Life: Serious Control Issues
By fred | November 29, 2007
(S01E09) Should I mention again how I love this show – best new series of the season – and how glad I am NBC finally made their decision, and took the right one, picking up Life for one full season order ? Maybe not. So let’s move on directly into this episode. You know what, I think I need to say I really love that show, it’s just so good !
I really can’t recommend enough to anyone who thought this was only just another cop show (with a twist) to check it out, once again a brilliant episode, with a quality of writing like you don’t find everywhere else. This show is all about characters, well not “all” but mostly, and they are so incredibly well written it really feels like a blessing.
As illustrated this week, even second characters and those we’ll only meet once benefit from the same treatment of choice as Charlie does. It couldn’t be any better.
Once this episode was over, my main – and pretty much only reaction for a while was “wow!” Just wow, what a freaking awesome episode this was.
I remember how, during the first episodes, I use to say how I wasn’t so much into the whole conspiracy plot. Not that I didn’t like it, but I never felt really interested in it more than that. For a few episodes now things have evolved, thanks to the brilliant writing and how it all got into play and, let’s face it, how things are moving forward there.
On many shows when you have such a back story on a show, one that’s meant to be dragged on for years to come, it’s not uncommon to only get a few hints from time to time, but without any real development unless during the season finale (and the premiere after that). But on this show, once again we got an important part of the episode dedicated to that “secret” investigation.
And pretty much as last time there was some pretty interesting development too. Charlie knows there are dirty people on the inside, and he knows this whole might could blow up in his face, so the way it is for him : he’s got no reason to really help them. Not that he’ll try to lie or anything though, but using his new Zen way of thinking when answering questions is more than enough.
And when he finally had a face to face meeting with Reese’s father, the mysterious Jack, he did not hide the fact that he took the pictures and “sent” them. Which was a really great move overall, and I think even “helped” with his Lieutenant. We’ve already seen her getting more and more inclined to stand on his side, because in the end of the day he’s a good cop and she’s come to appreciate that, and the way he “came clean” there only comforted her, I think, into thinking that while he may – of course – not have forgotten this whole case and put it behind him, he’s also not on a personal vendetta, going around killing people.
This week Reese did not only show support for her partner once again, by not wanting anyone else for partner or even opening up a little to Charlie : “I don’t really understand you. I don’t really like you. But, you’re not one of the bad guys.” For the record, I think she does like him, she just doesn’t want to admit it, for now.
I think the biggest sign of trust Charlie received from her this week, though, was when she gave him his knife back. Now not only was that whole thing pretty hilarious, especially when it first came into the discussion on how she took it away from him, but it proved that she not only trusted that he was a good cop but a good guy, that he was adapting back to the reality of being free in the world and not holding on to his past and refusing to let go.
It was also a sign that she trusted he was in control, and wouldn’t go wild any time. Earlier on, and after some more pressure from the Lieutenant, she questioned his ability to focus and stay professional (when Charlie talked to the guard father), and this was maybe a way to apologize for that as well.
I’m not sure what to think of Jack at this point, but I’ll say this : yes, as Charlie pointed out he’s retired now, yet he can have the Lieutenant leave her office like that, because he obviously still has a lot of power and resources. He sure can pull the right strings if he has to. And I’m thinking he’s definitely part of the conspiracy, it almost sounded as if he was threatening Charlie at some point.
