Sixty Second Review

I really enjoyed the first few episodes of New Amsterdam, the idea was some what fresh and gave the writers had a lot to play with. We all enjoy visiting the past and seeing what was and John's 400 years gives us a lot of opportunities to do that. New Amsterdam started off really strong but fell into a rut mid season. The whole show is resting on the shoulders of one actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays the lead character. The supporting cast are left in John Amsterdam's shadow with no outstanding performances.

The show lacks a strong sense of humour, which would really help pull the show together. The show is similar to Joss Whedon's "Angel" in some respects (minus the blood drinking). But at times New Amsterdam takes itself a little too seriously.

The season was cut short due to Fox and the writers strike which was another sore point for New Amsterdam. It crippled the show, not having a full run to capture an audience and left viewers brooding with a lack of closure with a story ending half way through.

Only time will tell if John Amsterdam will be able to continue his quest to find his one true love and gain mortality... If we hear the news either way we will let you know.

After discovering last week that this was going to be the final episode I had my hopes up for something worthy of a season finale. I find myself sorely disappointed, this episode was just another normal week in John's life, nothing extraordinary. But I think we have Fox and the writers strike to blame. As I believe that 13 episodes were ordered but the rest were canceled after episode 8. So this would explain why things were left so 'open'.

Again we get a peek at John's darker side, good to see that he hasn't used his powers for good for his entire life. His play fight with his captain was predictable, but really what got my back up was the fact that the owner of "Soulmates" couldn't smell the difference between scotch and apple juice. What this show is missing is a little streak of comedy...

There is no confirmed word if New Amsterdam will be given a green light for season two. Its disappointing that the shows creators didn't get a chance to play out their ideas for a whole 13 episode run. I really hope they had grander ideas than what we have seen so far.

The closing scene is true to form, only an immortal would walk in the middle of a New York City street...

This week more of John's fairly recent past is revealed. John is reunited with his old partner Andy, to learn of his cancer due to his shooting. (Great to see some old faces this week - Chris Bauer who played Fred in Third Watch & Kristine Sutherland who played Joyce Summers in Buffy).

Reclassified was predictable in parts, particularly the ending. John solves the case and of course Andy dies happy. I think I would have rather seen Andy die with his wife by his side not his old partner who he hasn't spoken to in some time. The story did twist and turn, but not enough for it to be interesting.

The ending scene where John gets shot was surprising, yet expected with the gang boss claiming that he was a dead man. The episode really should have ended there and left us in suspense for next week. But instead we're given a dream sequence which doesn't make any sense and then we see that John is awaking in hospital.

Plus I thought that John's girlfriend "Dr. Sara Dillane" would have reacted to John's shooting with a little more professionalism. She's a doctor she would have inspected the wound while applying pressure while calling 911. Having her scream for help adds more drama but is unrealistic.

Mistakes like this make this show less enjoyable. I look forward to what we will be given for the season finale and if New Amsterdam will be renewed for a second season.

Again we're introduced to another branch of John's family tree which John is thrown into it by a case and discovery of an old family member. This episode marks a point where the level of enjoyment has taken a little dip for me. Things are loosing pace, slowing down. Maybe the excitement of the new show has worn off.

I'm trying to put my finger on exactly what I'm having issues with. The story is my biggest complaint. It seemed dull and lifeless this week. Learning of all of John's past mistakes and family abandonment makes him a lot less likeable.

I hope they can crank things up over the next few episodes. Make the crimes a little more personal or even the back story a little more exciting.

With the ending of this episode we hit a topic which was in the forefront of my mind. Whenever someone gets close they can always see that you're holding something back, that something doesn't quite add up. Sure co-workers and people in everyday life don't see it. But someone you're intimate with someone and they want to know your every detail about your life - they will pick it.

That was really side story to the bigger issue here, John has had demons to deal with over the 400 years of his existence. Including 60 something children that he has to either abandon them or watch them die. That takes something out of a man.

Last week I made the comment that it was great to see a show have the two main characters who were meant to be together - get together. Maybe I spoke too soon. Maybe the show would end if that was too happen. But I haven't lost hope, this is an epic tale and I look forward to the next chapter.

So many shows rely on the sexual tension between the two main characters. Mulder and Scully, Buffy & Angel, countless of couples over the years. Thankfully New Amsterdam is throwing that ideal to the wind. This does raise the question; could the show continue if John finds his true love?

Again with a beautiful mix of John's past and present we wade through a story of honour and how some things never change as the years pass. This complex mix of revealing John's past, witnessing a crime be solved and see Sara give in to John's charms, is brought to the screen almost effortlessly.

One of the strongest points of New Amsterdam is their ability to bring the past to life and still relate that to the present. This show becomes more captivating as the weeks go by. True excellence.

This episode focused more on the crime than the life of John. Although, we did get a peek at one of his past career choices. We also saw John finally meet up with his possibly true love who will break John's curse. I'm glad that they didn't drag out this union for too long.

John's complete discloser when coming talking about his past is quite daring. I can almost foresee this is going to be a future storyline when his partner catches on. But having the ability to go back and let us discover John's past is a great asset for the show.

And again for the third or fourth time this season we're slapped in the face with a twist we didn't see coming. His true love is... married. Great television!

The beauty of New Amsterdam is the endless opportunities in which the writers have. Normally writers are restricted to a single lifetime of a character - or the first quarter. With John they have so many lifetimes to explore. In a clever twist Omar is relieved to be John's son. We're also shown that he has had a daughter many years ago.

People enjoy reliving the past and New Amsterdam delivers a window into a world past. This helps us understand John's burning desirer to become mortal. Watching his love ones around him grow old and die is a heavy burden.

Completely swept up in the story and characters you forget you're watching a work of fiction. Beautiful storytelling, near flawless, New Amsterdam is fast becoming one of my favourite shows this year.

So an the idea of an immortal New York homicide detective who is centuries old may have you feeling a sense of deja vu to Buffy's spinoff series Angel. Some aspects are defiantly on the same page. John even mentions Vampires in almost honour to his similar traits.

John displays the wisdom of his age and his open about his condition to the unknowing around him. Who just laugh it off as a odd sense of humour. He of course has one person in whom he entrusts with his secret - Omar York. The series has a lot of potential . The idea is far from original but from what I've seen so far I'm impressed.

I look forward to seeing how the series will pan out. Give it ago if you enjoy a good drama with a touch of supernatural.