Director: Bryan Spicer
This third episode is the first not to be written by showrunner Jason Smilovic, and it does a keen job of expanding My Own Worst Enemy's concept, while making the Jekyll & Hyde-style switcheroo's more entertaining…Here, Henry (Christian Slater) is still finding it difficult to live a life while time-sharing his body with a reckless, womanizing state-sanctioned killer. Alter-ego Edward (Slater again) finds Henry's family life extremely boring, and both personalities spend their time trying to punish each other for minor slip-ups. Mind you, while Edward spitefully overspends $2,000 on a dress for Henry's daughter Ruthy (Bella Thorne) and sleeps with his wife Angie (Mädchen Amick), at least Henry actually tries to maintain Edward's cover as a spy when he "wakes up" in the middle of a dangerous mission.
"Hello Henry" finds Henry trying to play spy in Mexico, searching for a high-tech Russian nuke and meeting the dangerous, sociopath Gael Ramirez (Julio Oscar Mechoso). Of course, Henry's stable temperament and probity is a far cry from the ruthless killer Gael has met before, although this seems to intrigue Gael.
Tyler Mitchell's episode also introduces some intriguing new elements; primarily an FBI agent taking an interest in Henry's life when Ruthy is put into a dangerous situation by Edward, and making a deal with Henry to end his torment if he gives up Janus secrets. This was the first time I realized Janus might be an outfit the other US agencies want rid of -- although I'm not sure why, beyond the ethically questionable practice of creating a split-personality to provide cover for off-duty field agents.
The fun with My Own Worst Enemy right now is seeing if Henry can work against the people who created him without arousing their suspicion -- something made nigh impossible because "the enemy" could assume control of his body at any moment. The switch between Henry and Edward is also signposted much better in this episode (with hazy, unfocused POV shots), and Slater himself grows more capable of jumping between the two characters without just exaggerating their change in disposition.
A subplot for Tom/Raymond (Mike O'Malley) also proves interesting, as those characters are still functioning split-personalities on the Janus payroll, unlike Henry/Edward. Through his situation, we're given a different perspective on the premise, with Tom's wife Mary (Missy Yager) suspecting her husband is having an affair. I wasn't very impressed with Tom/Raymond before now, but it will definitely be interesting to see this storyline develop -- especially once Mary takes drastic steps to snoop on her husband.
I also can't stop thinking how the Bionic Woman remake (which Smilovic ran before it was axed earlier this year) has helped lay the foundation for this series. It was another espionage thriller with a big sci-fi gimmick at it core. In many ways My Own Worst Enemy is avoiding the problems that plagued Bionic Woman: Henry/Edward both lead interesting lives, they're not the only characters with a gimmick to focus on, the espionage plots are actually entertaining, and the other actors offer strong support. I'm particularly enjoying Amick's naturalistic performance (she has a believable connection with Slater), and Alfred Woodard's Mavis is compelling without even saying a word.
Overall, this episode really expanded my perception of the series and provided quite a few unexpected twists and turns for its fledgling mythology. I also appreciated the script's keener ability to reiterate the premise (which remains utterly absurd, but was less obvious about it), and I'm actually very interested to see what future episodes have in store.
27 October 2008
NBC, 9/8c
Cast: Christian Slater (Henry Spivey/Edward Albright), Bella Thorne (Ruthy Spivey), Alfre Woodard (Mavis Heller), Saffron Burrows (Dr. Norah Skinner), Mike O'Malley (Tom Grady/Raymond), Mädchen Amick (Angie Spivey), Taylor Lautner (Jack Spivey), Danny Arroyo (Bell Hop), Tim Kelleher (FBI Agent), Missy Yager (Mary Grady), Julio Oscar Mechoso (Gael Ramirez), James Cromwell (Alistair Trumbull) & Louis Giambalvo (Lance Dietrich)
