Forever – “Pilot” Advance Review. Sherlock Holmes Meets Indiana Jones with Bond Style.

Air Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 10PM E/P on ABC (Special Sneak Preview Monday, Sept. 22 at 10PM E/P)

Rating: ★★★★★

“It’s not the number of years we live that matters. Our lives just add up to a series of moments. You never know when or where they’ll happen, but they stick with us, marking our souls forever.” – Henry Morgan

Why does everything sound better with a deep, lush British accent? Admittedly, I was drawn to the premise of Forever because I’ve got a twisted fascination with immortality, the supernatural, and a good mystery. But after learning Ioan Gruffudd (pronounced: Yo-An Griffith) would play the lead character, Dr. Henry Morgan, I was in! Forever is a sexy, indulgent, fun, new kind of drama with flare. It’s Sherlock Holmes meets Indiana Jones with a pinch of James Bond mixed in. There is mystery, intrigue, murders, antiques, and of course, a bit of danger.

A flashback to the 1940s, we see a dashing Henry Morgan posing for a photo

Henry’s immortality is a conundrum Forever hopes will draw audiences in. Henry doesn’t have fangs, drink blood, or eat human flesh to remain immortal. He simply is immortal…with a catch. He can die (and does that twice in “Pilot”…or maybe three times…but who’s counting) but immediately comes back to life. The oddity – he always returns through a body of water. I’m thinking the Hudson River isn’t a particularly great place to be reborn. I digress. I believe it’s tied to how he died in the first place over 200 years ago but it’s not clearly explained in the series premiere. Thus, you are enticed to continue watching in order to figure out why he dies only to return in a body of water. Oh, did I forget to mention he comes back stark naked? Yep. To that, I’d like to say thank you to the powers that be and Gruffudd! *fans self*

“Pilot” gives you a lot of information to absorb but it’s not overwhelming or overdone. It introduces most of the characters — Henry, who is the New York City Chief Medical Examiner; Abe (Judd Hirsch), Henry’s most trusted friend and confidant; Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza), a beautiful but troubled woman; Lucas (Joel David Moore), the quirky lab assistant; and Detective Hanson (Donnie Keshawarz), who doesn’t seems very trusting of people in general. We don’t get to see much of Lt. Joanne Reece (Lorraine Toussaint), but I’m sure we will in future episodes.

L-R: Abe talks sense into Henry when he tries to run from his problems.

What sticks with me is how much chemistry there is between Henry and Abe, Jo, and Lucas. While Lucas would love to be ‘bros’ with Henry — you know, hang out and have a beer — Henry doesn’t much care to socialize or establish bonding relationships with anyone other than Abe due to his unique condition. He can’t afford the luxury of explaining his immortality while someone is out there trying to expose his secret. Note: If you are at all squeamish, there are a few moments when Henry and Lucas examine the remains of a subway conductor that may make you queasy.

After being the only survivor of a tragic subway accident, someone is sending Henry anonymous photos from his past, including a picture of him dancing with his late wife Abigail (Mackenzie Mauzy). The hitch – this photo was taken in the 1940s after WWII. Who is this mysterious man trying to expose Henry and claiming to be an immortal as well?

If you’re looking for a drama with a touch of humor added, then you need to check out Forever. It includes a medical aspect based on Henry’s job and his personal experiments into why he’s immortal. Forever also includes a police aspect with all the criminal cases involved. There are also plenty of well timed flashbacks, and the set design is pretty cool, especially with the cornucopia of jars filled with macabre things and knick knacks in Henry and Abe’s antique store home. Not to mention the darkly comedic musings of Henry’s direct approach, no filter added, personality.

Forever has great promise and I hope it does well in the ratings. Gruffudd is sexy, charming, witty, and could talk to me all day long with that delicious British accent. He’s perfect as Dr. Morgan, doing an excellent job of portraying his character as a guarded and cautious man he has to be. De La Garza is stunning and it’s easy to believe she’s a detective. The way she carries herself and her skepticism about everyone plays like a page from a police academy handbook. Her character also suffers from a recent loss and that plays a major role in her connection with Henry. I hope the writers aren’t too quick to put these two together romantically. Where’s the fun in that? I’d like to see the writers draw it out, create tension, and let it build over time. The anticipation makes it so much better. But please, by all means, keep showing us shirtless scenes with Gruffudd. I’m totally fine with a gratuitous glimpse of flesh now and again. You won’t want to miss Forever.

Tune in and let me know what you think of Forever? Are you in love with Henry as much as I am? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave me a comment below or tweet me @judybopp.

Forever premieres Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 10PM E/P on ABC. (Special sneak preview on Monday, September 22, 2014 at 10PM E/P.)

For more on the show, go to http://abc.go.com/shows/forever

Follow Forever on Twitter @ForeverABC #Forever

Like Forever on Facebook facebook.com/ForeveronABC.

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.