TVSquad

The reverberations caused by the writers' strike continue to affect how the networks are doing business. Case in point: according to The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd, the networks may be more generous with renewals than they have in the past, due to the fact that even hit shows have been returning to diminished ratings. My guess is that, after a three-month break, most people realized they didn't give two craps about things like Meredith and McDreamy's latest breakup. But it may just be that the weather's nice outside.

Anyway, Hibberd goes on to mention the current status of some of the most prominent "bubble" shows. The good news: Reaper, Old Christine, and HIMYM and Moonlight have shifted over towards the "likely to certain" end of the spectrum, and Boston Legal will likely survive for another year. The bad news: Shark, Men In Trees (which is already gone, according to reports), Cashmere Mafia, and October Road are likely gone. And there's still no real feel for what's going to happen with Eli Stone or Women's Murder Club.

(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.

(S01E12) What the hell? Did I really just see what I thought I saw on Eli Stone? The entire episode was predicated on Eli having a vision that if it were to come true, would be catastrophic. He sees the Golden Gate Bridge destroyed when an earthquake hits San Francisco. This isn't the first time he's seen this kind of destruction, but the last time nothing happened. So, then, what are we to make of the fact that this time around, it really does! Like I said, is this really real? Tune in next week for more of the thrilling days of Eli Stone...

(S01E11) Wow! What an episode. Well, not the whole episode; the last two minutes. For the first time on Eli Stone, we got a glimpse of where the visions may be taking Eli. Also, if the vision of the future he had is on target, then the thing in his head, the aneurysm, is either not fatal as we've been told, or -- perhaps -- Eli will have the surgery and live many more years. At least until 2018. That's if we're to believe that the vision he had is the real future...

But first let's talk about the "Patience," this week's episode. I'm not really loving that title, but I guess it makes sense when you think about the totality of the show. Eli has one of his sensory hallucinations and finds himself in Times Square, New York City, in the middle of a huge rally. People are chanting a theme, "Live Brave," and there are signs and banners promoting the Live Brave movement. The man at the microphone is named David Mosely and he's being cheered.

(S01E10) The title of this episode was called "Heartbeat" because Eli's case involved a heart transplant -- two actually -- but "Reflections" might have been more appropo. Eli awakened in Nate's body and continued to find himself reliving his brother's life ten years before. And not on just any day, but the day that their dad died.

Overall, this was a particularly interesting episode because it seemed to lay the groundwork for where Eli Stone is going. Since it's likely that the show is going to be renewed -- deservedly so -- the prospect of Eli getting that surgery which may correct the aneurysm that's causing his visions, may not be happening after all.

(S01E09) Boy, that George Michael cat is one helluva swell guy, isn't he? Now I'm not sure how many celebrities would feel the need to get involved in a newspaper story, but George got all Oprah and put himself out there for this girl he doesn't even know. As for how he wound up picking Eli to lawyer up and take the case? Would you believe it came to him in a vision? Maybe the case was in the vision, too.

In a way, this episode serves as a closing chapter in the first major arc of the Eli Stone story. Sure, dangling threads keep thrusting us forward, like the unresolved issues regarding Patti's old stomping grounds and the earthquake of ... when was that now? Oh, that's right it hasn't happened yet. But this craziness all started with George Michael appearing to Eli in a vision, so there's a nice symmetry in the real deal serving a significant role as well.

I wasn't sure I was going to like it. In fact, I didn't even watch the first episode. But Eli Stone hooks me more each week. What started off as a somewhat goofy knockoff of Ally McBeal has evolved into a show with depth and promise. How?

1. The story arc that resolved in the last episode, "Praying for Time" -- The cases were always quality and edgy, like the controversial pesticide poisoning and vaccines' link to autism. A new dimension was explored through the story arc of the Jayson Turk trial. Not only did we get to know supporting characters better, but we had a quality trial with a great guest star and a big reveal at the end. I think there is the promise that the earthquake storyline may arc as well, which I look forward to.

The world of primetime TV are primarily set in the real world. The real world based on the fiction they create. So, Law and Order -- in all its incarnations -- is set in New York City, but it's not the real five boroughs. The newspapers they read are not The New York Times, the Post or the Daily News. For contemporary TV fiction, reality is on the margins of the storytelling because you can't really set those characters in a real world. However, when the two worlds intersect, the results can be magic. Here's 8 big-time, primetime examples:

1) Cowboy Up Time
Remember the episode of Lost when Ben wanted to convince Jack that he was in communication with the world outside the island? To prove that he was telling the truth, he showed Jack a video of the Boston Red Sox winning the world series in 2004. You can't get more real than that, right? And yet it was used in one of the most out of this world shows on the air. In fact, using Lost's own terminology, the Red Sox video is a constant truth in a universe that's a complete fiction.

When I first saw the commercials for ABC's Eli Stone, I didn't recognize Jonny Lee Miller. Then, after watching the first episode and liking him, I decided to find out who he was. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I had seen him, multiple times, in a variety of roles. And he was British! I was duly impressed and intrigued. Jonny Lee Miller was a helluva an actor, a chameleon who could be as convincing as a junkie named Sick Boy in Trainspotting as he was a San Francisco lawyer named Eli.

(S01E08) Man, Eli got whupped this week! I'm not talking about a physical beating here...I mean something worse. On this week's episode of Eli Stone our main character got emotionally and metaphysically beat up. And, the wounds that those beatings created take a lot longer to heal than physical injuries. Hence, the reason why Eli had a bit of a meltdown this time around.

It was probably bound to happen sooner or later, for Eli is a man with much on his shoulders. First, he has that whole "prophet" thing going on. Then, he has this supposedly inoperable brain aneurysm that has refocused all of his daily activities. Finally, to top it off, he has not one, not two, but three women in his life that are causing him nothing but grief. Gosh, Eli has been pretty strong to get through all of that. But, he couldn't remain stoic for long. So, tonight he threw up his hands and gave up.

Unless you've been in a coma over the last week (and if you have, I'm glad you're back) you probably know a little something about the troubles former New York governor Eliot Spitzer has been having. Not to go into to much detail, but it has something to do with an illegal prostitution ring, taking said prostitutes across state lines, and a little bit of money laundering. Hence, the reason he isn't "current" New York governor Eliot Spitzer anymore (at least as of noon on Monday).

To defend himself against these charges, Spitzer has hired a set of pretty powerful lawyers to help him put together a strong defense. But, will these purveyors of truth and justice be the ones who keep Governor Spitzer out of the pokey? I'm thinking not. In fact, I think Spitzer is barking up the wrong tree when it comes to the people who will defend him in court. What he should really be doing is visiting some of the high-profile television law firms that have been able to make a jury bawl in their seats over a serial killer's second amendment rights.

Here are but a few of the TV law firms the former governor should consider.

(S01E07) I think the shift to a more balanced blend of done-in-one cases and linear plotlines suits Eli Stone well. And with the continuing emphasis on "The Adventures of Keith and Matt," and the case of the foul ball murdering baseball player, the show is developing more of an ensemble approach a la Boston Legal, rather than just showcasing Eli and his problems. Even the visions faded to almost non-existence tonight, and I think the show got better because of it.

Finally, after tonight's episode I get the character of Maggie Dekker and see the potential in her. The one-dimensional "annoyingly optimistic naive new kid" is starting to develop some real personality as well as showcasing some actual legal capabilities. This started last week when she nailed Eli as a poseur for becoming "good Eli" only because of his aneurysm. She's actually become a character I like, though I don't see why she had to cut and change her hair color. What's wrong with that hot blonde from Veronica Mars up there?

(S01E06) The secret is out. After hiding his condition from his boss, colleagues and clients for two months Eli Stone has finally come clean. Now, the world (or at least San Francisco) knows. Reaction is mixed. Some, like Eli's ex-fiancee and his brother, are glad that it's all out in the open now.

His colleagues' reaction? We know at least one person's opinion --more on that later. As for his boss and mentor, Jordan Whethersby...well, needless to say there's an extreme cold front coming between him and Eli. But, we'll discuss that in detail after the jump. For now, let's talk about Eli's decision to fess up.

(S01E05) "I need your boobs." -- Matt Dowd to Taylor Wethersby

Hi again, everybody! Jason has American Idol duty this week, so I'll be handling the reviews for this week's installment of Eli Stone. When you think about it Idol and Eli have a lot in common...they each feature singing numbers on their shows. I guess the major difference, other than one being a reality game show and the other being a legal drama, is that no one on Idol has visions. Well, with Paula Abdul you never know. Anyway, on with the review.

I felt that this was the strongest episode of the season since the premiere and that the program may have finally hit its groove. It's been touch and go for the first few episodes as the character of Eli has been established and the cast surrounding him has been fleshed out a bit. And, there was a bit of worry when the plot started to veer away from Eli and focus on cases by the other partners in the firm. But, it looks like they found the right mix with, at least, this episode.

(S01E04) Is James Avery always a lawyer these days? Every time I see him he's either a lawyer, or a judge, or someone involved in law enforcement. Gosh, even in The Closer he's a medical examiner. And in other things he's been a general and a Chancellor and other characters of power. Well, I guess if you are going to be stereotyped in Hollywood it's best to be stereotyped as a person of authority.

Anyway, Avery was a guest-star on this week's Eli Stone as, you guessed it, a lawyer. But, he wasn't a member of Eli's firm. He was actually requesting the services of Jordan Whethersby to represent him in a case of same-race discrimination. You read right -- this was Jordan's case, not Eli's. This makes it the first time in the show's short history that there was more than one case shown on an episode.