3 out of 5

Created by: Kyle Killen

Canceled after five episodes, so here we are with a review.  And I have my nit with network decisions (as we all do), but I can understand this getting the axe: it was always trying so damn hard.  But it was a compelling enough concept and the writers would purposefully over-complicate any given issue to the extent that I was impressed with how jam-packed the episodes were… so we won’t get the chance to answer the question of How Long Can They Keep This Up?

Christian Slater is a conman, fresh out of conman jail.  His brother, Steve Zahn, is a bipolar college professor who’s fresh out of the job thanks to a little inter-classroom romance.  Using Zahn’s keen insight into psychological makeup – what triggers or influences our behaviors – and Slater’s sweet slick-talk, the duo have formed ‘Edwards and Associates,’ a firm that claims to, essentially, be able to fix any problem.  Fill in extra cast with the other ‘Associates’ – Slater’s ex-wife who’s Zahn’s rationality anchor; an uptight accountant; an eager Zahn protege; and a couplea’ lady lookers who often act as bait for the mark intended to be influenced in the various schemes.  If you’re familiar with Darren Brown and / or NLP – both of which I’m certain Killen is – the show will play like a greatest hits of the psychological trickery Brown has committed on television and stage, amped up with over-explanations.  However, despite it being a bit burdensome with Zahn zealously trying to EXPLAIN everything all the time, the flim-flammery is creatively wrapped around a case of the week in a way that satisfies both the science and money-making aspects of each partner’s desires.  On the downside, this being TV, there’s a fuckload of subplots slobbered on, with Slater half-in/half-out of the good guy game and Zahn forever on the edge.  Because the gist is already ‘high concept,’ ‘Mind Games’ probably could have benefited from peeling back all of the extras for a while until we got used to the balance…  Zahn’s take on bi-polar is an extreme version of the disorder (this dude was a teacher…?), and it’s played mostly for its chaotic / comedic effects, until people start to feel bad and decide to pay lip service to its detrimental aspects.  There wasn’t a slick way out of this dilemma, but again, finding a way to ease us into things might’ve helped.  Seriously – the NLP angle is cool enough to interest we TV viewers seeking distraction.

‘Mind Games’ was one of those short-lived bursts that you could tell was just a dash too out there to hold onto an audience.  There’s always the question whether or not a baseline of quality could’ve been maintained longer than these series are allowed on…  As ‘Games’ already dipped into melodrama in each episode, it’s probably best it had a short run.  But there’s an appreciable energy behind each episode, and it does give nice in-your-face exposure to NLPish tactics.