Premierewatch: 'New Amsterdam'

It's time to add another immortal detective to the club as New Amsterdam makes its debut. But does it have teeth? (Get it? Because he's not actually a vampire. See...it's supposed to be...oh, never mind.)

Spoilers

We're introduced to Homicide Detective John Amsterdam through a voice over and a few crime scenes. After we see him woo a woman in his apartment with the Tango, we see a flashback of him being run through the heart with a sword while protecting a Native American woman way back when New York was first being "settled." That's when he dies...only clearly he hasn't because he's running around in the present day Big Apple.

Leaving the woman he just bedded asleep in his apartment, he takes his dog (named 36) out for a walk and to Omar's Bar & Grill. Omar is slumped on the floor with a bloody temple behind the counter because he and his bookie had a "disagreement." Omar knows about John's little immortal secret - they met in the 50's - so they've been friends for quite some time. John says he'll make Omar a table to help him out and then goes into a secret room in the back of the place that houses John's historic possessions, including a wall of photos he's been taking of the same spot in Times Square since the 1880's, to begin his work.

The police procedural part of the show starts at this point. A nameless woman lies dead in the apartment of a guy named Eddie Riley and we, and John, are introduced to his new partner. Her name is Eva Marquez and John tells her that in a few weeks, she'll hate him because that's what happens with every partner he's had. Eva says she's already heard some things about him, like to have good insurance coverage and that he has a death wish.

Upon leaving the apartment, he sees a drop of fresh blood on the floor and head upstairs to the roof to investigate. Once there, with gun drawn, he takes a look around then goes to the fire escape and sees Eddie fleeing. John takes off after him - jumping off roofs, over stairs and into the subway. He looses Riley initially but with the help of the security cameras and monitors, John finds the pillar he's hiding behind. John takes out his gun once again and confronts Eddie, who in turn has a gun drawn. John puts his gun away while trying to talk Eddie into surrendering, walking closer until Eddie's gun is basically point blank up against his chest. Unfortunately, before he can do anything else, a train comes to a stop and lets a bunch of people off...and suddenly John seizes up and collapses. Some people gather to help, including a woman who's a doctor.

She and others work to revive him at the hospital but there's no use. He's pronounced dead and taken to the morgue where he wakes up shortly after and leaves. We later learn that the doctor's last name is Dillane when one of the staff members tells her that John's body is missing. He also brings her the blood work which has a whole bunch of odd properties including trace amounts of things that haven't existed in blood for years and years.

John goes back to talk to Omar and he's actually very excited because this is the closest he's ever come to actually dying. His heart exploded, or nearly did, which I can't imagine is pleasant. Anyway, the Native American woman who revived him centuries ago told him "You will not grow old, you will not die until you find The One and your souls are wed" and that he would know her by the feeling in his heart. Omar isn't entirely jazzed by the whole situation because the last time he got all worked up like this, John went crazy for about 10 years.

Wrapping up the murder case, John's gut reaction to Eddie Riley being innocent is right. The woman's name is Chloe Carlton and she's been running around with a rich crowd that doesn't include Eddie. Initially pegging Toby Hardwick, son of ultra-rich hotel magnate Peter Hardwick, as the killer thanks to her pawning a fancy bracelet for $10,000. But it wasn't Toby, it was his father. He and Chloe were having an affair and she called it off to be with Eddie. Peter "accidentally" killed her and moved her body to Eddie's apartment to frame him.

His new partner Eva, naturally, is different than his other partners and John tries to make nice with her. She told him on the first day they met that she wanted to go into the Undercover Narcotics division originally but ended up in Homicide when the rejected her application. When he asks why Narcotics, she responds that you can only help so much after a person has been killed - she'd rather be on "the front lines." Looking into it, John finds out that it wasn't so much that her application was denied, it was that Eva's cop father buried her application. He tells her to apply again in three months, which she intends on doing.

Determined to find the woman who made his heart explode, John reviews the surveillance footage from the platform the day he sort of died. And when he sees Dr. Dillane, he definitely knows it's her. He also finishes the desk for Omar which he in turn sells for $60,000 - one of John's past identities was that of a furniture maker (Benouir, or something similarly spelled) who's pieces have become very valuable.

The show, overall, has potential. The angst that usually accompanies shows of this nature is fortunately underplayed and, as is the norm, the places it really shines is in building John's personality and history. Some interesting things about John:

• He attends AA meetings and has been sober for 15,495 days (since 1965).
• He had a nearly 6-year-old son who died - a fact that helps him bond with Chloe's grieving mother during the investigation.
• He can read lips as he was deaf for a few year after a blast in Normandie hit a little too close.
• He also used to go by the name Charlie, a fact we find out when he has to visit a painter named Julianne who did murals all over the city in the early 1900's to find where Chloe was actually murdered. She conveniently has Alzheimer's Disease so when she recognizes him from their past relationship, it's dismissed as her mind playing tricks on her.
• He believes that vampires can't see their reflections because they couldn't handle being reminded that they never age as everyone around them grows old and dies. This fits in with John's fascination with death (which, when paired with his love for solving puzzles, is his explanation of why he's in the Homicide division).
• He never lies about how he knows things which is part of the reason everyone on the force thinks he's so odd.

My only real problem with the show so far is how the same actress plays Dr. Dillane and the Native American woman. While I understand this is to help everyone make a connection about her reincarnation and perhaps offer insight into the nature of the curse (he'll live until her reincarnation can find him and they fall in love - a thanks for saving her life), the make-up they use for her is so obviously make-up that it distracted me.

Quote of the Night:
"I never did like that idea. You meet your true love and then die - doesn't sound too romantic to me." - Omar

What did you guys think? What are your initial impressions? Did you have a favorite part of the show?

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