"Honey, how about I lock you up on charges of aggravated dumb slut with no future."-- Ray (Michael Imperioli)
Apologies for falling behind with LOM:US, but my blogging scheduling is becoming rather hectic just lately. A problem facing LOM every week is trying to keep the relative mundanity of a '70s cop show entertaining for those expecting a series that markets itself as sci-fi -- and is paired with Lost in the US. The BBC series achieved this by making the compelling Sam/Gene pairing so grounded, and having the good grace to tell the whole story in 16 episodes. The ABC remake isn't as successful (as it's too eager to play with the sci-fi elements), and this episode tries to blend the real/unreal a tad too strongly...
Sam (Jason O'Mara) partners Chris (Jonathan Murphy) in a detail to protect famous rocker Sebastian Grace (Cheyenne Jackson), of whom Chris is a massive fan. Sebastian has been receiving death threats lately, but the case takes a sideways twist when Sebastian absconds with a groupie called "Rocket Girl" (Alexandra Dadario) to a remote field in New Jersey for casual sex in the back of his VW -- only for Rocket Girl to apparently be abducted by aliens. Chris witnesses the UFO, having tailed Sebastian, although the fact his drink was spiked with LSD makes the event less credible. But, alien involvement or not, it's up to the 125's detectives to find the missing groupie...
In a subplot, Sam is concerned that Gene (Harvey Keitel) will discover he's had sex with his estranged daughter Maria (Maggie Siff), to the amusement of Ray (Michael Imperiloi). Actually, Gene already knows about Sam's unprofessional activity in the workplace, but blissfully unaware it involved his own flesh and blood. He instead chooses to assume Annie (Gretchen Mol) was part of Sam's store room tryst. Maria herself starts pursuing Sam more doggedly outside of work, arriving at his apartment (naked under a trenchcoat) in an effort to entice him into bed. But Sam is now unsure about sleeping with Maria, because of her added family complication.
The actual storyline regarding the missing groupie was wafer-thin, sadly -- more an excuse for the episode to disregard LOM's occasionally stodgy cop formula, and just go mad: bright lights of a flying saucer in the sky, glowing hands, floating bottles, a crazy rocker wearing Mork-style rainbow braces, a proto-Mulder known as "The Sorcerer" (Princess Bride's Wallace Shawn) giving Sam another theory to digest about his timeslip. Even if the episode makes up its own alien lore about abductees being dumped in the past, when we all know they're often returned hours into the future.
Regarding LOM's mythology, we're being regularly presented with different theories for why Sam's stuck in 1973, but it’s just too random to care about. And this episode appears to have been written before LOM actually appeared to settle on which theory is correct -- with the ominous "Project Aries" reveal in episode 9. Clouding the issue with more crackpot ideas is just a bit tedious, really, and it's clearly nohing extra-terrestrial, let's be honest.
Overall, I appreciated this episode just having some fun, but LOM is in danger of losing what little edge it had early on this season. It's clear this show will never be as haunting and charismatic as its British progenitor, but it's just too obvious a Television Show at times. I still don't feel Sam's plight (even he appears to have forgotten about 2008 lover Maya now), and the only think keeping me watching is the chemistry Sam has with Ray and Annie. Harvey Keitel still bores me, although the decision to make him the Robert DeNiro character in a Meet The Parents-style scenario is enjoyable fluff. Ultimately though; the weekly mysteries are generally a chore to sit through, and the sci-fi flourishes are mainly there to jolt a few people awake. If only LOM:US could make us want to spend an hour with Gene and Sam every week, like the superior British version did.
11 February 2009
ABC, 10/9c
Writer: Phil M. Rosenberg
Director: Michael Katleman
Cast: Jason O'Mara (Sam), Harvey Keitel (Gene), Michael Imperioli (Ray), Gretchen Mol (Annie), Jonathan Murphy (Chris), Maggie Siff (Maria Belanger), John Cenatiempo (Sizable Ted), Kevin Henderson (Uniformed New Jersey Cop), Del Pentecost (Carl Stefanski), Robert Clohessy (Frank Wyatt), Jessalyn Wanlim (Sweet Jane), Isabelle Chester (Lulu), Duke Valenti (Grizzly), Manoel Felciano (Bradley Thomas), Kristen Connolly (Donna), Alexandra Dadario (Rocket Girl), Cheyenne Jackson (Sebastian Grace), Wallace Shawn (The Sorcerer) & Robert L. Putterman (Desk Sergeant)
