Life: Initiative 38
Things I never thought I'd hear Charlie Crews say:
1. "I need a bigger gun."
But first...ok, this is NOT HAPPENING. Damn you promo monkeys for daring to suggest that next week is the last Life ever. I spit in your general direction.
Denial:
Wow, that’s a huge HITG. Kevin Kilner, if you must know, playing Howard Amis. He was just on Dollhouse the other day, too.
Even though no one in their right mind sets their sprinkler system to start in broad daylight, I liked the shot where the sprinklers go off as Howard is told that his wife is dead. Very symbolic and nice, visually.
Redhead alert! The actress playing Ella. Maybe they’ll cancel Life because they’ve run out of redheads who live in L.A. There can’t be that many; they probably die off pretty quickly of the skin cancer.
“Use everything. Leave nothing.” So that’s going to be our theme this week, I guess.
Three of my favorite scenes are back to back to back.
Ella: “I told Lisa I could make you mayor in three weeks.”
….and Seever locks him out of the car!
Charlie gets in: “What?”
Seever: “Nothing.”
Charlie: “Because she said I could be mayor?”
Seever: “No. The door was just locked.”
Charlie: “You…you are such a sore loser!”
Seever: “No I’m not!”
Charlie: “Oh yeah, you are. On the rare occasion you do lose.”
Seever: “To be clear? I’m not sore loser. And she said she could make you mayor, not make you a good mayor.”
Charlie: “Elder brothers?”
Seever: “Four of them. It shows?”
Charlie: “A little bit. Hey, would you vote for me?”
Seever: “No, I would not vote for you.”
Charlie: “I said I’d vote for you!”
Though I’ve never known an American who says “elder” instead of “older” (set me straight if I’m wrong, flist) I love that scene. Charlie, in a very affectionate way, is loving having found the chink in her armor. Hee.
Tidwell: “Somethin’ different about you.”
Seever: “No. I’m exactly the same.”
Tidwell: “There’s something.”
Charlie: “She’s not smiling.”
Seever: “I’m smiling. I am smiling.”
Charlie: “Because I could be mayor.”
Tidwell: “You’re gonna be mayor?”
Charlie: “No. But I could be. In three weeks!”
Charlie always gathers tidbits from the subjects they interview --- their quirks and skills --- and he finds them sorta delightful..
At P&K:
Charlie: “Bobby? Who are they?”
Bobby: “They work here.”
Charlie: “And they’re all carrying?”
Seever: “Within the confines of this building, they’re well within their rights.”
Charlie: “Lawyer and a cop.”
Bobby: “That all?”
Charlie: “Olympics. Just the relay.”
Ha. I’m really enjoying how much fun Charlie is having with Seever. Observing her, poking fun at her, talking about her.
After the bomb scare, I like how Howard is acting a bit stunned, but looks at Seever and says, “Too bad nobody got a picture of you saving me. You could make a whole career out of a picture like that.” That’s a nice character bit. As a political king-maker, that’s where his mind goes. He noted, before, that she said she might want to be mayor, and he didn’t forget, and when this craziness happened, he puts the two together and he has to put that out there. Whether he’s distraught or, as it turns out, putting up a smokescreen to cover a murder, his essential thing comes through.
Tidwell: “Looks like Seever took almost getting blown up personally.”
Charlie: “Looks like Seever did.”
She’s got a whole war room! And a team! I love it.
Tidwell: “Nothing personal? I’d vote for her.”
Charlie: “Nothing personal, so would I.”
Hey, she’s wearing a vest! Over the tank top. Under the jacket. Above the jeans. But still, progress!
Charlie visits Ella in her office. There’s a look that Charlie gives. A look that I’ve seen before, that I really like. Charlie gives that look to Ella, just before he says, “Who is the little one, Ella?” If you rewatch, you’ll see what I mean.
Also? In the forest? Pants.
I love the scene at the FBI.
Charlie: “What are you? The Badass Agent That Doesn’t Talk?”
Badass Agent: “No.”
Charlie: “No because you said something?”
Badass Agent: “Yes.”
Suit!
Didn’t miss ya.
Tidwell trashes her desk.
Badass Agent pulls a gun on Charlie.
Charlie pulls his gun on Badass Agent.
Oh how I love Charlie’s gun face. This is a good one.
Suit: “Boys. Just because you have guns, doesn’t mean you have to show them."
Ok. You’re a bitch, but that’s a good line.
AMANDA! So glad she's back this week.
Ok, why is Charlie staring at that huge photo in the waiting room at P&K? I mean, besides the obvious. Is it just that it's a woman in a bikini holding a gun? Because this is Charlie, and that doesn’t seem enough to drive him to distraction like that. Is it supposed to mean something? Or is it just to set up Seever’s comment and then to let the show off the hook?
Because…what?
Seever: “There is going to be sexual tension. Between us. Between all male/female partners. It’s in the documentation. In the manual. It suggests fantasy. As a way of dealing with it.”
Charlie is distracted by the giant bikini gunman and doesn’t hear any of it
Now, any construct that brings even the mention of sexual tension together with some version of Damian Lewis is ok with me. However:
1) I sorta buy that Seever would say something like that, but not in that setting, and not in response to nothing at all. She would say it after some awkward moment, like (as a matter of fact) when they were on the floor back in the coroner’s office last week. To fill the silence after she had suddenly and unexpectedly felt attracted to Charlie. She’s sort of a blurter, so if she’s feeling it, it fits. But sitting in a waiting room, on their way to interview a subject? No, it felt wrong.
2) The manual suggests fantasy? Wow, that is one stupid manual. Fantasy does not circumvent sexual tension and make it go away. Kids, I cannot emphasize this enough. Maybe the manual should suggest poor hygiene or offensive jokes. Either of those might work.
I loved the scene between Ted and Amanda. I really like the way Amanda speaks. Her particular accent; the way she clips her words.
Amanda: “She’s in Italy, Mr. Early.”
Ted: “Who?”
Amanda: “You know whom. Olivia.”
Ted: “Alone?
Amanda: “Mmm. Alone. She called you twice; hung up both times.”
Ted: “How do you know this?”
Amanda: “I know everything.”
Ted: “What’s that like?”
Amanda: “Almost always disappointing. …..There!” She finds Dani’s cell phone signal. And she offers Ted a gun. Hee.
Adam Arkin’s timing and inflection on “What’s that like?” are SO perfect. I love that guy.
(It also reminds me of a line from Broadcast News, but then what doesn’t.)
Department of Nitpicks and Quibbles: I don’t think they have enough evidence to take Howard into custody. Ella hasn’t even given them a statement to his guilt yet… And didn’t he destroy the guns? (I say it’s a nitpick because I couldn’t really care less about the case of the week. They’re buckets of fun, I just don’t care about the legal/procedural realism.)
Charlie is looking at Dani’s gun and cell phone. “Roman.”
IT IS SO ON!!! For one episode. *shakes fist at NBC and at Jay Leno for good measure*
And, though I put this scene, from the promo, in last week’s recap, I have to repeat it here, cause it’s such a perfect last scene.
Ted: “Charlie, what are you thinking?”
Charlie: “I’m thinking about what I want and what I need.”
Ted: “What do you want?”
Charlie: “I want a peaceful soul.”
Ted: “And what do you need?”
Charlie: “I need a bigger gun.”
CHARLIE NEEDS A BIGGER GUN TO GO AFTER ROMAN. THIS IS LIKE THE DEFINITION OF WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY. And then suicidal, because then it will be over forever.
*runs to piggy bank to see if she has enough to pay for another season of Life*
.
ETA: spoilery promo pics from next week’s finale and Life makes the list of shows TWoP wants to save. Check out the comments below the list - lots of Life love.
1. "I need a bigger gun."
But first...ok, this is NOT HAPPENING. Damn you promo monkeys for daring to suggest that next week is the last Life ever. I spit in your general direction.
Denial:
Wow, that’s a huge HITG. Kevin Kilner, if you must know, playing Howard Amis. He was just on Dollhouse the other day, too.
Even though no one in their right mind sets their sprinkler system to start in broad daylight, I liked the shot where the sprinklers go off as Howard is told that his wife is dead. Very symbolic and nice, visually.
Redhead alert! The actress playing Ella. Maybe they’ll cancel Life because they’ve run out of redheads who live in L.A. There can’t be that many; they probably die off pretty quickly of the skin cancer.
“Use everything. Leave nothing.” So that’s going to be our theme this week, I guess.
Three of my favorite scenes are back to back to back.
Ella: “I told Lisa I could make you mayor in three weeks.”
….and Seever locks him out of the car!
Charlie gets in: “What?”
Seever: “Nothing.”
Charlie: “Because she said I could be mayor?”
Seever: “No. The door was just locked.”
Charlie: “You…you are such a sore loser!”
Seever: “No I’m not!”
Charlie: “Oh yeah, you are. On the rare occasion you do lose.”
Seever: “To be clear? I’m not sore loser. And she said she could make you mayor, not make you a good mayor.”
Charlie: “Elder brothers?”
Seever: “Four of them. It shows?”
Charlie: “A little bit. Hey, would you vote for me?”
Seever: “No, I would not vote for you.”
Charlie: “I said I’d vote for you!”
Though I’ve never known an American who says “elder” instead of “older” (set me straight if I’m wrong, flist) I love that scene. Charlie, in a very affectionate way, is loving having found the chink in her armor. Hee.
Tidwell: “Somethin’ different about you.”
Seever: “No. I’m exactly the same.”
Tidwell: “There’s something.”
Charlie: “She’s not smiling.”
Seever: “I’m smiling. I am smiling.”
Charlie: “Because I could be mayor.”
Tidwell: “You’re gonna be mayor?”
Charlie: “No. But I could be. In three weeks!”
Charlie always gathers tidbits from the subjects they interview --- their quirks and skills --- and he finds them sorta delightful..
At P&K:
Charlie: “Bobby? Who are they?”
Bobby: “They work here.”
Charlie: “And they’re all carrying?”
Seever: “Within the confines of this building, they’re well within their rights.”
Charlie: “Lawyer and a cop.”
Bobby: “That all?”
Charlie: “Olympics. Just the relay.”
Ha. I’m really enjoying how much fun Charlie is having with Seever. Observing her, poking fun at her, talking about her.
After the bomb scare, I like how Howard is acting a bit stunned, but looks at Seever and says, “Too bad nobody got a picture of you saving me. You could make a whole career out of a picture like that.” That’s a nice character bit. As a political king-maker, that’s where his mind goes. He noted, before, that she said she might want to be mayor, and he didn’t forget, and when this craziness happened, he puts the two together and he has to put that out there. Whether he’s distraught or, as it turns out, putting up a smokescreen to cover a murder, his essential thing comes through.
Tidwell: “Looks like Seever took almost getting blown up personally.”
Charlie: “Looks like Seever did.”
She’s got a whole war room! And a team! I love it.
Tidwell: “Nothing personal? I’d vote for her.”
Charlie: “Nothing personal, so would I.”
Hey, she’s wearing a vest! Over the tank top. Under the jacket. Above the jeans. But still, progress!
Charlie visits Ella in her office. There’s a look that Charlie gives. A look that I’ve seen before, that I really like. Charlie gives that look to Ella, just before he says, “Who is the little one, Ella?” If you rewatch, you’ll see what I mean.
Also? In the forest? Pants.
I love the scene at the FBI.
Charlie: “What are you? The Badass Agent That Doesn’t Talk?”
Badass Agent: “No.”
Charlie: “No because you said something?”
Badass Agent: “Yes.”
Suit!
Didn’t miss ya.
Tidwell trashes her desk.
Badass Agent pulls a gun on Charlie.
Charlie pulls his gun on Badass Agent.
Oh how I love Charlie’s gun face. This is a good one.
Suit: “Boys. Just because you have guns, doesn’t mean you have to show them."
Ok. You’re a bitch, but that’s a good line.
AMANDA! So glad she's back this week.
Ok, why is Charlie staring at that huge photo in the waiting room at P&K? I mean, besides the obvious. Is it just that it's a woman in a bikini holding a gun? Because this is Charlie, and that doesn’t seem enough to drive him to distraction like that. Is it supposed to mean something? Or is it just to set up Seever’s comment and then to let the show off the hook?
Because…what?
Seever: “There is going to be sexual tension. Between us. Between all male/female partners. It’s in the documentation. In the manual. It suggests fantasy. As a way of dealing with it.”
Charlie is distracted by the giant bikini gunman and doesn’t hear any of it
Now, any construct that brings even the mention of sexual tension together with some version of Damian Lewis is ok with me. However:
1) I sorta buy that Seever would say something like that, but not in that setting, and not in response to nothing at all. She would say it after some awkward moment, like (as a matter of fact) when they were on the floor back in the coroner’s office last week. To fill the silence after she had suddenly and unexpectedly felt attracted to Charlie. She’s sort of a blurter, so if she’s feeling it, it fits. But sitting in a waiting room, on their way to interview a subject? No, it felt wrong.
2) The manual suggests fantasy? Wow, that is one stupid manual. Fantasy does not circumvent sexual tension and make it go away. Kids, I cannot emphasize this enough. Maybe the manual should suggest poor hygiene or offensive jokes. Either of those might work.
I loved the scene between Ted and Amanda. I really like the way Amanda speaks. Her particular accent; the way she clips her words.
Amanda: “She’s in Italy, Mr. Early.”
Ted: “Who?”
Amanda: “You know whom. Olivia.”
Ted: “Alone?
Amanda: “Mmm. Alone. She called you twice; hung up both times.”
Ted: “How do you know this?”
Amanda: “I know everything.”
Ted: “What’s that like?”
Amanda: “Almost always disappointing. …..There!” She finds Dani’s cell phone signal. And she offers Ted a gun. Hee.
Adam Arkin’s timing and inflection on “What’s that like?” are SO perfect. I love that guy.
(It also reminds me of a line from Broadcast News, but then what doesn’t.)
Department of Nitpicks and Quibbles: I don’t think they have enough evidence to take Howard into custody. Ella hasn’t even given them a statement to his guilt yet… And didn’t he destroy the guns? (I say it’s a nitpick because I couldn’t really care less about the case of the week. They’re buckets of fun, I just don’t care about the legal/procedural realism.)
Charlie is looking at Dani’s gun and cell phone. “Roman.”
IT IS SO ON!!! For one episode. *shakes fist at NBC and at Jay Leno for good measure*
And, though I put this scene, from the promo, in last week’s recap, I have to repeat it here, cause it’s such a perfect last scene.
Ted: “Charlie, what are you thinking?”
Charlie: “I’m thinking about what I want and what I need.”
Ted: “What do you want?”
Charlie: “I want a peaceful soul.”
Ted: “And what do you need?”
Charlie: “I need a bigger gun.”
CHARLIE NEEDS A BIGGER GUN TO GO AFTER ROMAN. THIS IS LIKE THE DEFINITION OF WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY. And then suicidal, because then it will be over forever.
*runs to piggy bank to see if she has enough to pay for another season of Life*
.
ETA: spoilery promo pics from next week’s finale and Life makes the list of shows TWoP wants to save. Check out the comments below the list - lots of Life love.