TV Show Review: Eli Stone - Season 1

Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Quirky and fun with interesting characters...

Cons: ...except when it tries to preach.

The Bottom Line:

The show can be fun

It can also be preachy

That is it's downfall

Entertaining Show Occasionally Derailed by the Liberal Agenda

Thanks to the writer's strike this last season, the TV landscape looked very different than it might have. Some shows were given a little longer to find an audience. And those of us who are TV addicts were looking for anything original come spring. That, and the constant ads during Lost, was how I came upon the first season of Eli Stone. This San Francisco set show is quirky and fun, when it isn't trying to preach at us.

Lawyer Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller) has it all. He's on the fast track to become a partner at his law firm. He is engaged to the beautiful Taylor Wethersby (Natasha Henstridge) who just happens to be his boss Jordan's (Victor Garber) daughter. About the only problem in his life is that his assistant Patti (Loretta Devine) doesn't like Taylor.

But then the visions start. First, it's George Michael (in the first of several cameos) singing in his living room. But soon they include a war zone, a beach in the men's room, and a dragon in down town San Francisco. Not to mention just about everyone he knows breaking out into song at the worst times, like in the courtroom.

It's at that point that his brother Nate (Matt Letscher) diagnoses a hereditary brain aneurism. They are the reason for these visions. As much as he tries to get rid of them, his acupuncturist Dr. Chen (James Saito) thinks they may be prophetic in nature. And sure enough, they do seem to be helping him pick and win cases. What will he do with his new found moral compass? Can he get the aneurism operated on? Or will that mean his death?

Okay, I'll admit I didn't hold out much faith in the show before I tuned in the first week. But I quickly became a fan. And I don't think it was my desire for some new TV to watch. The characters were fully developed from week one. And they were all sympathetic as well. I came to quickly care about all the main cast, even the one or two who were too slick for their own good.

Of course, the praise for that goes not only to the writers but also to the actors. I was only familiar with two of them before this show. Victor Garber was a favorite in Alias but has also been in some musicals I've seen as well. Julie Gonzalo, who plays an idealistic young lawyer who winds up helping Eli quite a bit, was in the final season of Veronica Mars. As I expected, they don't miss a trick. But everyone else is great as well. I especially love Loretta Devine's Patti. That woman is smart, sarcastic, yet warm when she needs to be. The character Eli Stone requires quite a bit of range, and Jonny Lee Miller hits every note perfectly.

I thought the fantasy elements could get out of hand. And trust me, there is very little serious about them. They add some comedy to this drama. But they also do provide clues for Eli to follow in the court room. And watching how he pulls those elements together keeps me entertained.

While each episode features a case of the week, there are also some on going stories. There are two love triangles (or a love square, really). Eli's status in the firm is constantly changing, making me want to tune in to find out what he will face next. And I can't leave out his decisions on what to do about the aneurism that started it all.

Eli and Dr. Chen have an on going discussion about faith, what is it, how to you get it, and what does it require. I find that fascinating. See, Dr. Chen thinks Eli might be a modern day prophet, but Eli isn't so convinced. Those discussions always make me stop and think.

My problem with the show lies in some of the cases the firm takes on. While at times they can stay in neutral territory, they often go off into pushing a liberal agenda. The problem is, when they do that, they lose the feel of the show. The episode with the gay chimps, for example, wasn't especially funny, which it was supposed to be.

And don't get me started on "I Want Your Sex." In this episode, George Michael appears as himself (and not a vision) to hire Eli to sue a high school that suspended a girl for protesting an abstinence assembly that was part of the abstinence only sex education program the district mandated. The problem with the show was that is set up a liberal fantasy version of an abstinence program, then knocked down the straw man. To make matters worse, several of the characters were completely out of character, most noticeably Jordan. His behavior might have been better suited to the high school girl in question rather than the senior partner in a law firm he is supposed to be. By the time it was over, I felt like I had been preached to for an hour, which is not why I tune in to the show.

On the other hand, they are able to take on some cases in a balanced manner. The story about separating lesbians fighting for custody of their baby was fairly even handed, or at least more even handed then I expected it to be. Right to die also comes across in a balanced manner that doesn't try to force an agenda down our throats.

Since there were only thirteen episodes of the first season, this set contains four discs. The picture is widescreen with full surround sound. The extras include an extended version of the pilot with commentary and several behind the scenes featurettes. Oh, and did I forget my favorites? I always love bloopers and deleted scenes.

When Eli Stone focuses on the characters and telling a good story, it is high entertaining. When it decides to preach, however, it becomes painful to watch. I am certainly hooked and plan to keep watching. But you might want to rent this set before you buy it to see how addicted you get to it.

Season 1 Episodes:

1. Pilot

2. Freedom

3. Father Figure

4. Wake Me Before You Go-Go

5. One More Try

6. Something to Save

7. Heal the Pain

8. Praying for Time

9. I Want Your Sex

10. Heartbeat

11. Patience

12. Waiting for the Day

13. Soul Free