About E.M. Effingham
Location: Missouri
Occupation: Author
Bio: E.M. Effingham/Sara Ann Denson authored "Christmas Turtles" which received five stars from the Midwest Book Review last year. Catch her Amazon Author Connect Blog: Confessions of an Author's First Year of Marketing.
Posts: 25
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The sins of the father ramble down the family branches on New Amsterdam.
When you can watch a show two or three times and still catch new details, I can’t get enough. Truly, that is why I own nearly every movie based on a Jane Austen novel. I watch them over and over and catch details like a frog dining on flies. I would ride through the rain to watch a movie based on Austen. At the same time, I rarely, RARELY, waste my time on re-runs; primarily because television does not offer bottles of wine worth re-sampling.
I call New Amsterdam vintage.
The humor running throughout every episode, springing from every character’s mouth, belies a show that will keep us entertained for every generation portrayed. “I’ve been through a million bosses,” states John Amsterdam. “All died happy.”
We need a show right now that reminds us that our generation is no more inherently evil or good than each prior generation that walked the earth. We still have the same choices though they are packaged with new wrapping.
As Eva brilliantly remarks in the beginning of this episode, “Family: they get you coming and going.” In almost the next frame a great-great grandson catches John Amsterdam coming and going. In 1913 he had been a wealthy artist struggling to paint something with lasting value. His son wants to know why art is so important, more important than his family. He explains to his son, “[Art] is our connection to the past and the future.” Ironically, his family was the only thing that connected his past to his future. A mafia killed great-great grandson opened up that branch of his tree once more.
By the way, a HUGE kudos goes to the set designer or producer who opted for the visual of the family tree. When Amsterdam states that “Art links us over time,” the coming visual of the family trees screams out an objection and affirmation to that very statement. As Omar puts it so eloquently, “That’s some dense foliage.”
Tina Benko brilliantly played the wife of “Dutch,” a past ego of John Amsterdam. She perfectly portrays the scorned and confused wife of a man she is aging out of. The looks between her and the mistress speaks so that the writers don’t have to. You also see first hand the strain Dutch experiences as he looses another lifetime.
“You can’t escape who you are,” the fed said. But in the end, during the enigmatic conversation between old men, you see that even family does not have to determine who you become.
If you haven’t seen this show yet, catch up on FOX.com. This is one you won’t want to miss.
