Eli Stone: Unwritten

Eli Stone continues to prove itself as one of the most compelling television shows on the air with this involving third episode of the second season that picks up from last week’s cliffhanger that found Jordan Wethersby (the excellent Victor Garber) being taken to court by the partners of his firm, the spineless and morally bankrupt Martin Posner and Marci Klein.  The duo are out to crucify Wethersby over his recent decision-made after being moved by Eli Stone’s newly found divine and benevolent inspiration-to cut all of the slimy clients that made them a fortune over the last thirty years in favor of representing worthy clients who actually need them.

At first, both Eli Stone and Wethersby’s daughter Taylor (who is also Eli’s tempestuous ex-fiancée) insist on representing him with different strategies, fighting like only ex-lovers can.  But after Eli has a vision showing that Wethersby loses the case (and consequently, the firm he staked his life on) directly because of his involvement, he recuses himself from the case and risks alienating his boss and mentor.

As if that wasn’t enough to handle, Eli is also approached by his brother Nate to represent a family with a six-year-old daughter suffering from a slew of medical problems due to the toxic lead paint that covers the home they live in.  At first Eli resists because he sees no way to win the case but changes his mind when Nate shows Eli their father’s journal.  The journal contains all of their departed father’s visions of the future, including one where Eli takes this lead paint case all the way up to the United States Supreme Court.

The episode is strong and simply-constructed, cutting back and forth between these two cases and the repercussions they have on Eli and those around him.  There is also a slightly darker edge to this episode that comes about when Eli convinces his acupuncturist/confidant/spiritual advisor Dr. Chen to perform some mysterious new kind of needle voodoo that is significantly more dangerous and painful than their usual routine.

Eli Stone stands out from the majority of scripted television as a brave and vulnerable show because it is so nakedly emotional and uncynical.  It doesn’t rely on dead bodies or procedures or sarcastic jokes, but rather, dares viewers to passionately embrace the struggles of a man seeking redemption and struggling to live up to the role of supreme prophet he was conscripted into by a higher power.

Lawyers and the justice system have always proved appealing and viable fodder for film and television because they offer the chance to examine morality in a very direct and human way.  We’ve seen the story of the smug and confident lawyer figure who has a crisis of conscience a myriad of times over the years, most notably in films like …And Justice For All, The Verdict, A Civil Action, Jerry Maguire, and Michael Clayton (the film that should unquestionably have won the Best Picture Oscar last season), but it’s always really appealing to me.  Eli Stone builds on this tradition and also revitalizes it by adding the spiritual element to the proceedings, which allows the show runners to stage elaborate musical numbers (musicals make me want to castrate myself with a fork in any other instance but are fun in the context of this show) and liven things up.

The ending of the episode is immensely satisfying (I actually cheered) and unexpected, and the performances continue to electrify, particularly Garber and of course, Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone.  Miller manages in making Eli seem real, and that is invaluable in selling the spiritual core of the show.  Eli never seems like a golden boy, holier-than-though prophet.  Miller exposes his flaws and shows him constantly struggling with the burden of being a prophet with responsibilities that have world-wide consequences and implications.  The other thing that really impresses me about the show is that even though it’s about a prophet being guided by a higher power in the name of good, it never feels didactic or like it’s pushing a religious agenda.  I’m a die-hard atheist and I love this show, and that’s a testament to the high-caliber, gutsy writing and emotionally involving performances.  Like Life, Eli Stone is a refreshing and satisfying show that revitalizes a well-tread genre, and it deserves to last.

Season 2, Episode 3: Unwritten (originally aired October 28, 2008)

For another take on this episode, see Eli Stone and the Unabomber Prophecy Manifesto by Kaitlyn Edsall.

For more on Eli Stone, click here.

Tuesdays at 10/9C on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC