Writers: Graham Yost
Director: Frank Darabont
Cast: Jeff Goldblum (Detective Michael Raines), Matt Craven (Captain Daniel Lewis), Linda Park (Sally Lance), Dov Davidoff (Remi Boyer), Nicole Sullivan (Carolyn Crumley), Malik Yoba (Charlie Lincoln), Alexa Davalos (Sandy Boudreau), Paul Scheer (Motel Clerk), Tara Price (Crime Tech #1), Jeff Perry (Harry Tucker), Ashley Gardner (Wendy Tucker), V. J. Foster (Anthony Merkin), Graham Beckel (Vernon Boudreau), Valerie Mahaffey (Sandy Boudreau's Mother), Mykelti Williamson (Bobby "Fearless" Smith) & Ryan Hurst (Marco Rossi)
Director: Frank Darabont
Cast: Jeff Goldblum (Detective Michael Raines), Matt Craven (Captain Daniel Lewis), Linda Park (Sally Lance), Dov Davidoff (Remi Boyer), Nicole Sullivan (Carolyn Crumley), Malik Yoba (Charlie Lincoln), Alexa Davalos (Sandy Boudreau), Paul Scheer (Motel Clerk), Tara Price (Crime Tech #1), Jeff Perry (Harry Tucker), Ashley Gardner (Wendy Tucker), V. J. Foster (Anthony Merkin), Graham Beckel (Vernon Boudreau), Valerie Mahaffey (Sandy Boudreau's Mother), Mykelti Williamson (Bobby "Fearless" Smith) & Ryan Hurst (Marco Rossi)
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Detective Michael Raines investigates, but is tormented by hallucinations of the deceased..."You know how I work, Charlie. I think everybody did it, then
I slowly whittle away the ones who couldn't have."
I slowly whittle away the ones who couldn't have."
-- Michael Raines (Jeff Goldblum)
Raines straddles two "sub-genres"; the detective with a gimmick (see: Monk, Psych, et al) and the prematurely axed US drama series. Yes, after a mere 7 episodes, NBC cancelled this show. You're rarely given time to improve and build an audience in America, even if the quality of your product is a cut above. Maybe NBC should look at their marketing department if ratings don't justify continued production on quality dramas...?
Hollywood star Jeff Goldblum stars as Detective Michael Raines, another of his patented oddballs. His "quirk" here is that Raines suffers from hallucinations, although specifics about his condition are thin on the ground. But it's not something that incapacitates him, or causes anyone any danger... he just tends to imagine murder victims are his temporary "partners" during an investigation. The effect is not dissimilar to helping an amnesiac ghost solve their own murder.
Created by Graham Yost (famous for writing films like Speed, Mission To Mars and Broken Arrow), Raines seems to cover territory already being explored by Medium and Ghost Whisperer. But, of course, Raines himself isn't speaking to spirits, merely envisioning people inside his own head; effectively suffering from an overactive imagination, with these "ghosts" just a mental sounding board.
Despite some apprehension, this idea actually works surprisingly well. The Pilot, directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), focuses on the murder of teenager Sandy Boudreau (Alexa Davalos), with Raines assigned to the case and taken by surprise when "Sandy" appears to him. From there, Raines reminded me of a film noir gumshoe; an empathetic loner with an strong desire to bring killers to justice.
A lot of the show's success rests on Goldblum's shoulders, and it helps if you're a fan of his unique brand of staccato line delivery, fluttering hand gestures and lilting gait. He may be an actor who's only comfortable when using his eccentricities in his acting (meaning he's stereotyped as nutty scientists: The Fly, Jurassic Park, Independence Day), but he can now add "nutty detective" to his resume. Put simply: Goldblum's just being Goldblum here... but I like it.
The story wisely focuses on Raines and the murder, while giving us a sense of how his hallucinations "work": Sandy is unable to tell Raines what he doesn't know himself, and often changes personality/clothing to suit whatever fresh information he unearths. It's particularly amusing when she transforms into a stereotypical whore with too much make-up once Raines discovers she worked as a prostitute...
This focus does mean that the supporting cast are firmly on the sidelines -- for now. The only character worth mentioning is Charlie Lincoln (Malik Yoba, replacing Luiz Guzman from the original Pilot), a black man with a cane who has a close relationship with Raines -- acting as his friend/psychiatrist. He's the only person Raines can confide in about his visions, although I did find it strange that Charlie is so carefree about his friends' possibly serious mental condition! Fortunately, the reasons for Charlie's relaxed attitude is brilliantly revealed in the episode's denouement...
Another great thing about the idea behind Raines is that it can't use supernatural elements as a crutch. You half-expect "ghost" Sandy to start dispensing information about herself and her death (but obviously she can't), or help Raines by flitting around and warning him about situations (a la Randall & Hopkirk's ghostly partnership), but that's impossible: she sees/knows/hears only what Raines does.
Consequently, this is actually a more typical investigative drama than you may expect -- but one where a lifeless victim slowly becomes a three-dimensional person, developing a true personality as Raines' mind creates their identity through his investigation. I just love that idea.
So yes, Raines got off to a solid start here. The Pilot did a great job of explaining Raines' unusual mental state, the investigation itself was quite intriguing at times, the resolution was touching between Raines and Sandy's grieving mother, and Jeff Goldblum himself is always an engaging presence.
28 January 2008
ITV3, 9.00 pm
