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Finalewatch: 'New Amsterdam'
We reach then end of this abbreviated season of New Amsterdam with plenty of questions, not many answers, and (at least on my part) a burning desire to know more. Here's hoping we'll see more next season.
I've lived through this spoiler before
John is back from the dead (again), and he's really not happy about it. You can almost see him flinch every time Sara burbles about how worried she was that she'd lost him, how he miraculously rose form the dead, again, how he's got to take care of himself so nothing happens to him. Ouch.
What to do besides throw himself into a case? The body of a (formerly) comely young woman has been fished out of the East River, her ring finger severed, her toes fish food. She was strangled and dumped. Whodunnit?
The woman turns out to be an actress named Martine, and her friend, Kayla, points the detectives toward her boyfriend, a futures trader with a great big boat. He met Martine through a dating agency ("Soulmates"), and, while he comes off as an officious schmuck, he swears he loved her. He even asked her to marry him!
Here's the thing -- a whole bunch of guys from that agency had dated Martine, and they'd almost all loved her. The only other thing they had in common? Soon after Martine stopped dating them, they got robbed by someone with a very discerning eye. The burglar managed to take only the good stuff. Hmm.
John and Eva decide Martine was part of a robbery ring. Sacred blue! Says Inga, owner of the agency. I can't believe it! She seemed like such a nice girl! But John isn't buying it.
Before he can make his suspicion known, he gets into a knock-down, drag-out screaming match with the Lieutenant, who has spent the whole episode telling him to take it easy, to stay on desk duty, to not do anything that will tax him unduly since, you know, he just got shot through the heart last week. Apparently John finally pushed it too far, because she suspends him right there.
John storms out to find a bar, and Inga ends up driving him to Omar's. There, John falls off the wagon hard, and ends up slurring to Inga that he'd figured out her game -- she was setting up the robberies, and he didn't care. In fact, he could give her the combination to the safe on Martine's last boyfriend's boat, thus giving her access to an emerald brooch. Interested?
You bet! A masked woman sneaks onto the boat, opens the safe -- and is immediately caught by John, Eva and the rest of the police. John set Inga up -- he knew she had a partner, and he just needed to catch her in the act. That partner? Kayla. She killed Martine: Martine was her girlfriend, and Kayla recruited her as spotter for the burglary ring. When Martine confessed that she'd fallen in love with a mark and was leaving Kayla, Kayla went nuts and killed her. She even cut the ring off as a trophy. Um, ew.
Now, the whole con game plot may have been more or a surprise if we hadn't spent our flashback time seeing John channel Paul Newman and Robert Redford in 1927 -- he was a grifter working the long con. Grifter John fell in with a great dame named Olivia, and actress with some flashy jewelry. After he'd finished romancing her, he pawed through her jewelry box and found her emerald brooch. But the sap decided his was in love, and he returned the stolen goods -- only to get caught by the dame. One more relationship goes down in flames. Olivia tells him to keep the brooch -- it was fake, anyway. Worst. Conman. Ever.
On the True Love front, John still wants to stay with Sara, despite the evidence that she's not really The One. Omar counsels that this is kind of cruel -- what are you going to do when you find the real One, just dump Sara without explanation? Nice! In the end, John breaks it off with Sara and stalks off through the streets, alive despite his best efforts, alone despite his best hopes. He'll live to fight another day -- will the how survive so we can see him? Who knows.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends:
- Was anyone fooled by the con plot? Anyone? Sigh. I wish they could have worked it out so they didn't telegraph the twist.
- Eva finds John swimming (naked, as is his wont), at the pool. She throws him a towel and quotes city code at him -- an ordinance that "bans public nudity, unless you're breastfeeding." "I usually pump," John says.
- Omar also finds John swimming naked. "Ain't you got no shame? What if some kid walked in, saw you in your particulars?" "Well, he'd get what he deserved, sneaking into a closed facility," John replies. Yeah -- just like you!
- Poor Sara is so confused: Here's this guy who pursued, her, wooed her, swept her off her feet ... and now he suddenly withdraws from her every time she mentions how glad she is he's alive. John's a lousy boyfriend when he's not courting death.
- John's grifter moniker is "Johnny on the Spot." Not bad.
- John is a bit of a sadistic bastard -- when Eva comes down to look at the (bloated, fish-nibbled, stinking) corpse, he goes on and on about the breakfast he's going to get until she hurls. Nice. He'd better hope SHE'S not The One.
- Santori continues to reign as Mr. Sensitivity: When he sees the toeless corpse hauled out of the river, he says "This little piggy went to the fish market..." Nice!
- Hey, 36 got to show off! Go, 36!
What did you think? Do you continue to be intrigued, or would you be fine if the show didn't come back? Who's The One? What did you think of the mock fight? What was your favorite part? Talk!
Well, I want the show back. They can do a lot with it and if the police aspect becomes more interesting it would be a big plus. You're right; the "twist" in this episode was incredibly obvious. Of course, the very fake argument was also a big clue that John was putting on an act. Rather clumsily handled, all around.
Good to see 36 in action. I was a little worried, when they started running, that something bad would happen to the poor guy. Like he'd get by a car as John carelessly ran across the street. Instead 36 got to do something useful!
I've read a lot of speculation that Eva is "The One" and I hope it's wrong. I just don't like her much.
The present-day personal parts of the episode interested me the most. Omar had a small but pivotal role, and Sara basically got jerked around. If John ever tries to get her back, good luck with that job.
Lisa | Apr 14, 2008 9:36:47 PM | #36 rules! I'm so glad the last episode of the season (and hopefully NOT the series) didn't have the dog getting killed. I'd have been mighty disappointed. Also, did anybody else notice that the dude who 36 was chasing was smoking what looked like Morley cigarettes (which is what Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files preferred)? Nice tip of the hat, if that is indeed what I saw, because I'm nearly positive it was not Marlboro on that pack.
So the mystery was interesting such as it was, but as I've stated before, it's just the glue. What I liked about it was that some of the case was not as obvious as in past episodes, while other parts might as well have been painted in neon on the side of the boats in the harbor. Signposting is bad enough in novels, but when it's done in TV shows, that's just lazy writing. Case in point, the "long con," which would've been spot-on perfect if they hadn't been showing John in the 1920s as a con man. Kinda ruined the surprise. While it was cool to see the criminals fall for it, as a viewer, I was a little less-than-enthused. Again, this sort of thing works in novels, but not on TV, and especially not in a show like New Amsterdam, which relies on flashbacks to tell at least part of the modern story. What I did like about the long con was that Omar was in on it, too; his reaction was so genuine, that I almost forgot about what was going on. Kudos to the actor.
Sara finally got on my last nerve, I guess, a few episodes back, but even I had to be on her side for this one. I'm not one for hanging onto relationships just to spare somebody their feeelings, but at the same time, I'm certainly a lot more pleasant in my breaking up with somebody than John was. As somebody who has lived for 404 years, you would think that John would have learned better. Then again, maybe this just proves that John Amsterdam is not quite as heroic and good-hearted as we all like to think. Past episodes have shown him in less-than-positive lights, so maybe this is just par for the course for him. Still and all, even if Sara/Sarah (however the hell she spells it) is not The One, John could've handled things better with her, even if she didn't believe him about being immortal.
I've not seen a word about the possible renewal of New Amsterdam, but neither have I seen it being as on the bubble as Journeyman was some months back. Maybe if the ratings for Bones were good, some of that bled over into New Amsterdam. In any case, I'm looking forward to a second season, if there is one. If not, at least it was a nice distraction from all the other dross that's been infesting the networks for far too long. Original in presentation (if too familiar with the procedural aspects), it was a pleasant surprise, and if this was the last episode, at least it was good while it lasted.
Dark Disciple | Apr 14, 2008 9:42:25 PM | #about ratings and renewal,
it looks like new amsterdam [ http://www.tvbigshot.com/show_detail/46/ ] has pulled numbers slightly below terminator [ http://www.tvbigshot.com/show_detail/122/ ]. but new amsterdam was saddled with a slightly worse lead-in in canterbury's law [ http://www.tvbigshot.com/show_detail/146/ ] and various fox repeats compared to prison break [ http://www.tvbigshot.com/show_detail/29/ ].
i actually think the performance following a new bones could be the clincher either way.
sorry for the tvbigshot-link heavy post, but that is one of the best ratings trackers out there (and a cool game too)
"Worst. Conman. Ever."
Dead on!
(and the term is -- cue horrible accent -- "sacrebleu!")
Was anyone else amused that the ending of the show was an immortal man walking into the sunset with their black trenchcoat billowing in the wind like a previous show starring David Boreanaz (who coincidentally was on the same network just an hour prior?)
Ah 36, how you so much remind me of Backup.
Eva can't be the one. If she were the one, Johnny on the Spot'd be getting heart-attacks from day-1.
On a tangent, I would like to see more Amsterdam, but I'd also like to see more Terminator. Both would do well in the summer, but it almost feels like a waste to put them there.
pakopako | Apr 15, 2008 7:25:44 AM | #a strong start to the series that slowly went on a downward spiral. i know the main character needs flaws but the more we get to know him the less I'm liking him. its understandable that during his past he was sometimes a jerk or he was a drunk... but when the series started, the john amsterdam of the present was a very likeable guy. but as the series wore on, all those unlikeable traits seem to be surfacing. and its probably just me but the writers are are making him more unlikeable as the series went on. the finale was pretty weak and the final scene was terrible.
at this point i don't know if i care whether or not it comes back. i guess i only want it to come back so we can get a resolution to who is the one.
joits | Apr 15, 2008 8:24:13 AM | #Disappointed in the series… had such potential, even for Fox.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau just doesn't have the horses to carry this show, and Zuleikha Robinson isn't much of an attraction, either. (Alexie Gilmore, on the other hand, is, but she's been effectively written out even if the show is to return.)
Such promise unrealized.
Dean Speir | Apr 15, 2008 9:58:17 AM | #I actually think Coster-Waldau was very good for the show. I think he portrays complex emotions with very little effort, and that there's a depth he protrays.
Taking a look at the ratings, my guess is that, if this show makes it back, it'll be as a midseason type. I liked it, although there were those "Duh" moments like this episode and the long con. Also, they need better writers. There's a tendency to explain the obvious at times.
Tony | Apr 15, 2008 2:31:21 PM | #I hated Sarah. I really hope Eva is the one. I'm a sucker for partner relationships.
Bee | Apr 15, 2008 4:39:11 PM | #(Yes - it's really my name and I had it first). I couldn't stand Sara and I hope she's gone for good. I don't think the show's Eva is the one - I like her role better as the suspicious sidekick. I don't know there is so much complaining about the cop/mystery angle. It's not that bad and can be kind of interesting. Did anyone else wish that the rant against John's boss(though obviously staged)had been true? I have never seen a more unlikely police supervisor - please, could she look any more like every other actress out there? Face it honey, you can't pull off tough.
Eva | Apr 16, 2008 6:20:58 AM | #Eva, I don't know what's going on with that boss. She spends all of her time doing silly things (asking Eva personal questions, asking John if he really meant it about her being hot). I have seen other shows where the cops joke around and/or share things, but her lines are just weird and out of place.
Erika | Apr 16, 2008 10:13:48 AM | #I agree with Dark Disciple: even if you didn't much care for Sarah that was a rough break-up. I also kind of felt John was unlikeable in this episode, except when he scolded the guy for shooting at his dog, but that's an interesting thing for the writers to do. He's dealing with the kind of disappointment most of us will never know. (What? I have to keep on living?) Might not be time for best face forward.
I liked the fake fight with his supervisor. Yeah, her character is not very realistic, but she is, as one of my friends would say, a hoot.
My husband pointed out the "iconic" look of the final scene. I wondered if we'd ever seen John in that trenchcoat before. He said, "We've seen him in a trenchcoat but not that one."
I wouldn't mind seeing the show come back, but I won't be heart-wrenched if it doesn't (but I will miss Omar).
meggins | Apr 17, 2008 8:29:04 PM | #They better bring this show back! NBC already screwed up by canceling there best new show (journey man), so lets hope FOX gets it right and keeps the best new show on prime time"NEW AMSTERDAM"!!!!!
Brandon | Apr 21, 2008 4:44:01 PM | #Please don't cancel this show! It is by far one of the most interesting non-cookie cutter cop show that I have seen in a long time.
| Apr 21, 2008 6:12:48 PM | #the show is interesting. i think it should come back. i wasn't aware it was the finale and was disappointed. the guy is also easy on the eyes isn't he?
mary | Apr 22, 2008 3:22:57 PM | #BRING IT BACK PLEASE. THIS IS A GREAT SHOW, AND YES, HE IS SO EASY ON THE EYES.
Stella | Oct 30, 2008 8:55:28 AM | #
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