r. Mitchell Grace (McCouch) turns down a prestigious medical appointment to do his internship at All Souls, an important but secretive research hospital in Boston. Built on an ancient burial ground, the hospital is run by Dr. Nicole De Brae (Scott Thomas) and the malevolent Dr. Ambrosyus (Jean LeClerc), who bears a remarkable resemblance to All Souls' 19th-century founder.
In the pilot episode, Grace sees shadows, especially in the old section of the hospital. It is there, ironically, where Grace's father worked as a janitor and later died under peculiar circumstances. It is also there that Grace discovers the sordid history of human experimentation by All Souls' founder.
But Grace also finds allies, particularly an elderly nurse, Glory St. Clair (Hall), who has a connection with the spirits that walk the halls. She acts as Grace's guide to the underworld. "Before you can see, you have to learn how to look," she tells Grace cryptically. Grace also reconnects with his childhood friend Patrick Fortado (Adam Rodriguez), psychiatrist Dr. Philomena Cullen (Aylesworth) and preppy Dr. Bradley Sterling (Daniel Cosgrove).
In the second episode, "Spineless," Grace deals with his guilt over his friend Pat's paraplegia, while ambitious orthopedist Dr. Stefani Volette colludes with Ambrosyus on a controversial treatment for spinal cord injuries. To save his friend's life, Grace must decide whether or not to subject him to the dangerous treatment, then discovers an awful secret about his past.
In a later episode, "Bad Blood," Dr. Grace must figure out the blood-borne disease afflicting Juan Antonio Marquez, the "Nelson Mandela of the rainforest," who is about to be elected president of his Latin American country. Marquez has struck a deal with Dr. Ambrosyus for treatment. But an amnesiac vagrant turns up with the key to Marquez's disease.
300 cc's of ectoplasm, STAT!
All Souls, a midseason replacement for UPN, was created by Gillard and Tolkin and is executive produced by Gillard, Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent and Mark Frost. The network has ordered six episodes.
All Souls Hospital is almost a character in itself, part high-tech medical facility, part 19th-century abattoir and part haunted mansion. The hospital and its staff are a potent metaphor for the human spirit--id, ego and superego, in which good and evil perpetually contend for supremacy. Similarly, the series is a peculiar hybrid, combining real-life medical sequences with gruesome horror and supernatural spookiness. The combination doesn't always work.
Audiences accustomed to the medical sophistication of recent hospital TV shows may find the medicine more Ben Casey than ER. Moreover, the plots verge on the soapy (indeed, many of All Souls' cast are soap opera veterans). The melodramatic dialog is filled with outbursts like Dr. De Brae's, "This is your career! Think very carefully before walking away!"
The supernatural elements are more intriguing, full of nightmarish images, moody atmosphere and dark secrets. The initial episodes only hint at the deeper conspiracy that involves Ambrosyus and All Souls' X-Files-like mission, and the promise of more revelations is almost enough to keep one viewing. As for the horror, let's just say that All Souls isn't for the squeamish. "Bad Blood," especially, features sequences of graphic symptomology.
The cast is appealing, if a little bland; one hopes the writers can further distinguish the various pretty faces from one another in coming episodes.
