My Own Worst Enemy pilot review

My Own Worst Enemy

guy discovers a split-personality that is a spy



Type of Pilot: Action


Similar Shows/Movies: Alias (running around shooting and blowing things up in foreign lands, while trying to live a normal life), The Bourne Identity (hero is a bad-ass spy and doesn't know it), James Bond (spy's boss is a really superb actress who is totally slumming by playing this part),


The Inner Light: Everyone has secrets?


Strengths: Christian Slater gives a great performance as both lead characters.


Weaknesses: Lots. First off, if you are going to do a show where an ordinary guy finds out that he's a spy-by-night, the secret life should be fun and interesting (to fuel the fantasy for viewers at home) instead of dreary and drab. Secondly, what kind of loopy idea is it to bury secret agents in suburbia and 'wake' them up when needed. Goofy nonsense which doesn't fit the tone of the show. Thirdly, the show never explains why Edward does the things that he does. Why does he reach out to save Henry's life? Because he enjoyed banging Henry's wife? What? Overall, it's an interesting idea, but he execution of this pilot is really, really poor.


Impressive Characters: Despite the show's many flaws, the character of Edward Albright comes across as fascinating. More than a spy cliché he seems interesting and original.


Impressive Actors: Christian Slater


Less-Than-Impressive Characters: The wife and family. The show really misses the boat here by giving the hero a generic TV family. The wonderful Madchen Amick is totally wasted in a thankless role and there's never a sense that Henry has anything to lose. Did Edward save him, for instance, because he had such a great family life? Not based on what I saw.


Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Madchen Amick and Alfre Woodard are totally miscast and wasted in their roles. Both actresses should immediately fire their agents since they always seem to wind up in the wrong projects.


Continuity: Probably a lot.


Rewatchability: None.


Other Info: Writer Jason Smilovic worked on last season's horrible Bionic Woman which also presented us with a dreary, self-important world of spies that nobody wanted to watch.

Three Things I Really Like About This Pilot:

Christian Slater

The twist as to which one was the real personality and which was the manufactured one

Edward Albright

Three Things I Really Don't Like About This Pilot:

Madchen Amick is wasted in this show.

There's no sense of fun. Being a spy is dreary.

Henry's family is more fake than Henry is. Straight from sit-com land, or a breakfast cereal commercial.

Miscellaneous Comments:


I wanted to like this. I was looking forward to this. But it was dreary and disappointing.

GRADE: B-