The Listener is a new TV show that is released in the UK on 13th September. Live for Films very own “Sit and watch a TV show in one sitting” reviewer, known to you and me as Jinja reviewed. First the series blurb.
Prepare to enter a world of shadowy thoughts and silent cries for help as The Listener comes to DVD from 13th September 2010 courtesy of Universal Pictures UK.
Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, Thirteen Ghosts) is a young paramedic with a dark secret and a mysterious past. Brought up on foster homes and having never known his father or been close to his mother, Toby has long since learned to keep his own secret – that he can hear other people’s thoughts – to himself. Now a paramedic in Toronto, Toby has since let his therapist (Colm Feore, TV’s 24) in on his secret and has gradually started to realise that helping those whose thoughts he can hear will also lead him down a path that could explain his own shady past.
Aided and abetted by his paramedic partner, Oz (Enis Esmer, TV’s The Cheetah Girls) and his on/off girlfriend Detective Charlie Marks (Lisa Marcos, TV’s Kevin Hill), Toby becomes embroiled in a series of ever-more complex mysteries whilst inexorably also moving towards the secrets of his own past.
One of the freshest and most intriguing series in recent years and already an international hit, The Listener looks set to become essential viewing in the UK following a successful run on the FX channel. With the season one DVD release including more than eight and a half hours of entertainment across four discs, fans and newcomers alike can revel in Toby’s adventures in other people’s minds from 13th September 2010.
Aided and abetted by his paramedic partner, his on/off girlfriend and a local detective, Toby becomes embroiled in a series of ever-more complex mysteries whilst inexorably also moving towards the secrets of his own past.
Now Jinja’s review.
Don’t let the tagline put you off, “Toby has a special power. A power that can save lives”. I first read that and thought oh dear a little bit cheesy, but got on with Season 1 anyway.
I actually really enjoyed the 13 episodes. Quite lighthearted and bright considering most of the subject matter covers gruesome murders. I’d liken it to House, Lie To Me and the Mentalist, as in a slight story arc but the episodes are basically one off stories that you can dip in and out of. Some very well written scripts that would probably work just as well without the pyschic abilities, but it does add that little twist.
The way Toby uses his power is portrayed well. He doesn’t always get a clear picture of what he is seeing or hearing and does sometimes make mistakes – what people think isn’t what is always true. A great example is when Oz asks Toby for help making some money to aid his parents debt mountain. Toby agrees to go in for a poker game, and when he is $10,000 up he decides to go ‘all in’ – unfortunately he was reading the mind of the bluffs being put forward by his fellow players not necessarily the cards they had in their hands.
The supporting cast offer some great comic relief (the banter from Oz and the EMS boss for example), and nice little additions to the stories. The on/off doctor girlfriend, the friendship that forms with the detective all add to the ongoing story.
Quote of the series: “…and don’t get me started on cros-country skiing. It combines all the fun of walking with the thrill of being physically handicapped”
Thanks to Jinja for the review and Mike at Romley Davies for the info.
