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Page 2 June 15 - 21, 2015 Doctor's life spins out of control in new USA thriller 'Complications' By John Crook © Zap2it Portions of St. Joseph's Hospital in suburban At- lanta sit vacant and idle much of the time. On this chilly morning last December, however, the place is buzzing with ac - tivity as the cast and crew of "Complications" — a new thriller from Matt Nix ("Burn Notice") premiering Thursday, June 18, on USA Network — try to complete their last day of production on Season 1 before a winter storm sweeps in that afternoon. That sense of racing against the clock helps account for the fatigue on star Jason O'Mara's face. The actor has been burning the candle at both ends during this final push, but fortunately, his weariness works for his character: Dr. John Elli - son, an Atlanta physician whose life becomes, well, complicated after he im- pulsively risks his life to save a young boy from a drive-by shooting. As the 10-episode se- ries opens, the incident in question happens as John is still struggling to process the loss of his own little girl, who died of leukemia a few months earlier. Like any doctor, John is used to interced- ing against nature to save the lives of patients, so his daughter's death has left him feeling frustrated and impotent, O'Mara says. "You're looking at this man who is feeling this profound sense that he has lost control and does not know how to process his grief or his anger," the actor says. "He's barely holding it together either at work or at home. I think that's why he does what he does, after we see him have this rage attack in his car. He hears gunshots, and suddenly he becomes this guy who runs toward trouble instead of running away from it. That's really the moment when it all chang- es, when he is running across the park toward that little boy while ev- erybody else is running away." John's bold but reckless act draws him into an in- creasingly dark situation with some dangerous characters who threaten both him and his loved ones, including his wife, Samantha (Beth Ries- graf, "Leverage"), who is desperately trying to re- connect with her husband after their shared loss. "Sam is a very frustrat- ed, lonely woman at this point," Riesgraf says of her character. "Her hus- band has shut her out. One of her main missions when we meet her is to get him to open up and to confront everything that they have been pushing aside for so long. You'll see that Sam may be at a different place in the grief process than John is, but she's still not at 100 percent. She still has her moments of vulnerability and weakness." While O'Mara's charac- ter dominates the series, Riesgraf says she's very happy that the women in John's life — including Jessica Szohr ("Gossip Girl") as resourceful nurse Gretchen Polk and Lauren Stamile ("Burn Notice") as concerned co-worker Dr. Bridget O'Neil — all have strong arcs that allow them to interact with the male lead in interesting and compelling ways. When last seen on FX's political thriller "Tyrant," pediatrician-turned-would-be-despot Bassam "Barry" Al- Fayeed (Adam Rayner) was behind bars after his failed coup of brother Jamal's (Ashraf Barhom) regime in the Middle Eastern country of Abbudin. As Season 2 opens Tuesday, June 16, it's four months later and Barry is still incarcerated waiting for Jamal to decide his fate. Execution isn't in the cards at this point, but Barry has had plenty of time to ponder how he's annihilated his relationship with his brother. And that has weighed on him like a ton of bricks. "His mindset is ... obviously pretty bleak," explains Rayner, "and one of frustration because he's in prison for four months and once you know that, it begs the question: What's been going on for four months? He's committed high treason, so it would imply there's some kind of indecision ... in terms of how to resolve this situation. And that is, of course, obviously frustrating, and when you're in prison you want to know what's going to happen to you, particularly if you're on death row. You just want some clarity about the situation. "So I wouldn't say he's full of regret because I think his sense is that it was his destiny in some way to do what he did and get to that point. But of course, he's filled with remorse – and remorse is a good word rather than regret in terms of the cost to himself and his family, both his wife and his relationship with his brother, which was very complicated and who he loves, and has sort of irrevocably compromised. So he's full of sadness and frustration, I guess, because he's in limbo, and whatever this grand game is, he wants to see it played out." Barry isn't the only one who's been alone with his thoughts. Wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan) has been holed up at the U.S. embassy for the past four months, mulling over her marriage and all the deception in it. And she isn't happy about it. Which means in Season 2, Finnigan gets to show a different side of Molly, a more independent side, and stretch her acting legs at bit, a prospect the actress is overjoyed at. "I just want to stress that Molly is just not the same person she was in the first season," Finnigan says. "You know, she's gone through a lot. I think she's had some reckonings and I think she is very intent on living a more truthful life." "She's still extremely concerned," Finnigan continues. "She has no idea what's in store for him. It's a waiting game at this point. She doesn't know if he's going to live or die. But I think just spending this time by herself, obviously she achieved a clearer perspective of her relationship and the secrets between them that she's allowed that she no longer wants to live beneath the shadow of." BY GEORGE DICKIE Damaged relationships take center stage in Season 2 of FX's 'Tyrant' Jennifer Finnigan Beth Riesgraf stars in "Complications," premiering Thursday on USA Network.

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