so she can attack you the first chance she gets? Were exatcly did our heroine drop those diamonds and who will go salvage them so the show can afford having a rewrite for its scripts?! Yeah, though so!

ldddhunter I really love Ashley Judd in this role she does rock!! She is great playing a mother determined to get her son back. I like the story line and yes it does have a touch of "Taken" - which I loved and Liam Neeson was just phenomenal in this movie....I do have to say as far as women kicking a** on TV shows right now I give that award to Maggie Q on Nikita she does ALL of her own stunts and her mentor/teacher is Jackie Chan - what more could you ask for, right? Yeah he plays goofy roles at times but Maggie said they are very close friends and do cut up BUT when it comes to training he is VERY SERIOUS and means business. I applaud Ashley for taking such a demanding role like this, and she's very believable as well. So far..I love this show and Cliff Curtis is so easy on the eyes; I love him in everything he does, also the characters of Ashley and Cliff have A LOT of chemistry and could see them getting involved romantically somewhere down the road- that would be GREAT!!

showgirl626 Skip to the last few paragraphs if you want my latest take without all the tedious nit-picking that came before.........................................................Not a fan of Ashley Judd. Never have been, likely never will be (though I'll grudgingly confess to liking "Kiss the Girls," but only because of Morgan Freeman and Cary Elwes). I started watching because I heard Sean Bean was attached to it. The first episode was horrible. Jarring, nausea-inducing shots, really far-fetched action scenes where a flower shop owner kicks every butt in sight, and some pretty bad lines. The other two episodes I've seen haven't been much better, and if it wasn't for the fact that Bean's character is supposed to resurface, I wouldn't have bothered watching past the first.The show is insipid, vapid, contrived, and kind of ridiculous. It's also in the same time slot as 'Big Bang Theory' and '30 Rock.' Hmm. Its producers must have a death wish.Pretty locations? Sure, but I can go stare at a tree if that's all I care about. At the time I'm writing this, IMDb actor info has Bean in 5 episodes (in flashbacks), but the only way I see them making sense is if the husband isn't dead after all. Hurry up and bring him back already. There's only so much of this offal I'm willing to watch before I look elsewhere for satisfaction. Game of Thrones, anyone?4 stars only out of hope that Sean Bean will return as a soft-spoken super villain (which he does REALLY well). 2 stars as is.4/5/12 addendum WITH MORE SPOILERS: The husband has resurfaced. Though there are still some pretty dumb things (the CIA folks check only 1 room of a mansion, and announce that it's 'clear?!?') and the dialogue in Judd's scenes is so predictable I can almost always guess what will be said before it is, the story in general has just become much more interesting. I now care about seeing where it's going. Increasing rating from 4 to 5 stars.4/20/12 addendum 2 WITH MORE SPOILERS: Still trying to decide whether to forgive the rotten dialogue that heartily embraces every tired stereotype, but the action is definitely moving along at a better pace. Definitely not HBO, but hey it's network TV so there only so much you can get away with. That said, I'm now hooked (Thank you, Sean Bean), and committed to seeing it through to the end. Not upping the rating because I don't like Ashley Judd's character, and I'm starting to think Cliff Curtis' character is a complete idiot. As well, I still maintain the first few episodes were simply painful to watch. If you like seeing Bean play action hero baddies, this is a good series to do it. Definitely not Game of Thrones (and I'm just not a fan of Bean's 'American' accent), but it's highly preferable to afternoon soaps.Cautiously feeling optimistic that this is actually worth seeing to conclusion. 4 episodes left this season. They have a lot to tie up. I'll be watching...................Latest Rant Starts Here..................4/27/12 update (WITH SPOILERS): I'm recanting the 'hooked' statement. I think it's now more accurate to say I'm staying in a bad relationship merely because I've invested too much to just walk away. Sigh.Hopes dashed. Most recent episode was a train wreck. Where are the writers getting their dialogue? It's AWFUL. And a kid whose parents had the forethought to train him in hand to hand combat being overwrought about taking a life to save his own? And Ashley Judd just keeps kicking a** after a** after a** (sometimes big beefy Russian bodyguards 3 times her size!)?!? This just isn't a believable show.So why do I keep watching? Good bloody question. I tell myself it's because I keep hoping Bean will be given a chance to really sink his teeth into a role that seems to have a great deal of potential, but who am I kidding? This is uptight American network television, which I generally don't watch, and - oh yeah - now I remember why.I say get rid of Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis and the really uppity woman playing his supervisor, throw a cliffhanger at the end of this season where Sean Bean is revealed to be an Interpol or British secret service agent (so he can PLEASE ditch the sad attempt at an American accent), and move him and the Italian guy into the lead roles. And for god's sake somebody give Michael some backbone, or put him and insipid Russian girl out of my misery. Reducing rating from 5 stars 3.***********************5/13/12 - with spoilersJust saw the official news that ABC is canceling the show. With such predictable plot 'twists' and dreadful dialogue, I'm not surprised. It didn't help that it was up against The Big Bang Theory and 30 Rock.I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. I think the show had potential - especially now that Dax has shown some backbone, and Paul has enough screen time for second billing. The last 2 episodes had me rolling my eyes in many spots, but they were better than some of the previous ones. Too little too late, but I'm upping my rating to a 5. Still not a big fan, but it's the first time in years I've made time to watch every episode of a series on regular network television, so it must be better than most. Or else it was Sean Bean. Probably the latter.Sad to see it getting the axe, in spite of my ranting. Bean is a marvelous actor in the right part, and his part in Missing could have been one of them. There are also much worse programs on TV that have been wasting air time for YEARS. Oh well. I guess it's back to the movie channels for me.