It's odd when God appears to speak through a pop star
January 31, 2008
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
ABC's new "Eli Stone" is another TV show like "Joan of Arcadia" or "Touched by an Angel" where someone is a conduit for God but doesn't know what God wants done. God only supplies hints, such as posing a vision of a dying man in front of Eli, who then cluelessly wonders how to proceed.
As a viewer, I think: Once upon a time, Gods of TV and movies minced no words. The Almighty told Charlton Heston, "Thou shalt not kill." George Burns informed John Denver that human existence means only what people think it means, "and what I think doesn't count at all."
So I empathize with Eli (played by Johnny Lee Miller, ex-husband of Angelina Jolie) in an upcoming episode when he grouses, "God needs to be a little less oblique." In the same way, I felt sorry for the guy in NBC's canceled "Journeyman" who kept getting time-warped to fix problems, without being told what to repair or why.
What I'm saying is this fictional God that's all the rage in TV shows is really playing it close to the vest, even among his disciples.
Or, rather, his prophets, which is what Eli thinks he is, because he keeps having visual and auditory hallucinations that George Michael is singing "Faith" right in front of him, even though no one else sees or hears George Michael.
At first, Eli thinks he's just going crazy. But Eli confesses his hallucinations to his acupuncturist, who convinces Eli he's a prophet, especially since Eli's visions keep coming true.
The tone of this odd show (created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, and initially directed by Ken Olin) is both sweet and wacky, as if it were made by David E. Kelley, he of "Ally McBeal." But it's missing something.
The problem is "Eli" is semicartoonish in an ABC way, and there's no true character development. You get a good idea of who Eli, and particularly the people around him, are externally, but not internally.
You can buy into the somewhat interesting story, but the tale of a gruff lawyer who represents rich, mean corporations, and who believes he's one of God's vessels, isn't enough in this instance.
The two hooks are unusual -- a prophet on a TV show featuring musical interludes. But the underlying premises are common: Lawyers are mean; one of them is a Scrooge coming to his senses, and court cases can be launching pads for lawsuits of ideas.
Yes, this isn't just a God show. It's also a courtroom show. In tonight's first episode, Eli struggles with taking a client suing a drug company, claiming a preservative in its vaccine made her son autistic.
There's been some outcry from pediatrician groups about that story line. They worry it will scare parents away from getting their kids immunized. But this plot is played like fiction, though emotionally, and can't be taken seriously.
One-time appearance
George Michael fans will be thrilled to see the bearded man performing in hallucinations, although after tonight's show Eli doesn't see Michael but hears songs by him and other singers.
Viewers drawn to sexualized characters should appreciate that Eli and his fiancee (Natasha Henstridge) are always doing it.
So there you have it. "Eli Stone" is a new "dramedy" with occasional musical numbers, chronicling a prophet who gets it on to the gospel of George Michael singing "Faith" and "Freedom," while viewers may be reminded of the oddity that was "Ally McBeal."
And Victor Garber, who played the dad on "Alias," belts out a George Michael hit in an upcoming song-and-dance number. Oh, God.
delfman@suntimes.com
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
ABC's new "Eli Stone" is another TV show like "Joan of Arcadia" or "Touched by an Angel" where someone is a conduit for God but doesn't know what God wants done. God only supplies hints, such as posing a vision of a dying man in front of Eli, who then cluelessly wonders how to proceed.
As a viewer, I think: Once upon a time, Gods of TV and movies minced no words. The Almighty told Charlton Heston, "Thou shalt not kill." George Burns informed John Denver that human existence means only what people think it means, "and what I think doesn't count at all."
So I empathize with Eli (played by Johnny Lee Miller, ex-husband of Angelina Jolie) in an upcoming episode when he grouses, "God needs to be a little less oblique." In the same way, I felt sorry for the guy in NBC's canceled "Journeyman" who kept getting time-warped to fix problems, without being told what to repair or why.
What I'm saying is this fictional God that's all the rage in TV shows is really playing it close to the vest, even among his disciples.
Or, rather, his prophets, which is what Eli thinks he is, because he keeps having visual and auditory hallucinations that George Michael is singing "Faith" right in front of him, even though no one else sees or hears George Michael.
At first, Eli thinks he's just going crazy. But Eli confesses his hallucinations to his acupuncturist, who convinces Eli he's a prophet, especially since Eli's visions keep coming true.
The tone of this odd show (created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, and initially directed by Ken Olin) is both sweet and wacky, as if it were made by David E. Kelley, he of "Ally McBeal." But it's missing something.
The problem is "Eli" is semicartoonish in an ABC way, and there's no true character development. You get a good idea of who Eli, and particularly the people around him, are externally, but not internally.
You can buy into the somewhat interesting story, but the tale of a gruff lawyer who represents rich, mean corporations, and who believes he's one of God's vessels, isn't enough in this instance.
The two hooks are unusual -- a prophet on a TV show featuring musical interludes. But the underlying premises are common: Lawyers are mean; one of them is a Scrooge coming to his senses, and court cases can be launching pads for lawsuits of ideas.
Yes, this isn't just a God show. It's also a courtroom show. In tonight's first episode, Eli struggles with taking a client suing a drug company, claiming a preservative in its vaccine made her son autistic.
There's been some outcry from pediatrician groups about that story line. They worry it will scare parents away from getting their kids immunized. But this plot is played like fiction, though emotionally, and can't be taken seriously.
One-time appearance
George Michael fans will be thrilled to see the bearded man performing in hallucinations, although after tonight's show Eli doesn't see Michael but hears songs by him and other singers.
Viewers drawn to sexualized characters should appreciate that Eli and his fiancee (Natasha Henstridge) are always doing it.
So there you have it. "Eli Stone" is a new "dramedy" with occasional musical numbers, chronicling a prophet who gets it on to the gospel of George Michael singing "Faith" and "Freedom," while viewers may be reminded of the oddity that was "Ally McBeal."
And Victor Garber, who played the dad on "Alias," belts out a George Michael hit in an upcoming song-and-dance number. Oh, God.
delfman@suntimes.com
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