Saturday, September 26, 2015

Forever - It's a Long Story

"All the good shows get cancelled."
- a wise man
 
Let's face it - at some point (probably several points) we've all been thoroughly in love with a show that got cancelled after one season - sometimes two, if we're lucky. Firefly, Jericho, Revolution, The Tomorrow People, and most recently, Forever (starring Ioan Gruffudd). My family is composed of individuals with very unique and frequently separate tastes, but we all enjoyed 'Forever' - and we still aren't over the cancellation.
 
He's a medical examiner. He's 200 years old. Every time he dies, he wakes up in a body of water. He has an immortal stalker. His son looks like his father. He may or may not be falling awkwardly for a detective. No, I'm not making this up.
 
Still, the one season we got was fantastic, and I highly recommend it to fans of a) procedurals b) forensics c) mysteries d) romance e) action f) humor g) history and h) fabulous and cranky old men who don't look their ages.
 
 
REASONS TO WATCH
 
• The plot. 200-year-old gravekeeper/doctor/forensic analyst Henry Morgan is living in the big city under a false identity, along with his adopted son Abraham (who most people think is a friend of his father's). And he solves crimes. It's basically Sherlock meets Heroes.
 
 
• For a show about murder, it's strangely adorable. Henry's relationship with Abe, Henry's relationship with detective Jo Martinez, Jo's relationship with Abe, Henry's relationship with Lucas, his nerdy lab assistant, and Adam's relationship (or lack thereof) with everyone. (It's not so much a relationship as 'let me see how I can mess with everyone' but it's still fabulous.)
 
 
(that's it. that's the show.)
 
• It combines intrigue, humor, and action pretty flawlessly. Most episodes left me impressed with the twists and turns - and it had the added bonus of being (usually) unpredictable. Guessing 'whodunnit' is usually very easy, but with 'Forever' I was never quite certain.
 
 
• Adam. I'm a Burn Gorman fan and have been for a long time, so when he was finally cast as Adam, I was thrilled. He was a shadowy villain figure for the first half of the season, but during the second half we discover a complex and intriguing character who has, unbeknownst to Henry, been part of Henry's life for a very long time. Also, my guess about his true identity was right - but I'm not telling you which historical figure he is. You'll need to watch to find out.
 

 
• Lucas, Henry's aforementioned nerdy lab assistant, is constantly trying to pull Henry - a stodgy immortal with no time for such nonsense - into his fandoms. He also makes tons of references that go right over Henry's head, but straight into our fangirl hearts.
 
 
• Jo Martinez is a female character I actually love (and that's very rare where Western television is concerned). She's great at her job (and frequently too interested in getting the job done right, which frequently irritates her superiors) and her relationship with Henry and Abe is beautiful. When Henry goes off on spiels about history or science, she regards him with a beautifully dry sense of sarcasm. Really, there's nothing not to love about her.
 
 
 
Also, I really just need a spinoff that focuses on Henry and Adam bickering and solving crimes together, because it would be perfect. Perfect, I tell you.
 
What about you? Did you watch Forever, or is this your first time hearing about it? 


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