I finally caught the series premier of A&E's "The Cleaner". How can I put this tactfully? It was... not what I expected. The hype surrounding this show was exciting, Benjamin Bratt is the star, and I was hoping that he would finally be part of a successful show since his departure from Law & Order. I was very, very sorely disappointed.
Apparently William Banks [Bratt] is a recovered drug addict who has made a pact with God that he will become His "dark angel" and help those suffering from serious drug problems. "He [Bratt's character] isn't a cop. He isn't a superhero." So what is he? It seems that he has formed some sort of club in which he and other recovered addicts (whom he has rescued) run around the city saving helpless druggies from their own devices. One of his "collegues" is a young woman with whom he slept with while he and his wife, Melissa [Amy Price-Francis] (and the mother of his two children) were seperated. Still with me? All of this we find out during one of his many one sided conversations with God, which were so scripted I might add, that they really just seemed to be side notes for the viewer. I suppose they couldn't cram all of this background information into the already confusing and slightly dull hour they were alotted. Another of his collegues is a "juicer" (think MLB) named Mick. He has been sleeping with none other than his own estranged wife and mother of his children. Three quarters of the way through the premier, Mick receives a voicemail that is wife will no longer meet with him for their secret rendevouz. This prompts Mick to return to using, either heroine or steroids (something in a needle) and he ultimately ODs.
My question is: who the hell cares? I haven't known this Mick character for 50 mins and all of a sudden I'm supposed to be in mourning? He wasn't even in the entire episode. Frankly, I don't care about any of the characters, with the possible exception of his wife. She clearly cares for her husband, but hoped he would kick his addiction and return to his spot at the head of their family, not turn into the Patron Saint of sting operations. During one of a few inappropriate conversations with his children, he admits to them that while Melissa was in labor, he was down the hall getting cracked out. Probably not the image his children wanted.
I'm confused. I'm going to give it one more week, and if things don't begin to tie together, and if there are still obscure and uncomfortable references to Banks' infidelity, I don't think I'll be returning. It feels as though the writers dove head first into the drama without ample time for a proper character introduction. They left no room for things to unfold, there's nothing left to discover. To use an analogy: watching this show was like being invited to dinner with your significant other's family for the first time and having a drunken uncle tell them about themselves one by one. Not only are you dealing with the discomfort of not knowing anyone at the table, but now you're forced to witness the airing of their filthy laundry. I felt extremely self aware the entire show.
On a scale of 1 to 10 clicks of the remote control: I give "The Cleaner" 3 clicks.
