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'New Amsterdam': John's rock-bottom days
New Amsterdam has a lot going for it -- compelling characters, an intriguing backstory that gives the writers endless possible plotlines to play with, some good actors (and others I can ignore), and lots of potential for olden-days in-jokes that makes history geeks like me all tingly. But why oh why did they have to muddy it up by making it a police procedural as well? Is there some sort of law that every third show on TV has to involve the investigation of a crime?
Robert Johnson invented the spoilers.
The procedural aspect is the least interesting part of the show, and that's what we spend the most time on. This week's crime: A dead homeless guy who the cops want to write off as an overdosing junkie. He's got a friend who insists that Ollie was clean and sober for years, and John notices the dead man shot up in the wrong arm. Plus, John feels a kinship with the dead man -- he remembers his own stint at rock bottom, and what it took to turn his life around.
John insist the lab do a complete tox screen, which reveals that Ollie died of a massive methadone overdose, not tainted heroin. Further investigation reveals (1) Ollie tended to camp out in a park near a newly opened homeless shelter; (2) the shelter just got a boost in funding courtesy of a benefit concert by rock star Chris Duncan; (3) Ollie had a vintage guitar in a storage locker, which may have belonged to blues legend Robert Johnson; (4) Ollie had an AA meeting chip that leads John to the same meeting Duncan attends.
John and Eva track down Duncan, but he's dead with a needle in his arm. A quick review of his AA journal shows the person to whom he did the greatest wrong was Tara Brown of Brooklyn. She has no clue what Chris Duncan has to do with her -- she thought the detectives were there to follow up on the hit-and-run that killed her young son.
John and Eva figure out what happened: Ollie was the guy that Chris spilled his guts to, the one he told all the horrible things he'd done. Someone didn't want that secret to get out, so they killed Ollie, then Chris. John takes Daphne, the woman who runs the shelter, to the site of the accident and gets her to admit that she was in the car with Chris, and she was driving. She panicked and sped off. She wanted to turn herself in, but her husband, a city councilman, told her he'd take care of it. The councilman denies it, but of course, he's a lying schmuck, and he convinced his driver (a recovering junkie who used to be homeless) to kill both Ollie and Chris. Never trust the politician.
John's backstory is much more fascinating -- he owned a club in the early 60s, and he was a bad, bad drunk. At one point, Rat Pack John openly mocked a potential mobster while swilling booze, and passed out on stage in front of Omar. Omar checked him into a mental hospital, then left him. Ouch. The mobster turns out to be a guy named Frank, who is in AA and wants to help Rat Pack John. He tells Rat Pack to write down the most horrible secret he's kept, then the next one, then the next one, and when he's done, to read it to another human being -- secrets do nothing but kill the soul. Rat Pack John eyes the composition book dubiously -- you got more of those? He eventually fills a whole boxful of notebooks, but before he can bare his soul, Frank dies of a heart attack.
And here's where things got almost unbearably sad. Rat Pack John needs to share his secret, and he's got no one he can trust. So he brings young Omar into his secret hideout and tells him everything. Oh, my heart broke for the boy -- how exactly are you supposed to react to your dad telling you he's immortal, laying out all the shameful things he's done through scores of lives? To his credit, Omar takes it all in, and stays with his dad until the end. I love him even more now.
Sara? Not so much (and it's not just because she spells her name wrong.) Sara gets all squirrely when John doesn't tell her everything at once. She googles him, and discovers that according to public record, he didn't exist five years ago. I demand answers! John resists, but finally, tells her: So, I was born more than 400 years ago... Sara stalks off. I'm not saying it's an easy story to swallow, but you're the one who forced his hand with your questions about anomalous blood readings and such. The least you could do is let him finish.
Fun facts about John:
- He has fathered 63 children.
- He uses a pocket watch
- His club in the 60s was called "The Dutchman."
- John looked damn good in a tux -- but he wasn't a very good comedian.
- His detox ravings included stories about chasing down John Wilkes Booth and "throwing the high hard one to Emily Dickenson." (I hope that's baseball terminology, not sexual euphemism.)
- There's a bunch of overlapping confessions as Rat Pack John writes out his history. Among the things I caught -- he was in the CIA, he put someone's life in danger in France in WW1, he abandoned is family to chase fame. ANY of those stories would be more interesting than yet another mystery of the week.
Other thoughts:
- I have to pick nits with the guitar thing -- Robert Johnson most likely played a Gibson Kalamazoo and a Stella. In his iconic pictures, he's probably holding a Gibson L-1, not a Gibson L-00. And if it was Robert Johnson's guitar, it would be worth a hell of a lot more than $320,000 -- someone claiming to have Johnson's L-1 listed it for $6 million.
- I kind of love the nurse who tells Rat Pack John about Frank's death. When he thanks her for coming, she says "No choice -- Frank told me if I didn't I'd start drinking again and die a horrible death." Hee!
- Howard the paparazzi was more odious than most -- so of course he has a British accent. Sigh.
- I find myself really hoping Dr. Sara isn't The One, just because she kind of annoys me. Who greets that news that "I don't drink" with "I bet that's a good story"? Because hitting rock bottom and realizing you need help = instant hilarity!
Watching this ep makes me wonder if the Fox execs told the producers of this show that it would only have 7-9 eps to get the story out b/c it seems like they are taking giant steps - especially re: the Sara/John relationship. The producers seem like they are trying to empty the box before the show goes away rather than have faith that the show would work and have an audience. I know, I know most shows will be cut short and as a result not have a satisfying ending, but unless they always planned for the show to only be on for 1 season it makes you wonder about the thought process.
While I agree with Sarah (blogger) that the case of the week has been the weakest part of the show, I thought it was pretty good this week. I'm not saying it wasn't predictable, but I liked the way they were able to tie it together with John's alcoholism - which wasn't introduced in this ep which (to me) was a plus. i.e. I liked filling in a piece of the puzzle that we already had been given, but didn't know how it related to the final result until now. That being said, we don't know why he drank so heavily, but I'm guessing that is something that even if this show as given 100 eps we wouldn't find out.
Rishi | Mar 25, 2008 1:00:40 AM | #Ha, nice, Sara is spelled wrong huh?
Anyhow, the procedural bores me as well. That said, I guess they have to try and find a way to intertwine the past with the present. Otherwise, stories about his past alone may seem out of place.
I don't think Sara's "the One" either. Something feels off there, and with the way they rapidly introduced and sped her storyline, I believe she'll either be a temporary tryst, or become part of his suppost structure.
I also wonder how long he cycles through professions. I vaguely remember 10 years? If it's 5 years, though, they could do a lot of interesting things with him moving on to a new job.
I'd like to see another storyline where he meets someone from his past. Considering he's spent the bulk of his life in New Yor it seems, there stands a good chance that there's people around that should know him. I vaguely wondered if the alcoholic was going to turn out to be an old friend.
How's the show doing rating wise? I'm somewhat invested now, so I'd hate to see it get cancelled.
Tony | Mar 25, 2008 1:02:26 AM | #I actually think the crime part of the show was the better part of the show. I also think Susan Misner was a great addition as the Sergeant.
This series continues to have problems with transitions. The scenes with Sara seem just tossed in at random. I think the reason why is that each episode has a different director, something Nikolaj mentions in a director's cut video. Since I can't embed the video here, I have it up on my blog with the full review, if you're interested:
http://johnnewamsterdam.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-amsterdam-keep-change-keeps-pace.html
i think The One portions of the show are the weakest, while the flashbacks remain the best.
the crime procedurals appear to be simply a means to get to the flashbacks and relay a 'history repeating' sense to life regardless of the length being 4 score or 4 centuries.
as for susan misner's character, i think they pushed it a bit with the dialogue--it didn't seem to fit in with the style of the other characters in the show.
nitish | Mar 25, 2008 6:36:12 AM | #I think The One is Eva!!
Joy | Mar 25, 2008 8:15:24 AM | #Sara does not spell her name wrong. That H at the end would just be a waste of space.
Sara | Mar 25, 2008 9:00:52 AM | #Fairly good episode overall, but I'll agree with most that the crime procedural part is the weakest. However, I do see its importance in telling the story as it relates to his past.
I also don't believe Dr. Sara is the ONE. It just doesn't feel right. The relationship started out hot and heavy, and she doesn't seem to be very understanding at all.
What is up with the new Sergeant? I might be wrong but I don't remember there being one there before her. It seems they just sort of threw her in there. Maybe they're setting her up for something? Her interraction with John and Eva just seemed weird.
Shaggysteve | Mar 25, 2008 9:05:42 AM | #I like how New Amsterdam continues to move the main plot and the ongoing subplots along, but I can't be the only one who gets irked that the intricate main plots get resolved too quickly (and neatly) each and every episode?
pakopako | Mar 25, 2008 9:31:59 AM | #i have a nagging feeling we won't ever see if john and sara get together... or any kind of resolution for that matter. its just been my experience that quirky shows or shows that have some kind of sci fi element to it don't do well at fox.
joits | Mar 25, 2008 9:51:16 AM | #I've had my doubts about Sara being the "one" myself. Honestly I am thinking the heart attack was just something that happened given that he still has a human body. He apparently still feels pain and bleeds, even though he heals fast, why can't he still have heart attacks. I think it was a fluke that she was their and will end up, as another poster mentioned, being just a friend and a part of his support structure. I'm actually leaning towards his partner as a possible candidate for the "One". I caught a little something at the end of episode 4. I haven't seen this weeks episode yet so I can't comment on it till I see it but I think Eva could develop into more. They just seem to be rushing the Sara story so much that I have to wonder if Eva's interest in John's flirting had other implications. Maybe Sara will become his resident doctor when he finally gets the opportunity to tell her the whole story. Who knows it would be fun to see a Sara/John/Eva love triangle. But that's just my thoughts on it. To much rushing on this story seems to be spelling out a plot shift.
lostfan | Mar 25, 2008 10:47:38 AM | #I've already said my piece about procedurals (how every crime, motive, etc, that can be done, already has been), so I'll leave that be. Unfortunately, a show like this needs to have some kind of glue to hold together all the other essential elements of it, thus the mystery du jour. I agree that the modern crimes tend to clutter up the landscape; I'd much rather see John Amsterdam bring his immortality into play when dealing with long-since-gone-cold crimes that only he would have any knowledge to bring to bear. Imagine a family murder in Five Points back when that notorious region was one of the most dangerous places on the planet, which John knew about because he was there. A new subway tunnel or something similar brings to light new evidence, helping John solve an old crime. True, this would not matter much to modern New Yorkers, but for history-loving people like me, especially where New York is concerned, it would be awesome. New York is an endlessly fascinating city, much like London, and there are oodles of story possibilities in the city's colorful and deadly past. There's already a show called Cold Case, yes, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see the writers explore some of the city's older mysteries. If the procedural part of the show is going to continue to exist, then the writers really do need to do a better job of making it relevant to John's past. So far, only a couple of episodes have done this well; the rest have all seem tacked on just to fill out the requisite 42 minutes of plot. Since Fox does tend to give shows like this more of a chance to shine, even if they have to move it to another night, chances are pretty good that New Amsterdam will be back for a second season. What the writers do to tinker with the show will hopefully only make it better, as long as they don't take away the historical elements, because they are the only thing making New Amsterdam unique.
As for this particular episode, major kudos to the casting department for grabbing a young actor who looked spookily just like the actor who plays Omar. I didn't catch the man's name, so maybe he's the older actor's son or something, but good job nonetheless. I'm getting the notion that maybe Sara is just an "introductory" soul mate, brought on for this one season just to get the audience used to the idea of John's ultimate search for The One. I'm not a huge Sara fan myself; she just doesn't seem like somebody for whom a guy would spend 402 years searching. Then again, that's just me; perhaps if she looked more like, say, Adrianna Lima (of Victoria's Secret fame, y'all), or had the emotional range of Sela Ward, I'd get on that bandwagon. As for lostfan's idea of a Sara/John/Eva love triangle, I think it would be interesting, but even more so if Sara ended up with Eva, and John was left alone on the subway platform watching the train disappear down the tunnel. I'm a little evil when it comes to romance, mwa-ha-ha-ha. Wouldn't that be a helluva twist, though? John's soul mate ending up being a man? Now that would be worth the weekly grind of modern procedurals. Again, I'm evil that way. Until next week!
Dark Disciple | Mar 25, 2008 1:18:38 PM | #Agree with what most people have already stated. The policework part of the show is a major annoyance. The story last need was pretty ridiculous. Three people dead, and three more going to jail over a hit and run, and all basically solved in twenty minutes. I think they would have been better off treating it like Dexter, where you had one major crime needing to be solved over many weeks, so you could develop the other areas of the show better. I'm not sure how many more weeks I'm going to give it. I'm already not bothered if they cancel it if it continues in it's current format. Bring back Sarah Connors!! (with Sarah spelt correctly!)
Alex | Mar 25, 2008 4:10:14 PM | #Sara the commenter -- Hee! Yeah, the name thing is fraught with controversy. I'm sure that you have very good reasons for truncating your name from its true form. Since Sara-the-"One" is fictional, and I get to recap, I refuse to give her the same courtesy.
The only reason I don't think the "One" segments are the weakest is that I can't buy that Sara is the One, and that opens up interesting possibilities. I also got the sense that maybe -- just maybe -- there's a possibility with Eva. Hmmm.
As for the new Sarge... she confused me. She just seems like such a split personality, coming out of nowhere. We'll see how it goes.
Sarah | Mar 25, 2008 6:21:56 PM | #I’m just about done with New Amsterdam.
If I wanted to watch the requisite male/female cop duo efficiently solving a murder each week, there are many, many other shows I could watch that do a better job of executing this genre. I thought this show was going to focus more on John being immortal, flashing back to his past as needed to fill in the gaps/feed us information and occasionally throw in his search for the ‘one’ as opposed to the weak police procedural that leads us to the other stuff.
I get so distracted because of the multiple storylines… solving cases in the present, flashing back to his past, his new relationship with Dr. Sara, his 400-years of history that are revealed either in the present (as quips or comments) or in the past as support for the current investigation, his son Omar, etc… that I simply lose focus and miss many of the more interesting tidbits (or fun facts, good job Sarah) that are – thankfully – detailed in this recap.
I agree with the posters above… everything seems rushed and slightly confused. It only took two episodes for John to woo Dr. Sara into bed and then for her to subsequently take off/leave him. And we’re what, five episodes in and suddenly John and Eva have a new boss? A police sergeant that acts kinda weird? Did anyone else think she behaved oddly in that last episode?
I like the Cold Case or Dexter ideas that are noted above to replace the current crime solving format.
Instead, I’ll DVR the show and watch it (and read the recap) when I have time.
Doug | Mar 26, 2008 1:34:47 PM | #While I don't care for the police procedural aspects of the show either, there's a very good reason for it that we all have to accept.
Serial shows telling a long-form story without an episodic hook just don't seem to draw enough of an audience to make it these days. Look at the carnage last year where every single complex, intelligent serial show got canned. Every one. Remember Kidnapped? Journeyman? Invasion? Threshold? Traveler? Drive? and now Jericho? The only one left in TV (on the broadcast networks, at least) is LOST; we should consider ourselves lucky we still have that one. That's it folks. On these types of shows, as the less attentive drop out, they're not replaced because people don't want to jump into a story that's already underweigh and the audience continues to erode.
But it seems as though the American public has an unquenchable appitite for procedurals - cop, lawyer, hospital, doesn't matter, that's what drives ratings. They can't get enough of them, as well as insipid reality shows. The producers of this show wanted to tell an interesting tale of a man who's lived for 400 years and seen a lot of stuff along the way. Tremendous opportunity for fascinating storytelling. But they knew that approach, no matter how intelligently and compellingly executed, would lead to instant cancellation from a viewing public with the attention span of...oh...about 42 minutes.
So, the solution was a "hybrid" of high concept + police procedural. They had no choice. It's unfortunate that's the way things have to be, but don't blame the show. Blame the pathetic viewing public who cares not a whit for captivating long-form storytelling and won't support those efforts, no matter how well executed. And we're the poorer for it.
righteousdude | Mar 28, 2008 8:09:03 AM | #Rat Pack John. Hee! That's why I read recaps of shows I've seen. For delicious little tidbits like that.
I would cut Sara some slack for the "I bet that's good story" remark. She doesn't know why--I think she was just digging for info. And it's probably a good thing that people don't assume you don't drink because you're an alcoholic. I don't drink (much or often). I would hate to think people chalk that up to alcoholism.
On the other hand, I agree that she walked off too quickly after begging for the truth and finally getting it. (Of course, I had already yelled at the screen, "You can't handle the truth." My husband chided me for that cheap shot, which he had nobly refused to take.) Although John was doing the most convincing job of telling his story, and he missed out entirely on the classic warning, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth."
Dark Disciple, I like the idea of John doing historically related cold cases. That would be very cool. I don't think the series is going to last long enough for us to see that, though.
meggins | Mar 29, 2008 10:59:16 AM | #meggins -- Heh. Glad you like it. I like to keep myself amused.
And I agree -- there are plenty of reasons why someone might not drink. But unless someone volunteers why, it tends to be safer not to ask. It could be preference, or just not linking the taste, but it's equally likely to be religion, disease, alcoholism, or something people might not want to discuss until they know you better. And you'd think a doctor would be aware of the disease/addiction possibilities.
Plus, she bugs me, so I'm less willing to cut her slack. Eva? She can ask as many awkward questions as she wants. Omar can pretty much tell me that my ass looks fat in these jeans, and I'd still find him completely adorable. But that's just me.
Sarah | Mar 29, 2008 8:27:52 PM | #Hey dark,i excitedly wanna share tat i am a big fan of Cold case show..well writte with brilliant cast..I love how they reflect the characters & story to the year of the crime. hope it last for long time.
daisy | Jan 12, 2009 11:47:19 PM | #
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