Connections

I'm guessing that "six degrees" thing works for a lot more than just Kevin Bacon.

I've been watching intermittently - the qualifier for the shame of my major uncoolness - syndicated reruns of "Crossing Jordan." I've been watching it because my wife got hooked on it as it came on right after the syndicated reruns of "Medium," a show we both liked in its first run. If I'm having a late lunch I'll watch an episode of one or both if I'm having a lazy day. They're essentially police procedurals (one with a "sexy, brilliant" medical examiner and one with a suburban mom who happens to be psychic) which means I will watch any episode I start watching all the way through to the end to find out who committed the crime. Justice. Closure. It doesn't have to be a happy ending (fictional characters died, after all) but it does have to be an ending.

I would say there are several layers of unintentional comedy in describing "Crossing Jordan" as a "procedural." I've yet to see an episode in which one of the main characters didn't do something best described as ethically questionable. Because they care so deeply about justice, I guess. Also, all of the main characters have the emotional maturity of 7th graders. And for those of us who live in New England, the Boston setting is delightfully stereotypical. (An Irish-themed bar? In Boston? Get out!) And yet the Beantown setting is more often irrelevant than it is pertinent to the action - much like the clownishly exaggerated accents. You can almost see the actors thinking "Chow-DAH."

Before I go any further, my pride demands I note that we're also watching "The Nevers" (which reminds me we're also binging "The Big Bang Theory" and that I'd have to admit I haven't seen so much as a second of "WandaVision" or "The Mandalorian," and I still haven't made good on my promise to my son or good friends Steve and Kathy to watch "The Expanse" so maybe we can just pretend this paragraph never happened, shall we?).

One of the great things about watching syndicated television from the early 21st century is the "Hey! Isn't that…?" moments. 

Jennifer Lawrence shows up on "Medium," as does Kelsey Grammar as the "Angel of Death." William Sadler, Oded Fehr, Clancy Brown, among many others, made appearances on "Medium."

Shailene Woodley plays Young Jordan in a few episodes of "Crossing Jordan." Tovah Feldshuh, Tamlyn Tomita, Shirley Knight, Gina Gershon, Ernie Hudson, Michael Rooker (again, among many others) have their "Isn't that…?" moments that often led to a deep dive on IMDB.

There's also the music used in the shows, in this case, for "Crossing Jordan," that has taken me down the digital rabbit hole. Specifically and recently, a cover of the Left Banke's 1966 hit, "Walk Away Renee." 

I'm a sucker for cover versions of hit songs. Pop hits can become stale and trite through repetition but there's generally a reason why the song was a hit in the first place. A good cover version can remind you of what you loved about that song in the first place or even change your mind about a song you had previously dismissed (like Ed Sheeran's cover of Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time.")

In this case, "Walk Away Renee" had been transformed into a spare, acoustic duet with two female voices. I was entranced. It was on repeat play in my head throughout the rest of the day, prompting me to look the next morning for cover versions of the song on YouTube. 

Much to my delight, I found it right away. 

Finding this connection from "Crossing Jordan" to Linda Ronstadt - and Ann Savoy - actually made me feel better about the show (and myself for watching it). I had given up my time and in return it had given me a gift. I like to think of myself as a big fan of Linda Ronstadt's music. My "Heart Like a Wheel" CD is a regular listen in my car running errands. I've mined YouTube in the past for her music, coming across such gems as "Silver Threads and Golden Needles'' live with the Eagles. I've re-listened to Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" just for her backup vocals. But I had never heard this cover before hearing it on "Crossing Jordan."

And yes, I'm listening to it again right now.