season one, LIFE
I finally got to see Life by the simple expedient of buying the DVD set and enticing feklar to watch it with me. I've wanted to see it since I knew it had 1) Damian Lewis and 2) Damian Lewis playing a cop (Charlie Crews) who'd spent twelve years in prison for murders he didn't commit. Mmmm, angst.
I got all that and more; Sarah Shahi as the angsty partner (Dani Reese) who constantly plays straight woman to Crews' wacky Zen-ish koans and love for fruit, and Alan Arkin as Crews' prison buddy (Ted Earley) who was convicted of insider trading and now handles Crews' enormous financial settlement for his false accusation. (I still have no clue how someone in prison for insider training would end up in the same maximum security facility as an accused multiple-murderer, but I am overlooking that, the same tv-goggles way I overlook how Dr. Gregory House is still employed as a doctor.)
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Reese's angst in season two, and hoping that the tension between her and Crews continues atop what's become a bond of trust between partners. She had a lot of issues in season one that are just crying out for screen time.
As for Ted, he and Charlie are so married--at least in many of their conversations--and I hope he gets just as much or more screen time in the new season, not just as comic relief, but as a character in his own right. Did he learn anything from prison? How has he changed since his wheeling and dealing days?
A side note on financial settlements: barbarienne pointed out that Crews would only be due a financial settlement if evidence had been tampered with, not if he was simply wrongfully accused on the evidence presented. This is very interesting, given that the show's second season is supposed to delve further into a conspiracy that led to Crews being framed.
I watch for the characterization and the acting, which is all wonderful. At the moment, I'm still a bit dazzled by the way Lewis can demonstrate a man holding on to himself by his fingernails at the same time as he's spouting philosophy and picking up women on buses. It's clear that his sometimes fortune-cookie-like moments are really intended to distract himself from an emotional maelstrom. When he does achieve moments of Zen, it never lasts. It's a constant fight. And that's what makes it fun to watch.
I got all that and more; Sarah Shahi as the angsty partner (Dani Reese) who constantly plays straight woman to Crews' wacky Zen-ish koans and love for fruit, and Alan Arkin as Crews' prison buddy (Ted Earley) who was convicted of insider trading and now handles Crews' enormous financial settlement for his false accusation. (I still have no clue how someone in prison for insider training would end up in the same maximum security facility as an accused multiple-murderer, but I am overlooking that, the same tv-goggles way I overlook how Dr. Gregory House is still employed as a doctor.)
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Reese's angst in season two, and hoping that the tension between her and Crews continues atop what's become a bond of trust between partners. She had a lot of issues in season one that are just crying out for screen time.
As for Ted, he and Charlie are so married--at least in many of their conversations--and I hope he gets just as much or more screen time in the new season, not just as comic relief, but as a character in his own right. Did he learn anything from prison? How has he changed since his wheeling and dealing days?
A side note on financial settlements: barbarienne pointed out that Crews would only be due a financial settlement if evidence had been tampered with, not if he was simply wrongfully accused on the evidence presented. This is very interesting, given that the show's second season is supposed to delve further into a conspiracy that led to Crews being framed.
I watch for the characterization and the acting, which is all wonderful. At the moment, I'm still a bit dazzled by the way Lewis can demonstrate a man holding on to himself by his fingernails at the same time as he's spouting philosophy and picking up women on buses. It's clear that his sometimes fortune-cookie-like moments are really intended to distract himself from an emotional maelstrom. When he does achieve moments of Zen, it never lasts. It's a constant fight. And that's what makes it fun to watch.