by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Jeff Goldblum has finally found a television vehicle that fits his quirky acting style. In this hour-long detective series, which debuted on NBC March 15, Goldblum plays homicide detective Raines who has just come back from being shot. His partner Charlie Lincoln (Malik Yoba) is dead, killed in the same incident.
After months of recovery and therapy, Raines came back a changed man. He now has the ability to channel dead victims, seeing them as plain as day. Likewise, he frequently sees his dead partner, with whom he seeks advice. Is he a medium or just hallucinating? Ah, that’s for the viewers to decide.
The show is built around Jeff Goldblum’s eccentric facial ticks, roaming eyes, and odd expressions as he solves murders. As soon as the case is solved, the victim disappears. Clearly, Raines is not over the trauma of his injury, but he stoically carries on, holding onto a thin thread of reality as he goes into murder scenes and sees the victim, who inevitably asks him “who killed me?” Strangely, in death, they have no memory of who killed them. If they did, he could immediately solve the case and there would be no show.
Clearly, the success of the show depends on Goldblum’s ability to hold viewer’s interest. The pilot was promising, even though the one-note-samba premise might wear thin if the other characters are not fully developed. Although Raines is the main character, he is still a member of the police department and not an independent investigator like Monk.
Nonetheless, if Goldblum can make Raines as appealing as Monk or House, who dominate their respective series, then the show could take off. Frankly, I was hooked by Goldblum’s multidimensional characterization of Raines. He’s like a stranger in a strange land and seems ill at ease seeing the murder victims. Goldblum is a scene stealing actor who builds layers to a character making them memorable. Obviously, this series was created for him and he carries the weight of its success on his shoulders.
In the premiere episode, Raines seems annoyed by the young woman who answers his questions with a question. But, since she is only the second dead person he has met, (other than his partner Charlie), it’s a revelation. But if she can’t help him with the investigation then she just gets in his way. Given Raines’ sense of duty and justice, having the victim in his face helps motivate him. In an amusing twist, Raines finds a cheerleader outfit in the victims closet which he interprets to mean she’s a prostitute who plays dress-up, but it doesn’t change his determination to find the victim’s killer. While this is happening the theme for Body Heat is heard on the sound track. Yeah, it’s a hip but obscure reference aimed at savvy viewers. Will viewers be smart enough to get the show’s subtleties? Time will tell!
Created by Graham Yost who wrote the pilot with Frank Darabont directing, this whodunit is aimed at intelligent viewers who enjoy Jeff Goldblum’s off-kilter style. The pilot launched the series with viewers wanting more. But obviously, it will be challenging to keep the stories interesting and avoid boring patterns of a limited premise, such as how each episode of Ghost Whisperer ends with the earth-bound spirit going off into the light. If they can avoid that pitfall, then this show could be another House or Monk.
|
