Before you even think it, I'll say it. John Amsterdam's character, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Firewall), in the new Monday night FOX series "New Amsterdam" bears an uncanny resemblance to the main character of "Angel," or even more recently "Moonlight." So what sets him apart from the other smoking hot, immortal detectives?
His legend began a couple hundred years ago when he saved a Native American woman from being unjustly murdered during a battle. Unfortunately, he gets a sword shoved through his chest in the process. As repayment, she and her shaman pals resurrect him and give him the gift of immortality. The catch is that he can only become mortal once more when he meets his one true love, because apparently there is only one that will ever exist who will complete him, and he deserves to meet her. He may have several lovers, wives, children, and even dogs (he's up to 36th, which happens to be the dog's name), but only one woman has the power to set him free from the curse.
Perhaps immortality had its perks at first, but John soon learned that watching his loved ones die while he never aged a day would become too painful to bear--something that "Angel" didn't do too well to portray emotionally. So he never leaves the place where he died, which soon transforms from New Amsterdam into New York City--specifically the hub/mecca of commercialism, Times Square--because he was sure that his one true love would appear to him there. In the mean time, he works as a detective because, according to him, he's fascinated with death--mainly because he can't experience it...fully. In the first episode, we watch him have a fatal heart attack mid-arrest due to the proximity of his one true love, Dr. Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore from Definitely, Maybe), and then we watch him waltz out of the morgue as though nothing happened.
Although it is a romantic story, it also makes an effort to follow in the footsteps of procedural dramas like "CSI" and "Law & Order." But because of the new wave of cop shows--where the lead detective is a kooky or unorthodox character like in "Monk" or "Life"--John is a difficult partner and is unique in his form of investigation. Having been around since before Times Square had neon signs, he's able to remember little tidbits about apartment complexes, furniture, paintings, weapons, etc. that assist him in deducing theories or properly choosing lead suspects that others can't. This coupled with his reckless maneuvers in attaining evidence and information, as well as detaining suspects has given him a rep around the station which has resulted in all of his partners asking for transfers. His latest, Eva (Zuleikha Robinson from "Rome"), however, isn't easily rattled. She's not as tough as nails like Dani from "Life" or seductive like Cordelia from "Angel" or overzealous like Beth from "Moonlight," and she has a complex about not going to an Ivy League university and getting rejected from the narcotics unit, but what she bears in insecurities, she makes up for with her determination.
So far what's proven to be the most intriguing about the show are its flashbacks to the several time periods where he's fallen for a girl and the moments when he's inches away from his one true love, who I'm glad they didn't delay showing. They've done a good job not to portray him as a Casanova and to paint him as a true romantic, despite his many conquests. Having lived in the same city for so long, however, has made him noticeable to several people, but unlike Mick from "Moonlight," he doesn't hide it. He toys with people and enjoys the novelty of it, like when he was at an AA meeting and informed the entire room that he'd been sober for almost 15,000 days, which would make him a 60 year old man with a 30-something face. He's so nonchalant about the curse that he even tells certain people of his fate. So far, he's only been honest with his children, one of which, Omar (59-year-old theatre actor Stephen Henderson), expressed some jealousy while John ranted about finding Dr. Sara. Naturally, he wishes that his mother was "the one," but John soon asserts that he genuinely feels sincere affection towards all the women he's married and had children with. This is probably why he never knows if the present girl of his dreams is "the one," and takes his sudden heart attack as a sign that the real "one" must've been nearby. Of course, only time will tell.
The most interesting part of both episodes that aired last week was the scene where John explains to his very young great grandson, while staking-out the apartment of a recent victim, that he's just like Superman, which isn't a comparison--I'm sure--that anyone else would've thought up. But think about it:
1. He's immortal. Nothing can kill him and if it can, it would have to be supernatural (although decapitation was suggested by the kid).
2. He outlives everyone he cares about.
3. He has a secret identity (and forges a new birth certificate every couple of decades).
4. His sidekick is eager to learn, but a bit green behind the ears (a la Jimmy).
5. And he's in love with a woman who barely notices him.
So if you think of it like they've recreated the Superman mythology, one would hope that they've also thrown in a couple of enemies, a definite "kryptonite" substance, and a twist concerning his mission in life. Because if they don't deliver, once the spring TV schedule gets officially rebooted with new episodes from hit shows in April, it'll be kaput.
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