It’s extremely rare to find such a gifted (no pun intended) group of actors like Julie Benz, Pablo Schreiber, and Margo Martindale regulated to the sidelines, in network television dramatic roles that are supporting at best, but that is actually the case in CBS’ A Gifted Man. It should be expected, given the title, that Patrick Wilson is at the center of the show-- the titular man-- but when surrounded by such talents, it's a shame the series (at least thus far) is really just about him. LOST was always Jack's journey first and foremost, but the other characters around him all had their own arcs and mysteries and paths we relished following them down. Hopefully in time the same will be true of A Gifted Man, otherwise, the solitary nature of this man, and this show by extension, will prove to just be sad.
We are not usually one for medical dramas, but A Gifted Man has the potential to be so much more than “just” that. So far, though, the focus is on Michael Holt (Wilson), a leading neurosurgeon, in an office as sleek and rich as the man himself. Much of the pilot episode revolves on what he can do at work-- and what cool toys he can afford to play with-- from diagnosing a young tennis hopeful’s brain bleeding via iPad, to offering advice for the uninsured just based on a verbal recounting of symptoms. But we are meeting him at a precarious time-- when he needs some saving himself-- and that is what sets up the real emotional arc that should suck viewers in.
Nothing about Michael’s life would look detrimental on the outside, but everything takes its toll. He has been so devoted to his work that it has cost him in other departments, and even rising to the top professionally doesn’t mean you are happy or satisfied as a human being. It takes a visit from his ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle) to not only really put a smile on his face but lift the weight from his shoulders. When he encounters her in his neck of the woods, he lights up like a kid on Christmas morning, and you wonder what the hell could have come between these two in the first place. When they are together, everything else falls away, even if that is something Michael still may not be able to fully realize just yet.
But Michael’s ex is dead, having been hit by a car just a few days prior, and she is reaching out to him from beyond so that he can go to her own medical clinic and access her files so her employees aren’t overwhelmed. Or so she says. With a slight twinkle in her eye, Ehle promises that this tale will be about much more than just logistics, and though she is acting like just another somewhat lost soul in his life, it is really she who is going to help him. If his logicial, scientific mind is willing to allow her in.
But of course once Michael realizes the truth about his wife, he considers his vision a hallucination-- the practical side of his personality triumphs, focusing on trying to figure out the cause of her appearing now, as well as how to get rid of her. He is a force to be reckoned with in the operating room, but if and when he learns to let go of any preconceived notions about life and death and what is really important, that is when he will finally start to live up to his true potential. As long as that happens sooner rather than later (like in the second episode), it promises to be one remarkable ride. But it is a ride he cannot take alone, and hopefully both Michael, and the show itself, will see that and allow the other key players in his life-- his sister and his assistant, most notably-- to be shoulders on which he can lean.
A Gifted Man is a drama that can tug at your heartstrings in a number of ways. The patients we will meet weekly will certainly play a part in hitting emotional points, but it is watching Michael become a better man that will really hit home. Wilson sucks you into his journey immediately with his strong blue eyes and can cut at your core with just a look. Having him on your television every week raises the bar for what kind of a gut punch a network drama can deliver.
A Gifted Man will premiere on CBS on Friday at 8pm on September 23rd.
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