Please god, let Eli Stone live!

Friday, April 18th, 2008

Eli Stone aired its last episode this week and I’m sitting here hoping that it’s coming back next season. Word is ABC network loves it. But until I read a Season 2 pick up, I’d be praying very hard to TV gods the show gets a lease on its TV life.

Speaking of gods… and for those who have yet to explore Eli Stone’s world — he appears to be this modern prophet. Eli Stone (played by Jonny Lee Miller), a lawyer in an elite firm, has this brain aneurysm that causes him to hallucinate and embarrass himself among his colleagues and clients. His aneurysm hiccups are funny and mortifying but these visions of his? They’re like signs from God or messages from beyond, allowing him to help his clients better.

In one of the final episodes, Eli predicted an earthquake will destroy the Golden Gate Bridge and he’s asked the courts to compel the city to close it for the time-being. I won’t spoil what happens in case you decide to check the program. But as George Michael would sing (he’s there in three or four episodes, by the way) — when Eli says one thing, you’ve got to have faith in him!

I’ve got to warn you though Eli Stone isn’t easy to “get”. The show builds up over time. In fact, it may look downright silly at times, with all the musical numbers (they got Victor Garber to sing and dance to a George Michael song!) But at the core of it are rational messages that have bearing in anyone’s life; stories you can reflect on and may even have an impact on you.

At the end of the season, Eli Stone decides to undergo a risky operation (risky, as in he could die). He wants his  aneurysm removed, to stop to the hallucinations. In a way, his fate in the series is THE fate of the whole show. Is Eli Stone coming back?