Director: Fred Keller
Cast: Jeff Goldblum (Detective Michael Raines), Nicole Sullivan (Carolyn Crumley), Matt Craven (Captain Daniel Lewis), Malik Yoba (Charlie Lincoln), Madeleine Stowe (Dr. Kohl), Linda Park (Sally Lance), Dov Davidoff (Remi Boyer), Nicholas Gonzalez (Julio Santiago), Carlos Lacamara (Ramon Fuentes), A. Martinez (Aurelio Sanchez), Jay Malack (Young Guy) & Carmen Corral (Maria Santiago)
Cast: Jeff Goldblum (Detective Michael Raines), Nicole Sullivan (Carolyn Crumley), Matt Craven (Captain Daniel Lewis), Malik Yoba (Charlie Lincoln), Madeleine Stowe (Dr. Kohl), Linda Park (Sally Lance), Dov Davidoff (Remi Boyer), Nicholas Gonzalez (Julio Santiago), Carlos Lacamara (Ramon Fuentes), A. Martinez (Aurelio Sanchez), Jay Malack (Young Guy) & Carmen Corral (Maria Santiago)
Raines investigates the decomposing body of an illegal immigrant in the Venice canals, and Captain Lewis orders him to see a psychiatrist…"Oh yeah, says it right here on the card: 'Therapist'. I... I thought it was
'The Rapist' -- which would be such a strange thing to put on a card."
'The Rapist' -- which would be such a strange thing to put on a card."
-- Michael Raines (Jeff Goldblum)
The second episode of Raines is noticeably more straight-forward with the investigation, seemingly to prove the show can cut it as a typical murder mystery show without relying on its lead character's hallucinations. That's commendable, but Meet Juan Doe is so slothful in its telling that the occasional appearances of this week's dead body come as major relief – particularly when the typically measured performance of Jeff Goldblum isn't being countered by a fast-paced storyline.
Meet Juan Doe focuses on Julio Santiago (Nicholas Gonzalez), a Mexican whose dead body is found in the Venice canals, triggering a case for Raines that digs into Los Angeles' immigrant population. Graham Yost's script neatly underlines Raines' tendency to imagine the deceased are talking to him, whilst throwing in some curveballs (Santiago didn't speak English, but his hallucination does), and comparing Raines' ability to that of a forensic sketch artist – who approximates everything from what he knows. It's just that Raines' own "drawings" have to be illustrated internally as well as externally.
The case itself is intriguing for awhile, but quickly becomes rather tedious. American dramas like to stick to hour-long episodes (43 minutes minus adverts), and murder mysteries usually suffer from that time-span. There isn’t time to weave much characterisation into the story, particularly when there's a subplot to cram in… so the culprit is typically the only character we get to know that well.
Regardless, Jeff Goldblum is still good fun to watch as Raines, although his eccentric mannerisms are kept in check for this episode. I'm not sensing much chemistry from the supporting cast, although Carolyn Crumley (Nicole Sullivan) got a few amusing lines. Other characters, like Kim Lance (Star Trek Enterprise's Linda Park), don't seem like an integrated part of the series yet, which is probably because Raines himself is such a lone wolf character.
However, Captain Daniel Lewis (Matt Craven) is being nicely written against the usual stereotype of an irritating, loudmouth, troublesome boss. Instead, Lewis is actually a considerate and well-intentioned person, who suggests Raines have 10 sessions with a psychiatrist Dr Samantha Kohl (Madeleine Stowe), to help him get over his partner Charlie's (Malik Yoba) death, and stop him "talking to himself".
The resulting patient/doctor scene, between Raines and Kohl, is worth waiting for – even if it does go down the predictable avenue of Raines avoiding his mental health issues and playing games with Kohl, who reveals she's one-step ahead of his diversionary tactics. I'm hoping Goldblum and Stowe will build a strong chemistry together in their "sessions" – perhaps even a romance could come of it? Yes, I know this series got canned in the US stupidly early, but it would still be nice to see developments in the episodes that were made.
While I can't say my attention didn't wander off at times, I was glad the episode managed to add a decent sting to its tail. I'm not going to ruin the surprise, but while the murderer's identity is quite obvious towards the end… the impact of how devastating the crime was isn't clear until it's revealed by Raines.
Overall, Raines is a detective drama with a smart gimmick – but when it admirably refuses to use the "ghostly hallucinations" as a storytelling crutch, it needs to ensure its plots move quicker and lighter. Goldblum isn't the most energetic of performers, and there were times when his laconic delivery, coupled with the easygoing storyline, just began to test my patience.
I'm not saying the series needs to overload itself with hallucinations… just that the stories need to move with more sense of urgency, if they're not to be missed. And Goldblum, while intriguing and wry throughout, could do with unleashing more of his kooky energy if the script becomes too leisurely.
4 February 2008
ITV3, 9.00 pm
