Eli Stone: Where’s My Brother and Why Has He Been Replaced by a 12-Year-Old Girl?

Things are looking up for Eli, as this latest episode begins with him and his blind date-the rich heiress from last week played by Bridget Moynahan-crashing a wine tasting shindig and hitting the sack.  Wow that was quick.  In his post-coital state, Eli wanders out onto her terrace and suddenly he finds himself in a Blade Runner-esque future.  He sees a middle-aged woman on a giant building-mounted television screen being awarded the Nobel prize for finally cracking the cold fusion nut.  He realizes that it is his job as everyone’s favorite lawyer prophet to find out who this woman is (in the present time he realizes she must be a young girl in her early twenties) and make sure she’s on the path to achieving his vision and changing the world.  Of course none of this helps his date, especially when Miss Heiress follows him onto the balcony and sees him clapping at something imaginary.  Guess that’s a mood killer.

Eli charges Patti with finding out who this science-genius-in-the-makings is and after whining and moaning like she always does, she comes through.  Eli goes to her residence…which is essentially a trailer park…right as the FBI arrive to arrest her on terrorist charges, being that she is in possession (though legally) of all kinds of nuclear materials that could be combined to make a dirty bomb.  It seems Eli is in the right place.

The girl is played by Danielle Panabaker, who was so obnoxious as James Woods’ daughter on Shark (okay, maybe the character was obnoxious and not her).  She also played Kevin Costner’s daughter in last year’s little-seen (but really rather awesome) Mr. Brooks, and she seems happy to not be playing a daughter for once.  Her science prodigy is a smartass who doesn’t trust The Man and doesn’t want to do anything Eli tells her to, like testify.  That case fills up the majority of the episode, and it’s a good one.  It’s certainly better than the one last week with Patti’s daughter.  That was rough to sit through.

Meanwhile, Eli’s fledgling relationship with Miss Heiress takes a turn for the worse when he tells her about his aneurism and prophet duties (Maggie also pops in to add more romance drama).  Eli then whines to Frank for the rest of the episode about being lonely.  Fortunately there’s very little pregnancy drama with Taylor, though she does whine about looking fat in certain dresses (gee, never saw that one coming).  Actually the real drama for Taylor comes in representing her father Jordan in his divorce hearing from his second wife, who is seeking all kinds of alimony and gimme-gimmes.  She comes off as a greedy twit for most of the episode, though eventually you learn that Jordan isn’t exactly a saint.

The episode ends with a cliffhanger involving Eli going to another acupuncturist for some Dark Arts voodoo after Frank refuses, where he sees bad things in store for his brother Nate’s upcoming nuptials to Beth.  It’s a solid episode and Jonny Lee Miller continues to make Eli very likable, real and sympathetic.  I don’t know how many more episodes of the show are left before it makes its way down to the failed network tv show graveyard, but so far I’m still sad to see it go.

Season 2, Episode 8: Owner of a Lonely Heart (originally aired December 16, 2008)

For another take on this episode, check out Eli Stone’s Got Mojo and It’s Rising by Kaitlyn Edsall.

For more on Eli Stone, click here.

Tuesdays at 10/9C on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC