(S01E05) "You want the truth?" - John Amsterdam
There are a lot of jobs I can believe that John has had. Lawyer? Sure. Soldier? Of course. Coachman? Okay, but a comedian? No way in hell. I don't care how long this guy lives, he will never acquire the skills to deliver a joke.
I have to admit I was intrigued by John's alcoholism. I mean, usually when someone has a drinking problem it takes a doctor to convince them that if they don't stop they will die. However, since John can't die he must have experienced something even worse. It gives a whole new meaning to "one day at a time."
It's slow going, but with each episode, this show gets more and more believable. I like the addition of the female Sergeant. The more realistic characters the show has, the easier it is to buy the fantastic stuff. Case in point, just because John is so old doesn't mean he was present at every historical event and knew every historical figure. How did he happen to be in Washington DC when Lincoln was shot? That stuff is really getting tedious.
I like the role that music plays in John's life. That's pretty realistic. Considering that we all have a soundtrack for our lives, it makes sense that John would have a pretty good knowledge of music and musicians. It's also kind of educational for us viewers.
I was afraid we weren't going to see Dr. Sarah this episode. Her dinner with John gave some much needed dimension to her character. I like the fact that she asks questions the way any educated person would. It seems like John will eventually have to tell her the truth, which is too bad cause we all know what happens almost immediately afterward. Sayonara Dr. Beautiful.
As John was writing his life story, it occurred to me that one thing you get along with a long life is a lot of patience. I don't know how he was able to sit and fill all those books but if I had to do that I would either go crazy from the boredom or kill myself before I had to be reminded how sad my life has been thus far. Maybe that's just me, though.
The crime plot wasn't too bad in this episode. More importantly, John solved it with good old-fashioned police work. The confession and the way it was brought about was, once again, ridiculous. He knew who was actually driving the car. What was the point of the street corner confession?
Overall , this was a pretty good episode. It's unfortunate, however, that it seems to be getting better at such a slow pace. If it keeps going at this rate, it won't be perfect until long after it's canceled.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-25-2008 @ 8:07AM
LC said...
He may have known who was driving, but he didn't have proof. The scene with her confessing was indeed ridiculous and unnecessary. The trick he did with the husband was all that was needed and was plausible to boot.
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3-25-2008 @ 8:53AM
Eliah Hecht said...
I interpreted John's role as MC or singer or something rather than comedian, although I agree that he seems to have particularly bad comedic timing. Overall I'm continually surprised with how much I like this show, given that I can't figure out what makes it good. Maybe it's the actors.
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3-25-2008 @ 9:09AM
bruce said...
I also thought he was the emcee introducing the bands playing that night. The fact that he was doing a really bad "comedy routine" was due to him being drunk off his ass. Also, I thought he said he was part of the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth, not that he was in Ford's Theater the night Booth shot Lincoln. Many people were involved in the hunt for Booth and his co-conspirators - it was the largest manhunt in history at the time, led by Secretary of War Stanton. We know he supported the Union (the show wouldn't be bold enough to have him been a slave owner... wow that would be great), so it is no surprise he helped out in the hunt for Booth.
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3-25-2008 @ 10:05PM
Meri said...
I really like this show. It reminds me a lot of Highlander that was on TV several years ago. I like the blend of present day with Amsterdam's past. I liked the dream he was having when he and Sarah were in bed and she found a gray hair - the look of relief on his face that he would finally grow old was priceless.
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3-25-2008 @ 10:35AM
Paul McCall said...
Don't like the Sgt. If they needed to insert a boss for the detectives it should not have been a blonde who looks like a model out of a catalog. I'm sure there are attractive superiors in police forces but it just didn't look right to me. If they wanted a woman for the role go for something like the LT. in Law & Order, someone older who would be more believable.
I also don't think Amsterdam would be able to give away the effects of a murder victim, unless he simply stole it from the evidence room.
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3-25-2008 @ 2:07PM
Rob said...
I'm with you,.. I Hate, HAte, HATe, HATE the new sergeant!
(I couldn't wait until this reviewcap came out so I could get that off my chest)
How the hell are we supposed to believe that she became a Sergeant? She looks like she was plucked off a photo shoot for Anorexic Monthly. Don't get me wrong,.. I'm not sexist and I can totally believe a woman in a Sergeants role. Look at S. Epatha in L&O or even the Cheif in Psych as a couple of great examples. But this chick is so friggin' out of place it's ridiculous.
3-25-2008 @ 11:39AM
keithnl said...
Who is that sergeant she seems familar.
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3-25-2008 @ 12:10PM
mike m said...
Did anybody notice that they stole a line clear out of Psych????
The female sarg with the detective was the exact same conversation that the Chief and Jules had on Psych, except that Jules then tells the chief, and gets yelled at...but the lead up was identical.
coincidence?????
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3-25-2008 @ 12:39PM
Karen said...
I *totally* noticed that!
3-25-2008 @ 2:45PM
Tim said...
Random:
I thought the scenes with the female sergeant were somewhat cute, it was nice to give the ladies something else to do. However, it was forced and didn't fit in well, and thus felt wrong.
"Santori, do you have your taser?!"
Chalk me up for the camp that thought Amsterdam was an emcee.
(to 36) "Do you want to eat again? Ever?!"
I don't much care for the doctor, so I hope she ditches him and his quest continues. The plotline with her is already tired.
The other part of this plotline I didn't much care for was his bringing his case to the NA meeting. I think the moderator would have kicked him out at that point, and if he's attended enough of those groups, he would have known better.
A weak episode, with an interesting flashback storyline. Loved how he came clean with young Omar. And its great the chemistry that present-day Omar and Amsterdam have.
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3-25-2008 @ 9:33PM
Rodney said...
I think John was a musician of some kind, and his lack of comic anything was because he was drunk.
Omar seems too old for his age. If he was born in, what, 1941, he would have been 23 in 1964, which seems right, but now he would be 67. The actor playing Omar seems older than that (and has lighter skin than his younger self, but that's something else altogether).
How many people wish John had prefaced his "truth" to the doctor with "This is going to sound funny, but please bear with me." This whole part seems like an artificial obstacle. I think she's got enough evidence to be able to believe him. Hell, his coming back to life should be enough for her....
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3-27-2008 @ 7:19PM
csttar63 said...
to "keithnl", the sargeant actress was on the revamped "LAW & ORDER" as a really gross looking druggie. she was the daughter of a rich couple who gave up on her. she had sores on her face, stringy hair, dirty fingernails, clothes, etc. she's hot here though.
rock on amsterdam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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3-27-2008 @ 12:25PM
tracey said...
I hated the bit with the sergeant. Like others, I recognized this as exactly the same shtick they pulled on Psych, except that in Psych it actually made sense. In Psych, Jules *is* a bit of a flit, and *was* being a girly-girl, and *was* trying to impose unprofessional female bonding on someone who didn't want it. The captain was right to remind Jules of what is and is not professional behavior.
Eva, on the other hand, never did anything to justify the way her boss treated her, at least not that I saw. And I went back and checked those scenes again to make sure I didn't miss anything, because the sergeant's behavior was so bizarre. It starts when the sergeant plays some girly bonding nonsense for no particular reason, other than perhaps she thought that Eva was too submissive to John, who is by the way a senior officer. Later the sergeant slams Eva down, in a scene taken straight out of Psych, for no particular reason.
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