Wednesday October 14, 2009
Such is ‘Life’
ON THE AIR
By S. INDRAMALAR
Maverick LAPD cop Charlie Crews has one last season to sort out the injustices in his life, making every episode count.
AFTER just a couple of weeks, I was in love. And I was convinced that Life just wouldn’t be the same without Damien Lewis – you know, the Brit actor. Which is why, it was simply devastating to read some months ago that NBC studios had decided to scrap the series after its second season. Doesn’t make sense right? But, yes, Life doesn’t go on after all.
Hey, I’m not being dramatic. It really sucks when a good show gets axed and other third-rate shows (Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Beverly Hills 90210, Ghost Whisperer, just to name a few) get renewed!
But before we lament the loss of another good TV series (and mourn the demise of Detective Charlie Crews – boo hoo hoo), cancel your Friday night plans because Season Two of Life premieres on Star World (Astro channel 711) this Friday.
Clever whodunnit: Season 2 of Life premieres on StarWorld this Friday. If you are new to the series, here’s a short summary and recap of the first season of this brilliant conspiracy cop show.
Damien Lewis is LAPD cop Charlie Crews – a maverick cop who served 12 years in jail after being set up for a murder which he did not commit. He is eventually exonerated and is paid a huge settlement for wrongful incarceration. He returns to his job but while he hunts down criminals with his partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) for the LAPD, Crews is hell bent on finding out who framed him and who committed the gruesome crimes for which he was convicted.
At the end of Season One, Crews has figured out who committed the murders he was accused of but he has not quite figured out why.
Enter Season Two. There are a couple of new characters to the series. First, Crews and Reese get a new boss – Captain Tidwell (Donal Logue, Grounded For Life) who’s kinda crass – he’s from New York, so he’s a little “street” and kinda attracted to Reese. He’s kinda funny too. And he kinda asks Reese out – I won’t spoil the fun, watch it to see what happens. Tidwell and Crews don’t get on all that well – there’s some tension there (male machismo and all that) but they also kinda respect each other.
Charlie also gets a new partner this season. Reese is seconded to work with the FBI for a short while (because an expectant Shahi was late into her pregnancy and needed to be written out for a bit) and Crews is partnered with Detective Jane Seever (Gabrielle Union). Truth be told, I like their chemistry a whole lot better.
Seasons may change and people may change but what’s really important is that the series still boasts a kick-a** script (it’s as witty as ever and we are still left on the edge of our seats at the end of each episode) and a pretty rock-solid story.
And, of course Lewis who is absolutely awesome in the lead role – not since Hugh Laurie’s House (in House MD) has someone managed to make eccentricity that’s bordering on being obnoxious so adorable. That’s got to count for something right?
Then why was Life cancelled? Sigh.
Unlike last season where we had to more or less wait till the end of the season to find out details about the conspiracy (that got Crews imprisoned), in Season Two, bits of the puzzle are unravelled each week (or every couple of episodes) and we discover that all is not as straighforward as Crews first assumes.
He learns that he was a pawn in a huge conspiracy that started even before he became a detective. And there are new players in the game – darker and more mysterious players, chief among them is Russian crime boss, Roman Nevikov (Garret Dillahunt), a really cool bad guy – if anyone has to be one step away from ace Detective Crews, they gotta be convincing. And Nevikov is.
Of course, recurring characters from Season One are brought back to tie up loose ends. Crews finds Rachel Seybolt (Jessy Schram) – the only survivor of the family that Crews was accused of killing – and tries to connect with her, to get her to talk. Crews still wants to get back together with his ex-wife and a little something happens between the two; but you’ll have to watch.
The season opens with Crews and Reese investigating a series of murders where the victims’ bodies are found in trunks with large, red numbers printed on them. They have a serial killer on their hands and they can’t seem to make head or tail of the case with the few leads they have. Crews and Reese study the identities of the bodies found in the trunks but find nothing to link them. You know they will (will they?) but watching the process (and Lewis’ Crews) is always what’s fun about the show.
And, this is going to sound like a ploy to get the whole world watching Life, but the best episode of the season is the very last one. It’ll make you cry, it’ll make you laugh and most of all, it’ll make you mad that it has to end there.
But life’s like that.
Life airs on Fridays on Star World (Astro Channel 711) at 8pm. Don’t miss it.
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