Techtite's TV Reviews!

"Most shows require the same religious faith as the series creators. This series requires only the "faith" that someone could actually be this totally crazy."

---from the review

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Raines

Given the critical acclaim of the Emmy award winning comedy-drama, Monk, I often wonder why the major networks haven't attempted something similar; a detective who works best because of some sort of quirk that no other detective has. In Monk's case, you have a detective who is obsessive compulsive, to the point where he can enter any crime seen and notice even the tiniest hair that could solve the whole case. In the case of new NBC drama Raines, you have a detective who imagines himself actually talking to the murder victims as he solves the case. Pun not intended, though the concept is so crazy that it actually works.

Yes, I know; "talking to someone others can't see" has been done before, most notably in Touched By an Angel, or more recently, Ghost Whisperer. The difference here is: Raines isn't seeing ghosts or angels. He sees a murder victim and imagines talking to them, or more to the point; he imagines them pestering him to find their killer. Of course, he can only base his imaginations on what he knows of the case. So in scene one the "person" he's talking to looks just as they appeared at the crime scene. As he learns more about them, they act differently, which keeps the idea from getting tedious. Think of this as "Touched By a Crazy Person," only the crazy person also happens to be the best detective there is.

The idea sounds...well, crazy, though it works like a charm. Take one of the series' first episodes, where Raines investigates the surprising murder of an apparent homeless person, played to the hilt by guest star Laurie Metcalf. If you've ever seen this Saturday Night Live alum in a guest role, you can imagine how funny this episode was by merely mentioning her name, alone. Her "imaginary self" proceeds to drive Raines crazy (or should we say: crazier?). The trouble is: nobody really knew who she was, so he imagines her in various caricatures until he gets it right ---prostitute, ex-wife, abandoned mother--- as we see Matcalf in any number of funny outfits, acting prim and proper one minute and like a vagrant hussy the next. That's what Raines' first episodes have been like so far: funny, never boring, and highly entertaining.

By now you're probably wondering the obvious question: why is a guy who talks to imaginary people kept on duty as a detective? Well, fortunately, while Police Captain Dan Lewis (Matt Craven) is concerned for Raines, at the same time he realizes Raines is the best detective there is. He tries to shrug off Raines' peculiarities as the result of Raines trying to deal with the loss of his detective parter, and best friend, in a recent gunfight. This friend kept Raines grounded, and now he's gone, so now Raines is out of control. Yet as long as he always finds out "whodunit," what's the harm?

The only worry Capt. Lewis has, in fact, is that Raines will go so crazy that he may hurt himself. So he orders Raines to meet the character who is, from this television critic's perspective, the best part of the whole series; ex-police therapist Dr. Samantha Kohl (Madeline Stowe). Sure, these scenes are a lot like The Sopranos' Tony Soprano, and his weekly talks with Dr. Melfi. That's exactly why they are a great part to this series. It helps, of course, that much like Melfi and Soprano, there is some obvious romantic tension between Raines and Kohl. Casting Stowe in the role was particularly brilliant of the casting director, who quite frankly, should be given a hefty raise.

That's the best asset of any series: a well chosen cast. Too many times I've seen a series suffer from poor casting of even the smallest role. In this case, the reverse is true: every role is performed by a veteran of action, drama, and/or comedy, depending on the needs of the part. In addition to Goldblum, Stowe, and Craven, we have Star Trek: Enterprise's Linda Park as the lead policeman on the scene, whenever Raines is called. Back at the office is Mad TV's Nicole Sullivan, who is more of a veteran comedy actress, yet shows surprisingly good dramatic acting quality here.

As a parting thought, I suppose this series' longevity is mostly reliant on one thing: how much you like series lead Jeff Goldblum. Suffice to say that if this series fails, perhaps Goldblum was never meant for television, because this is the most perfect "fit" for the actor I could imagine. The entertaining blend of quirkiness yet professionalism in Raines is perfect for an actor who is best known roles as diverse as The Fly, Jurassic Park, Independence Day, and even such underdog "classics" as Earth Girls Are Easy. If you don't like Goldblum in this series, I would dare say you never will. Conversely, I would equally say that if this series concept cannot succeed with Goldblum as "Raines," it would never have worked.

---Techtite

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