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- Review -- "Eli Stone," so far
Review -- "Eli Stone," so far
- By Amy Vincent
- Published 02/13/2008
- Eli Stone
- Unrated
Amy Vincent
I am a TV fan and the author of a vampire series from Harper Collins, Evernight. Visit my website at http://www.claudiagray.com.
View all articles by Amy Vincent
Everyone keeps trying to say what "Eli Stone" is like -- is it "Wonderfalls" with lawyers? "Ally McBeal" with a man? "Pushing Daisies," with less pie? The series is clearly still finding itself, and it's too early to say whether it will be a derivative amalgamation of all of the above or, instead, a true TV original. What's certain is that the show's wit and charm, coupled with the considerable talent of the cast, make it well worth checking out.
Eli is an attorney happily committed to the corporate fast-track, a big-name firm and his model-gorgeous fiancee, until the day he "hears the music." The music in question, as anybody who has watched ABC in the past three months knows by now, was George Michael's "Faith" -- performed by Michael himself, right there in Eli's living room. (And the guy is looking pretty good, actually.) One corny faint-take later, and Eli's off on a journey of discovery. Are his over-the-top visions evidence that something's wrong with his head? Apparently so. He turns out to have an inoperable brain aneurysm that might kill him someday. The aneurysm may be responsible for his visions. Or is it possible that they spring from a higher power, and that he is, as his acupuncturist buddy proclaims, a prophet? Encouraged by the visions to follow his conscience, Eli begins standing up for the downtrodden in court.
The pilot had its charms, however uneven. Any show that has Victor Garber (as the head of Eli's firm and the father of his fiancee) and Loretta Devine (as Eli's longsuffering secretary) in the cast is going to make the most of its script. Jonny Lee Miller sells the role of Eli, one that could easily be cute or cloying; instead he seems warm, funny and real. The visions are beautifully filmed -- vividly colored, softly outlined, a little like what you might expect to see if you woke up on a beautiful morning in Toon Town. Best of all were the pilot's final scenes, in which Eli made a voyage to the Himalayas because he'd once promised his late father that he would. Those moments had the kind of transcendent beauty and emotion that the entire show should aim for.
However, the pilot made missteps, too.
Most famously, Eli's first case was "proving" that a vaccine caused a child's autism -- an urban legend scientific studies have disproved and that is blamed by some pediatricians for alarming drops in vaccination rates. The legal wrangling was stupid, too. Not just TV-law stupid, the kind of stupid you simply have to expect when watching a legal show, because nobody's actually going to turn in for the two years of discovery that would really come between the filing of a lawsuit and the trial. No, this was REALLY stupid. The head of Eli's firm is shown never to have heard of the concept of a "Chinese Wall," which is incomprehensible. (Had he heard of it, he would also have known Eli had completely misunderstood it.) Eli is allowed to represent the plaintiff when, the week before, he was representing the defendant. This is not something a judge is ever going to do. Etc. Finally, the plaintiff turns out to be a woman from Eli's past -- a plot twist that serves no purpose except to strain credulity.
Happily, the second episode, "Freedom," improved markedly. Eli returned home from the Himalayas, and his first scenes with every other cast member sharpened our sense of the relationships at work. The legal stuff -- well, it was down to standard TV stupid, and was at least entertaining. Best of all, Eli lost the case, demonstrating that his good intentions will not always save the day. Once again George Michael's music provided the soundtrack, but this time it was Victor Garber singing "Freedom" in front of a boy's choir. His relationship with his fiancee is proving interesting as well. It appears that she isn't going to be either the Bitch or the Straight (wo)Man -- the two roles women are usually relegated to on shows like this. She is terrified by his illness and honest enough to admit that she might not be able to take it. Watching the two of them feel their way through this promises to be intriguing. Best of all was a scene near the end between Miller and Garber. The big-time lawyer doesn't understand the do-gooder -- it's a scene we've witnessed a hundred times. But here it took on new resonance, because it was played as an older man talking to the younger one he mentored, the one he sees as the inheritor of his life's efforts, and who has rejected him suddenly. The rift is personal, and understandable. Eli's tilting at windmills will come at a cost. It's too early to tell whether "Eli Stone" will capitalize on its strengths, but based on the improvement so far, I'm eager to find out.
Eli is an attorney happily committed to the corporate fast-track, a big-name firm and his model-gorgeous fiancee, until the day he "hears the music." The music in question, as anybody who has watched ABC in the past three months knows by now, was George Michael's "Faith" -- performed by Michael himself, right there in Eli's living room. (And the guy is looking pretty good, actually.) One corny faint-take later, and Eli's off on a journey of discovery. Are his over-the-top visions evidence that something's wrong with his head? Apparently so. He turns out to have an inoperable brain aneurysm that might kill him someday. The aneurysm may be responsible for his visions. Or is it possible that they spring from a higher power, and that he is, as his acupuncturist buddy proclaims, a prophet? Encouraged by the visions to follow his conscience, Eli begins standing up for the downtrodden in court.
The pilot had its charms, however uneven. Any show that has Victor Garber (as the head of Eli's firm and the father of his fiancee) and Loretta Devine (as Eli's longsuffering secretary) in the cast is going to make the most of its script. Jonny Lee Miller sells the role of Eli, one that could easily be cute or cloying; instead he seems warm, funny and real. The visions are beautifully filmed -- vividly colored, softly outlined, a little like what you might expect to see if you woke up on a beautiful morning in Toon Town. Best of all were the pilot's final scenes, in which Eli made a voyage to the Himalayas because he'd once promised his late father that he would. Those moments had the kind of transcendent beauty and emotion that the entire show should aim for.
However, the pilot made missteps, too.
Happily, the second episode, "Freedom," improved markedly. Eli returned home from the Himalayas, and his first scenes with every other cast member sharpened our sense of the relationships at work. The legal stuff -- well, it was down to standard TV stupid, and was at least entertaining. Best of all, Eli lost the case, demonstrating that his good intentions will not always save the day. Once again George Michael's music provided the soundtrack, but this time it was Victor Garber singing "Freedom" in front of a boy's choir. His relationship with his fiancee is proving interesting as well. It appears that she isn't going to be either the Bitch or the Straight (wo)Man -- the two roles women are usually relegated to on shows like this. She is terrified by his illness and honest enough to admit that she might not be able to take it. Watching the two of them feel their way through this promises to be intriguing. Best of all was a scene near the end between Miller and Garber. The big-time lawyer doesn't understand the do-gooder -- it's a scene we've witnessed a hundred times. But here it took on new resonance, because it was played as an older man talking to the younger one he mentored, the one he sees as the inheritor of his life's efforts, and who has rejected him suddenly. The rift is personal, and understandable. Eli's tilting at windmills will come at a cost. It's too early to tell whether "Eli Stone" will capitalize on its strengths, but based on the improvement so far, I'm eager to find out.