Article first published as MONDAY MORNING Series Premiere Review on Seat42F
Grade: 95%
Grade: 95%
TNT will soon being airing the new drama
MONDAY MORNINGS. It’s another doctor series, yes, but before you let
that scare you away, as there are already so many medical shows on
television, consider this: it’s from David E. Kelley and Bill D’Elia,
who have excellent credits like The Practice, Boston Legal, and Harry’s
Law on their resumes, and it has an amazing ensemble cast.
MONDAY MORNINGS doesn’t feel all that
much like other doctor shows. It does have a little Grey’s Anatomy
thrown in, since it’s about a bunch of medical professionals at the top
of their game, mostly surgeons, who do their best, and deal with the
consequences when they fail. But most of this group is more seasoned,
less skewing towards the young interns. Also, the drama is less soapy,
there’s not the focus on sex, and a lot of the action takes place at the
Monday morning meeting. It’s a serious program, making the plot
engaging and more realistic than others.
The event that the series takes its
title from is a weekly meeting where the various staff members gather
and rehash cases that went wrong. OK, so it’s not all negative, but
that’s what we care about, right? Their decisions are called into
question, and they examine their own behavior, with the goal being to
make them better doctors. Punishments can be handed out, but aren’t
necessarily the focus. It’s the perfect forum to exhibit character
growth and raw emotion in, playing up both strengths and weaknesses.
In the first episode, we are introduced
to a litany of characters, but each so well played and defined, that
viewers already get the impression that they know them. Dr. Tyler Wilson
(Jamie Bamber, Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order: UK) is the brain
surgeon who is compassionate towards his patients, but doesn’t connect
as well with his co-workers. Except for Dr. Tina Ridgeway (Jennifer
Finnigan, Better With You, Close to Home), who seems closer to Tyler
than her own distant husband. Dr. Sydney Napur (Saraya Rao, Lions for
Lambs) understands, having just been dumped by her own guy for being too
committed to her work, but it’s her drive for the job, and her
willingness to be annoying when she needs to be, that gets the job done.
Dr. Sung Park (Keong Sim, Glee, The Last Airbender) is overly blunt,
but gifted, and Dr. Buck Tierney (Bill Irwin, CSI, Lights Out) is the
pain in the ass. Dr. Michelle Robidaux (Emily Swallow, Ringer,
Southland) is new, but she’ll get the hang of it.
This crew is presided over by Dr.
Harding Hooten (Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2, Chocolat), who is a bit of
an enigma. We know he is gruff and tough on his staff, but he also shows
a caring side to a young patient’s worried mother (Tara Summers, Boston
Legal, Ringer). It’s a typical combination for an effective leader, but
his intimidation clearly gets the best out of the doctors serving under
him, so it’s hard to complain.
The most interesting, and probably the
most important, character, though, is Dr. Jorge Villanueva (Ving Rhames,
Pulp Fiction, the Mission: Impossible films). He is the soul of the
place, and has a personal connection with everyone else. He tells them
what they need to hear, when they need to hear it. There are hints in
the “Pilot” that he might not be so good at managing his personal life,
but he does unofficially handle the entire facility, and it looks like
things, and people, would quickly fall apart without him.
It’s because of Villanueva that I really
loved this “Pilot.” I enjoy the rest of the characters, to be sure,
every single one of the main cast getting time to really shine in
episode one. But he adds a layer of something intriguing that isn’t
present as firmly in MONDAY MORNINGS’ peers. It’s an abstract quality
that is hard to pin down, but it kicks the show up from good to great.
MONDAY MORNINGS is not a case of the
week show, nor a medical mystery. There are both present in episode one,
but they aren’t the focus. Rather, they are used to tell us something
about the characters. This focus on the people is a winning combination
in many a program, and is used to great effect here, with such a
talented group to play with.
MONDAY MORNINGS airs Monday evenings at 10 p.m. ET beginning February 4th on TNT.
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!
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