# New Amsterdam; 10 Mar (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915 "2008-03-11T02:05:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/21 "2008-03-12T12:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] Did anyone else find the sexy physical kind of disturbing? If there were mutual attraction between me and my doctor, I’d find another toot sweet. I guess I’d rather have my doctor focused on my health, rather than gazing in my eyes as he palpated my abdomen. [/QUOTE] Yeah but you’re forgetting WHY? he was there. He didn’t go for the physical, he went for the opportunity to spend some time with her so he can eventually jump her bones and produce mutant offspring. It’s all part of the plan. The sword doesn’t come into play for another few episodes yet. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/22 "2008-03-12T15:04:26Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] It didn’t bother me too much. Wasn’t central to the plot, just thrown in there. Someone must be a Whitman fan. I had no idea he was a volunteer nurse during the Civil War. I looked it up. He was. And \*Leaves of Grass \* was self-published right before the war in a limited number so that fits too. And the authors name wasn’t on the cover so that was another thing they got right. [/QUOTE] I loved the fact that they didn’t explain exactly who the author was. Something for the smart people in the audience! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/23 "2008-03-12T16:36:34Z")
One thing I find amusing is Omar’s penchant to try and make money off of “Dad’s” situation. Like when he sold the desk as an antique in the pilot, or last night, when he expressed interest in how much John’s book might be worth now. I kind of expect they’ll keep on introducing “celebrities” in the flashbacks, and I like that too. By the time someone has lived as long as John has, he’s _bound_ to have met some names. And the way they did Whitman was just right, your face wasn’t rubbed in it. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/24 "2008-03-12T16:47:24Z")
I wonder if this show will survive long enough to get into the details of how he changes identities (and how often he has to). We got that shot of him in 1941 forging a birth certificate – don’t know if identity theft/creation would be easier or harder today. Also, as to the frequency of identity changes – how long can you work with the same people before they figure out that you’re not aging? 15 years? 10? It seems to me that a more practical line of work would be one in which he could work independently and anonymously (for example, a newspaper columnist who answers important questions from readers 😉 ) rather than one in which there is a lot of interaction with others. I’m sure they went with the cop angle to hook viewers, who may be reluctant to watch a show about a journalist with a strange relationship to time (RIP Journeyman), but after three episodes I still find the police work storylines to be far less compelling than the character-driven stuff. I’m sure I’ve seen them all on various incarnations of Law & Order anyway. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/25 "2008-03-12T18:20:54Z")
Well, we know he’s been a soldier multiple times. He’s also been a doctor, and lawyer and now a detective. Along the way he became famous for his woodwork, and he’s good at handwriting forging, and is probably an all-around pretty good artist. I wonder how many other professions he’s had. I also wonder if he’s got some really fat bank accounts sitting around or if he gives all his money away each time he resets his identity. He had to make a table for Omar, rather than just giving him some money. It’s fun how he’s always totally honest about his past, but at the same time, I have to wonder how he got through his psych eval to become a cop if he’s always honest. Anyone think his new partner could be “the one?” She showed up around the same time as his heart attack, too. ---
**Author:** ![running\_piglet\_cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@running\_piglet\_cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_piglet_cheese)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/26 "2008-03-14T11:10:41Z")
Curious about the whole who gets told the truth and how does he prove it? Obviously Omar knows but his grandaughter and grandson do not. Wouldn’t he need at least one person around to guard his basement hidey hole and be a sounding board/confidant? Concerning how often he changes identities - It seems most/all the flashbacks so far have been located around NY. Obviously he travelled when he was serving in the military, but has he made his residence in NY the whole time? If so, very interesting. If he has to go 400+ years to find his soulmate, what chance do we one time arounders have? ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/27 "2008-03-14T13:04:48Z")
[QUOTE=running piglet cheese] Concerning how often he changes identities - It seems most/all the flashbacks so far have been located around NY. Obviously he travelled when he was serving in the military, but has he made his residence in NY the whole time? If so, very interesting. [/QUOTE] I think the photo collection of his Times Square photos is supposed to show that he’s stayed there the whole time. I didn’t catch what his name was in the Civil War scenes but in the scenes from the 1940’s he was Mr. York. Now of course he’s Mr. Amsterdam - another early name for NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/28 "2008-03-24T23:06:02Z")
Did Manhattan Indians use tepees? Marc ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/29 "2008-03-24T23:33:08Z")
What’s up with this show? Still on? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/30 "2008-03-24T23:40:54Z")
It’s on tonight at 8 on my local FOX station. > [@Fir na tine](#): > > Yeah but you’re forgetting WHY? he was there. He didn’t go for the physical, he went for the opportunity to spend some time with her so he can eventually jump her bones and produce mutant offspring. Oh, Amsterdam’s oozing of sexuality didn’t bug me. It was the doctor going along with it. I feel very strongly that a doctor shouldn’t sleep with or have intimate relationships with their patients. I’d be uncomfortable seeing someone in a professional capacity if they gazed tenderly upon me while exercising that profession. (Exceptions will be made for actors and prostitutes, I guess.) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/31 "2008-03-25T02:09:06Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] It’s on tonight at 8 on my local FOX station. [/QUOTE] Damn, I forgot to set my VCR. Can someone tell me, spoilered if needed, what happened, or if the episode will be repeated? I love this show. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/32 "2008-03-25T05:02:33Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] Damn, I forgot to set my VCR. Can someone tell me, spoilered if needed, what happened, or if the episode will be repeated? I love this show. [/QUOTE] You can watch it [here](http://www.fox.com/fod/player.htm?show=new_ams) in a day or so. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/33 "2008-03-25T05:03:56Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] What’s up with this show? Still on? [/QUOTE] A week or two ago, it was the top-rated non-“reality” show. Should have some staying power. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/34 "2008-03-25T14:06:21Z")
I watched the newest two episodes last night. I like it. The crime stories aren’t great, but I really like Amsterdam and the flashbacks are well done. He made an offhand comment that indicates he changes his life about every 10 years, which seems reasonable to keep people from noticing that he isn’t aging. But one of the big themes of the show is that he’s stayed in New York for his entire life. I know it’s a big city, but after a few decades of this you’d think he would be hard-pressed to avoid all of the people he met during one of his previous “lives”. ---
**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/35 "2008-03-25T17:56:56Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] He made an offhand comment that indicates he changes his life about every 10 years, which seems reasonable to keep people from noticing that he isn’t aging. But one of the big themes of the show is that he’s stayed in New York for his entire life. I know it’s a big city, but after a few decades of this you’d think he would be hard-pressed to avoid all of the people he met during one of his previous “lives”. [/QUOTE] The teaser at the end of last night’s episode seemed to indicate this will be addressed next week. It said something like “If you live long enough, eventually your past will catch up with you.” ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/36 "2008-03-25T21:55:43Z")
[QUOTE=Hirundo82] The teaser at the end of last night’s episode seemed to indicate this will be addressed next week. It said something like “If you live long enough, eventually your past will catch up with you.” [/QUOTE] Evidently, next week we see a flashback to his previous life when he sees the corpse what may be his great-grandson. ---
**Author:** ![running\_piglet\_cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@running\_piglet\_cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_piglet_cheese)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915/37 "2008-03-26T03:48:03Z")
I love the way the flashbacks not only deepen our understanding of the Amsterdam character, but also give insights into his relationship with Omar. The juxtaposition of his telling his story to Omar and trying to tell the Dr. Lady was well done. Never liked the Dr. anyway. No way is she his soulmate. I loved that he filled up all those notebooks with his guilty secrets and then shares them all with Omar. Really enjoy this show, quirky and wll acted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-amsterdam-10-mar-open-spoilers/440915.md?page=1)