Of all the myriad of possible things to base a television comedy dram on a potentially fatal brain disorder has to be one of the more far fetched. I can just hear the tag line given in the pitch meeting with the studio executives; ‘you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll bleed from the brain.’ Taking this premise to even greater heights of the bizarre just add production numbers complete with singing and dancing. Well, somebody thought this was a great idea because we have the series ‘Eli Stone’. This series created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim is at least one of the most original to come along in a long while. In fact it is such a departure from what is normally on television that it may be a bit of an acquired taste. The ABC network last season is pushing the limits and going as far away from the so called reality TV as possible and that is something all true fans of television should be very thankful about. This series and ‘Pushing Daisies’ are flights of pure imagination. For those tired beyond reason of all the crime dramas that spout scientific jargon as often as possible this is something that is novel and points have to be given for that. Once you get over people bursting into song there is something that has substance here. There is a human core to this series. It deals with issues that have social relevance and even a touch of controversy. It has been a long time since the terms ‘wild’ and ‘unpredictable’ have been accurately used to describe a TV show. Here there are moments of pathos intermixed with some of the craziest hallucinations ever depicted of the tube. There is one other more compelling reason to watch this series; it is fun. While some of the topics it explores are extremely serious the presentation is nicely sprinkled with whimsy. If you have missed this series its first time around you now have a chance to catch up before the second season gets started. Disney/Buena Vista is releasing the first season on DVD complete with a slew of extras.

Berlanti and Guggenheim have quite a track record in the world of television. Berlanti has been a producer and writer for such series as ‘Dirty Sexy Money’, ‘Brothers & Sisters’, ‘Everwood’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek’. Since the protagonist of the show is a lawyer Guggenheim brings his experience in series including ‘CSI: Miami’ and ‘Law & Order’ to the plate. This combination of shows gives this one a sound foundation and it shows. I after to admit that I never really turned in when the series was first on the air. Before I was done with the first episode of the DVD set I found myself completely hooked. The production numbers are presented more as a form of comic relief so the series doesn’t take itself too seriously. The premise concerns a corporate lawyer living and working in San Francisco, the titular Eli Stone, beautifully played by Jonny Lee Miller. The company he works for defends the largest companies in the world so naturally most of their client list is more than a little reprehensible. Eli begins to hear things. At first it is little things like organ music but when he sees and hears George Michael singing he knows he has to seek medical help. Eli goes off to his brother, Nathan (Matt Letscher) who just happens to be a neurologist. At first Nathan can’t find anything wrong but as the hallucinations get more intense another test reveals that Eli has an inoperable brain aneurysm. Eli also consults his acupuncturist Dr. Chen (James Saito) who has a slightly different perspective of Eli’s condition; he feels that he may be a prophet. He also uses hypnotism to bring up forgotten memories in Eli and they discover that his father had a similar condition. The news of the aneurysm is a surprise to Eli’s fiancée Taylor Wethersby (Natasha Henstridge) who is also a lawyer and just happens to be the father of the owner of the law firm Eli works for; yes, the proverbial boss’ daughter.

The very first episode of the series created a storm of controversy. In it Eli is meets a young mother who has an autistic child. She is convinced that mercury used in a normal childhood vaccine caused the condition in her child. Through his visions, complete with a guest appearance by George Michaels, Eli takes on the case. The problem is the company that makes the vaccine is a major client of the firm he works for. Now the legal issues of conflict of interest aside this is not exactly the way a young lawyer should go in order to stay on the fast track to success within the firm. It also becomes a source of contention between Eli and Taylor. The controversy came from real companies that make the vaccines. They demanded either the episode be pulled from being shown or at least a notice be made that there is no scientific evidence that there is a causal relationship between vaccines and autism. They also stated that mercury is not in current use in the vaccines. ABC responded with the usual ‘not based on any actual persons, corporations or events’ and gave the web address to an autism site.

In subsequent episodes Eli slowly comes to increasingly trust the content and messages in his visions. In one story he winds up representing a young woman in the National Guard who is fighting her husband for custody. Of course you need a little more of a twist so her husband is a client of Taylor. This is too much for the relationship and she calls of their engagement. Eli also has to try his best to keep his medical history from the senior partners of the firm. If they discovered that he had a brain condition eh would not be allowed to practice law. Eventual things come out and Eli is facing disbarment. He has to try to get Taylor’s father Jordan Wethersby (Victor Garber) to help him keep his license to practice law. While the visions are pure flights of fancy and would not be enough to satisfy the audience the heart of this series are the causes that Eli winds up fighting for. They range from the rights of prisoners to animal rights. Hot button topics such as the right to die are frequently making headlines into plot points. There are also some addition points that present other social issues. When Eli has his position at the firm decreased he winds up working for a much younger and less experienced lawyer, Maggie Dekker (Julie Gonzalo). In one case he even gets to represent George Michaels when a teenaged girl is expelled from high school for playing his song ‘I Want Your Sex’ during a school assembly about abstinence.

I have to admit that like a lot of people I saw the commercials for this series and thought to myself it was just another gimmick show. True, there is a gimmick with the hallucinations but that is only a plot device used to introduce compelling stories. There is everything that is needed to make a really great series here, drama, comedy, pathos and true character development. Perhaps one good thing about the recent writer’s guild strike is the networks are short on programming. This may have helped ABC give this series a shot at season two and we should be grateful for that. The video is anamorphic 1.78:1 with a Dolby 5.1 audio. There are also plenty of extras that provide a ton of additional fun and information. This is the real deal, get it and enjoy it.