But apparently I am not a nice guy today, and so I will admit that I thought "My Own Worst Enemy" was just plain stupid. I hope the show rises from the ashes of its implosive first episode to become a great success for Slater, who deserves a reward for not having chosen a VH1 reality show as his return vehicle. And NBC could sure use a ratings success, especially now that " Heroes" is hemorrhaging viewers. But 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.
Technically, Slater isn't playing an evenly split personality. Edward, the bachelor assassin who lives in an apartment stocked with booze, guns, and a Medal of Honor, is the original inhabitant of the body. Nineteen years ago, he agreed to let his government boss (Alfre Woodard) create Henry and set up an ordinary life for him. "We manifested a divergent identity, dormant in a sealed-off portion of the medial temporal lobe, creating a split personality," Woodard explains, in a bulky line I'd bet she didn't get right the first - or second - time around.
Why did anyone bother to create Henry in the first place? The writers don't explain that little detail, which is also known as the basic premise of the entire series.
Meek, dull Henry has been sheltered from the knowledge that daring Edward exists. But tonight, Henry keeps coming to life in the middle of Edward's spy adventures, and Edward occasionally pops up during Henry time, meaning that the sealed-off portion of the medial temporal lobe is not so sealed off anymore. Henry emerges during a mission and undergoes torture by a Russian bad guy; Edward emerges during one of Henry's nights and makes love to his wife (Madchen Amick). Where did Henry think he was spending half his time before? That must be a gotcha question.
During the torture scene, Slater sputters and makes silly "oof!" noises that signify fear. Henry is whiny. And then during the lovemaking scene, Slater is all smirkiness and smooth moves. Edward is suave. And that's about as subtle as Slater gets as he flips back and forth between the two personalities. I've seen twin-sibling performances on daytime soap operas that had more nuance.
Still, I'm not ready to completely give up on "My Own Worst Enemy" yet. Between them, the show's executive producers Jason Smilovic and David Semel have been involved with such strong series as "Life," "House," and "Kidnapped." Perhaps they can find the better series hiding in this nonsensical pilot and protect it from "My Own Worst Enemy."
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit boston.com/ae/tv/blog/.
