ABC's new crime drama “Body of Proof” presents the flip side of most typical medical or crime dramas. The show asks, “What can you learn about a person's life and the way they died from their corpse?” Dr. Megan Hunt, played by Dana Delany, is the sassy, borderline bitter, former neurosurgeon who left her promising career to become a medical examiner following a serious car accident. The accident resulted in a condition where her hands sporadically go numb, for which there is no physical cause. She is joined in her investigations by Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop) who is a “medical legal investigator.” Together, they collect evidence from the body of the murdered individual and look for clues to catch the killer. What is unusual about Megan's approach to her role as an ME is that she is very involved in the overall process, going as far as to accompany the detectives to interviews with suspects, witnesses and family members and even conducting interviews of her own.
While the show focuses on a different crime each episode, the overall story is connected through the conflicts of Megan's life. Her uniquely involved approach to her role as an ME puts her at odds with the detectives of the Philadelphia police department, particularly the two unlucky detectives who end up more or less assigned to her. Detectives Samantha Baker (Sonja Sohn) and Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch) are initially depicted as somewhat bumbling and ignorant until they start to believe what Megan is trying to tell them about the body and the suspect. However, after a rocky first encounter or two, they develop into a formidable team of crime solvers, employing traditional police work and Megan's unconventional medical examination techniques to bring the guilty to justice.
The course of the story is also punctuated by issues caused by Megan's detachment from the world around her. Her failed marriage and strained relationship with her daughter Lacie (Mary Matilyn Mouser) are a constant source of disappointment, vexation, and eventually growth for Megan as she tries to figure out how to make amends with Lacie for her previous absence while pursuing her neurosurgery career. As Megan reaches out and connects with her daughter, the audience can connect with Megan and try to better understand her.
Megan also seems to have issues connecting to her coworkers in the morgue. Thus far, she seems to have almost constant friction with her superior, Dr. Kate Murphy (Jeri Ryan). Megan is not at all intimidated by Dr. Murphy, who seems to have very little control over her. Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend) and Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Windell Middlebrooks) provide the comic relief element as the quirky sidekicks to the strong and serious female protagonist, Megan.
“Body of Proof” recently aired its fourth episode and I have waited so long to post this critique in the hopes of giving the writers time to fill in some of the gaps in the story. One of the important background pieces of information the show has yet to explain is how a Medical Examiner is allowed to tag along on interviews with families and potential suspects. While her smart comments and ability to see to the point of the matter have, thus far, proved useful to solving the crimes, it seems a little unusual for a simple ME to be allowed that kind of privilege. You don't see “Castle's” Lanie or “NCIS's” Ducky tagging along outside of the lab following the initial recovery of the body. While I appreciate the attempt at a different look at crime solving, I need an explanation of her unprecedented privilege if the story is going to be believable.
The second gap I have been hoping to see repaired is the presence of Peter Dunlap. While he calls himself a “medical legal investigator” in the second episode, we have yet to see any explanation for his presence on the show. There are other detective characters to do the police work, yet Peter has a fancy badge to flash around at people and spends time looking for clues involving the case. Peter's main role seems to be as Megan's guide to the world. We are told that Megan was very busy as a neurosurgeon and, consequently, lost her connections to her now-ex husband and daughter, as well as to anyone resembling a friend. Peter's job seems to be to help Megan connect with other people. You can tell Peter is doing well in this function when the ABC-created mini-description for the fourth episode is “Megan starts taking an interest in what is going on around her.”
Regarding character development, the show has significantly improved since the pilot episode. Megan is much more likeable now that we've gotten to see more of what makes her tick. Her philosophy for her role as a medical examiner is honorable and personable in a way we would not expect from the distant Megan Hunt. The secondary characters have become more involved in the story and have developed into real characters who take an active role in the plot's progression.
“Body of Proof” offers a different perspective on crime solving that is worth checking out. While it starts slow, it does improve once it moves past the pilot and starts working to the heart of what the characters and the show are really about. If you were considering giving up on “Body of Proof” or were thinking of picking it up, I offer this piece of advice: it does get better, so hang in there. I decided to stick around and have started to see it as a show with a lot of potential.
1 comment:
Body of Proof seems most similar to Fox's Bones and one thing that Bones did was stress how unusual it was for a scientist to be out in the field and how unique the team that makes up the main characters are. Bones and her team are called into crimes that occur across the globe in some cases because they are so unique. You said that you didn't like how the show did not give a good reason for why an ME was in the field. If they do further explain why do you think they would be best off following reasoning similar to Bones or is there a way to explain the discrepancy in a way that is unique to this show?
Great job on your first post. I am looking forward to your next.
Post a Comment