Anybody who made it all the way through to the third night of “Tin Man” was likely most intrigued by a certain moment that occurred about half way through the installment. It was the moment when the entire affair took on a new meaning, not as a remake or a reimagining – but as a sequel of sorts to any previous “Oz” saga. DG discovers the Gray Gale that she’s been searching for – which hold the coveted Emerald of the Eclipse – is some sort of spirit manifestation of Dorothy Gale, the first traveler to make it from our side to the O.Z. She’s also DG’s ancestor and the person after whom she was named. To be sure, this was a polarizing moment where I suspect viewers were either riveted to finish the piece, or it was the final straw where they turned it off in a fit of disgust. DG even says, “Of course – the Gray Gale!” — the audience probably mouthed the words along with her.
DG also met her father (unfortunately, I cannot locate the actor’s or character’s instantly forgettable name), a guy who also came to the O.Z. from Nebraska – via an air balloon. Glitch’s real name is Ambrose and the guy was clearly a freakin’ genius when he had all his faculties. (Was I the only person waiting for a scene where his brain was placed back into his head?) And the show went through the motions by proving Raw was courageous and that Cain had a heart — which was demonstrated by his attitude toward Zero (Callum Keith Rennie at his most Daniel Craigish). The Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss) did not come back, so I guess he’s dead. I was also wrong in my prediction that Cain and DG would hook up. A big part of my reasoning for that was that there needed to be a more concrete reason behind calling the series “Tin Man.” Cain was certainly the most engaging of DG’s companions, but why name the show after him? In the end, he didn’t seem to be any more important than the other two guys. I guess it just sounded cool.
The big finale was not so much a letdown, but really just a mixture of people chasing after a Macguffin and doing away with the witch was massive style over substance. It’s not that it didn’t work, it’s just that I was expecting a little more after all the buildup.
So was “Tin Man” worth its weight in emeralds or not? After three nights of gobsmacking effects & production design (by TV standards anyway), pretty good acting, and a script that was all over the place, my verdict is that it was certainly worth viewing. Will Sci Fi get a series out of it? Given their new scripted series track record as of late (“Painkiller Jane” and “Flash Gordon”), it would indeed behoove the network to greenlight a series based on the further adventures of DG in the O.Z. And the ratings were off the charts for Sci Fi; they’ve declared it the “Most-Watched Event in Sci Fi History” and the “Top Cable Miniseries of 2007.”
Here are some stats from a Sci Fi press release sent out today:
During its three-night primetime run (December 2-4 @ 9-11pm), “Tin Man” averaged a 3.6 HH rating/3.4 million HHs, delivering 5.3 million total viewers (P2+), more than 2.9 million viewers P25-54 and 2.7 million viewers P18-49.
In total viewers (P2+), “Tin Man” sailed past Sci Fi’s previous records – “TAKEN” (5.0 million) and “Dune” (4.6 million).
The six-hour, three-night event drew an even 50-50 split among male and female viewers.
“Tin Man” made Sci Fi #1 in primetime (8-11pm) among all entertainment cable networks for all three nights of its broadcast – averaging more than 2.3 million P25-54s and more than 2.1 million P18-49s. This beats the #2 network across the same three-day span by +77% and +40%, respectively.
In other words, expect to see more stories set in the O.Z. And if it isn’t too comical a move, they might want to consider naming the show “The O.Z.” – unless, of course, Zooey doesn’t sign on for the series and McDonough’s Cain becomes the main character. If you didn’t get to see it, Sci Fi will be rerunning the entire mini on Sunday, Dec. 9th starting at 5 PM (EST).
