`Wonderland' is a compelling addition to ABC
By MATT NANIA
Scene Writer
Premiering last Thursday at 10 p.m., ABC's gritty "Wonderland" is a welcome addition to an otherwise lackluster season of television. The one-hour drama takes place in Rivervue Hospital, a psychiatric and emergency ward in New York City.
"Wonderland," which has been highly touted by its network, has been advertised as the best alternative to "ER," which it faces on a weekly basis.
It's got an interesting pedigree, with show creator Peter Berg serving as both writer and director of the first episode. It also comes with a fair amount of controversy attached. A number of organizations have protested the show's depiction of mental illness, saying it emphasizes the violent and reinforces negative stereotypes. But Berg (last seen on "Chicago Hope") and his writers claim they spent months researching real-life psychiatrists and their patients at similar institutions.
Shot in documentary style and using that shaky-camera feel from "NYPD Blue," "Wonderland" is indeed a cross between "NYPD Blue" and its head-to-head competitor "ER." Shot on location in New York City, the series delves into the lives of both the staff and the patients they help.
The cast is outstanding. The first episode alone contained some of the best acting in recent memory. Ted Levine ("Heat," "Silence of the Lambs"), as the head forensic psychiatrist, convincingly conveys a man both deeply involved with his patients as well as struggling to maintain custody over his two young sons. Martin Donovan ("The Opposite of Sex") is convincing as Dr. Neil Harrison, a psychiatrist who deals with patients who have committed crimes.
The series also stars Billy Burke, a young, good-looking psychiatrist who is, of course, the show's commitment-phobic brooding guy — a role better played by George Clooney during his early years on "ER." Series regulars Michael Jai White ("Tyson," "Spawn"), a young trauma specialist, and Joelle Carter, the intern, did not make an appearance in the first episode — a fact indicating just what kinds of risks the series is willing to take.
Michelle Forbes ("Kalif-ornia," "Swimming With Sharks") plays Dr. Lyla Garrity, Harrison's pregnant girlfriend who heads up the critical response facility. In this first episode, her character goes through quite a lot. After accidentally turning away a patient (an intense Leland Orser from "Very Bad Things"), she is surprised to find the same patient back in the hospital ward after going on a murderous rampage, shooting five people. When the patient starts stabbing himself with a giant hypodermic needle, Lyla tries to stop him. After ending up on the floor under the insane patient and a handful of cops, she is shocked to find the hypodermic needle buried in her pregnant belly. The baby suffers cranial damage and both Neil and Lyla must decide on whether to abort the pregnancy.
This is just one example of what is sure to be an intense, disturbing drama. In "Wonderland," however, there's actual compassion lurking in the madness. The scenes between Levine and his sons are touching, as are his discussions with his divorced wife. Add in several moving scenes between doctor and patient and you've got one remarkable show.
Compared to cliché-ridden TV dramas like "The Practice," "Third Watch" and "Once and Again," "Wonderland" is daring and inventive. This is potent material to play with, and if the show can take an honest look at the fragile hold society has on that which they say is "normal," then it has got a great life ahead of it.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, April 5, 2000
