Man on a mission
By Casey Gillis on Jun. 24, 2009
I think I’ve lost my edge.
Ask any critic, and they’ll tell you that writing a negative review is much easier — and, let’s be honest, a lot more fun — than writing a positive one.
But here’s the problem: I’ve actually liked the past few shows I’ve watched for review, including Fox’s “Glee,” USA’s “Royal Pains” and ABC Family’s “Make It
Or Break It.”
Go ahead and add NBC’s “The Philanthropist,” which premieres at 10 p.m. tonight, to that list.
And there might be more coming; I just got a screener for Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva” and, based on previews alone, I think it might just be love at first sight.
What is happening to me?
My only hope is that HBO’s “True Blood,” a show I absolutely love to hate, recently returned for its second season. So I should have some juicy, rhymes-with-witchy criticisms for it soon, coming to a TV column near you.
OK, let’s get back to the topic at hand: “The Philanthropist.”
James Purefoy (“Rome”) stars as titular billionaire-turned-do-gooder Teddy Rist, whom we first see racing through the jungle, barefoot on a motorcycle.
In a voiceover — in which his British accent first made me feel like I was getting ready to watch some sort of fairy tale — he waxes poetic with bon mots like, “Happiness is the art of living well. These days, not many people are living well. And the few who are, well, to me, they don’t seem very happy. I’m happy.
Most of the time.”
But, he admits, he also has his share of demons.
“Sometimes, they chase me and, sometimes, I chase them.”
Just as I was about to get annoyed by the voiceover, the camera cuts away to Rist sitting at a bar, and we discover he’s recounting his motorcycle-in-the-jungle adventure to impress a comely bartender.
Rist telling this bartender and, in turn, us his life story is a plot device that I do not approve of, but I guess it’s a quick and dirty way to get some exposition out of the way. Let’s hope future episodes just jump right into the action, sans voiceover.
We soon learn that Rist’s transition from reckless bad boy — “hardly the heroic type,” he says — to a man on a mission occurred after he saved a young boy from drowning during a hurricane in Nigeria.
Upon returning to his swanky New York digs, the experience stays with him, and Rist decides to use his company to help those in need.
His first order of business?
Returning to Nigeria to help victims of the storm. Once there, he uses his shady side for good, associating with drug dealers and bribing officials to get a cholera vaccine to a remote village.
I hate to get all sappy on you, but it’s touching to watch Rist become a better man as he helps these people.
At one point, he’s wandering through a dilapidated area when, one by one, little kids surround him, holding his hand to lead him through their village. That scene just got me (hey, I told you I was getting soft).
Joining Rist in his newfound endeavors are business partner Philip (Jesse L. Martin) and Philip’s wife, Olivia (Neve Campbell), who runs the charitable arm of their company — and is also one of Rist’s former paramours. It’s nice to see both stars, known for roles on “Law & Order” and “Party of Five,” respectively, on TV again.
And Purefoy, with his rugged handsomeness, five o’clock shadow and accent, sure is a charming leading man.
He’s definitely one bad boy you could take home to mom.
When not in front of the TV, Gillis can be reached at
COMMENTS