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New Amsterdam opened once more with a blow away scene; John talking a knife out of a murderer’s hands using first-hand stories from the 1958 NFL championship game mingled with outright lies about the victim. Still, the beginning scene could not make up for the humidity that lingered over the rest of this week’s show.  Because the writer’s have not let me down before, I have to think the humidity hovers like the insipid air before thunderstorms move in. If you just tuned in to New Amsterdam for the first time, don’t judge the show by this episode. 

Although filled with the same great humor, quick cuts, bad guy chases, and unconventional detective behavior, the episode fell flat compared to the emotions in New Amsterdam’s typical episode.  Especially considering the big build-up toward John’s next brush with death, the character emotions seemed to run a bit blasé.

I’m torn about why I felt this way about this episode.  It could be that they didn’t go back in time fully enough to satisfy my love for a good historical moment.  It could be that they were talking about their feelings about 9/11 instead of showing his decision to become a detective.  Telling instead of showing eliminated a tremendous poignancy that could have made a great episode.

But the real reason I felt flat about “Reclassified” was that the writers placed us in an interesting basket.  In a typical show the goal is for the main character NOT to die. Every gun that suddenly appears, every potential poison, fall, or disease builds the tension of the plot.  We are worried for the main guy.  Will he live?  Will he get the girl?  But in this show, John can’t die, but wants to.  He has the girl, whether she’s right or not.  We see him take chance after chance without regard to those around him and we get used to it quickly, knowing he’s not going to die.  The tension wanes without this fear for the hero.  He doesn’t even seem concerned that he is bringing trouble to his girlfirend’s doorstep.

Thinking he has found the one that will offer him mortality, John Amsterdam himself has begun to worry about death, but he still remains more enamored with his demise than he seems to be enamored with Sara Dillane.  In fact, their conversations seem rather Soap Opera-ish, filled with comments about their relationship, but lacking any show of common interests, common values, common passions, common goals, common anything that would suggest they are really becoming soul-mates.  You don’t even have a Ricky-Lucy antagonistic passion.  You just have no passion.  It isn’t surprising that in the weird dream sequence at the end, he acts grateful to her for letting him move on, but doesn’t at all seem remorseful that he didn’t get to know her better. Here we are in the writer’s basket once more.

There are hints that the basket might be lit on fire; that we will finally jump, sit on the edge of our seats, and scream for help.  “Who is really The One?” could be a question they put in front of us, but so far there are only hints.  Even if Eva and the Sarge have the hots for him, there is no major love triangle developing to create tension. There isn’t even a hint that he thinks Sara might not be The One--until the very end of this episode. 

The end suggests possibly, maybe, tentatively suggests that he is disappointed in Sara Dillane, that he knows she is not The One.  If he begins a deeper search, becomes unsettled as she clings, reaches out for all the women. . . THAT would create tension.

I still love this show and can’t wait until next week. 

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