Now and Again

Ignore the category that this opinion is found in! There's a programme that has had recent runs on the Sci-Fi channel and ITV which is funny, romantic, touching, and very, very entertaining. I feel I have to say that first, because when I give you a brief description of what the show is all about, you'll probably think I'm nuts for suggesting that such a show could not be anything other than a no-brain all action programme.

New York ...
...in a subway accident (he is accidentally pushed onto the tracks and "run over" by a subway train). He is declared dead, but in reality, it is only his body that has died. The U.S. Government, having just completed a scheme to build a super human body, need a brain to control their new genetically engineered weapon, because they were unable to create a brain from scratch. Given the choice of entering the body and doing the government's will ... more

Ignore the category that this opinion is found in! There's a programme that has had recent runs on the Sci-Fi channel and ITV which is funny, romantic, touching, and very, very entertaining. I feel I have to say that first, because when I give you a brief description of what the show is all about, you'll probably think I'm nuts for suggesting that such a show could not be anything other than a no-brain all action programme.

New York City insurance executive, Michael Wiseman (John Goodman) is killed tragically in a subway accident (he is accidentally pushed onto the tracks and "run over" by a subway train). He is declared dead, but in reality, it is only his body that has died. The U.S. Government, having just completed a scheme to build a super human body, need a brain to control their new genetically engineered weapon, because they were unable to create a brain from scratch. Given the choice of entering the body and doing the government's will or dying, he, of course, accepts the former. The new body (Eric Close) is the result of a $3 billion project and he is required to "wage war and take risks".

Of course there is a catch. Michael Wiseman is married to Lisa (Margaret Colin) and has a daughter, Heather (Heather Matarazzo) both of whom he still loves very much. The head of the new government project, and the brains behind the Eric Close body (no pun intended), Dr. Theo Morris has told Michael Wiseman that any attempt to contact his wife, or inform her of what has happened will result in the immediate termination of his life.

Coming from the creator of Moonlighting, you might not expect this to be an all out action series, and indeed, it is far from it. The whole overall story is seen from four different perspectives: Michael Wiseman has a new life with no fun whatsoever – no TV, no fancy food, no outside world contact and a rigorous training regime to keep him in top superhuman form. Dr. Morris has to take the brain of a forty plus man who has lived a full life, and try to train him to become more methodical, and also to try and forget his previous life. Lisa has to overcome the loss of her husband, get on with her life, and get a job (previously being a housewife with no real qualifications) in order to keep the remaining Wisemans in their family home, and finally of Heather Wiseman, having to grow up, cope with the loss of her father at a fairly difficult time of her life (she's in her mid-teens).

Obviously, things go slightly pear shaped, and the new Michael Wiseman (under the name Michael Newman) does meet his family, and his close friend Roger Bender (Gerrit Graham). Michael Wiseman is basically a kind of "reluctant hero" who has resigned himself to doing some government dirty work to stay alive, but he keeps trying to find ways of contacting his family. The relationship between Michael and Dr. Morris is where most of the humour comes from as Wiseman tries to get Morris to supply him with some luxuries like cable ready TV, some nice food, the odd newspaper etc. while Morris tries to get Wiseman to start acting like the superhuman government operative he has become.

At the same time – watching the Wiseman girls "struggle" to come to terms with life without Michael is endearing and touching as they support each other through the hard times, as well as the inevitable point months later where Lisa starts thinking about dating again.

As I've said above, it's not an all out action series – each episode has bits and pieces of each genre. One week might be an "action" episode, but laced with lots of humour and ending on a touching moment between mother and daughter, for example. The next week might focus more on Lisa and Heather with Michael and Dr. Morris taking a minor part, thus affecting what tone that episode would have. Here's a brief taster of some of my favourite episodes to give you a better idea of what happens.

Episode 2: On the Town.
Michael escapes from his captors and tries to get home to see if his wife and daughter are ok. Time is short though, as Dr. Morris' men are closing in on him. Michael sees Lisa leaving their house to go on a date, and follows them. Blowing off her date, Lisa encounters Michael in the street, and despite the fact he is unrecognisable, Lisa senses a connection between them. After she leaves, Michael is relieved that Lisa is doing well, and is recaptured by Dr. Morris. Michael is relieved that his family are safe and settles down to become Dr. Morris' super soldier, but knows he will see his family again.

Episode 9: By the Light of the Moon
Dr. Morris is growing increasingly frustrated by Michael's lack of discipline, and his superiors enlist the help of Dr. Taylor (Reiko Aylesworth) to try and make Michael forget about his family and concentrate on becoming the super soldier that he was created to be. At the same time, Gerald Misenbach (Chip Zien) is making moves on Lisa Wiseman, and it looks as if both Michael and Lisa are starting to forget their past and move on.

Episode 17: Boy Wonder.
As he chases down some terrorists, and catches them by flipping over their car, Michael is spotted by Jimmy (Maurice Dwyer), a mentally challenged young man who believes he's a superhero. However, the terrorist threat is not totally removed and Jimmy puts himself and Michael in danger as he follows Michael around believing him to be another superhero. Dr. Morris and Michael are forced to dispel Jimmy's dreams in order to keep him safe before realising that Jimmy is the key to discovering the terrorist's hideaway.

Performances by all concerned are excellent and maintain a high standard throughout each episode, but Eric Close's performance as the body for the brain of Michael Wiseman is outstanding, bringing wit, cynicism and a world weariness to a young man in the face of the rather stern and grim (and at times, threatening) Dr. Morris.

Unfortunately, only 22 episodes exist as the show's original broadcasters decided not to continue after the first series. This is puzzling because the American media raved over this show, which is a lot more intelligent than some stuff that has crossed "the pond" in recent years, although a lot of fans are making their voices heard in calling for a new series or at least a DVD release.

Ultimately, it's all about my opinion, and I love this show. It's just finished a run on the ITV network who were showing it at around 2am on Monday nights, but it's also been seen at 5pm on the Sci-Fi channel (Channel 130 on Sky Digital) and is one of the funniest, intelligent shows that's appeared on the TV recently. I can't say anything more, apart from urging you to catch an episode as soon as possible!
 

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