INHUMANeS

Article first published as TV Review: INHUMANS on Seat42F.

MARVEL’s newest show, premiering tonight on ABC, is INHUMANS. The eight-episode miniseries presents the first two installments this evening. The show finds the Royal Family of the Inhuman moon settlement the victims of a coup. Fleeing, they must find one another again, then figure out how to wrest control of their home and their people back from the traitorous relation that took it over.

If you’re a fan of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which also airs on ABC, you are already familiar with what Inhumans are – people that have some alien DNA mixed into their genetics, which gives them power when exposed to Terrigen Mist. The compound was released across the planet in S.H.I.E.L.D., and now there are Inhumans everywhere.

INHUMANS is not about those Inhumans, though. The city of Attilan, where the story begins, is actually above the Earth, on the moon, hidden for many years. (The show doesn’t say how long they’ve lived there.) These Inhumans go through a gentler process of transformation than their counterparts on Earth, as they’ve been doing for generations, and the Mist isn’t harmful to those even who don’t have latent powers. Instead, the Inhumans without abilities form a lower caste to support the hierarchy of the city.

It is convenient to make these Inhumans distinctly different. For one thing, it allows INHUMANS to use the familiar characters made famous in the Marvel comic books, which were never mentioned on S.H.I.E.L.D., so could not realistically exist on the planet in the form we’re used to seeing them. Instead, we get to see a fully-formed society headed by Black Bolt (Anson Mount, Hell On Wheels), Medusa (Serinda Swan, Graceland), and the rest without interferences from other Marvel properties.

Unfortunately, INHUMANS begs to be tied in. It’s such a sweeping, important, powerful group, that one really wonders why they haven’t been involved yet. Yes, I buy their isolation. Yet, at the same time, it feels like they should have made some efforts to contact the Earth Inhumans before Triton’s (Mike Moh, Empire) tentative attempts in the pilot.

Mount is a terrific Black Bolt, even with the sign language added in, which feels unnecessary and trite for the character, he conveys the power of the man that doesn’t dare speak for fear of destroying everything. Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones) also makes a stupendous Maximus, the conflicted brother of Black Bolt who feels he must rule the people to save them. Maximus doesn’t see himself as evil, and Rheon captures that nuance. I also like Isabelle Cornish (Puberty Blues) as Crystal and the way the show has CGI-ed giant dog Lockjaw.

But the rest of the production just feels relatively thin I don’t see Swan as Medusa, and Ken Leung (Lost) feels a bit, well, lost as Karnak, while Eme Ikwuakor (Extant) is one-note as Gorgon. Lockjaw’s efforts to save the royals feels weird and inefficient. A plot that leaves most of the characters stranded in Hawaii seems like a network television stunt, rather than a well-considered story. The pacing is sluggish and the script plods. I was frequently bored, and INHUMANS failed to spark the same wonder and excitement that Marvel routinely does in their feature films (and occasionally does in their other small screen projects).

Admittedly, there are worse things on TV, and because it’s Marvel, I’ll probably still watch it. By keeping INHUMANS to eight hours, it won’t be allowed to meander too much before it wraps up the central storylines. A second season might even produce something more entertaining and interesting. But as a first effort, this is a disappointment, not among the best Marvel has to offer, and misses the mark greatly on what should have been a really awesome group of characters. These should go back to the drawing board.

INHUMANS premieres tonight at 8 on ABC.

No "Recovery" for THE NIGHT SHIFT

Article first published as THE NIGHT SHIFT Review Season 2 Episode 1 Recovery on Seat42F.

Last summer, NBC aired a drama series called THE NIGHT SHIFT. This week, The Night Shift begins its second year in the regular television season, an upgrade few summer shows get. Has the show, which I labeled “pretty much a waste of time for all but the most bored summer viewers” in my pilot review on this very web site, improved enough to justify such a promotion? In a word, no.

For those who are fans, though, and I know that everyone has their own preferences, so there have to be some people out there that like THE NIGHT SHIFT, a sizeable enough number to convince NBC that moving it was a good idea, I will strive to give you a tantalizing preview into this new season.

When last we left the cast, much turmoil was rolling through the hospital. TC (Eoin Macken) was having trouble concentrating on his job, having flashbacks to past trauma. Jordan (Jill Flint) disobeys orders, putting in jeopardy her position of power. And the relationship between Jordan and Scott (Scott Wolf) is falling apart.

As the season premiere, “Recovery,” begins, much of that has played out further. Jordan is no longer the head of the staff. Jordan and Scott are no longer together. And TC is suspended, not allowed to do his job. These are all natural progressions from the season finale, and should come as no surprise to anyone.

The love triangle between Jordan, Scott, and TC, is a key component of The Night Shift, and “Recovery” has fun with this. Just because TC is suspended doesn’t mean he isn’t around, and while Scott remains a recurring player, not a member of the main cast, both find their way into the hospital with Jordan in the premiere hour. Their dynamic is fundamentally shifted by the close of the episode.

More surprising, to me anyway, is that one of the main characters quits their job. I do not think this signals an end to this person’s tenure on THE NIGHT SHIFT, as an intriguing new opportunity presents itself, and the show will surely follow them down that road, too. But in a charged scene that I enjoy very much, perhaps mostly because it involves guest star Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager), this person is fed up and does not go quietly into the night.

There are also two major medical emergencies to keep the story moving. One is in the hospital itself and is due to equipment malfunction. The other is in a more exotic locale, providing the action-packed cold opening. Because there is little emotional investment in these incidents, since they are not happening to major characters, they’re more set dressing than plot. But the latter is definitely something that will hook in fans wondering if they should return.

There’s also a very sweet moment in which a doctor makes a very large personal sacrifice for the sake of a patient. It’s the kind of decision no doctor could possibly routinely make and keep their sanity and even a middle class lifestyle. However, the believability is not as key here as making one of the players look like a hero, which happens all the time in primetime scripted dramas.

And, just to lighten the mood, a prank war breaks out in the hospital, which is as fun as it is hokey.

Only one main player from season, Dr. Landry de la Cruz (Daniella Alonso), is not back, and no new players have been added to the core group. The show continues to star, besides those listed above, Freddy Rodriguez, Ken Leung, Robert Bailey Jr., Brendan Fehr, Jeanne Goossen, and JR Lemon.

The inherent flaw with THE NIGHT SHIFT is that it’s covering well-trod ground such giants as ER and Grey’s Anatomy have already done better, with little original to justify its contribution. That trend continues in “Recovery.” Had I never seen another primetime medical drama, I might be vaguely interested in the tension between co-workers and the unusual medical cases. But with so many better options readily available, it seems pointless to set a season pass for a series that barely rates that low level of interest.

THE NIGHT SHIFT airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

Feel Free to Sleep Through THE NIGHT SHIFT

Article originally published as THE NIGHT SHIFT Review on Seat42F.

NBC’s new medical drama, THE NIGHT SHIFT, will feel awfully familiar to regular TV viewers, and not just because one of its stars has already been a main character in a medical show. It’s just like ER and Grey’s Anatomy, albeit not nearly as well written and with much weaker characters. When a series is popular, studios will strive to copy it to capture that popularity. But this series proves just how hard it is for lightning to strike multiple times in the same vein, making it pretty much a waste of time for all but the most bored summer viewers, a descriptor which should apply to no one, given the plethora of excellent options on cable and streaming.

THE NIGHT SHIFT has a large ensemble of varying characters that are familiar types. TC (Eoin Macken, Merlin) is a brilliant surgeon struggling with inner demons that make him a man hard to get along with. His ex-girlfriend, Jordan (Jill Flint, Royal Pains), is now his boss, and is the only one with the slightest chance of controlling him. There’s a money-obsessed administrator, Ragosa (Freddy Rodriguez, Six Feet Under), and a couple of fresh, new interns, Paul (Robert Bailey Jr., The Happening) and Krista (Jeananne Goossen, Alcatraz). In short, there’s no one original in this group.

The intern angle is one that is not going away any time soon in such shows. After all, they are a part of the staff, just as surgeons and nurses are, and so will be seen over and over. But can we not have a scene of them being pranked and another scene of one of them green enough to be shocked by a common malady? These are overused tropes, and we already inherently understand this is part of the job without having to be shown it so blatantly.

The administrative side is one not brought up in every hospital-based series, but it’s common enough that it isn’t new. I guess the writers have an opinion they’d like to express about how medical care is more important that paying bills, with the money guy demonized. But what discerning viewers should know is that the world is more complicated than that, and a sympathetic accountant who tries to find a balance would make a much more welcome, interesting part than a cold villain. Sadly, THE NIGHT SHIFT chooses to cast the latter.

Of course THE NIGHT SHIFT has a TC. It has to have a flawed leading man; that’s practically a required rule for all new shows at this point. But does his ex-lover, who clearly still cares about him, have to interact with him constantly, too? Does THE NIGHT SHIFT have to check off every single conceit of the genre, leaving no stereotype alone? The pilot is downright painful for these reasons.

One of the other main characters, not mentioned above, is secretly gay, something that comes out late in the pilot. THE NIGHT SHIFT makes a big deal of this, like it could hurt the guy’s standing if he admitted to being homosexual, even if those closest to him don’t care. Admittedly, this character, like many in the show, are military, and he’s in a particular part of the armed forces that hasn’t really integrated much at all yet. But still, this is 2014, where acceptable is becoming the norm and the issue seems tired, so while there is still discrimination that should be fought in the real world, it seems ridiculous to be played up this way on a TV show, something we’ve already seen before many times over. At last take a new angle on it, taking into account society as it currently is, not as it was a few years ago.

There are quite a few elements in THE NIGHT SHIFT that are tired. Jordan wants everyone to switch over the tablet computer records, which is played up like an innovative fresh concept. Grey’s Anatomy already did that over a year ago. A patient in the first episode has an unborn twin living inside of her, a case so rare, she’s going to get a free surgery to remove it. Except, that’s already happened on other medical shows, too, so how rare can it be? Either the gluttony of such dramas has reached a point where there is nothing new to say, unlikely, given how Grey’s and Nurse Jackie continue to impress week after week, or THE NIGHT SHIFT is just too lazy to find untouched ground, making its existence completely unnecessary.

There’s also a sense of forced urgency. Jordan tries to protect TC by saying he’s not replaceable. Really? They can’t find any other good doctors in the entire world that can do what TC does, yet he’s in a little place, barely acknowledged for his skills except by his co-workers? And when arguing about keeping the hospital running, it is claimed there’s not another center in ten counties to help out the population. Yet, the show is set in San Antonio, which has lots of different hospitals. It’s a major city, for goodness sakes! This just doesn’t make sense.

I do like the cast, which also includes Ken Leung (Lost), Daniella Alonso (Revolution), JR Lemon (Shadow Love), and Brendan Fehr (Bones, Roswell), but anyone can put together a decent ensemble at this point. What’s more impressive is using them well, which THE NIGHT SHIFT fails to do. Were this summer 2006 and the warm months were filled with reruns and reality shtick, this series might work. In the modern age, there are just too many better choices around.

THE NIGHT SHIFT premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Good Wife at the "Great Firewall"

     CBS's The Good Wife is having a stellar season. While their arcs play out slower than many other shows, they do it with such talent and intensity, that anyone who tries the same method may likely be put to shame. The show still does some case-of-the-week stories, but much of the concentration is on larger, unfolding arcs.

     Last week, the series tackled religion, teenage rebellion, introduced Natalie (America Ferrera, Ugly Betty, who will be doing several episodes), and brought back guest star great Gary Cole as Kurt McVeigh. A memorable effort. This week's episode, "Great Firewall," which will be the last for a few weeks, was also an excellent example of their best qualities. It provided a capper to one major plot, while developing a few others.

     At first glance, it appears that the case Lockhart / Gardner and Bond are trying is a stand alone story. They represent a dissident suing an Internet company for giving his IP address over to the Chinese government, resulting in his arrest and torture. Ken Leung (of Lost fame) shows wonderful range in the part of the dissident. Then Alicia (Julianna Margulies) discovers that her bosses really take the case at the behest of Edelstein (Jack Carpenter), a Mark Zuckerberg-inspired type who wants to move his own business into China and hopes that the case will hurt or force out his competition. While things are often not spelled out on this series, it appears that Edelstein gets his wish.

     For Alicia, things suddenly get more complicated. She is invested in the case because of the human rights abuse, and is turned off upon learning there are other motivations. Will (Josh Charles) points out to her that this is often the way things work. It's a gripping tale as Alicia goes on with the case, but begins to have doubts about what she's doing. It's also the way the world is. I am a little surprised this hasn't been a major plot point before, but applaud the show for the grace with which it was handled.

     The question raised here is, do the ends justify the means? One company suffers from not paying attention to human rights, but another company is just going to move in and do the same thing. Their case does nothing to address a systemic failure, so in the end, they do not really win, in my opinion. But the episode succeeds because it brings to light yet another problem with that planet that needs fixed. If it gets people talking about the issue, it is well worth it. Which it already is.

     But that is not all that is going on at the firm this week. Will, Diane (Christine Baranski), David Lee (Zach Grenier), and Julius (Michael Boatman) try to get the votes they need to oust Derrick (Michael Ealy) before he can make a move against them. Brilliant editing of the trailer for this episode, shown last week, as well as the way certain scenes play out, have viewers believing Julius has turned coat to Bond's side. Which makes the ending even sweeter when Bond is voted out and he realizes Julius was just playing him to get a better position at the firm, as well as to get rid of one of Bond's men.

     The entire fight with Bond shows expert writing. The twists have kept coming over the past months, including when Will teams up with Diane, betraying his previous deal with Bond. Each flows seamlessly and realistically. Never once did I feel there was a cop out or deus ex machina at play. Every choice each character makes gels with what we know about them, and their motivations do not change throughout. Flawless.

     Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) doesn't share in the elation of victory. Her future looks more and more precarious all the time, as a grand jury is now being built against her. I currently do not see how Kalinda has a chance of staying in her current position. Unlike the battle for control of the firm, there have not been positive signs for the good guy. I feel like Peter (Chris Noth) winning the election and calling off the investigation is the only chance she has. Which would also provide a number of headaches for Peter, and the appearance of favoritism and corruption. Saving Kalinda could send Peter right back to jail.

     On a personal front, Kalinda is becoming warmer. She recently moved, and gives both Alicia and Cary (Matt Czuchry) change of address cards. Neither had been given her old address. Kalinda is allowing herself to open up to people, or at least two of them. She has made fast friends. They are people that she trusts. And rightly so, as Cary is the one who warns her about the grand jury. While Kalinda maintains that era of mystery that makes her character so intriguing, she is showing a softer side, too. It is welcome.

 

     Now that the fate of Lockhart / Gardner is settled, does that mean Cary will soon be returning to the fold? While I would like to see Cary back among his old co-workers, I am less certain now than ever it is the path the writers will pursue. And I am seeing the wisdom of leaving him where he is. Cary isn't happy working for Childs (Titus Welliver). It is likely Alicia can convince Peter to keep Cary on if Peter wins the election. Plus, that would give Cary scenes with Peter and Eli (Alan Cumming) as he moves into their circle, a new combination that could provide fresh material, as well as more screen time for Czuchry, who deserves it. I think I am now in favor of Cary staying with the DA.

     That opinion is only made possible by the likely outlook that Peter will win back his former office. After Childs drops out this week, Peter is finally looking good in the polls. I feel like it has always been a foregone conclusion that Peter will rise back to his former heights. After all, why hire Eli as a full-time character this year if Peter, who isn't full-time, wasn't going to be around? There isn't any other plot to keep Eli moving. But now the arc backs that idea up.

   Last night, the victory became closer than ever as Zach (Graham Phillips) and Becca (Dreama Walker) uncover a harmful secret of Childs's. While Becca remains manipulative and untrustworthy, thus unlikeable, getting Zach involved in the politics is a good move. Zach has already shown an interest in his father's work, and I think it very nice that Zach deals the death blow to Peter's rival. True, Eli really had a lot to do with it, but it wouldn't have happened without Zach. This sets up a nice father-son dynamic that I hope will be featured more in future episodes.

       When the show returns in the spring, there are still plenty of questions to be addressed. What will Peter's win mean to his family? Will Alicia finally make a move with Will? How will Cary clash with Peter and Eli, should that be the route taken, as he will certainly not just fall in line with them? Will Kalinda salvage her job? How will Eli get with Natalie? Can we please have more Kurt? And David Lee? And Viola (Rita Wilson)? Will Grace (Makenzie Vega) abandon religion? OK, the last one looks like a pretty predictable 'yes', but there may be bumps along the road to that, as there are usually are on this series.

     The Good Wife airs Tuesday nights 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Article first published as TV Review: The Good Wife - "Great Firewall" on Blogcritics.

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