The Secret She Carried

 Posted on August 12, 2024  |  7 minutes  |  1415 words  |  Aldo Pusey

The Secret She Carried (Sun. (27), 9-11 p.m., NBC) Filmed in Austin, Texas, by Wildrice Prods. in association with NBC Studios. Executive producer, Joel S. Rice; co-exec producer, Alan Thicke; producer, Richard L. O'Connor; director, Dan Lerner; writer, Michael Angeli, based on a story by Frank Moore; camera, Nick Taylor; editor, Michael S. Murphy; production designer, Gary T. New; sound, John Pritchett; music, Starr Parodi, Jeff Eden Fair; casting, Jeff Meshel, Jo Edna Boldin. Cast: Peri Gilpin, Jere Burns, D.W. Moffett, Ron Perkins, Alyson Reed, Susan Gibney, Jennifer Aspen, Sonja Parks, Dell Aldrich, Randall Brady, Michael Crabtree, Richard Dillard, Wayne Dong, Cynthia Dorn, Jeremy Fox, Tony Frank, Dennis Hill, Adams Johnson, Constance Jones, Heather Kafka, Daniel Kamin, Alandra Lancaster, Jessica Looney, Lety Magana, Susan Mooney, Alex Morris, Richard Nance, Lidia Porto, Meta Rosen, Tac Stewart, James Van Harper, Mark Walters, and Glenn Zoch. For a movie that pushes so many buttons rape, baby snatching, stalking, fatherhood and fertility "The Secret She Carried" is emotionally listless. The cafeteria approach isn't filling and the whole is less than its parts; a streamlined menu would elicit stronger responses from characters and viewers alike. A woman (Peri Gilpin from "Frasier") is raped by an intruder, an event that triggers as many issues involving the rapist (Jere Burns) as the victim and her husband (D.W. Moffett). Her secret is that the baby is either the child they've long been trying to conceive or the spawn of a brutal redneck. The marriage ices up with shame and fear. Should she tell her husband (who is concerned about his career as an editor at a lifestyle magazine) that she's pregnant? Then, should they abort the fetus or wait until genetic tests establish paternity? Meanwhile, the police are on to the perpetrator, who's alienated from his ex-wife and three sons. He decides to quiet his victim with terror; when he breaks into the house again, he spies the printout of a sonogram pinned to the fridge. Several months later he goes to the hospital in a successful effort to kidnap the child he believes is his. Writer Michael Angeli does an OK job handling each moment but ultimately can't decide which issue to amplify. Director Dan Lerner orchestrates the proceedings with deliberation, giving the impression something surprising is about to happen. Gilpin, with her Southern Comfort growl, gives a fine, compact performance. She plays a high school teacher, and her cool manner with students might make for a good classroom drama. Moffett is straight out of a Dockers commercial. Burns, costumed in shirts with cut-off sleeves, brings a flair to the rapist, waltzing through like he owns the piece. One possible line would have been letting the two potential fathers square off. However, as usual, the woman in a telepic has to do all the work. Co-executive producer Alan Thicke has a small, uncredited role as a magazine publisher. Tech credits are good. John P. McCarthy

The Secret She Carried (Sun. (27), 9-11 p.m., NBC) Filmed in Austin, Texas, by Wildrice Prods. in association with NBC Studios. Executive producer, Joel S. Rice; co-exec producer, Alan Thicke; producer, Richard L. O’Connor; director, Dan Lerner; writer, Michael Angeli, based on a story by Frank Moore; camera, Nick Taylor; editor, Michael S. Murphy; production designer, Gary T. New; sound, John Pritchett; music, Starr Parodi, Jeff Eden Fair; casting, Jeff Meshel, Jo Edna Boldin. Cast: Peri Gilpin, Jere Burns, D.W. Moffett, Ron Perkins, Alyson Reed, Susan Gibney, Jennifer Aspen, Sonja Parks, Dell Aldrich, Randall Brady, Michael Crabtree, Richard Dillard, Wayne Dong, Cynthia Dorn, Jeremy Fox, Tony Frank, Dennis Hill, Adams Johnson, Constance Jones, Heather Kafka, Daniel Kamin, Alandra Lancaster, Jessica Looney, Lety Magana, Susan Mooney, Alex Morris, Richard Nance, Lidia Porto, Meta Rosen, Tac Stewart, James Van Harper, Mark Walters, and Glenn Zoch. For a movie that pushes so many buttons rape, baby snatching, stalking, fatherhood and fertility “The Secret She Carried” is emotionally listless. The cafeteria approach isn’t filling and the whole is less than its parts; a streamlined menu would elicit stronger responses from characters and viewers alike. A woman (Peri Gilpin from “Frasier”) is raped by an intruder, an event that triggers as many issues involving the rapist (Jere Burns) as the victim and her husband (D.W. Moffett). Her secret is that the baby is either the child they’ve long been trying to conceive or the spawn of a brutal redneck. The marriage ices up with shame and fear. Should she tell her husband (who is concerned about his career as an editor at a lifestyle magazine) that she’s pregnant? Then, should they abort the fetus or wait until genetic tests establish paternity? Meanwhile, the police are on to the perpetrator, who’s alienated from his ex-wife and three sons. He decides to quiet his victim with terror; when he breaks into the house again, he spies the printout of a sonogram pinned to the fridge. Several months later he goes to the hospital in a successful effort to kidnap the child he believes is his. Writer Michael Angeli does an OK job handling each moment but ultimately can’t decide which issue to amplify. Director Dan Lerner orchestrates the proceedings with deliberation, giving the impression something surprising is about to happen. Gilpin, with her Southern Comfort growl, gives a fine, compact performance. She plays a high school teacher, and her cool manner with students might make for a good classroom drama. Moffett is straight out of a Dockers commercial. Burns, costumed in shirts with cut-off sleeves, brings a flair to the rapist, waltzing through like he owns the piece. One possible line would have been letting the two potential fathers square off. However, as usual, the woman in a telepic has to do all the work. Co-executive producer Alan Thicke has a small, uncredited role as a magazine publisher. Tech credits are good. John P. McCarthy

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