Posted By: Carol - So. California 
Date: Tuesday, 4 July 2000, at 3:13 p.m. 

Hungry. Yup, that's what I am. HUNGRY FOR THIS TAPE. I'm surprised that I didn't blurt that out when the showing was over. Instead I hollered, "I NEED THIS TAPE." And, yup, I do. Dear lord, Adam was incredible in his closing speech to Sherilyn Fenn-trying-to-be-SLOAN-but-fading-into-the woodwork-and-other-nondescript-scenery. And his departure was...was...oh, lordy..let's just say "billowy," the back of another terrific long (gray) coat flying out behind him, calf-length, as he walked down the hallway, leaving her standing there, watching. Not a ratty coat either, but one of those expensive jobs you'd expect to find on a government agent or someone with a lotlot more money that I have or any man that I've ever gone out with (gives you an idea of my choices in life). Anyway, back to the story, this time from the top. 

I am very very pleased with the Prey presented to us on ABC. That's not to say that there weren't moments that I wish had been kept from the pilot and reshot for Ep1. Roger Howarth was terrific in the pilot, more real to me. The emotions evident on his face moved me at times. A very expressive portrayal of Homo Dominant, and I think more dimensional than the one in Ep1. Also, that terrific cage was used to hold Lynch. Very effective, especially with him in that orange prison suit of his. 

IMO, Dr. Anne Coulter sucked (sorry, being really honest here). Lindsay Crouse (a terrific actress) was Dr. Anne. She had less emotions than the Dominants did, for crying out loud. (Hmmmm, perhaps we have Dominants living amongst us now.) No way could I see a close relationship between Dr. Anne and Sloan. Mentor, shmentor. I wouldn't want her. And you know that scene in Ep1 when Sloan and Ed are talking about Coulter and Sloan's close relationship with her? That would have been totally unconvincing. 

Gross-out moment though. They showed the cut-off head (no blood). Hmmm, cut-off head, cut-off emotions. And that's what she seemed to be, cut off from feeling. 

ED. Oh, dear. What do I say.... Awful. Apparently, not his fault? ABC, in their all-knowing, all-seeing wisdom, told this actor that he had to cut off his beard for the role. (He cried. I don't blame him.) Yet according to Bill Schmidt, this actor had been deemed as sexy-with-a-beard by women (who knows, maybe men too). ABC wasn't listening then either, it appears. In any case, cut cut snip snip the beard goes and so does his acting ability. This was a S M A L L Ed, and I don't mean physically, although that was true too. He just seemed to fade into the woodwork. Look now at our, as some have called him, Doormat Ed (Vincent) and really really appreciate him. VV is wonderful as Ed, and Ed is a man that I'd love to have as a friend. 

RAY. I really liked Ray in the pilot (which I haven't been able to say for our current Ray; I lose all interest in Prey when Ray hits the screen.) It's hard to pinpoint why I liked him in the pilot better, but he seemed more in control, like I would expect of a policeman in charge of a major crime. I liked his dialogue better, too, especially, his story about dating and the difference between the words "not really" and "yes." Anyway, I wish that this was the Ray that I had seen in Prey. 

WALTER. What a schm....louse. Walter was the first to suspect Tom cuz Walter was copying Dr. Coulter's computer notes every night! He also took credit for The Discovery and named the new species after himself. A man you love to hate. Slime. This may have been a really interesting character in Prey, a petty human one that lots have come across in life (glad that I haven't though). However, I do like the Walter that we have now. Larry Drake is good at going either way with this character. 

SLOAN. Mistake mistake. Mistake. Mistake Mistake. An incredibly lack-luster, noncharismatic Sloan. Another actor blending into the woodwork, if not the floor. No chemistry with Tom either. Fenn was __________. You fill in the blank. I'll try not to "completely" demolish her. God-awful. Ok, I had to say it. god-god-awful. Can you imagine a Sloan that had no chemistry with Tom? She had no chemistry with Ed/Other Actor either. When Fenn was replaced as Sloan, they had to get a replacement for the Ed role, too, because Debra Messing and Other Actor/Ed had no chemistry. Hence, Other Actor departed. (He may very well be a good actor, but....I dunno, was it the lack of his beard or the presence of Fenn that made him so bad.) 

OUR DEAR TOM. Okay. First impressions. The hair. If "I" had just had my mentor killed, I don't know if I'd be more startled by her death or the sudden appearance of Tom's hair. Sheesh, you could dust light bulbs with it, then go for the ceiling. I also thought, "He looks too young for an FBI agent. Looks like he just graduated, from what though I'm not sure. Mr. Perfect, that's what he was. I could see him at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills, Harvard or Yale perhaps, modeling maybe. Hard to take him seriously as an FBI agent. I just couldn't. Thank heaven one year later they shortened his hair, made it more serious, made it become a part of Our Tom. 

In one year Adam has learned so much, changed so much: He became Tom of the head tilt, of the lilting language, of the quirky hand. He became pensive Tom. I love the Tom he became. Adam is incredible. By the way, after the panel discussion and at the signing table, I asked Bill and Larry about Tom and Adam: Was the Tom we saw written? Was it Adam's interpretation? The tilt, the lilt, all of it? 

IT WAS ADAM! ALL ADAM!. Larry said that sometimes things just come all together. Another reason perhaps to explain Adam's affinity for Prey and Tom, for Adam truly made Tom the persona we saw. And it was magnificent. And still is. sigh drool slobber I want him. Ok, back to my review. 

No chemistry between Tom and Sloan. Dull dud thump it hits the floor. It's even hard for me to remember what happened in scenes between them. The dinner scene did have a memorable moment for me though. Their table was in front of a large wall mural of the hands of God and Adam, their hands so close, almost as though they were reaching for each other, instead of one creating the other. (Personally, I like reaching toward, as though they each need the other to be a whole.) Kudos to the Preymaker. Ok, the scene. Can't remember what they were saying but in between the lines, during a pause, Tom was looking at Sloan, just looking. She finally noticed, and just looked back. The camera switched between the two of them, more than once, lingering, I thought, on Tom. Perhaps not. BUT I LINGERED ON HIM. Sheesh, throw me a drool towel. 

The Shower Scene: Would you throw me a bigger drool towel this time? thanks. Now then. HOT HOT HOT, he was hot to look at, more muscled but not overly so. Terri, in Scotland, do you hear/see?!? A chest to die for. A bod to crave. A face to linger on. A brain to suck dry. Well, there are lots of pretty faces in the world, but brains aren't included with them all. And neither is the ability to cook. The camera didn't come back for a follow-up shot. I couldn't believe it. I'm waiting. Thinking there will be more. How could they pass up this opportunity? But they did. Oh, lordy, they did and I don't forgive them for it. oooooh. 

The Ending. Throughout most of the story, I didn't feel any special affinity for Tom. That came near the end, with one incredible scene in which Adam had Tom nailed. (And Bill was truly taken by Adam's acting here.) He was no longer the pretty FBI agent, the model, the preppy. It was like watching the birth of Tom, Our Tom, the very beginning. In this scene, Sloan already knows who Tom really is. She's afraid to come close to him. He assures her that she's safe and inches his way nearer toward her (not going to tell all here). He tells her that they're not all alike. The words that flow from Tom and the manner in which he says them.....ooooh. He wants more! It's in his face, in his voice. He feels something for her already. He even says to her, "I wish.....," then his words trail off. He later turns to go, and as he walks off down the hall and turns down a corridor, his gray trenchcoat, calf-length, slightly billows out behind him. Dear lord, he was superman to me at that point. I could barely contain myself and was just waiting for the ending to blurt out, "I need this tape!" which I promptly did. 

Your Prey History is not complete without this tape. You must get it. And thank you to Bill Schmidt for the Prey idea and fighting to bring it to fruition. I feel like we're a team now, Bill and us all. Wow, this is much longer than I had intended, but I got carried away with Adam and Prey. Who/what better to carry me... 

Carol/preymate forever