Look for big changes--and literal fireworks--as ABC's fantasy-tinged dramedy Eli Stone enters midseason in the US.
"I think in many ways we're following the Battlestar Galactica model of blowing the show up every other week and constantly raising the stakes," said Marc Guggenheim, co-creator and executive producer, in an interview with SCI FI Wire.
So true. This season has been rocked with series-changing events as Eli (Jonny Lee Miller) traded places with his brother as God's prophet, leading to the return of his aneurysm. Meanwhile, Jordan (Victor Garber) decided that Wethersby, Posner & Klein should get rid of all its unsavory clients, leading to a split of the law firm. And then we found out that Taylor (Natasha Henstridge) was pregnant, and Matt (Sam Jaeger) and Maggie (Julie Gonzalo) decided to leave Jordan's new law firm.
Get ready for more explosions as Seal guest-stars, Patti's (Loretta Devine) daughter stops by to make some trouble, and Jordan finds himself in the middle of some impressive pyrotechnics, Guggenheim said.
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"The name of the game here is just how can we expand the show in every conceivable way," Guggenheim said. "How can we make the musical numbers bigger? How can we make the visual-effects sequences more cinematic? How can we expand and deepen the relationships among all of our characters? The show is going to bigger and bigger and bigger places."
In the Nov. 18 episode in the US, "The Humanitarian," we'll meet one of Patti's daughters (guest star Taraji Henson of Boston Legal), who arrives for a three-episode arc. "Coming into this year, one of our mission statements at the beginning of the season was to open up what Patti does on the show," Guggenheim said. "What we've seen of Patti's private life, we were very interested in moving Patti a little bit more into the spotlight. Giving her a storyline that didn't revolve exclusively around Eli."
And we'll get some song and dance from Garber's character, Jordan, as well. "He performs 'Don't Mess Around with Jim' amidst a lot of pyrotechnics," Guggenheim said. "It's really, really cool. Some of them we did practically, and others we've done with visual effects, because they were a little too dangerous. But it really looks amazing." The episode explores issues with medical marijuana and also guest stars The West Wing's Steven Culp.
Then look for Seal to guest-star in episode seven, "Help." "We've got some cool visual effects happening in episode 207, ... where we literally put Eli in the middle of a movie," Guggenheim said. "We do it in a way that you've never seen on the show before, where we're trying to push the envelope in terms of the way Eli has his visions." And look for Devine to bring down the house as she sings the Beatles' "Help."
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British actor Jonny Lee Miller plays the title character in ABC's Eli Stone.
"I think it's all a part of being true to the concept of the show, because the concept of the show is about changing the world," Guggenheim said. "In the first season, we did a flash-forward to the future, where Eli's talking to thousands of people in Times Square in New York, and we're always keeping that in the back of our minds as we plot out these stories. Like knowing that's ultimately where we'd like to go," Guggenheim said.
Eli Stone is in its first season on UK SCI FI Channel, 4 days a week.
-Kathie Huddleston
