Take This Tune - Saving Grace

This week's Take This Tune is turning out to be harder than I expected simply because there are so many possible directions.  The selection of the Saving Grace theme song done by Everlast was because the opening is what caught me up in this series right at the first episode.  That grey sky and an Oklahoma tornado coupled with an empty road takes you straight to the realm of good, evil, mystery and the haunting possibility of salvation.

The basic plot as described in the Wiki:

The plot focuses on Grace Hanadarko (Holly Hunter), a smoking, heavy drinking, and promiscuous Oklahoma City detective. In the series opener, Grace meets up with her "last-chance" angel when she runs down and kills a pedestrian with her Porsche after one of her drinking binges. In desperation she calls out for God's help, and a scruffy, tobacco-spitting man who calls himself Earl (Leon Rippy) appears. Unfolding his wings to reveal his divine origins.

When not working, Grace drinks heavily, engages in numerous one-night stands and casual encounters with men, and is having an affair with her partner Ham, who divorced his wife in the second season. Aside from her faults, Grace is an extraordinarily loving and generous person to those around her. In particular she loves her young nephew Clay (Dylan Minnette) and devotes a great deal of her time to him.

Earl appears to Grace throughout the series, hoping she'll turn away from her more self-destructive tendencies and seek God's help. Saving Grace does not promote any one religion but does use Grace's story to discuss the topic of faith, and how difficult faith can be in such an imperfect world.

If you haven't seen the show, Earl is the guy in the plaid shirt above standing next to the murderer in the leather coat. Oh, and if you haven't seen the show, what is the matter with you? Just because at least once in almost every episode it will offend somebody is no reason to miss one of the best acted, most consistently dramatic, and just plain great pieces of entertainment ever shown on television.  Just close your eyes through the nude scenes and cover your ears against any passing blasphemy. I guarantee you will end up loving Grace Hanadarko and Holly Hunter's magnificent interpretation.

This is a plot idea that should get some sort of blessing from viewers for absolute originality. Naturally, the show has been cancelled once its third season completes. At least TNT was honest enough to say it was expenses and not ratings.  I hope that if enough people tune in, it might get them to change their minds, but television executives are notoriously blank brained when it comes to keeping quality on the air.

Just to catch you up a bit.  The forum at TV.Com started playing a game where everyone had to add a new fact about Grace to the list.  Before getting bored with the game, they came up with the following:
1. Grace has never been married.
2. She was molested by father Patrick 'Satan' Murphy in the 4th grade.
3. She pulled victims out of the rubble at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing.
4. Lost a sister in the Oklahoma City bombing. Lost her father a few years later.
5. Her grandfather is Native American.
6. She drives a Porsche (environment-friendly 44miles/gallon).
7. She dearly loves her dog Big Head Gus Head.
8. She knows how to ride horses, and to hunt.
9. She drinks beer and doesn't like tomatoes in her salad
10. She once had a dream about a sparkling/golden hoofed deer.
11. likes to show off her goods to her old neighbor when she showers.
12. Has six brothers and sisters. Joe, Johnny, Leo, Jimmy, Paige, Mary Francis.
13. Grace was partners with Butch prior to being partnered with Ham and she has slept with both of them.
14. She bit the tongue of the priest that molested her and he was transferred out after that.
15. Her brother is a priest.

I'll add one more; from the closing episode of Season 3. She survived a fall that should have killed her and in  close up you see that the wings of an angel are tatooed on her back.  Season 4 beginning March 29 should be something else, and you  have more than enough time to watch seasons one through three to catch up.  When the final nine episodes have ended, I will genuinely miss Grace ... what we need is a miracle to keep her on the air.