(S01E13) The surgery is done. The brain aneurysm is gone. But Eli's life hangs -- or hung -- in the balance. This was a very trippy episode, a term Dr. Chen uses to explain to Eli why everything seems so out of whack. By the end of the hour, I'm not sure we can say with any certainty that Eli is really back. But it sure seems that when faced with a choice of letting go or letting God, he took the latter and opened his eyes. 
This was perhaps the strangest Eli Stone yet, dealing with big issues. The case Eli is handed involves a man, David Green, who has terminal colon cancer and wants to die with dignity rather than endure more chemotherapy. The parallels to Eli's case are drawn in a non-linear way, so for most of the show the legal case seemed real. So did all the actions in the office, except the more those scenes played out, the more surreal the felt.
Eli was being eulogized before his death. Everyone took turns saying goodbye and saying the things that Eli would have wanted to hear. Jordan made him junior partner and put him in charge of pro bono work. Taylor said he was the most important person in her life. Patti did just what he asked of her, she was mean and sassy and slapped him around (metaphorically). Even the Dowd wanted to hug it out with him.
But counterpoint to those idealized tributes and positive moments were scenes that didn't include Eli, and that were the truth of the episode. It was wrenching to see Nate facing the prospect of enacting Eli's living will and taking him off life-support. Taylor was all in black, and speculated that if she and Eli had married, she'd be making the choice, not Nate.
The show played with reality a lot, and that's was especially true when Dr. Chen wakes up in the middle of the night, then seeks out Nate to buy more time for Eli. Somehow, someway, he had a feeling that Eli wanted him to do what he was doing. Was it a psychic message from Eli to the acupuncturist? Was it Dr. Chen fulfilling the promise he made to Mr. Stone years before? Whatever it was, he got Nate to hold off for 48 hours before unplugging Eli.
Once Eli wins the case -- which was all in his head -- he comes face to face with Dr. Chen who is really just his Jiminy Cricket. Through Dr. Chen, Eli realizes that he has more to do. To get back to life, Dr. Chen uses the needles and Eli has one more major encounter. Is it God? No, it's George Michael with a big musical number involving him, Jordan, Patti, the staff from WPK, and I think a June Taylor dancer or two. The song was "Feeling Good," and it was the impetus Eli needed to open his eyes.
He does and then, that's it. The end. If this is the end of the series, the writers have left us a hopeful scene that Eli Stone awakens, choosing life and determined to go and do more good works. If the show is picked up -- and ABC, listen, it should be! -- Eli has only opened his eyes. We don't know what's next. Will he have the brain he had before? What will he be able to do? There's all kinds of possible futures. And since Nate said the surgery had successful snipped the aneurysm, will he have any more visions? I hope the show does come back. I would like to see where they take these characters.
Other Points of Interest
-- The David Green case was excellent, maybe the best of the season. Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and Jayne Brook (Sports Night) as his wife, the Rabbi, were very good. The whole question about choosing how to live, not just continuing to live, was clearly delineated. It also brought to the forefront specific questions about God; posing more questions than answers, which I liked.
-- They kept referring to Rebecca, David's wife, as the Rabbi. They repeated it over and over. The Rabbi, the Rabbi, the Rabbi -- it would have made a good drinking game!
-- We learn that Eli has been at WPK for eight years. He's been striving to make partner and was working feverishly to succeed. When David describes coming home on Friday nights too late to attend his wife's services and too tired on Saturday morning to wake up and go to synagogue, Eli nods his head in recognition of the life he had been living before the aneurysm.
-- Eli refers to his relationship with God as spiritual corporal punishment. David describes his message from God as peace. Eli describes his visions as God scaring the crap out of him.
-- There are references to sleepwalking, which in retrospect was a hint that the legal case was all taking place in his dream state.
-- Eli realizes that the journey he has taken since the aneurysm have been "the best time of my life." Although he also says, he has paid the price.
-- To get back to life, Eli refers to Star Trek, "Beam me up, Scotty," and also The Matrix. He asks for The Red Pill. That's the one that takes you to the unknown. The Blue Pill, if he had mentioned it, would have put him back into a fake reality.
-- Eli tells Dr. Chen, "I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow," evoking The Wizard of Oz. Another dream state from which he has to awaken. I love when Chen tells him that the line is lame.
Creator Hart Hanson talks about Bones
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-18-2008 @ 7:54AM
Heather said...
I love this show. I think that if/when Eli comes back they could allow him to continue to have visions. It could be that his aneurism made him more receptive to notice the visions, but now that he has accepted them, they will come just as freely. Or maybe others would think that would be jumping the shark... I don't know, but I do know that this show is definitely the best to come out of the writers strike.
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4-18-2008 @ 7:56AM
Paul said...
Incredible episode. I'd say it's the best of the series (hopefully just so far -- Ausiello says as long as the ratings are good for the finale, things look hopeful, and he's usually on target). In fact, I'll boldly state that the writing for this episode is Emmy-worthy. Sure, it reminded me a bit about that "House" season finale where Dr. House gets shot, but it was still extremely well done.
After the best "Survivor" episode in at least 3 seasons, solid episodes of "30 Rock" and "The Office", an exceptionally strong "Scrubs", and a "Colbert Report" featuring Clinton, Edwards, and Obama, "Eli Stone" was still my favourite show of the night.
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4-18-2008 @ 7:58AM
Paul said...
Reminded me a bit OF the "House" episode, not ABOUT it. Stupid 7am typing errors.
4-18-2008 @ 8:44AM
chocolatfrog said...
Incredible, they need to bring back that serie! My favorite of "new" shows in 2007-2008 schedule.
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4-18-2008 @ 9:44AM
Cathrinedouglas said...
Absolutly my favorite new show of the year!!!
Great cast. Warm and funny! Gets better every week.
Those musical numbers are a blast. A perfect ten!
No question about it. It will be back, thanks to ABC and a wonderful show!!! Some Emmys for sure ehhh Victor Garber!!!
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4-18-2008 @ 10:18AM
CK said...
I spent the first half of the episode fast forwarding through play-by-plays of one of our weekly Texas thunderstorm warnings and watching reporters standing out in it! Fortunately I did catch the last half and I have to agree that it's one of the best episodes and leaves you wanting a whole lot more. Thanks for the recap - damn those 30 minute weather updates!
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4-18-2008 @ 10:40AM
Adam P said...
The dancers were Maggie and Taylor -- looking a little Cabaret.
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4-18-2008 @ 10:44AM
Matty said...
This is definitely one of my favorite shows on TV, but this episode felt a little off as a season finale. I felt like they were trying to trick us from start to finish, and that got on my nerves a bit. I still loved it because this show's about the great characters. As usual, they played against convention beautifully. ABC would be making a huge mistake cancelling it now. Would have been nice if they had brought back Lost or Grey's Anatomy a week earlier to help boost the ratings, though.
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4-18-2008 @ 10:50AM
Underseen said...
he still has the aneurism
they mention that he started bleeding before they were able to get to it
I think the previous episode made a better season final, but always nice to see more
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4-18-2008 @ 11:25AM
David said...
[paraphrasing from last night's dialogue]
Taylor:
... and the aneurysm?
Nate:
Totally gone.
4-18-2008 @ 11:46AM
0megapart!cle said...
This was just a fantastic episode. Eli Stone really shows you the value of letting a show last more than a couple of episodes. This show was very stilted and silly in the beginning, but has grown by the end of the season to be the best new show in a very long time. The only thing I don't like about the show is the pseudo-relationship between Maggie and Eli, but even there, there has been enormous improvement, as Maggie's character has grown so much since the beginning of the season. I still don't know if I want her with Eli though.
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4-18-2008 @ 11:49AM
DLMdoc said...
CK - I feel your pain. Here in Chicago I had no video for the first 30 minutes, but I had audio!
Very weird.
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4-18-2008 @ 12:54PM
KT Baxter said...
They need to bring this show back. It was wonderful; a highpoint in my TV viewing.
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4-18-2008 @ 2:11PM
Cathrinedouglas said...
Love this show! Best of the year! Bring it back ABC!!!
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4-18-2008 @ 2:12PM
Ganesh said...
the show was ok, but it was just silly that he predicted an earthquake and there was so litlle in the way of ramifications about that. you would think that a number of people would be advising him against the surgery as a result. you'd also think that there would be a ton of media attention, given that he got the mayor to shut down the bridge. it's for those reasons that the finale was totally ho-hum...
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4-18-2008 @ 2:13PM
Jennifer said...
That was an EXCELLENT finale, whether it's a season or series ender. Well done.
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4-18-2008 @ 2:25PM
foolish501 said...
I'd love to see this renewed, but i won't old my breath. TV execs have already cancelled my 2 fav shows on NBC (Journeyman & Las Vegas). If it does come back i'd like to see a storyline where Eli doesn't have visions, or at least he doesn't think he does, and think the aneurysm has cleared all his woes, but that was just a coincidence, and he's still being granted these visions to do George Michael's bidding !
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4-18-2008 @ 2:45PM
kickit said...
Great episode, great season. I'm very happy with this show... started out liking it... by the end of the season I LOVED it.
Nice recap Allison. Only thing I would add is I would mention how Eli was able to tell the future even in his dream-coma-like state. In his mind he was promoted to junior partner in charge of pro bono work... and in real life, Jordan told Taylor that he was planning to add a pro bono department and have Eli as junior partner in charge of it.
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4-18-2008 @ 4:29PM
Suncat said...
I loved the whole series, start to finish. The musical number last night was the best of the season. Where do I sign up for the George Michael fan club? Fingers crossed for another season.
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4-18-2008 @ 7:43PM
La-Di-Dah said...
I really loved Patti's sass this episode. I have to say I have to praise Toby Ziegler and his rabbi wife for making the case really emotional and deeply heartfelt. I was expecting them to include a little part on the consequences of predicting the earthquake but I am satisfied with the episode anyways because most people probably didn't know Eli vision'd the earthquake, and probably thought the crazy scientist/seismologist was right. I like that the rabbi brought it up though. I also liked that they let Toby Zeigler win, because I thought his wife made a great rational and emotional case and could have easily changed minds. I also like that they switched up the chronology of the episode as well. Really cool episode, and can't wait for the return of this quirky gem.
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