The Cleaner

A&E is into its second season of 'The Cleaner' which is the 'based on a true story' show about William Banks, a former drug addict who now tries to save others whose lives have spun out of control as an 'extreme interventionist' This is a calling from God for him but he is not always a willing devotee. He yells at God, is angry with God and disappointed with God. He is not a bible thumper in anyway but has a realization that he needs a higher power to talk to and keep him in check. His narrated soliloquies are often brutally insightful and heartbreaking. He does his job by any means necessary. He has even gone so far as to kidnap the addict and confine them until they are dried out to the point where they can accept some kind of traditional rehab. What makes the show so interesting is that William himself struggles with his own addiction issues, especially with the guilt he feels about how he chose the drugs over his family in the past. He has been in jail. Now that he is sober he must face his past and what his addiction did to his wife and two kids on a daily basis. Its this kind of layered storytelling that makes the show so compelling. The addicts he attempts to help are as varied as their reasons for using drugs in the first place. You see that anyone can become addicted. He has a team of people who work with him - all of them former addicts who owe William for saving their lives and are very loyal to him. William is played by Benjamin Bratt who is an amazing actor in this role. If he doesn't receive an Emmy for his portrayal of Banks then the Emmys no longer have any relevance. The second season is just into episode 2so you have a chance to jump on board and have something new to watch every Monday night over the summer. If you have bit torrent I recommend you download season 1 to get up to speed. This is the kind of quality show (like Burn Notice) that would never be made by the 'safe' mainstream networks. Their loss is our gain. If you have children they NEED to see the real life effect drugs can have on their future.



This is the soliloque that William gives at the start of episode 2 in season 2. Its a great way of expressing the nature of addiction. He is talking to God as he often does.

"We are all just sensitive people. Marvin Gaye had it right...maybe too sensitive. See with sensitivity comes these feelings. And with all these feelings comes the desire to shut them out. I ain't pointing fingers because I know that somewhere between birth and death we learn how to twist some of the simple stuff You gave us into drugs. Where between the first day and the day of rest the coca plant and weed...I mean ya we alter them...abuse them. I guess I am pointing finger huh? But I gotta tell you that for us sensitive creatures its a bitch sometimes having to choose between sitting in our feelings and twisting one up, throwing one back, tying one on. In some ways the drugs end up replacing You. Sad but true. We worship them, live for them, sometimes even die for them. They become our closest friends. And then at some point we have to let them go. So in a way, getting sober is a kind of death. Its like killing your oldest, and in some ways, best friend. And maybe we're too sensitive for that."