An existential-crisis tale about a fellow who comes to learn he doesn’t really exist, “My Own Worst Enemy” stars Christian Slater as a superagent given a government-engineered split personality.
Henry (Spivey, not Jekyll) is the happily married suburban dad who sometimes “dreams” of being a secret agent. Edward (Albright, not Hyde) is a womanizing spy-assassin who uses Spivey’s body to perform derring-do on behalf of the U.S. government.
No doubt inspired by the amnesia-driven Jason Bourne movies as much as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Worst” sounds plenty intriguing as a logline (I know I was excited to hear about it), but expanded into an hour of teleplay (never mind a series) it doesn’t make a lick of sense.
In the case of both “Jekyll” and “Bourne,” any amnesia was an unintended consequence. Why would a government agency bother to spend so much time, money and effort to create for a top asset like Edward Albright an alter ego that would leave Edward’s body so vulnerable to enemies?
I kept waiting for the newly (if accidentally) clued-in Henry to put these questions to Edward’s superiors, but he never thinks to do so. So we don’t even get a lame explanation.
I was also confused as to why Edward’s bosses would choose to house Henry even temporarily in Edward’s bachelor pad, with Edward’s stuff. Certainly Edward wouldn’t (and doesn’t) like it, and the place, not unsurprisingly, turns out to be full of sensitive material Henry shouldn’t be seeing or touching. A locked cell would make far more sense, but then we wouldn’t get the stupid scene with Henry indulging a joyride in Edward’s Chevy Camero SS. (Henry drives a Chevy Traverse, also part of the product-placement agreement struck by NBC-Universal and General Motors.)
The pilot was scripted by Jason Smilovic, who did far better work on “Karen Sisco” and “Kidnapped,” though Smilovic will not serve as series showrunner.
Smilovic throws a couple funny lines to fellow secret agent Tom Grady, played by Mike O’Malley (the bald guy from “Yes, Dear”), but there’s too little good to compensate for all the elements that don’t work, like the clumsy and cliché-riddled opening that shows jerky superspy Edward at work in the field.
Smilovic’s replacement as showrunner is “WIOU” creator John Eisendrath, who under J.J. Abrams’ supervision had his name on some quite good early episodes of “Alias” – but I’m not sure Abrams himself could redeem this premise.
… Badly conceived, badly executed, and woefully, ridiculously overcomplicated … Enemy wants you to ask yourself why Edward and his compatriots (including Yes, Dear's Mike O'Malley) would agree to this chip-split personality, but the show never even approaches the real stumbling block: Why would the government go to all this trouble? You can understand why we might want to turn ordinary guys into spies, but why turn spies into ordinary guys, a process that allows Edward to hide from no one but himself? … To make matters worse, or worst, Slater simplifies the division for us by making Edward an unrelieved snot, which means that the only character with whom we have sympathy is the one who isn't real. …
… Slater plays out spy-story clichés that were campy on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 40 years ago. (Edward speaks 13 languages! He can hold his breath underwater for five minutes!) To pull off stuff like this, you need to acknowledge that you know it's been done before, and bring an extra something: not a wink, not irony, but an airy authority that says, ''You ain't seen it done like I'm gonna do it.'' (What do I mean? Go rewatch the pilot for Alias.) Slater is solid: He rarely slips into his Jack Nicholson Jr. voice, and, as timid Henry, does a nice little yelp when he pops a champagne cork that sounds like a gunshot. But at one point in the premiere, a rattled Henry says to Edward — i.e., himself — ''You bastard! You slept with my wife?!'' Many viewers may resume sleeping with CSI: Miami if the smart fellows behind Enemy don't improve this show. …
… “Worst Enemy” has a convoluted premise that is cleverly wrought and holds up well, and Mr. Slater does a remarkable job of only subtly signaling each personality …
… Slater, who in his twenties, anyway, seemed to specialize in creating cult films, is in rare form here. Which is a good thing since the show's success or failure rests solely on his dramatic agility and general appeal. … there is the nagging question of how creator Jason Smilovic is going to turn what could easily have been a two-hour feature film into a television show, but let's assume for the moment he has a plan. …
… "My Own Worst Enemy" starts out quite melodramatically, echoing the kind of overly serious spy drama that NBC's charming spy comedy "Chuck" spoofs. Still, the first episode of "Enemy" ended up being a relatively compelling hour of television. As competent as it is, though, it's hard not to think that the premise contains some holes. First of all, why would any espionage outfit go to such lengths to give a spy a humdrum cover? Why bother making him forget his daily life as Henry when he's Edward, and vice versa? …
… The show is the TV series equivalent of Frankenstein's monster, built from scraps of various cadavers and plodding along at a logy and poky pace. "My Own Worst Enemy" ends up seeming like a pale digital copy even of itself.
… The first 15 minutes of the much-hyped spy series (do you remember those relentless ads during the Olympics?) are pretty laughable. The idiotic dialogue might have been enough to get [Smilovic] fired. But then in the rest of the first hour (which is all NBC sent) of the pilot, "My Own Worst Enemy" gets compelling before becoming almost completely incoherent, so it's hard to say on what grounds NBC was annoyed with Smilovic (or vice versa). Bad, then decent, then confusing. That's not exactly the trajectory you're looking for in a pilot. …
Given NBC's recent track record -- Was the world really clamoring for a new "Knight Rider," inferior even to the low standards set by the original? -- you'll understand my shock that the new Christian Slater drama "My Own Worst Enemy" actually turns out to be an entertaining, coherent drama. … It's too early to tell if the "Enemy" premise will hold up week after week. The premise might have been better suited to a one-shot movie, but Smilovic makes a convincing case for aspects of the dual characters that can be explored for weeks and years to come.…
… just plain stupid. … tonight's episode is illogical and pointless, and Slater's dual performance isn't nearly as much fun as it should be. If there's any potential in this show, it is unrealized in the pilot. … I've seen twin-sibling performances on daytime soap operas that had more nuance. …
… There's definitely a series here; how it fares depends on which aspects of the show's split personality triumph. … a rapid pace here is key to obscure lapses in logic …
… hits the ground feeling at once vague and oddly captivating. … If this all sounds spectacularly, absurdly far-fetched, well duh! But "My Own Worst Enemy" holds our interest despite its utter preposterousness because if there is anything Slater knows how to do, it's present a believable head case. And if you check that disbelief at the door, it's possible to foresee an intriguing journey of internal anguish in the weeks ahead. …
