New Amsterdam | Napping at Red Lights

Is the Doc John’s True Love on ‘New Amsterdam?’

April 8, 2008

It’s only been six weeks since the premiere of New Amsterdam and John Amsterdam is in mortal danger again. Or is he?

Since the pilot, John has been pursuing Sara Dillane, the doctor that saved him after his heart attack in the opening segment. But did she save him? She was the one who found him on the subway platform and worked on him. But didn’t he still end of in the morgue, pronounced dead by Sara herself?

It was in the morgue that he woke up, a result of the work of a blessing/curse (depends on how you look at it) by an Indian shaman in 1642 granting him immortality until he finds his one true love.

But John was sure that the heart attack was a sign that he’d come across “the one.” He thinks it is Sara and has been courting her ever since.

Then in last night’s episode “Reclassified,” John says he’s feels different when he’s beaten to a pulp by some Russian mob thugs. Is that proof that Sara is indeed having an impact on his mortality or is it wishful thinking on his part? He seemed to have healed without issue.

Then in the closing moments, John is shot by the Russian mobster’s little brother and the question of his mortality is answered. Or is it?

If you think that Sara is indeed John’s true love you could argue that the shot wasn’t fatal as proof of his survival. Could he have survived because their hearts haven’t been fully intertwined as one yet? Could the fact that he woke up in a hospital bed instead of the morgue be evidence that there has been some change within John?

Nevertheless those same arguments could be used if his mortality savior is someone else that he is in current contact with.

Personally, I don’t think that Sara is the one. I think the fact that she couldn’t save him in the ER in the opening episode was foreshadowing that she isn’t the one to save him from eternal life. But I believe that the heart attack is a sign that his true soul mate is near (otherwise, it would be a pretty boring series if there was no hope that he will find reconciliation with his mortality).

So if it’s not the doctor, who is it? Was it someone he saw in passing in that first episode? Or is it someone we see ever week? Right now, besides Sara, John sees two other women regularly – his partner Eva Marquez and his boss Callie Burnett (Susan Misner).

Callie wasn’t in the pilot, but since we don’t know how this blessing/curse works the heart attack could have been the sign of a future meeting.

However, my money is on Eva. John was with her moments before his heart attack. Besides they seem to have chemistry as partners. Yet, she’s right there in front of him, but he doesn’t really notice her. And she will not be easily won over by his charms like the good doctor.

Sure John Amsterdam is not without appeal and he’s had nearly 400 years to perfect his pick up lines for women, but I think the woman that is to be his true soul mate has to stand out from all the other women he’s known. She won’t be easy to woo. She will have to be a match for him on more than just looks. They will have some common interests, goals. She will be his equal, not another conquest. Someone that he will not be able to put aside even if he doubts she’s the one.

And put aside is what it looks like he might due to the sweet doctor next week if he doubts her role in his life. Next week marks the finale of a short eight-episode season.

We know that John can survive a gunshot to see another day, but will New Amsterdam survive to see a second season?

Leave a Comment » | New Amsterdam, Television | Tagged: Alexie Gilmore, Dr. Sara Dillane, drama, entertainment, Eva Marques, Fox, immortality, John Amsterdam, New Amsterdam, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Reclassified, season 1, Susan Misner, Television, tv, Zuleikha Robinson | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

The Verdict on ‘Canterbury’s Law’

March 11, 2008

While other networks are scrambling to get their shows back into production after the writers’ strike, Fox is taking advantage of the lull to debut some new series. Last week it was New Amsterdam. This week it’s Canterbury’s Law. But will this advantage be enough to secure a hit for the new Julianna Margulies series?

On one hand, any new scripted series in the wake of the strike is a welcome treat to those that have been inundated with reality shows as of late. On the other, Canterbury’s Law is airing on Fox, a network that is not known to be nice to series that aren’t instant hits.

But in the end, I think it’s the characters that’ll be the downfall of the series.

Firstly, I’m not entirely sure that Margulies is believable as Elizabeth Canterbury, a hard core lawyer willing to do anything to get her clients off. It’s going to take more to shake the Florence Nightingale image of Carol Hathaway that I have in my head of Margulies from her ER days.

Secondly, I don’t like Canterbury’s character. She’s not only immoral (she’s cheating on her husband), but she’s unethical (she’s sleeping with a client and she coaches a client to lie).

Now I’ve watched and am a fan of some shows (House, for example) where the lead is less that upstanding, but for some reason it doesn’t work for Elizabeth.

I wondered if it was because she was a woman. For some reason, when women play dirty, people are more offended. Do we hold our female characters to higher standards?

Flawed heroes are not a new thing. But maybe the fact that Elizabeth uses the very clients she’s supposed to be protecting to get at the bad guys is what doesn’t sit well. Most people don’t have high standards for lawyers in general (no offense to any lawyers reading), but I think that at least on TV we hope that the “good” guys have some principles.

At least twice, Elizabeth belittles witnesses on the stand – once with a cop who couldn’t see his own shoes because of his belly, but testified he saw a class ring at his feet and once when she pronounced the prosecution’s doctor’s name as Hack instead of the appropriate Hawk (the name was spelled Hak). The jabs were funny. But they made me question her litigation skills if she has to resort to such gimmicks.

But Elizabeth seems to sink to even lower levels. In the opening episode, Elizabeth coaches her client to lie all so she can get the real guilty party on the stand and prove he did it. The plan works, but she sacrificed our faith in the justice system to do it.

And speaking of her client, it was very hard to feel sympathetic for him. I think it was clear from the beginning he wasn’t guilty, but he still had such a creepy vibe that you kind of wanted him locked up for his own well being.

Then, let’s look at Canterbury’s team. It looks like Fox tried to bank on House’s formula for success with a similar three-member team – one girl, two guys (one white and one black). But I have news for them; the combination didn’t work for me.

Molly (Tireste Kelly Dunn) doesn’t even seem to have what it takes to be a defense attorney. Not only does she side with the family against her boss, but she gets all weepy over pictures of the missing boy. In House, Cameron’s compassion makes her a better doctor, it doesn’t inhibit her.

Russell (Ben Shenkman) seems to have loyalty issues. He’s working for Elizabeth because she was the only one that would hire him. But when he doubts her, he leaks critical information to the prosecution. It’s only after the Deputy Attorney General (Terry Kinney) crosses him (apparently again) that Russell even bothers to stick up for Elizabeth. And he seems to care less about the client.

And we didn’t get to see enough of Chester Grant (Keith Robinson) to get a read on his character. But from what I’ve read he’s trying to escape his Congressman father’s shadow.

In House, the team seems to complement House, even making up for his bad attributes. In Canterbury’s Law the team seems to be working against each other.

And in attempt to humanize Elizabeth, we find out at the end of the episode her relationship with husband Matt Furey (Aiden Quinn) is strained by the unsolved disappearance of their son. We aren’t given enough information to form an opinion on this situation, but from upcoming previews it appears that her husband blames her.

It’s clear that Elizabeth’s schemes, such as the one where she sent in Private Investigator Frank Angstrom (James McCaffrey) to get a read on a juror, are going to get her in trouble. The question is: are we going to care enough about Elizabeth to watch her watch her battle to stay out of jail.

If you missed the pilot, you can watch it online at fox.com/canterburyslaw. Canterbury’s Law airs on Fox Mondays at 8 p.m.

Leave a Comment » | House, Television | Tagged: Aiden Quinn, Canterbury's Law, drama, entertainment, ER, Fox, House, James McCaffrey, Julianna Margulies, Keith Robinson, law, New Amsterdam, pilot, Ron Shenkman, Television, Terry Kinney, Tireste Kelly Dunn, tv, writers strike | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Will ‘New Amsterdam’ Find Success with Immortality?

March 5, 2008

Fox is relying on America’s fascination with immortality to make New Amsterdam a hit, but will the new drama be lost in the sea of reality shows.

In the ‘80s I was introduced to Conner MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) and the concept of the immortal hero. The movie spawned a 20+ year franchise that included a Highlander TV series.

(Just for the record, I’m sure other immortals in television and film existed before the ‘80s, but I’m going to claim that I’m too young to remember them as an excuse for not including them.)

A decade after Highlander hit the big screen, I started watching a show about another immortal – one who had a questionable past. Cursed with a soul by gypsies, the vampire known as Angel (David Boreanaz) patrolled the streets of first Sunnydale, then Los Angeles helping people in an effort to make reparations for all the evil he’d done.

And now, before adding New Amsterdam to the list, I am watching two more shows with leads that cannot die – Moonlight and Torchwood. Moonlight is about another vampire that doubles as a detective while Torchwood features Dr. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a time traveler from the future who is unable to die after an adventure with The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston/David Tennant of Doctor Who).

After watching the premiere of New Amsterdam last night I think the drama has potential. After all it has all the ingredients for a successful immortal.

Immortality Brought on My Death

Like others before him, John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) had died and lived to tell about it. In fact in the pilot, John dies twice – once in the flashback where he received his immortality from an Indian shaman (Carla Rae Holland) and once in the opening sequence (I won’t spoil the why here).

Of course, both Angel and Nick St. John (Alex O’Laughlin) died to become vampires. Captain Jack was brought back to life when Rose (Billie Piper) saved him from The Bad Wolf. And Conner found out about his immortality after being mortally wounded in battle.

A Quest

John’s quest is unlike like other immortals, but it’s a quest nonetheless. Angel seeks to redeem himself. Nick is search for a cure. Conner battled for The Prize and Jack is trying to save Earth. But John’s quest is more personal. He’s looking for love, not any love, but his one true love. When he finds it, he can finally grow old.

A Hero complex

With immortality comes responsibility. Conner fights evil immortals. Jack protects the earth from aliens. Angel and Nick are both private detectives. And John partners with fellow cop Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson) to fight crime, although he hasn’t always worked a cop.

Wear a Long Coat

The long coat must be part of the hero fashion statement, because all the immortals are wearing one, each for their own purpose. Jack’s dates back to his World War I days. Conner used it to hide his sword. The long coat looks really cool flapping in the breeze like wings when Angel and Nick leap from tall buildings. I’m not sure what John’s purpose for his coat is yet (a throwback from his past?), but I’m willing to stick around to find out.

Loners with a Confidant

Since immortals can outlive everyone they know, it’s no surprise that they are all loners. But that doesn’t mean they are totally alone – they have confidants. Jack has his Torchwood staff. Nick has fellow vamp Josef (Jason Dohring). Angel had Doyle (Glenn Quinn) and then Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). Conner had Juan Sanchz Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery).

John has Omar (Stephen Henderson). We met the 65-year-old jazz club owner in the pilot. He was in trouble with some bookies and John helps him out. He returns the favor by keeping John’s secrets. But maybe that’s not the only reason. According to TV Guide, Omar is John’s son (one of many children his fathered over the years).

Achilles’ Heel

Immortality does come without some downsides. Each of these immortals has a mortal weakness – something that can kill them immediately. Conner must be beheaded to die. Beheading, fire, sunlight and stakes are all lethal to Angel, while beheading, fire and extreme sunlight are the only things that can put an end to Nick’s life. I don’t want to give away Jack’s secret, I’ll just say tune into Doctor Who’s third season.

But what can kill John? Ironically, it’s the same thing that he searches for – true love. Once his soul is wed to that of his one true love, he can grow old and die.

Women

Some might argue that women in and of themselves are man’s Achilles’ heel. I’ll save that debate for another day. But I did notice that all the immortals have their fair share of women around.

Conner had Heather (Beatie Edney). Nick has Beth (Sophia Myles), the girl he loves, and Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon), the wife that turned him. Angel has a couple ladies on his list – his sire Darla (Julie Benz), his true love Buffy (Sarah Michelle Geller) and Cordelia. The unconventional Jack has a slew of people – both men and women – that he shares chemistry with including Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd), Gwen (Eve Myles) and Captain John Hart (James Marsters).

Who keeps John company? Over the years he’s had several wives, but as he told us in the pilot only one at a time. Currently, in addition to his partner Eve, John has crossed paths with Dr. Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore). Is she is one true love? Only time will tell.

Living under the Radar

In order to avoid someone noticing that they are living forever, immortals must fly under the radar. Angel lives in the shadows. Nick pretends that he’s his own son. And Conner moved around. I have no idea how Jack has remained undetected.

John changes names and careers. In the pilot, we heard at least two other names he used, one being Charlie and the other the name of an artist he once was. The constant mystery of the person that he was should provide an intriguing backdrop for the show. And the random why he throws out tidbits – that he knows no one will believe – suggesting his real age adds a touch of humor to the show.

Flashbacks in History

The great thing about living for hundreds of years is the unfolding history. And a good show about immortals explores that history through flashbacks (or in Jack’s case flash forwards since he’s from the future).

New Amsterdam promises to follow in the footsteps of other shows about immortals giving us glimpses into John’s past lives. In the pilot, we saw how John became immortal as a Dutch soldier in 1642. The flashbacks are possibly the part I’m looking forward to the most. I like the idea of peeking into someone’s past to learn more about them and I enjoy historical stories, so bring on the flashbacks.

Overall, I think that Fox has the makings of a hit on their hands. But I’m worried that New Amsterdam will be lost among the reality show swamp the network has become. So far the network is not doing the show any favors by moving the show around its schedule – it premiered on a Tuesday night, the next episode is on Thursday, followed by an episode on Monday.

If Fox can secure a decent place in the schedule for the show, New Amsterdam might live a long life – even if it’s not immortal.

5 Comments | Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, Highlander, Moonlight, Movies, New Amsterdam, Television, Torchwood | Tagged: Alex O'Laughlin, Alexie Gilmore, Angel, Beatie Edney, Billie Piper, Carla Rae Holland, Charisma Carpenter, Christopher Eccleston, Christopher Lambert, Conner MacLeod, David Boreanaz, David Tennant, Doctor Who, Dr. Jack Harkness, Dr. Sara Dillane, drama, entertainment, Eve Myles, Fox, Gareth David-Lloyd, Glenn quinn, Highlander, immortality, James Marsters, Jason Dohring, John Barrowman, Julie Benz, Moonlight, New Amsterdam, Nick St. John, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omar, Sarah Michelle Geller, Sean Connery, Sophia Myles, Stephen Henderson, Television, Torchwood, tv, Zuleikha Robinson | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Fox Cashes in on Super Bowl Audience

February 4, 2008

Already on a ratings high during the writers strike with its schedule of reality TV programs, Fox spared no expense to promote itself during the Super Bowl.

I’d expect the network hosting the Super Bowl to use air time between plays to promote its shows. That’s no surprise. Neither were the vast amounts of onscreen logo promotions – you know, those annoying little logos that take up the corners of the lower portion of the screen.

But Fox went a step further it its promotion airing full ads to promote its shows.

Considering the amount of revenue a 30-second ad spot can earn during the Super Bowl, it’s a pretty bold move to use that valuable air time for self promotion.

I counted no less than five commercials for Fox’s new series Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Two other new series – The Moment of Truth and New Amsterdam – got at least one commercial each. But the commercials weren’t limited to new series. Fox promoted Prison Break with two ads and spotlighted King of the Hill once.

Fox even spent some of its precious air time to promote events that evening including five spots touting the House episode schedule to air after the Super Bowl and a handful of commercials advertising the half-time show.

If all of this air time wasn’t enough, Fox spent some serious bucks marketing one of its schedule staples – American Idol, now in its seventh season. Not only did Fox broadcast a minimum of six ads spotlighting the current season that’s in its last week of auditions, but Fox also used American Idol celebs throughout the Super Bowl event.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest hosted a Red Carpet pre-game show. American Idol judge Paula Abdul pre-taped a performance of her new single produced by fellow judge Randy Jackson for the pre-game show. And last year’s winner Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem to kick off the game.

Fox’s self promotion also included ads for future events that it’ll be airing including three ads for next week’s Pro Bowl and four commercials for the Daytona 500.

Is it me or did we see a little football among the ode to Fox?

When you consider the cost of producing a commercial on top of the lost revenue by not selling the airtime, Fox took an expensive gamble to gain a few viewers during a time when Fox actually has limited competition.

What do you think? Do you think Fox went overboard with its self promotion? Are you more likely to tune into any of these Fox programs after seeing these Super Bowl ads?

1 Comment | American Idol, Current Affairs, Football, House, Pop Culture, Reality, Sports, Television, Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles | Tagged: ads, American Idol, commercials, Daytona 500, entertainment, Fox, House, Jordin Sparks, King of the HIll, Moment of Truth, New Amsterdam, Paula Abdul, Prison Break, Pro Bowl, Randy Jackson, reality shows, reality TV, revenue, Super Bowl, Television, Terminator, The Sarh Conner Chronicles, tv | Permalink
Posted by vacelts