I am very busy and important.

[apocalypsos]

So I watched New Amsterdam.

I like the concept. I like the lead. I like Omar. The rest, I'm a bit iffy on.

The guy playing Amsterdam himself is good, I'll give him that much. I do like that he's kind of at a point where he doesn't want to be found out, and yet at the same time he almost doesn't give a damn. He just keeps dropping these, "Yeah, I used to drink at this speakeasy seventy years ago," moments into conversation with his partner, which is cool. I love the desk bit. That just seems like a smart move if you're immortal and have any creative vision whatsoever -- build beautiful pieces, fake your death, become well-known, wait half a century and then build more pieces any time you want for huge profits. Heh. And I did like his habit of taking pictures of Times Square. That time-lapse bit was a really great take.

It took me a bit, but I finally warmed up to the partner. I'm hoping she turns out to be the true love, but it'll probably be the doctor we so far know nothing about who seems kind of boring and then I'll be horribly disappointed.

I have a hard time believing that Amsterdam has only had one child over all these years, but if he has I can't wait to find out about THAT story.

There's just something about the writing that's bugging me. I think a lot of it might have to do with why the Native American woman did that to him. A Omar pointed out, it seems like a shitty thing to do to someone if joining souls with your true love or whatever is enough to get you to drop dead. WHat if he does meet her face to face, or get to know her, or really is taking her to Lamaze class, and he really does keel over? That's going to suck, which sounds like an awful thing to do to someone who saved your life. I'm hoping they'll clear it up in future episodes that he'll get to spend his whole life with the woman in questionm because that at least would be something. Or they could be making the argument that it's what he's done over the course of his life that was important rather than finding this woman, which ... I don't know. The finding-a-true-love thing feels like a cheesy romance novel, but the other option feels worse, like, "Ha, ha, we made you obsess over this for hundreds of years for nothing!"

Also, tonight is the Project Runway finale. I'm probably only going to watch the last five minutes, if only because I've seen all of the collections and last week I stopped to watch and didn't get one of my chapters finished. Considering one of my stories is stalling and another story idea just came flaring to life in the past two days, which means insteads of writing on the other stuff I've been working on this one because I like it THAT MUCH ... yeah, no PR for me unless I'm totally done. Hmph.

Comments

[faithintheboys.livejournal.com]

I liked New Amsterdam too. I agree with you about the kid bit. I think its because he never really found that one girl so he never really wanted to stay with them. I wonder how he stayed with all those wives. After they died did he just move on? Maybe once he finds his true love he gets to stay with them and grow old and then he can die? It's definitely an interesting concept.

[doqz.livejournal.com]

The part about the table is bugging me. Wouldn't the appraiser date the wood?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

That's the only part of that bit that bothered me, but then again I don't know much about woodworking so I'm not sure if there's a way to fake it, at least long enough for the appraiser to be fooled.

[doqz.livejournal.com]

Probably, just strikes me as lazy writing, that's all. It would have taken 10 second to give a nod to the fact that he has a cache of aged wood, or something. Or maybe I am just nit-picking.

Overall, I think I agree with your impression. The lead is good, but they will need to develop a mythos of the show considerably. If what we have seen so far is it - it won;t last long, since it's basically a detective show.

I think they will have to add other paranormal characters, immortals, etc as foils.

[liminalliz.livejournal.com]

I think the Native American woman was actually punishing him with the gift of immortality-with-the-catch-that-when-you-find-troowuv-you-DIE because while he did save her ("we don't kill women! omgz!"), he was pretty okay with killing the men...? I DUNNO.

[moveablehistory.livejournal.com]

I was talking with my sister about the shaman did, and whether it's a curse or a blessing. IDK, it seems like a weird thing to give. Very random and deus ex machina, but I will admit it appeals to my inner harlequin romance reader.

[theliel.livejournal.com]

i just took it to mean he just does't give a fuck. he hedged on the 'wives' thing because it could have given the game away, but hey, for a 30's ish divorced sterotypical NYC detective 619 girlfreinds doesn't seem like out of the bounds of possiblity.
ntehr does drinking at the place with the same name. he's telling the truth with enough ambiguity that people 'fill it in'

it's a brillant tactic that I picked up playing World of Darkness games. Give the truth, but only enough of it that people draw the wrong conclusions.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

I'm going with the cheesy romance novel 'you will live forever until you find your one true soulmate and then age normally' plot on that one. But I'm not too fond of the Mystic Noble Savage trope. (so where are my magic powers?)

I liked the cabinetmaking/forgery, the photograpy, and he has a dog. Also, the 'New Amsterdam/Dutch New York is a different backstory, not something I've seen a billion times before.' Episode had some weak points, but Pilot shakedown. I'll watch it again.

[somedayleaving.livejournal.com]

Caught it, definitely didn't love it. Pilots are almost always shaky, and had I been watching it live and not recorded, I probably would have wandered off during a commercial break and not really missed it.

I love the idea of him never finding true love--he's just an immortal. Stuck.

Doctor-Lady was boring as hell. Loved Omar to death, though. "You know the answer. Why you askin' me that?" hee. I miss when his partner was on Rome as the conniving, vicious, and totally dirtyhotwrong Gaia. Here she seems too....soft, somehow. Go back to being a badass!

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

I knew about the mystical savage thing long before the pilot aired, so I had some time to brace myself for it, but: no likey. I like the theory posited above that she might actually have been punishing him for being okay with attacking the men; that's cool.

You're right, a good lead makes a big difference in this show. He's able to play a certain amount of angst about his state without it becoming too overpowering and manpainy, and makes you think that he had a lot of fun with it when he was younger. (I also liked that John clearly isn't going to be an isolated antihero in his series, in spite of living in Angel's apartment; he has friends and he's had girlfriends and wives, he interacts with people). Nicolaj or whatever his name is has a very kind, friendly face, and it works.

I'm also with you on hoping that the partner turns out to be the true love. That would be a great stealth twist for the show. The doc's pretty and all, but she also seems underwritten and sort of princessy in a tower at the moment.

[witchofthedogs.livejournal.com]

I liked the guy playing Amsterdam. I loved Omar. The partner left me feeling flat. But I'm definitely going to give it a go to see if it replaces my one must see show (SGA) after the season finale on Friday.

[prairiedaun.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I am so glad you liked it. I've been a huge fan of Nik's for a very long time, so I was excited when this show was first announced, but then it got pushed back to now and people kept talking about how it was going to be so crappy and how it was a ripoff of all these other shows and I kind of wanted to punch people and say "give Nik a chance!" because I'm a huge dork.

Basically, I'm glad that you like it.

Based on the preview for the next episode, I think some of your questions may be answered there.

[etoilepb.livejournal.com]

I was vaguely interested in "New Amsterdam" because they shot part of the pilot in the building I used to live in. (While I was living in it.) Don't know what part, though. And I didn't get to see it anyway. *laugh*