Raines

Having been force fed countless boring shows featuring the supernatural, here is one that grabs you from the beginning. It is not supernatural but the visions or hallucinations of a police detective. Since the vision, as I'll call it, only knows what Raines knows, we get to see the victims character develop over time. I prefer to think that it is Raine's extremely active imagination and the trauma of being shot and losing his partner, that in thinking through the crime and the evidence that brings the victims to life, but after bringing them to life now he has to deal with seeing and talking to the dead and solving the crime. The constantly changing personality of the victims, sometimes in a matter of minutes, shows us the methodical thinking of Raine's as he runs all the possibilities through his head. My fear is that this show will not attract enough viewers to stay on. Most people seem to enjoy the same boring cookie cutter shows that don't require any thought.

I'm a big fan of Jeff Goldblum's and he was terrific in this. Intelligent writing really sets this apart from much of what is on network television these days. Let's hope this generates a following and maybe it will inspire some other producers to step up their writing a notch. Not to mention originality. So often every viewing choice I've got falls in such a narrow, predictable, repetitive, cookie-cutter slot. It's refreshing to see something original. The characters were wonderful, well defined, intelligent and well acted. It just made for a very fun hour. The pilot has a very touching ending. What a wonderful new project for a great actor.

Raines is the most intelligent network television drama to come along in years. It is a drama because the direction of the action is dictated by the character, police detective Michael Raines (Jeff Goldblum). It is intelligent because its producers have had the good sense to put their faith and their money into excellent writers and actors.

The hook in Raines is that this particular cop talks to imaginary characters. But it doesn't take long to figure out that the murdered woman in the premier episode who pops up and asks Raines to find her killer actually represents that part of Raines' mind that seeks the solution to the mystery. She knows no more than he does at any moment in their conversations, and as he queries her, he is actually working out the evidence in his own thinking. When he has questioned a witness, he runs what he has learned by her, and she reacts as his knowledge of her would react. What we as the audience are allowed to witness through this device is the mind of the detective at work as he unravels the mystery. He actually quizzes his best witness, the murder victim, before our eyes. This may not be a stroke of genius, but it is certainly a stroke of brilliance.

At the heart of Raines beats the eccentric brilliance of Jeff Goldblum. I actually approached this first episode with some trepidation, fearing that Goldblum would gum up the works with all sorts of quirky business. He has been known to fidget and squirm to a degree that takes the attention off an otherwise excellent performance. But he actually underplays Raines to marvelous effect. When his characteristic wit does show through, and I mean wit in both senses here, he is both so intelligent and so funny in lightening quick flashes that they are gone as quickly as one notices them. So, in a sometimes passive exterior, we are aware of a formidable, volatile power. And, as if that isn't enough, Goldblum gives us true tenderness at moments in this performance. We simply don't see acting like this on network television often enough to keep track of it.

So we must ask the inevitable questions. Will the public appreciate a television program with the intelligence of Raines? It is slotted against CSI, and that's a tough sell. But the prospect of seeing Jeff Goldblum talking to people who "aren't there" might be a point in its favor with a mass audience. Will the producers of the show continue to invest in scripts as good as the first one? That's anybody's guess. A lot probably depends on reaction to the first episode or two. Here's hoping that Mike Raines lives a long and happy life, talking to himself via his inner cast of characters. Just in case the run of the show is brief, however, catch the brilliance while you can. (If you have an Intel processor, you can download the first episode at the NBC site.)

I write this review at the early onset of this show's run. I was intrigued by the premise of this show from the get-go: an already neurotic homicide detective named Michael RAines(Jeff Goldblum in a role that seems made for him and ONLY him)has started to lose control of some elements of his mind after he survives a shootout that claims his partner and friend. He can't sleep much(if at all)and has withdrawn into his own mind,where now he can actually "See" the victims of crimes he's investigating,talking to him and giving him clues to solve the cases. While these visions are(made clearly so in,among other venues,the ads for the show)NOT ghosts,just figments of his imagination,they still prove to add insight into the work he's charged with doing. NAturally,most of his peers,friends and even the precinct shrink(MAdeline Stowe)are skeptical and subscribe to the conclusion that most(including Raines himself)would do:that is,that he's cracking up.

While Mr.Goldblum still makes movies,I feel like he may've found a better stage for showcasing his quirky,odd and brilliant acting prowess in a TV drama,which allows him the benefit of having a P.O.V. position(i.e.narration)to frame the stories. Blending elements of "Monk" and "Medium"(though NOT to be confused with either),this show has the qualities to be something special,though how far and how well this show runs will largely depend on whether NBC wants to hold on to it,letting it grow,and the commitment to the show's almost retro(read:Raymond Chandler,Philip MArlow-esquire L.A. crime stories,set to the current day)feel and unique style,respectively.

This series has a great deal of potential. When Detective Raines (goldbloom) begins working on a case to solve the death of a young woman he starts having hallucinations. The victim of the murder appears perfectly real to him, and throughout the episode he continues to carry on conversations with her.

Now here is what makes this premise and this series interesting:

1.There is nothing at all supernatural about his hallucinations. In fact they only know what he knows. By talking to these hallucinations he is really reasoning through the crime.

2. In the process this makes the victims of the crime very real to the viewer. Most crime dramas begin by finding a dead body and the rest is a chase to catch the killer, and none of the characters become fully developed. By the end of Raines however, the victim of the murder is a dynamic and unique individual.

3. Because Raines' hallucinations only know what he does, the character of the victim shifts through the episode. This is a very useful tool. Unlike most series that only focus outside events, these hallucinations give the viewer a window into Raines' own mind.

4. The fact that Raines' visions are only hallucinations and that he is aware of that fact makes this show much more interesting a series like Medium, which Raines has unfairly been compared to.

5. The absence of supernatural elements makes the series science-friendly. This is not to say I don't like shows or movies about the supernatural, but there are very few series or movies consider supernaturalism and reject it directly.

This quick comment is based on the first episode only.

I hope the quality of writing and the premise of the series continue to play out along this course. The quickest way to ruin what has all the earmarks of a very good series would be to hint that there may really be something supernatural going on, to move away from character development, or to bring in God, angels, or psychics as explanatory tools.

My vote would have been a 9 or a 10 for this series, but currently it is 8 because only one episode has been broadcast and it is therefore difficult to determine if the quality will remain high from the pilot episode. I have great hopes for this series, but many times series go in a different direction than the pilot episode would suggest, and so I am tempering my response.

At the moment I highly recommend the series---especially for those viewers who have grown tired to typical television clichés.

This could very well be the thinking person's crime drama.