Feb 04 2009
Life Moves Forward and Changes Hairstyles
*SPOILER ALERT* Life returned to primetime TV tonight, showing us the result of Charlie Crews‘ shooting. They had me going there right at the beginning, thinking Crews really didn’t remember who shot him. Seems Crews is as good an actor as Damian Lewis. I liked that Tidwell didn’t buy it for a second. When you’ve got police officers on a show that you’re supposed to admire, it’s nice when they’re actually good at what they do.
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Life also had me in suspense over who actually did shoot him. It was creepy but an interesting twist that Crews refashioned the bullet that shot him into a new one for his attacker. I loved that he told the doctor that he wanted the bullet because someone gave it to him, and that he couldn’t just throw it away. Lewis always has that great cheeky smile when he says stuff like that, too. They did have me worried there for a bit, that he was going to commit cold-blooded revenge murder, but this played out much better.
So now we learn that Agent Bodner (Shashawnee Hall) had some compelling reasons to shoot Crews, in exchange for his family’s protection. Not sure this exactly makes him a good guy, because he sure didn’t seem all that reluctant to make Crews’ life miserable/over. I’m interested to see how this all plays out.
Three cheers for Ted (Adam Arkin) finally getting out of prison, just after he stood up for himself against a slimy inmate. Ted is, in a way, the character the audience can identify with more. He’s not a big tough guy that can take care of himself in prison. He’s a white collar guy, who fell in love with the wrong girl, and is too often the innocent bystander that gets caught up in Crews’ messed-up life. I’m glad that Crews continued to look out for him and didn’t give up until he got him back out of jail again, but it’s still a pretty big deal what Ted had to go through.
And I’m still not sure how I feel about Reese’s (Sarah Shahi) and Tidwell’s (Donal Logue) relationship. I don’t like how Reese acts around him, always making petulant-sounding demands and being angry with him for just about everything. I also don’t like that when I go to write about her character that this relationship is what I’m writing about. I would have been fine with them having an occasional fling here and there, when she needs to blow off some steam, but I don’t like that the relationship is such a focal point on the show. A female police detective doesn’t need to have a romance going all the time; I’d rather just watch her kick some ass while rolling her eyes at Crews.
I was going to say that the one up side to their relationship was that Tidwell had a normal, non-greasy hairstyle and looked five times as handsome in this episode. And then suddenly he had the slicked back ‘do later on in the episode, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. Life is struggling in the ratings and seems to be trying for a more friendly face–going more quirky than dark, ramping up the sex, and making Reese more girly with softer hair and more lip gloss. And now Tidwell got a temporary make-over.
A few minor changes are no big deal, but I think Shahi’s character is starting to suffer and I wish they would stop messing with a good thing. Life is an entertaining and interesting show, and I don’t want it to look like everything else on TV. Different is good.
Watch Life on NBC Wednesdays, 9/8c.
