TV
Going mental
BRAINS: University
professor Daniel Pierce (Eric McCormack) is consultant to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. PICTURE: FOXCRIME
BENSON ANG
You need to be flawed to solve crime. It's
a law of TV. Brilliant mind, blighted character.
We've had
addicts, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) sufferers, arrogant
souls and even a serial killer all on the side of justice. Now, add
to that a paranoid schizophrenic.
According to
crime drama Perception, this particular mental affliction is not a
problem. It's a positive.
Watching it,
I almost wish I had paranoid schizophrenia like the main character,
Dr Daniel Pierce, played by Eric McCormack. In the world of
Perception, it's essentially a cool superpower.
But he has a cool sideline - consultant to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, solving the cases too difficult
for their more well-balanced agents.
Pierce is brilliant because of his paranoid
schizophrenia - seeing and hearing people who aren't actually there
who point out clues out to him. How handy.
Yes, the good professor is the latest brilliant but
damaged eccentric playing part-time detective.
The strategy has worked for so many shows - House,
The Mentalist, Monk and of course Sherlock, spring to mind - so why
shouldn't the creators build on this familiar formula?
Well, it depend where your boundaries of taste lie.
Monk's OCD wasn't so bad, but Perceptions' premise is as ridiculous
as ghosts coming to help solve crime.
This is the cuddly TV side of mental disorders.
They aren't as serious as they can be in real life.
Everyone knows of Pierce's condition. But because
it's TV, getting a conviction based on a man's damaged imagination
is no problem.
In fact, Piece's visions keep him company and
deliver solutions to him on a silver platter.
It's like the misguided notion that someone who is
blind has all his other senses heightened.
McCormack's Pierce is a likeable guy and just like
his lead character in Will & Grace, Pierce is socially awkward,
but exudes an offbeat charm.
He's far from an outcast who talks to himself -
everybody loves him.
When Pierce gives a lecture, his students look to
him like he's some kind of guru; some obviously want to get it on
with him.
Unlike Russell Crowe's portrayal of John Nash, who
battled with his illusions in A Beautiful Mind, Pierce gets along
with his delusions.
Like the old joke goes "you're never alone with
schizophrenia".
Friendly "visitors" who give the best advice and
soothe emotional bruises? I wouldn't mind that.
Then again, you might need special
mental powers to solve the oh-so-convoluted crimes on this
show.
The first instalment - which aired yesterday - left
me utterly befuddled. It had a murder, an attempted murder,
corporate intrigue and a love triangle all tangled up in the one
episode.
The writers try too hard. Even McCormack's charms
can't save it.
That said, the writers have certainly done their
research.
Each episode features other characters with other
mental disorders I've never heard of - people who can't recognise
faces, or act as human lie detectors.
It would be great to explore this mental treasure
trove but it's a pity that most of them are wheeled out just for
Pierce to identify their condition.
In fact, it's all about Pierce. Secondary
characters don't really get fleshed out.
For example, Pierce's friend Natalie (Kelly Rowan)
is perpetually waiting to keep him company and ever-willing to be
his counsellor.
Her main function seems to be letting Pierce
explain his feelings and she seems somewhat detached from the rest
of the world. No prizes for guessing her secret.
Using mental illness as a gimmick is arguably in
bad taste. But what do I know?
It's been picked up for a second season in the US.
Now that's madness.
• Perception airs on
Saturdays at 11 pm on FoxCrime (StarHub Channel 503, 557 (HD) and
SingTel mio TV Channel 313 (HD))