The Seer (2008)

The Seer
Written and Directed by Linda Andersson
Featuring: Deborah Stewart, Michelle Tomlinson, Vincent De Paul, Landall Goolsby, Shante Reese, Patricia Melone, Maria Falgione
20 minutes, 2008, www.watchtheseer.com

A one-hour drama TV shows where someone solves crimes using their uncanny supernatural powers? You mean like Medium, Ghost Whisperer, or The Dead Zone? With a strong female character like in The Closer, Saving Grace, or Bones? Yes. But what The Seer has that none of these other shows has is a gay storyline with lesbian sex and lots of boobs. It’s really that simple. The Seer has all the class, cheesiness, dramatic moments, and suspense you crave in a crime drama, but its’ chock-full of lesbians too…

Guin Marcus (played by Deborah Stewart) is a former cop with the ability to “see” psychic images when she holds an object or touches a person. Sometimes this can get in her way (like when she touches her new girlfriends belongings! Ooops!), but mostly this odd power helps Guin cope with her inner need to help solve, and prevent, serious crimes. No longer with the police department, Guin and her close friend Annie Finn form a detective agency which is often hired by the police to aid them in solving crimes. Unfortunately, this means Guin still has to see her ex girlfriend April (Michelle Tomlinson of The Cellar Door) who broke her heart and was actually the cause of her leaving the department. When April and another detective come to Guin with a new case involving a murdered jogger, Guin starts seeing and hearing things she never has before. For instance, the murderer actually speaks to her in these visions. Who or what is the murderer that he can speak to Guin and that he knows her name? You don’t find out, because the end of this 20-minute pilot for TV ends with a “To be Continued”…

Guin is a pretty cool character. She’s reserved enough to be interesting but strong enough to actually seem like a former cop who has had to deal with not only being a weirdo psychic but also a lesbian her entire life. Her relationship with April is steamy and intriguing, as is her sexy affair with new girlfriend Dee. Annie Finn, a stereotypically irritating black woman/sidekick character, though, is totally out of place with the rest of the show. There is a certain amount of “dumbing down” on some of the intelligent (and scary) plotline with dialogue and music slightly clichéd for the benefit of the less intelligent TV viewer. Guin Marcus and her ability to connect with the dead and with the killers is a frightening and terrible thing that needs to be given proper reverence. The tension between April and Guin is a firework ready to go off – that alone would propel the show forward.

By cutting out some of what makes it similar to all the other crime dramas on TV, The Seer would stand out even more than it does now. Benefitting from awesome acting, good writing, fun storyline (so far), and high production value, it has a really great chance of becoming a successful series. I’d hate to see it give up some of what makes it unique simply because there is a fear that regular audiences may not be ready for a lesbian character that isn’t a character. I think viewers want all the good things in The Seer without having to compromise. It’s got some extremely steamy sex scenes, believable lesbiana, a seemingly horrifying serial killer, and something I am always in favor of: interesting roles for women.

When can You see The Seer? That’s a good question. No official air date or announcements have been made. But you can go to the website to watch the trailer and see for yourself what the fuss is all about: www.watchtheseer.com