Easy Resolutions to Difficult Problems, Hollywood Style

Crossing Jordan is one of my favorite series on television. I have a HUGE soft spot for Jerry O’Connell, the male lead, and have ever since he was the geeky college-student genius of Sliders. He’s since lost his baby fat and has become a well-toned hunk while still retaining his boy-next-door wholesomeness.

His character, Woody Hoyt, has been trying to have a relationship with the female lead, Jordan Cavanaugh, who has Issues. They are both Catholic and sometimes that plays a part in the series, although the stricture about premarital sex is ignored (although they have never had sex with each other).

At the end of last season, Woody was shot. Jordan finally realizes that this man means a lot to her and tells him so. When he comes out of surgery, though, he’s angry and sends her away. Woody has also received the news that he may be permanently paralyzed.

I have spent the summer imagining how this was going to play out. Woody would go through weeks of painful therapy learning to walk again, allowing for many emotionally cathartic scenes between him and Jordan as they hammered out exactly What They Mean to Each Other. Jordan would have to learn patience and would have to prove her sincerity to Woody over time as he learned to deal with the fact that he was not invincible.

Silly me.

Turns out Woody is not paralyzed after all, although he is still mad at Jordan and sends her away. Eight missing weeks later (although the transition is cleverly done using a plant Jordan tried to give to Woody), Woody is back at work, albeit at a desk job, and Jordan is still being Jordan. So it looks like we’re going to have to go through another season of them being deliberately obtuse with each other and hurting each other and doing everything they can to avoid admitting that they are Right For Each Other.

Fortunately, this is not the only story line. There are the forensics and the rest of the Boston Medical Examiners office to make me put up with the Jordan/Woody silliness. The fact that Jerry O’Connell is easy on the eyes helps a lot.