(S01E03) Reese: You got a pest problem?
Crews: He's not so bad. (Charlie talking about Ted)
I am starting to feel the groove of this show and it is beginning to grow on me. While it is a fairly quiet program, the pace of the story is fast enough not to leave me bored. And, while it is a criminal procedural, there are enough light moments, particularly involving Charlie or Charlie and Reese, to mute the darkness that sometimes permeates these types of shows.
This week the show was heavy on the criminal investigation; yet, there were a number of prime moments that moved the story along. The major moment was Crews' meeting with Carl Ames, the lead detective in Charlie's murder investigation. We learned later in the episode that one of the stipulations to Charlie's legal settlement with the police was he could not confront Ames at any time.
This didn't stop Charlie from finding Ames at his favorite watering hole and presenting him with some new evidence about Rachel, the daughter who survived the triple murder that Charlie was framed for. Last week Charlie discovered that Rachel was actually home when the killings occurred. This contradicts Ames' findings, which said that Rachel was at a sleepover at the time. To Ames' credit, he didn't just take Charlie's envelope of evidence and throw it in the nearest circular file. He took a peek at Charlie's findings.
Another significant moment was Charlie's first meeting with his ex-wife, Jennifer Conover, since his release from the Big House. If you remember from the pilot, one of Charlie's favorite things to do is to pull-over Jennifer's new husband for silly violations. He did the same this week in order to talk to his wife. It wasn't the greatest of reunions for a few reasons. One, Jennifer pretty much abandoned Charlie when he was sent to prison. Two, all Charlie wanted from her was to know where Rachel had moved.
I'm guessing a good many people know what happened to Rachel. But, why would they tell Charlie in the first place? Many of them still think he committed the murders and aren't too sure why he's back out on the streets. Jennifer may be one of those people; however, she doesn't want to give that information to Charlie. If anything, she wants her ex-husband to forget about it all and just move on with his life. If I were placed in solitary confinement for a crime I didn't commit I probably wouldn't want to let it go either.
A third moment that occurred during Life this week was the growing connection between Charlie and his partner, Dani Reese. They are definitely beginning to work better as a team, and are backing up each other. The greatest example of this was Reese's confiscation of Charlie's switchblade; a weapon he pulled on a suspect earlier in the episode, and the fib to her Lieutenant that he didn't use the knife at all.
This is actually significant as it shows that Charlie still has remnants of prison mentality left inside him. Rather than using his service weapon to subdue a perp, he decided to position is knife right next to the suspect's danglers. By removing that knife from Charlie's possession Reese separated him from that part of his prison mentality.
I've talked quite a bit about the character developments that went on in this week's episode, but not about the crime investigation itself. There were just two suspects who could have performed the murder -- the victim's husband and a huge Samoan who carjacked them. At first I did think it was the Samoan, but he was so big I wondered how he was able to fit into the back seat of the victim's sedan without busting the shock absorbers. Then, I thought it was the husband. All he was guilty of, though, was not stopping the Samoan from shooting his wife in the stomach. Turns out it was the big guy, and I like the way that Charlie and Reese used some 'business partners' of the Samoan to catch him in a confession.
Some other items of note this week:
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The only good scene with Ted was when he was putting up a fence -- a chain link fence -- to stop the coyotes from coming onto Charlie's property. 'A fence?', Charlie asked Ted at least twice. Ted finally understood what Charlie meant and took the fence down.
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Charlie watching the cell phone vibrate across his desk.
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Lieutenant Davis -- Is it me or was she much more agreeable to Charlie this week? There wasn't any of that 'If he messes up one time, he's gone.' talk from previous episodes.
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The scene in the body shop. The best part was when Crews saw a car (some kind of GTO, I believe) and asked if he could have GPS installed in it. The upright citizens who ran the shop said that he didn't need GPS because he would be tracked by the man. When Crews repeated what they said Reese said 'But, you are the man.', to which Charlie replied, 'Oh, yes. I am the man.'
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The scene where Charlie spots his ex-wife's husband's car. Charlie's shiny black car with all of the flashing lights reminded me of Mel Gibson's car in Mad Max.
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The only fruit that was eaten this week: caramel apple
If I'm not mistaken next week is a semi-Deadwood reunion as William Sanderson reunites with Robin Weigert on Life.
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-11-2007 @ 12:22PM
Frank said...
This show is ruined for me by the fact that Charlie Crews looks (and sort of acts...) like a character Jason Sudekis from SNL would mockingly portray.
Seriously, I accept that this is a petty reason for disliking a show, but it's tough for me to take him seriously.
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10-11-2007 @ 12:28PM
mikedt said...
Buick Grand National. 300+ lb feet of torque at pretty much idle speed.
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10-11-2007 @ 12:28PM
Jeffrey Lipsey said...
You didn't mention Charlie's sometime random repeating of Dani's words. I found this to be another subtle look into Charlie's weird personality.
Overall, I think Adam Arkin does a good job with Ted.
"Ted serves mainly as Crews’ link to his prison life but otherwise his irrelevant side plot serves as a nice diversion from the rest of the episode."
http://lamererun.com/2007/10/11/life-let-her-go/
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10-11-2007 @ 12:33PM
jeff said...
the car is a buick regal grand national. you didnt even get the make right
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10-11-2007 @ 12:51PM
Chuck said...
This is definitely my favorite new show. I fail to see, however, how a picture of an unmade bed is "proof" that Rachel was in the house? As I recall from last week, Charlie jsut kind of went under the assumption that they were the kind of people who made beds. That sounds pretty shaky.
Great ep, great show.
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10-11-2007 @ 1:23PM
slagar said...
Charlie and the murdered family co-owned a bar together and were close friends. He knew the family was strict and had the kids make their beds every day, which he so stated when he saw the pictue of the unmade bed.
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10-11-2007 @ 1:55PM
Chuck said...
Ah. for some reason that whole kernel of info had escaped my notice. Thanks!
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10-11-2007 @ 1:59PM
Scott Dewar said...
Did anyone else notice when they were asking the Gas attendant about the husband and wife. That he actually told them stuff before they even mentioned the wife and husband. I had to rewind the tivo to make sure I heard right. He starts telling them about the Samoan before they even asked about the husband and wife.
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10-11-2007 @ 3:28PM
John Heltsley said...
The Grand National was indeed a very fine car; if this one meets a tragic end, a la the Bentley, I will cry hard; there are too few of them left on the road to destroy. (To truly make car fans sick, go look up how many Dodge Chargers were destroyed filming the Dukes of Hazzard TV show.)
Also, the knife was not a switchblade. It is a SpyderCo knife, quite likely their Police model that has been in use since 1984. The large thumb hole allows for a very fast and easy opening, making it able to come out almost as fast as a switchblade, however.
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10-11-2007 @ 3:32PM
Chester said...
Scott Dewar: I thought the gas attendant mentioned that the wife was shot before anyone said anything about the couple. I guess it was bad editing because it had nothing to do with the outcome.
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10-11-2007 @ 3:36PM
Chester said...
John Heltsley: It would have been higher had they not used old footage for the jump scenes.
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10-11-2007 @ 3:39PM
kevin said...
The husband's head bandage changed sides when they're questioning him at his house when his mother-in-law is there with his kids (near the end). I rewound it to see if there was a mirror they could've been filming it against, but nope... just crappy editing.
Good show otherwise.
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10-12-2007 @ 7:34PM
alexis said...
love this show!
does anyone happen to know what the song was that was playing while charlie was driving his "new" car?
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10-11-2007 @ 4:11PM
h8rain said...
Kevin: You should have seen the episode of Kitchen Nightmares last night. Mirror images throughout the whole episode. I guess I am just weird, but it bugged the crap out of me.
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10-11-2007 @ 4:41PM
MK said...
@Frank (#1)
I suggest you watch the movie "Keane" in order to change your attitude toward Damian Lewis (Charlie Crews). He is a fine actor and maybe it will help you to take him seriously after you watch the movie. Your comparison him with Sudekis is petty (as you yourself admit) childish and utterly ridiculous.
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10-11-2007 @ 5:45PM
Will said...
Keane is an excellent example of Damian Lewis' acting abilities though it may be a challenging movie for some. His performance in Band of Brothers really drew me in. He has a quality that makes him very compelling to watch. I realize that sounds trite, but Life was the show I anticipated most this season (amongst both new and returning shows) simply because he starred in it. So far I think he's doing an excellent job with the character and hope this show gets at least a season to show his chops.
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10-12-2007 @ 12:13AM
Martha said...
This is such a great show because it breaks the tv-world mold in so many ways. Crews is like so many real-life people after a major trauma--so profoundly changed within that he is barely accessible. He is someone almost unimaginably betrayed--by everyone in his family and professional life, and by the "rules" of fairness in being convicted falsely and in being one of the most oppressed of prison inmates. In his suffering, he could have chosen the dark, but instead chose the light.
Here's where the network executives have their problem with backing their own show. If Charlie had chosen the dark--hey, a show on Hostile Victim With A Badge would be a joy to promote! They'd have outtakes galore of violent beatings, speeding cars, shouting in the police headquarters, etc.
Alas, our Charlie is prone to Zen, not violence. I imagine NBC staff growling, "Now what the hell are we gonna do with THAT?"
Somehow, enough staff at NBC understood that "Life" is a story not unlike that of many other people trying to be good. And somehow, these NBC people prevailed, just. I give them my respect. I wish the money-clutchers at NBC would give them the funds to promote this outstanding show.
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11-08-2007 @ 8:39PM
jackie said...
This is a great new show. I like the idea that both lead characters are basically starting over. Hopefully it will catch on. NBC should do a little more promoting of this series. Only one flaw....editing.
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10-12-2007 @ 10:44AM
Michael said...
I love the whole ZEN aspect of Charlie. The way it is played, we aren't being beat over the head with it but it definitely presents some different choices for Charlie than we might get otherwise in another cop show. I also love the way that Charlie struggles with it, just as we all do with our core beliefs, ie: he has this huge, expensive mansion but no furniture, he owned the Bentley but he keeps telling himself he wasn't attached to it (when obviously he was). Most of all, instead of letting go of his prison stay (as he should have done because of his Zen teachings) he obsesses over it.
All terrific writing that gives us great insight into Charlie's mind.
Oh, and I think he repeats the stuff Dani says to him because he has to get his head around the new slang or terminology she uses. It's a method of imprinting it into his mind. It also could be he just has no clue what she's saying at times and he needs to translate it into something he can understand. Again, super acting by Damian Lewis in truly bringing this character to life. I definitely echo watching him in both "Band of Brothers" and maybe even "Dreamcatcher". He was great in both!
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10-12-2007 @ 12:58PM
dec2006 said...
Having the police lights installed on the Grand National... Brilliant!!
I howled with laughter out loud and frightened the bejeezus out of my wife!
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