Eli Stone: Curiouser and Curiouser, and Zany
This “Eli Stone” thing just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser, if not just a bit zany.
“Eli Stone”ABC’s new legal drama, set to premier on January 31st, this Thursday and the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) has sent ABC a letter asking the network to cancel such a “reckless” show. The January 28th New York Times notes that ABC is defending the show and plans to air it as scheduled. Here are some more details from an article in USA Today:
- “Eli Stone” is a comedic legal drama: Stone has hallucinations featuring pop crooner George Michael, besides other “whimsical touches” (singing, dancing—-do I hear the pitter patter of the Ally McBeal baby?)
- Stone is diagnosed with “an inoperable brain aneurysm” by his neurologist brother and that’s why (says USA Today) he decides to fight for the little guy.
- According to co-creator Greg Berlanti, Eli Stone is “more like an Old Testament prophet who was really a crusader for social justice.” Berlanti further notes that “‘We decided to let Eli be that Don Quixote character, that lawyer everybody wished they had in their corner to take on powers greater than their own.’” (Ok but, last time I read Don Quixote, I kind of got the sense that Cervantes’ fictional knight errant was somewhat deluded about his knightly exploits. But perhaps I digress.)
- Stone has hallucinations—he “[dodges] a biplane coming at him on the street”—that only he sees and that his Chinese acupuncturist, Dr. Chen, “makes sense of.” (Now, why is the doctor/alternative medicine provider who interprets those mysterious visions Asian—-as if us Asians have some kind of mysterious ability to see the unknown?……..but again I digress).
With all due respect for those who fight for the underdog, I have to say that, after reading more about “Eli Stone,” I find it a bit harder to know what to think about the show. Some, like journalist David Kirby in the Huffington Post are accusing the AAP of “censorship” for that organization’s request that ABC cancel the show; Kirby also chides the AAP for “crushing artistic freedom” and “[stifling] the facts.” But the fact is that “Eli Stone” seems to have more than its share of the fantastic—a mother who claims that her son became autistic through a vaccine wins $5.2 million in a lawsuit—c’mon, who’s fooling who!—and the comic. As for other TV shows whose characters have had some fantastical hallucinations, how about Tony Soprano talking to a fish on ice?
Tags: abc, ally mcbeal, asd, asperger, autism, autism spectrum disorder, children, Comedy, dancing baby, eli stone, Family, lawyer, mercury, pdd-nos, Psychology, tv, Vaccines
12 opinions for Eli Stone: Curiouser and Curiouser, and Zany
Regan
Jan 29, 2008 at 4:03 am
I wish they would cancel it and show “The Singing Detective”. That would be an hour of the comedic, dramatic and fantastic worth watching.
A. ABC didn’t cancel because it costs $$ to do so, esp. in the middle of a writer’s strike, and not some principled stand on artistic freedom. I’ll wager on that.
B. Nothing brings in the viewers like a controversy, and it’s all about ratings, baby.
C. It’s still fiction
D. And I have no doubt that the same folks up in arms about the AAP will find new fodder in the disclaimer.
E. *sigh*
Cliff
Jan 29, 2008 at 6:27 am
Of course they’re not taking a principled stand on artistic freedom, it wasn’t as if major networks were horribly big on the subject anyway.
The entertainment value is potentially quite high, and conspiracy theorists will love this stuff (a “real-life” conspiracy, as it were). Of course, looking through the plot, it’s metaphorical to a degree where the plot seems to be buried, so that may hurt it (It’ll be interesting if they can truly pull off a lawyer-prophet trick without burying one aspect of the show).
I don’t think, though, that it will do anything on the larger scale (would you take factual evidence from a guy who is having significant hallucinations and on-the-fly convictions, as supported by a metaphorically set-up alternative medicine provider? I’ll give the audience some credit), so let them say what they want.
Cliff
Autismville
Jan 29, 2008 at 7:50 am
Good point about running it due to the limited number of shows available because of the writers’ strike.
It’s all about perspective. I’m sure the controversey will spike the ratings a bit. Based on the show’s premise, it’s doubtful it will hit the top ten. This time next week, all the jumping up and down and grandstanding will probably have little impact.
As for me, I’m usually in the laundry room sorting and folding at 10:00 p.m. Just another zany day in Autismville…
Emily
Jan 29, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Same here, autismville. No TV for me.
I think it’s good that the AAP made the request, even though they had to know it would be pointless. But they got it out there that the storyline as described does not find sanction in real-world, medical science or from the conspiracy-oriented, colluding devils who make up the medical establishment (for those who have broken irony detectors, that was irony). Erin Brockovich this ain’t.
qchan63
Jan 29, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Wait — Don Quixote was in the Old Testament? I thought windmills weren’t even invented until the 1960s (by Pete Townshend).
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 29, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Ah yes, Quixote’s the prophet out of of La Mancha — what if it were called “The Singing Lawyer”…..
Leila
Jan 29, 2008 at 11:17 pm
They talked about it today on CNN… They should a clip of the show, and it looked pretty contrived and boring. The acting was not that good.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 29, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I watched the clips on ABC—-maybe George Michael can liven things up……
resilientmom
Jan 30, 2008 at 11:09 am
I actually commended ABC for its initial venture into covering autism. (All My Children) The character of Lilly, a ‘quirky’ teen with Aspergers who is simply stunning and has an affection for numbers, is about as fairytale autistic as one can imagine, however, it is a raised awareness…
Perhaps, though, viewers might actually believe that this is the face of autism, as well as watching Eli Stone might caution parents about vaccinations. The media works in mysterious ways, some counterproductive.
…and then again ratings need the boost.
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