TV is FOREVER Making Procedurals (but this one's good!)

Article first published as FOREVER Review on Seat42F.

Make no mistake about it; ABC’s new drama FOREVER is a crime-of-the-week procedural. Those of you who regularly read my reviews will now expect a scathing tear-down of the show. Yet, for some reason, I absolutely love it, or at least, I love the pilot. I expect I’ll probably turn on FOREVER at some point in its freshman season, as many episodes are likely to feel repetitive. However, it sucks me in with terrific characters and an extremely intriguing premise that I really want to know more about.

On the surface, FOREVER could be seen as Castle: Immortal Style. It features a very intelligent, charming non-law enforcement investigator, Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd, Ringer, Fantastic Four), who begins helping out a tough, independent, smart, at-times-annoyed-by-him female detective, Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza, Do No Harm, Law & Order). The hook is not that Henry is a writer; he’s an immortal that wakes up naked in the water every time he is killed. And it sure seems like he’s been killed a lot.

Now, Henry is a medical examiner, the type of man who looks at dead bodies and determines their cause of death. This makes him a little more relevant and his involvement a little more appropriate than his counterpart on sister show Castle, which airs on the same network. But I doubt many medical examiners are usually out walking the beat and hunting for clues. The ones shown in other TV shows are usually small, recurring parts, other than in Body of Proof, which is a unique case.

There is a third player who is equally important to the mix, Henry’s friend Abe (Judd Hirsch, Taxi, Numb3rs). The only person Henry has entrusted with his secret, they obviously have been close for a very long time. Abe encourages Henry to help the pretty Jo and tries to get him to engage in life, something Henry has struggled with since the death of his wife. Might now be the time and the place Henry will come out of his shell? Of course it is. Otherwise, there’d be no television show.

When considering why FOREVER stands out above the pack, this central trio, especially the two men, as Jo’s character is pretty stock at this point, are more interesting and colorful than in other programs. Henry has the brains of Sherlock Holmes, but is more centered and calm, having learned much through hard-won experience over hundreds of years. Abe’s role is a bit more murky, but who doesn’t love Hirsch? He brings to the table an engaging personality.

The larger arcs, Henry’s origin and a guy who keeps calling threatening to expose the secret, are dealt with in the first episode, quickly establishing there will be an ongoing story in addition to the procedural. It may just be because this is a pilot, but FOREVER seems to give almost as much weight to this as it does to the weekly case, which makes the hour go down better.

There’s also a heck of a twist at the end that I cannot spoil, and I’m surprised at how surprised I was to see it. But it’s very cool, and I cannot wait for the implications of it to be explored.

The supporting cast includes Joel David Moore (Bones, Avatar), Donnie Keshawarz (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Lorraine Toussaint (Orange Is the New Black). Each plays a co-worker of one of the two leads, and none really stand out much in the initial installment. But that’s par for this type of show. At least they’ve cast people who can handle better material, should it be given to them.

There are a great many crime shows on television, and there are very few I pay attention to, pretty much just Bones, Castle, and Elementary. Somehow, FOREVER seems at least on par with those, a couple of notches better than the Law & Order or NCIS franchises. It strikes a balance between the standardized format and something interesting, and as long as it keeps serious weight on the latter, it could be a show worth watching.

FOREVER premieres Tuesday, September 23^rd at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

Bones frees "The Patriot in Purgatory"

This week's installment of FOX's Bones is one of the best stand-alone episodes the series has ever made. I do not say this lightly, as despite it's procedural format, I highly enjoy the show most weeks. It may be the only procedural I hold in such esteem. The credit goes to a truly fantastic ensemble cast, and the quirkiness of the various characters. In "The Patriot in Purgatory," these people are taken to new levels of emotion.

The hour begins with Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) bringing together her five best interns so that she can try out some coaching skills she learned from reading Phil Jackson's book. Yes, Brennan is finally into some small aspects of pop culture, most likely thanks to her ever-deepening relationship with Booth (David Boreanaz). She assigns these five to examine old bones with new technology in the hopes of identifying many remains that have never been named.

At first, the squad humorously argues and gets competitive, each trying to outdo the other ones. This is to be expected, as Brennan has, until now, created a fiercely competitive environment. Each jockeys for Brennan's favor, and tries to prove they are better than the others. Had this been the way the rest of the episode played out, it still would have been good, because seeing these personalities clash is entertaining.

Yet, "The Patriot in Purgatory" soon deepens when Vaziri (Pej Vahdat) becomes obsessed with a homeless man. Taking the ignored case to heart, as the police clearly didn't do a thorough investigation the first time around, Vaziri becomes obsessed with figuring out who this man is, even if he neglects the other bodies in the process.

It isn't long before his fellow interns are also drawn in by the mystery. Wendell (Michael Grant Terry), Clark (Eugene Byrd), Finn (Luke Kleintank), and even, eventually, Fisher (Joel David Moore) each lend their strengths, which differ from person to person, to the case. Only together, can they solve the puzzle. This is not only a display of what a great team the Jeffersonian has, and more proof that Brennan picks the right interns, but also an inspiring tale about a quest for justice.

Before long, the guys decide that their bones belong to a man who died shortly after 9/11 due to injuries suffered on that fateful day. Not only that, he is a soldier. This quickly draws Booth into the mix, becoming just as determined to solve the case as the squinterns, and everyone else helps, too. Thankfully, this time murder isn't involved, but there is a huge disservice being done to a guy who should be a national hero, and Booth will not rest until the truth comes out, and the body is honorably buried.

"The Patriot in Purgatory" is a holiday episode. Not many shows tackle a Veteran's Day theme, but Bones shows that an inspiring tale can be told at this time of year. It took such a series, with a character like Booth, who is devoted to the military, to do it right. While not based on anyone that actually lived, at least, not that I know of, it is a spotlight on the sad tragedy of what happens to many soldiers who return from war, and the neglected heroes living among us.

This also provides an opportunity for each of the squinterns to share their 9/11 story. Wendell's, in particular is sad, but Vaziri also gets to give voice to many an American Muslim who suffered on that day because of the actions of extremists. He reminds us that we should not hate the religion, which isn't really to blame, but the people who take it and twist it into something ugly. Christian history has plenty of similar examples. Let's not forget that.

In the end, tears flow, and viewers are left feeling deeply moved. There is some serious drama and character development here, all perfectly executed. This is why "The Patriot in Purgatory" deserves to be watched and remembered. And maybe, like the best of Christmas-themed specials, dusted off every few years to be rewatched and enjoyed again on the holiday it celebrates.

Bones airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing