HANNIBAL Season Finale Review

Article first published as TV Review: 'Hannibal' - 'Mizumono' on Blogcritics.

NBC’s Hannibal ended its second season last night with “Mizumono.” It’s hard to find a direct translation for the word in English, but various sources I checked on Google call it a matter of chance, a final sweet dish of a meal, a liquid, and a fruit. All of these seem apt to the episode, which presents a final showdown between all of the main players, the last hour in which the familiar, fragile chemistry of the show’s leads is maintained as it has been thus far, signaling major changes for next season. It’s a simultaneously delicious and frustrating ending, with much left up in the air, literally and figuratively.

Viewers have known since the season two premiere that Jack (Laurence Fishburne) had been heading for a bloody run-in with Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen), though we don’t yet know how this war will end, even with the end of season two.

In the scenes leading up to the final confrontation, Jack and Hannibal each expect Will’s (Hugh Dancy) loyalty, but wonder whether he will fulfill those expectations, as the Will becomes the wild card in the outcome between the two mostly evenly matched opponents. There may even be a doubt in the minds the viewers, observing Will talking to both Jack and Hannibal, knowing he’s lied to both in the past, and wondering where Will’s inner intentions lie. Will is emotionally unstable, and although Jack and Hannibal both hold sway over him, he also has a will of his own that can’t exactly be controlled. Has Hannibal awakened in Will something dark that may win out over his nobility and morals?

The key to figuring out where Will’s heart lies is Freddie Lounds (Lara Jean Chorostecki). Keep in mind that Hannibal thinks Will has killed Freddie, leading Hannibal to see Will as more vicious and bloodthirsty than he is. Jack is in on this secret. And, with this important clue, the audience should have confidence in predicting Will’s true path. And when Hannibal catches a whiff of Freddie’s scent on Will, it signals to him that Freddie is still alive, giving him just the warning he needs.

Hannibal is not omnipotent, an undefeatable villain, but he is very, very intelligent, and the slightest mistake on the part of our heroes can cost them their lives. One former main character, Beverly Katz (Hettienne Park), figures that out earlier in the season, and she dies for it. Which means it’s not surprising when Hannibal surprises those who might take him down, removing the bullets from Alana’s (Caroline Dhavernas) gun, knowing she could come to Will and Jack’s aid, and having Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl), whom everyone believes dead, waiting in the house as Hannibal’s backup. Hannibal has them all set up perfectly, taking their predictable actions into account, and by doing so, he is able to not only (possible mortally on all counts) wound Alana, Will, and Jack, he is also able to hop a plane with the one woman who understands him, Dr. Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson), and escape.

Why does Hannibal leave the trio alive? Abigail seems destined to die, but if the authorities get there soon, Will, Jack, and Alana could live. They could also perish, and things are not looking good for any of them, but there’s a chance (a very good one since they really are the stars of the show and need to hunt Hannibal down) that they will live. Does Hannibal possess so much confidence in himself that he doesn’t worry about them coming after him? Or does he still harbor soft spots for all three, people he really does seem to like and has cared about over these past two years? Could these feelings be his undoing? Because Hannibal is so smart, I’m inclined to chalk his mercy up to emotion.

Jack and company will have a hard time beginning their search, even assuming they all survive. Jack is suspended as Kade (Cynthia Nixon) investigates misconduct in “entrapping” Hannibal. The fact that Jack, Will, and Alana are injured following through on the plan Kade ordered Jack not to pursue will not help Jack’s case, even if it sort of proves him right. This could also be the reason law enforcement is slow slow to respond, even after both Alana and Will call for backup and ambulances. Will higher powers help our protagonists get back in the good graces of the feds, or will they be rebels, only working for themselves? The source material (Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, etc.), not always followed faithfully by the show’s creators, points to the former.

What if “Mizumono” had been the series finale, a possibility when it was filmed, since, at the time, Hannibal teetered on the edge of cancellation? It certainly would have been a highly disappointing end to the series. Yes, there is some sort of beauty in Hannibal defeating his enemies and getting away with it, and it’s cool that it would fly in the face of a fundamental television trope by allowing evil conquering good. But it would also suck that we wouldn’t even know if the main players lived. I guess we’d assume they’d died, losers in the dangerous game they play. The blue sky credits with the tag are cool, but ultimately not be satisfying as the end of the story, even if I grudgingly admit how unique and complete the episode would have seemed.

Hannibal is incredibly well crafted. I absolutely loathe that the Jack / Hannibal fight is revealed in the season premiere, the one glaring misstep the series has made in two seasons, but the way this hour unfolds is truly excellent. It maintains its artistic cred with slow shots of rain falling and a split Will, while still delivering action in the battles to the death. There are moving moments, such as Jack interacting with Bella (Gina Torres) and Bella talking about Jack, and there are shocking twists, such as learning Abigail is still alive, only to see her killed quickly after.

There isn’t a single wasted or boring moment, the dark motif bringing the characters more sharply into focus and letting the show rest on the talent of the actors and the rich dialogue. It’s definitely the best series on network television, and not just because it also pushes into both more bloody and more sophisticated territory than any predecessor, though that helps.

Hannibal, thank goodness, has been picked up, and will return in 2015 to NBC.

Amazing HANNIBAL and the "Kaiseki" Misstep

Article first published as HANNIBAL Review "Kaiseki" at Seat42F.

NBC’s HANNIBAL began its second season last night with “Kaiseki.” The word refers to a multi-course Japanese meal, as well as the skill it takes to prepare such a repast. This seems appropriate, as the hour gives us dish after dish of tasty, chewy drama, all; delivered with the beautifully artistry of a television master. It remains not only one of the best written and acted series on the air, but also one of the best visual and auditory productions overall.

Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) is right where we left him – sitting in a jail cell, about to be tried for the murder of several people, more concerned with exposing the truth about Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) than defending himself. To be fair, if Hannibal’s nature is brought to light, Will will get off scot free. But given the care and attention to detail Hannibal puts into covering his tracks and framing Will, that isn’t an easy task.

Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) humors Will, having Beverly (Hettienne Park) swab Hannibal’s DNA and go over his clothing with a fine-toothed comb. But Hannibal is cooperative and seemingly open, making sure Jack never for a moment suspects Will’s accusations are more than the ravings of a mad man.

In fact, everyone seems convinced that Will is crazy. Beverly will consult with him, continuing to recognize his genius, but she’s wary. Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) is concerned for Will and shows it by visiting him, taking custody of his dogs, and looking for a plausible defense, but even she thinks he murdered. Her position is that he’s mentally ill and that’s what’s responsible for the horror, not Will himself, but she still doubts him, even though fans know that Will is innocent. Probably.

All of this would make for some really suspenseful drama, waiting for the other show to drop, if “Kaiseki” didn’t screw up the very first scene in the episode. When the premiere opens, Hannibal is slicing some meat and we catch Jack’s reflection in the knife. Then, the two engage in a fight to the death, both slashing and tumbling, before the screen flashes ‘Twelve Weeks Earlier.’ Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful moment, as most of HANNIBAL is, but it’s poorly timed in the narrative arc.

Practically anyone who watches HANNIBAL is already at least vaguely familiar with The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal films or books, which will (renewal gods willing) make up seasons five and six of this show. As such, we know Hannibal’s misdeeds will be exposed, and we also know that all five of the main characters will survive for quite some time, none being killed off before those seasons. However, this has never detracted from the enjoyment of the show because no one but Bryan Fuller, the brilliant mind behind it, can predict when those revelations will unfold.

“Kaiseki” spoils that. Assuming time in the story matches time in the real world, twelve weeks spells twelve episodes, taking us up to the season two finale. We now can see exactly how the confrontation will play out, and will be able to see it coming. A large part of the pacing is screwed up.

Now, it’s likely this is done for practical reasons. HANNINBAL is a low-rated show, and even with the international partners that help fund it, there’s no guarantee NBC will keep it going. An opener like that will hook those who might complain of slowness, and showing us the end at the start has become a common TV staple. The problem is, it’s now a detestable, predictable trope, and HANNIBAL is way better than that. As someone who doesn’t even watch previews at the end of episodes any more to avoid being spoiled, it really makes me angry they would do this. The only thing that would salvage it a little is if the twelve weeks unexpectedly pass by mid-season, or halfway through season three, rather than leading to the conclusion of this year.

The rest of “Kaiseki” is brilliant. I love the tension between Hannibal and Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) when he asks her to lie to Jack for him, though the extent of her falsehood is unclear, since how much she knows isn’t revealed. The scene in which Dr. Bloom files a complaint about Jack’s lack of judgment, which the CIA investigator (Cynthia Nixon, Alpha House, The Big C) just wants to make go away, is stellar. Hannibal ‘jokingly’ confessing to Will’s doctor, Frederick Chilton (Raul Esparza), is fun. The moment between Jack and Alana in Will’s house is touching. Finding out Hannibal still considers Will a friend is intriguing. Will’s visions are beautiful, and him recovering a memory is a triumph. Plus, there’s a really cool new killer obsessed with color palettes introduced, which Jack will investigate with the help of Hannibal, who has taken over Will’s job.

The characters are so well defined, and each have moving scenes with others. The cast is fragmented, to be sure, but most people get the chance to interact with most others one on one, pulling us into their dark, twisted world in the best of ways, the subtext as interesting as the dialogue.

I just wish “Kaiseki” hadn’t played to popular bends, and then it would have been perfect.

HANNIBAL airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

HANNIBAL "Savoureux" Fine Dining

Article first published as HANNIBAL "Savoureux" Fine Dining on TheTVKing.

It's immediately apparent from the start that NBC's Hannibal isn't the typical network series. With artistic, sweeping visuals, courtesy of creator Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls), it is also very edgy with layered, compelling characters and neat twists. While the gruesome subject matter takes a little while to grow on some, the storytelling is top notch from episode one, and it's clear there is an amazing epic tale to be told, should the series get the seven seasons Fuller has in mind.

Season one ends this week with "Savoureux." All the evidence says that Will (Hugh Dancy) has killed Abigail Hobbs (Kacey Rohl, The Killing), and even he believes it himself, though he can't remember it, assuming it is a natural extension of his psychosis. However, when additional clues point to Will having killed four others, two of which died before he started experiencing black outs, Will begins to suspect he's being set up.

A hallmark of a hero is one who continues to fight when all of the odds are against him, even when those closest to him have turned their backs on him. Will's friends all have different ideas about what exactly he has done and why or how he did it, but no one believes his paranoia, save himself and the man who framed him. With Will ending the year sitting in a jail cell, there is still much of his journey ahead of him.

We all know that Will will beat this rap and clear his name, but we don't know when or how this might happen. Stacking the odds so completely against him at this point is wonderful, and it leaves the show at a very good place for the second run. With Fuller not planning on reaching the events of the book Red Dragon until season four, Will still has two more years before he can expose who Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) really is.

I do worry that Hannibal won't get to play out the whole course. While critically respected, it's not hugely watched, much like Fuller's previous efforts, which didn't survive long. Hopefully, with word of mouth and binge viewing of repeats, it will gain a larger following by next year. Feeling very much like a dark, award-worthy, boundary-pushing cable show, even without the nudity and vulgarity, which for some reason aren't much missed, it deserves the chance.

The problem with already knowing the events of seasons four through six (which are set to adapt the three books these characters come from) is that most of the major players are not in any real peril. Will can't die in season two, nor can Jack; the central cast is safe. Yet, that doesn't take away at all from the enjoyment of the show because the characters are so well crafted, and we don't know how they are going to get to those points. If the show is smart, it will make some departures from the source material and rewrite the rules. But for now, it's completely great without having to make many changes, aside from switching genders on a couple of players.

As much as it might seem so right now, Will is not the center of Hannibal. That belongs to the titular character. However, it will take multiple seasons to get Hannibal into a position where he can carry the show himself. Currently, his inaccessibility to viewers, the way he hides most of himself from others, and because we don't see much of what he does, prevents him from being front and center. Yet, there are already signs that the show is well-structured enough to move that way eventually, which should be gratifying if it comes to pass.

In "Savoureux," we get to see the emotional side of Hannibal for pretty much the first time. He actually openly weeps in front of his psychiatrist, Dr. Bedelia De Maurier (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files). It could be a front, as we know Hannibal hides things from Bedelia and puts on a face for her, but it doesn't seem so. Hannibal cares about both Will and Abigail, so it's understandable he would grieve for losing the dynamic with the two of them that he has, especially if he plays a hand in destroying those relationships, which "Savoureux" strongly hints at, leaving just enough doubt to know for sure.

Is Hannibal more upset about Will or Abigail? He professes the latter, and that makes sense, since he sees her as someone to nurture and protect. Yet, he also admits in an earlier episode that Will is the first person in awhile he sees as a friend. This seems to indicate that his feelings extend to both, not just one or the other.

Of course, Abigail may not even be dead. Until the body is seen, a little blood and a severed ear don't prove anything conclusively. In fact, the absence of her cadaver seems to indicate the opposite.

I am extremely interested in Bedelia, whom we don't know much about. Dialogue in this finale seem to indicate that she knows that Hannibal is both a killer and a cannibal (the veal he serves her is likely young Abigail, if she's dead) and worries about his activities staying a secret, not wanting him to get caught. Yet, she refuses to have a personal relationship or dine at his house. Also, there's the still-untold story of a patient Hannibal refers to her attacking Bedelia. What exactly is the interplay between them? What is in their past? What are her secrets?

While Hannibal cries, showing humanity, Jack (Laurence Fishburne) turns cold, eschewing it. The signs are there previously in the way that Jack pushes Will to keep working, despite the negative affects that work is having on him, and acts very coldly towards Abigail when he believes her to be a killer. We know Hannibal is the villain and Jack is a hero, but Hannibal is painting the opposite pictures of both. It will be delicious to see how that reverses down the road.

I feel most sorry for Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas). She blames herself for not fighting Jack harder on protecting Will and keeping him safe. She worries more about healing Will than what he has done. While she may be right, there likely isn't much more she could have done for Will, anyway, so hopefully those are emotions she can come to terms with and move past.

Also, if I may plead for one change from the books, please make Alana Will's eventual wife! Their chemistry is fantastic, and I want so badly to see them together. We know Will is married in Red Dragon, so how about get them together in the next year or two? If nothing else, it saves the budget of hiring another main character.

The ending of this episode is perfect, with Hannibal striding through the halls to majestic music and seeing Will in his cell, evoking images from other adaptations of the story, where Hannibal is usually the one behind bars. What a great way to tie this to its fore bearers, and yet, also serve the characters as they have been created here!

"Savoureux" is a masterful pause point, with praise-worthy performances from Dhavernas, Anderson, Fishburne, Mikkelsen, and, as always, Dancy. Some things are concluded, and other plot threads are just getting started. The batch of guest stars in season one is stellar, and it's hard to imagine next year's group will be as good, but one can hope, as excellent talent is definitely drawn to this project. I can't wait to see where Fuller takes us next!

Hannibal will return to NBC sometime in 2014.

Hannibal Bites Into NBC

Article first posted as HANNIBAL Series Premiere Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 85%

NBC jumps on the serial killer bandwagon with its new drama series, HANNIBAL. The first episode, premiering tonight at 10 p.m., is called “Apetrif,” which, for those not familiar with the term, is an alcoholic drink served before a meal, sort of the liquid version of an appetizer. It’s appropriate in a series about cannibalism that we’ll get to see a little bit of the characters and story before the gory stuff starts. And there is gory stuff, even though this is a basic broadcast network, in the first hour.

HANNIBAL, surprisingly, is not about the infamous killer from Silence of the Lambs. He’s there, and we’ll get to him in a minute, but the main character is Special Agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy, The Big C), a brilliant but unstable investigator and professor. Will is tasked by the FBI with figuring out who commits murders, and he’s brilliant at it, being able to envision himself at the scene at the time of the crime.

Bryan Fuller, creator of Pushing Daisies and Wonderfalls, has a lot of fun with Will’s character. Fuller doesn’t take things into the cartoonish or fantasy world settings here, like he done in his previous shows. Instead, he focuses on the artistry, with Will’s visions beautifully illustrated in creative and intriguing ways. Bodies will float and blood will spatter, but this definitely has a darker tone, more grounded in reality, than his other work.

Will gets to have such vibrant musings because he’s mentally unstable, sort of like the main character in TNT’s Perception. The reason the FBI can’t use him full-time is because he can’t handle the full-time work. His boss, Agent Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne, CSI, The Matrix), knows this, but decides to risk Will’s sanity in order to make use of his brilliance.

Does this make Jack a monster? In a series about bad people, one has to wonder if the good guys also deserve some of the blame. After all, if Jack never puts Will in the field, Will won’t suffer as he does. Jack is playing a dangerous game.

Jack first approaches Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas, Off the Map, Wonderfalls) to be Will’s partner and handler, but after she refuses, likely of the same opinion I just expressed in the previous paragraph, he approaches Alana’s mentor, the genius profiler Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen, Unit 1, Casino Royale). Lecter is an odd duck, but seems to have it much more together than Will, and so is an appropriate balance. Seems being the operative word.

We all know who Hannibal really is, and while no one in authority yet suspects the good doctor of any wrong doing, Hannibal tempts fate right out of the gate by secretly impeding the investigation, giving their query warning that they are coming. It may be professional courtesy between serial killers, but it certainly doesn’t make Hannibal good at his new job.

Dancy is amazing. He plays the part with such nuance and detail! Granted, this is a role any actor would kill (pun intended) to play, with such a rich, vibrant patchwork of elements. It’s the type of part the Emmys were created for, and Dancy masterfully unfurls the layers of the damaged psyche. He will surely be on the short list come award season.

Mikkelsen, on the other hand, plays his cards very close to his vest, so we’re slow to get the full picture of who he is. If one can put what one already knows about the character from other sources out of their mind, it’s easy to agree with Will when he says Hannibal is not interesting. But Hannibal immediately promises that he will be, and by the end of the first episode, we get the early hints that he is right. Plus, one does have to wonder what kind of sausage Hannibal serves Will for breakfast…

Obviously, HANNIBAL will have elements of a standard crime drama, but the focus is much more character-driven than other shows. Like Dexter or Bates Motel, HANNIBAL promises to get inside the mind of what makes a psychopath, and explore paths both taken and avoided. Will and Hannibal are two sides of the same coin, and watching them interact and face off will be quite entertaining.

I do wonder how long HANNIBAL can realistically stretch out the two of them working together, though. Right off the bat, Hannibal is mucking things up for Will. Will is not stupid, and the two have plenty of FBI agents keeping tabs on them. Hannibal may be highly intelligent, but sooner or later he’s bound to get caught. If he doesn’t, it’s going to start making the other characters look like dolts, incapable of doing the jobs they’re supposedly great at, especially where Will is concerned.

Making Hannibal fully go to the other side would be the right move for the series to make eventually, not necessarily at the end of the run, even as it would completely change the show. Because of this, I doubt NBC will rush into anything. In the short-term, that means we are going to have to deal with plot holes and leaps of logic to make it work.

I really like the execution of HANNIBAL. It’s production looks fantastic, and the cast is terrific. I just worry that the scenario is not quite as well thought out as it needs to be. The show walks a very fine line of believability, and if it’s not careful, it will slip off too often.

At least it can’t be accused of being a copycat. Despite being one of only several serial killer dramas out right now, HANNIBAL does its own thing, and doesn’t feel like any of the others. That is a credit to its creator.

The rest of the cast includes Lara Jean Chorostecki (Camelot) as a blogger who will be on Hannibal’s scent, and Aaron Abrams (The LA. Complex, Rookie Blue), Hettienne Park (Young Adult), and Scott Thompson (The Kids in the Hall) as FBI agents. None of them gets any development to speak of in ” Apetrif,” though hopefully they will as the series goes on.

Overall, HANNIBAL is not a bad effort, and definitely worth checking out. There are just some things that need fixing if its going to be a long-running drama with the big fan base it seeks.

Off the Map: The Complete Series now on DVD!

     ABC's Off the Map had a lot going for it when it premiered in January. For one thing, Jenna Bans, who worked on Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, created it. Shonda Rhimes, the brain trust behind Grey's, produced it. The cast was excellent. Set in a South American jungle, it was a unique medical show about some very strange cases, and American doctors trying to escape their past having, while to adapt to the local culture. Think Grey's meets Star Trek: Deep Space 9 in a setting that looks like Lost. Yes, those are all intended to be serious compliments.

     The series begins as Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) comes to the clinic, haunted by the memory of her dead fiance. She is accompanied by two other new, young doctors, Tommy Fuller (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) and Mina Minard (Mamie Gummer, The Good Wife). Fuller is a plastic surgeon who has a family who doesn't like or respect him, as he spent his college days drinking. Minard let a patient die while exhausted, thinking he simply had a case of the flu, instead of the zebra of a case that it actually was. So she was kicked out of her residency program. All three hope this will be a nice change of pace, allowing them to re-evaluate their lives. Of course, they soon realize they are biting off more than they can chew.

     Then there's the older doctors, who have been there long enough to know the lay of the land. Dr. Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson, Big Sky) is the strong, male lead. Mentor to all, he is the subject of Lily's initial crush, but he already has someone. Kind of. That's Ryan Clark (Rachelle Lefevre, Twilight), who is struggling with her own severe medical problems. Otis Cole (Jason George, Grey's Anatomy) is said to be a jerk, but he's pretty likeable, and has a thing for Zita Alvarez (Valerie Cruz, True Blood). Zita is actually from the region, so unlike the others, she isn't trying to forget anything.

     It's a motley crew, to be sure, but one that's good in a crisis, and can get things done effectively. Which they do, over and over again, for the thirteen episodes of Off the Map's too-short run. Each character actually shows not only some depth in personality and back story, but growth. For instance, Lily only really drools over Keeton for a short time before switching to a guy that is actually available. Otis figures out his feelings for Zita, instead of continuing to stew over them. New relationships bloom where they may not be exactly expected. And there isn't a weak actor in the cast.

     There are such drastic improvements on most of the characters' outlooks, it's with bittersweetness that one begins to wonder where the series would have gone, had it continued. Surely, new, fresh faces would have joined the ranks, and life would have gone on. Not everyone can stay in the jungle long-term, but Off the Map already established a core group that could brave the dangers of the jungle and come through with flying colors.

     The principal cast is not the only reason to watch. A slew of fantastic guest stars, from Michael McKean to Aimee Garcia to Cheech Marin to Judy Reyes cross the threshold of the small, poor clinic. Each brings their own intriguing twist with them. Plus, the staff often deals with strange medical conditions and has to rescue patients from dangerous conditions. Tourists aren't easily prepared for such a risky environment, and many end up in the make shift hospital. As such, there is a lot going on in each and every episode. Plus, no subtitles for when the locals speak Spanish, making viewers feel as lost as the doctors!

     The DVD release's special features reflect the strange setting in which the story takes place. Clocking in at around five minutes, "Jungle Medicine" examines some of the strange medical mysteries the characters encounter, and promises that each is based on a real-life story. The eight-minute "On Set At Off the Map" interviews cast members and producers about what it was like to film in Hawaii, as well as how they made things look like South America. There are also eleven deleted scenes and a standard two-minute blooper reel. Not too shabby for a series that only last thirteen episodes!

     In short, it's a real shame Off the Map won't be back this fall, and despite the cliffhanger of an ending, I do recommend purchasing this three disc set. It's a wonderful adventure with rich characters in interesting scenarios, and not at all a waste of time to watch. It's a unique show with some brave choices that set it apart from standard fare.

     Off the Map: The Complete Series boasts Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, Spanish and French subtitles, and 1.78:1 Widescreen picture. Which means it looks and sounds fantastic.

     Buy Off the Map: The Complete Series today.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published as DVD Review: Off the Map: The Complete Series on Blogcritics.

Off the Map - "Saved By the Great White Hope"

Click here for all of Jerome's Current Season Reviews.

     With Shonda Rhimes on board as producer, and the main characters mostly doctors by profession, you can be forgiven for thinking that ABC's new Off the Map is just another Grey's Anatomy clone. Forgiven, because it sounds likely, but you would be mistaken. The show is not created by Rhimes, but rather by Jenna Bans. Bans has worked on Grey's and Desperate Housewives, so she's part of the ABC family, but also brings something slightly different to the table. That's what Off the Map is: different, but not so much so that it feels out of place among the network's popular series.

     When Lily Brenner (Caroline Dhavernas, Wonderfalls) first appeared on screen, I immediately pegged her as Meredith Grey type. Then I started thinking Christina Yang. Soon, it became apparent that she was neither, and both, with a dose of House's Cameron mixed in, as she did lose her fiance. But Brenner is more than that. She's that idealistic hero, brave and smart, that can rise to the circumstance, that every great show needs. After saving a man (the great Michael McKean guest starring) who trapped his arm in a zip line, and then making sure he got to dump his wife's ashes before he took off in a helicopter, Brenner has already made herself TV's newest leading lady. She owned the show.

      Brenner may have stood out to me, but she is not alone. Two other young docs arrived with her in the form of Tommy Fuller (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) and Mina Minard (Mamie Gummer, The Good Wife). Each of the three has something in their past that has driven them far away into the wilderness, as we're told each person that comes to the clinic from the U.S. has. Brenner's is the dead fiance, which caused her to take an extended leave of absence. Fuller has a family who doesn't like or respect him, as he spent his college days drinking. He has already earned the nickname 'Plastics' because his idea of a great surgery is implanting fake breasts. Minard let a patient die while exhausted, thinking he simply had a case of the flu, instead of the zebra of a case that it actually was. You know, when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras? We're told she was kicked out of her residency program for the mistake, though that seems a little harsh to me. Perhaps there is more to the story?

     Not only the young ones, but the elder doctors must have issues, too. Something has to make Otis Cole (Jason George, Grey's Anatomy, Eli Stone) the jerk that he is. At least, he's called a jerk. I found him very likable, as George's characters always are. In fact, I liked him best of the elder docs on staff. He has spirit, a sense of fun, and he doesn't put up with anything that he shouldn't, especially from snotty new arrivals.

 

     Cole isn't the only one displeased with the newbies before he even gets to know them. Zita Alvarez (Valerie Cruz, True Blood, Dexter) had an even better reaction. The barb she gave that stuck with me was about the new doctors not even bothering to learn Spanish, though clearly that's what most of the locals speak. I like this, because it reinforces the idea that this clinic is someplace to run to, not someplace anyone really wants to be. As such, it sets a different tone from other medical dramas immediately, and tells us something vital about each of the characters, even though its not an obvious characteristic of everyone... yet. Not only that, the culture barrier is emphasized nicely to the audience by not subtitling the Spanish speak. I'm as clueless as those new doctors as to what the residents are saying. Very neat.

 

     Though George is certainly a hunk to many, as a show with Rhimes involved, there has to be a Mc-someone, and he is there in the form of Dr. Ben Keeton (Martin Henderson, Big Sky. From the moment Brenner and Minard ogle his abs as he takes off his shirt, you know he's going to have a Mc-nickname soon. Plus, he has an accent, so double points. Honestly, I found Keeton a little bland, the only character I thought that of. I'm sure it's simply because he didn't get enough development. We got only the barest glimpse into his issues at the end of the episode, and there will surely be more to come.

     Speaking of the end of the episode, I was incredibly disappointed that Ryan Clark (Rachelle Lefevre, Twilight, What About Brian?) had so little screen time in the pilot. She is one of my favorite TV actresses, and we still know nothing about her character. As she is listed as a principal cast member, it can't be long before more of her is revealed, but I'm impatient in that regard.

     I won't say that this show changed my world, or that it belongs at the top of the ratings. But I will say there's something pretty cool here, and it's not just another procedural clone. As such, I urge you to check out Off the Map, which airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Article first published as TV Review: Off the Map - "Saved By the Great White Hope" on Blogcritics.