Do No Harm doesn't harm, nor heal

Article originally published as DO NO HARM Series Premiere Review at Seat42F

Grade: 82%

NBC’s DO NO HARM premieres this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. It’s a Jekyl and Hyde story about a doctor who turns into a psychopath for twelve hours every day. The medical aspect is played up, with much of the drama set in the hospital, making DO NO HARM a hybrid between a classic good vs. evil tale and a case of the week procedural.

In some ways, DO NO HARM reminds me of Awake, which was canceled after a single season. Both have two distinct realms, but the big difference in DO NO HARM is, instead of the other characters changing around the protagonist, the protagonist changes in the midst of everyone else. But they both dwell in mythology and mystery, to make the series just a little better than the standard network flare.

Does this signal the end of the straight cop or doctor show? We have so many flooding the air waves that any new show needs a gimmick to get attention. In the case of DO HARM, the hook is the personality shifts of the lead. This could be the future of the genre, using the tried and true formula that has worked for so many other shows, but including a little extra to trick the critics and discerning who would write off such a procedural without a second thought into sticking around.

In the pilot of DO NO HARM, Doctor Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, Rescue Me) treats a man who has a cluster of blood vessels in his head. It’s a tricky surgery, one Cole has not performed before, but he soars through it, giving the man his life back. Cheesy goop, the same kind of story you’d see on any other medical procedural. This is the part of the episode we do not need.

What’s much more enticing is that Jason turns into a man named Ian (also Pasquale) at night, and since Jason has been using drugs to repress Ian for five years, Ian isn’t too happy. Now that Ian has built up a resistance to the regimen, he is bent on revenge. This could be a disaster for the surgeon, except that Jason is smart enough to put safeguards in place to keep Ian from actually performing surgery. For now, anyway, until Ian figures out a way around them.

There is a second villain in the form of Jason’s co-worker, Doctor Kenneth Jordan (Michael Esper, A Beautiful Mind). Jordan isn’t much of a threat, at least not yet, since he’s clueless about Jason’s condition. But we don’t need Jordan to be all that bad, since Ian is the real antagonist of the series.

Now, a big leap of faith has to be taken in that Jason is the head of a surgical department at what looks to be a major hospital. His boss, Dr. Vanessa Young (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show), is extremely understanding of his unspecified medical condition, which does not allow him to work at night. But considering what long hours surgeons work during their training, it’s odd that he would reach such a level, especially at such a young age, without being able to fully commit to his job. And as a doctor herself, shouldn’t Vanessa have more questions? She clearly doesn’t know the extent of Jason’s struggle, and I find that very odd.

We also have to believe that Jason has a buddy named Dr. Ruben Marcado (Lin-Manuel Miranda), who not only just happens to be a brilliant researcher, but who is willing to continuously risk his career, using the hospital’s resources to try to find ways to control or cure Jason of Ian. I’m sure that the writers can spin a backstory that justifies the relationship between Jason and Ruben, but explaining how he does all of this work for Jason and still keeps his job will require quite a bit of a stretch.

That’s the issue with DO NO HARM: it stretches reality too much. I really love the interplay between Jason and Ian, the struggle for control over each one’s own life, and how the actor handles both parts, but some things don’t make sense.

For instance, Jason is apparently a very bad liar; at least, that’s what we’re told during his interactions with Dr. Lena Solis (Alana De La Garza, Law & Order), the obligatory love interest. Yet, he lies all day, every day in his normal life, to almost everyone, and even thinks he can lie to Ian in video form. How does that work? Is he a bad liar or isn’t he?

I did think it was interesting that this pilot begins with Jason’s flirtations with Lena, and then reveals a history that includes an ex, Olivia Flynn (Ruta Gedmintas, The Borgias), whom Ian is still obsessed with, and who has been keeping a secret from both men. Olivia seems like the sort of plot that would begin in season one, and then be revisited later, with Lena introduced much later in the series. To enter at this point is a choice I find intriguing, though not unlike what ABC’s Scandal is currently doing.

I enjoyed this episode for the most part. I like the premise, and the cast, which includes John Carroll Lynch (Body of Proof) as Jason’s confidant and Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks) as Jason’s competent assistant, is great. Yet, the nagging plots holes did infringe on my enjoyment. Plenty of good shows start with some uneven storytelling and work it out, which is what I hope will happen here.

One last complaint. While the image of Jason writing Do No Harm in a foggy mirror, and Ian erasing the message, works great for promos, it feels completely ridiculous in the episode. This should not have been included.

The Borgias is won by "Nessuno (Nobody)"

     After a mere nine episodes, Showtime's The Borgias completes its first season. In it, the French army arrives in Rome. Pope Alexander VI, a.k.a. Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons), greets King Charles (Michel Muller) in a simple robe, earning surprise and respect. Alexander affirms Charles's right to rule Naples, and Charles shows no hostility towards Rome, much to Cardinal Della Rovere's (Colm Feore) disappointment. Alexander allows the college of cardinals to come back, in humiliating fashion. Charles takes Cesare (François Arnaud) to Naples, but Cesare escapes, and with Micheletto's (Sean Harris) help, kidnaps Giovanni Sforza (Ronan Vibert). Alexander forces an annulment between his daughter, Lucrezia (Holliday Grainger), and Giovanni. All of the Borgia family gathers as Lucrezia gives birth to a son.


     Rodrigo shows real cunning in this episode, playing Charles perfectly to protect his position and the city by giving in on the Naples issue. Charles is no slouch either, demanding that Cesare accompany him to Naples. Thus, both have leverage over the other. It is an uneasy relationship, but a sustainable one, even after Cesare runs off. One would expect grisly battle as the season finale brings everything to a head, but in the world of The Borgias, a contest of the minds and wits can be just as exciting. Their power struggle may be better than any army clashing that could have been cooked up.

     Charles arrives in Naples, to find the place a mess. Bodies are strewn in every room, and the king is nowhere in sight. While Charles's claim on Naples will not be contested in such a condition, what is the use of ruling this land? How might this affect the balance of power between Charles and Rodrigo? If Charles no longer wants Naples, Rodrigo loses his hold over him. Charles may be angry, too, about Cesare's abandonment of the trip. Will Charles seek revenge as season two begins? Or will he take Rodrigo at face value, and go home without bothering Rome?

     Cardinal Della Rovere's play for control of the papacy ends anticlimactically. After months, possibly years (the timeline is vague), of scheming and making deals with various rulers, Della Rovere's plan comes to nothing, as Charles separately negotiates with Borgia. What sway can a mere Cardinal hold for such strong leaders such as Charles? It is easy to see what is in it for Della Rovere if Rodrigo is overthrown, but his struggle is to find someone with the might to help him, and has the motivation to do so. Thus far, his efforts prove fruitless.

     That is not say that the threat Della Rovere poses is over. Not by a long shot. Cesare attempts to recruit him back into the fold, but Della Rovere refuses. He has strong moral convictions, and is offended by Rodrigo's reign. Such an enemy is extremely dangerous because he is certain in his beliefs, and will settle for no compromise. Rodrigo surely has grounds by now to strip Della Rovere of his title, and yet does not do so, even as Rodrigo humiliates all of the other cardinals. Is he subscribing to the apt, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" If so, what advantage does that provide in this situation? None is obvious.

     Rodrigo is not the only intelligent Borgia. Without Lucrezia's quick thinking, no agreement between Rodrigo and Charles would be possible. She single-handedly stops two armies from combat. She ushers Charles into the city, and cuts Della Rovere out of the meeting. While Lucrezia is still relatively young, as the season finale approaches she shows just how much she learns, and with her new-found skills, she is a formidable presence in the Borgia family.

     Lucrezia has help in her growth. Giulia Farnese (Lotte Verbeek) is instrumental in teaching Lucrezia how women can influence powerful men with their wiles. Lucrezia takes those lessons to heart, and applies them against Charles. Lucrezia has taken quite quickly to his father's new mistress. Just how greatly will that upset her mother, Vanozza (Joanne Whalley), when she finds out?

     Lucrezia also demonstrates she has absorbed scheming from her brother and father when she orchestrates an annulment with her abusive husband. While how much of the planning is Lucrezia's is not clear, she is at least complicit, and likely has a lot to do with the humiliation of Giovanni. She also makes no effort to tell her baby's father, Paulo (Luke Pasqualino), of the child. Is this more scheming? Lucrezia appears to care for Paulo, and yet, she is keeping the baby known only to the Borgia family at this time. There is no telling what her motivations are for this, or if she will ever even return to Paulo.

     Juan Borgia's (David Oakes) run may be near an end. Failing militarily and falling from favor, he shows no appreciable skills to benefit the family. He is no longer necessary, as Lucrezia and Cesare do just fine protecting their father without him. His foolishness and arrogance puts him in danger, and it will not be surprising if he is killed before long. Possibly next season's finale?

     What are the chances of a Cesare / Ursula (Ruta Gedmintas) reconnection? She is a nun now, but admits to still being tempted by Cesare. She assists Lucrezia in giving birth, drawing her further into the family. Ursula likely will leave the habit behind. It is hard to resist someone as influential as Cesare, and while Ursula has shown little regard for social standing, she has shown mighty lust for the man.


     The Borgias has been renewed for a second season, though eager viewers are in for a long wait, as it will not return to Showtime until 2012.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     To be notified when The Borgias is released on DVD, please click here.

Article first published as TV Review: The Borgias - "Nessuno (Nobody)" on Blogcritics.