Life...

[fajrdrako]

In these long dreary days before series 2 Torchwood and series 4 Doctor Who and the next season of Battlestar Galactica begin, I have taken to watching Life. Without feeling the least little bit fannish about it, I'm enjoying it very much - and it seems that each episode is better than the one before it.

The premise: it's a cop show about a cop, Charlie Crews, who, twelve years earlier, was convicted of the murder of his friend and business parter. He went to jail for the murder, where he was beaten and abused by other prisoners. He got himself through by reading about zen. Eventually his lawyer proved (from DNA evidence) that he was totally innocent of the murder. He got his freedom, a large monetary settlement, and a job on the police force. His new partner is a woman named Dani Reese, a recovered drug addict. Crews wants to know who framed him for the murder.

Crews reminds me a little of David Creegan of Touching Evil though he isn't brain damaged. He's a guy who spent twelve years in a brutal prison, and has to readjust to the world - but who has his own perspective on things. He shares his house with his personal accountant, Ted, whom he met in prison - Ted was guilty of insider trading.

Like Veronica Mars, each episode features a case. And - this is subtler - each episode has a theme or visual image as a motif. "The Fallen Woman", for example, is about a prostitute who was killed when thrown from a high window, wearing angel wings. Angels become a visual and conceptual motif.

And each episode brings in a new clue about the twelve-year-old murder.

The things I like about it are:

1. Detective Dani Reese: I think she's clever and gorgeous and I love her deadpan delivery of clever lines. And the way she has of squinting as she stares into the distance, like Clint Eastwood.
   
   Dani reminds me of three characters I have loved, two from comics, one from a novel. One is Danielle Moonstar from Marvel comics - maybe because she was also called Dani, but she was also a smart, dark-haired, physically capable hero.
   
   The next two are both created by the same author, Greg Rucka, whose stories I like - particularly his female protagonists. One is Renee Montoya of the Gotham City Police Department. The other is Bridgett Logan, female lead of several of Greg Rucka's novels in the Atticus Kodiak series - Bridgett is a private eye and bodyguard who used to have a drug problem.



2. The zen themes - sometimes presented seriously, sometimes ironically. Giving a slightly different view of the mean streets than we're used to.



3. Ted Earley, Crews' financial adviser and prison pal, played by Adam Arkin with just the right touches of humour and intelligence.



4. Constance Griffiths, Crews' lawyer - she's beautiful and Crews owes his freedom to her, and there's great sexual energy between them. But she's married.



I've watched six of the eight episodes aired so far - and there was another one tonight. I'm looking forward to the rest, and hoping that the show isn't cancelled, or that the writers' strike doesn't do it in.

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Yes, I own the series and I just adore him in that part. Red head, stiff upper lip Brit, top hat love. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So at some point I'm going to have to watch that, too.

And Sarah Shahi is makes me want to watch The L Word, or at least the episodes she's in.

So much TV, so little time!

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

You should! I would love to hear your opinion of it. It has Ioan Gruffuld in it too.

I tried watching the L Word. I never could get into it. :( I don't really know why. I might try it again down the line.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What - Ioan Gruffudd too! I can't resist!

I watched part of an episode of The L Word and was frustrated because the couple I liked didn't stay together, so I stopped watching. But I think I might like it if I watched enough to get to know the characters. Maybe in future.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Don't get too excited. He doesn't last the whole series.

I tried watching it when it was on MP, and got so fed up with those people being so stupid (and, once Ioan Gruffudd was gone, so was my main reason for watching) that I quit about a third of the way in.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That's a pity! I was well aware of the first series, which aired in the days I was a babysitter - though I don't think I ever actually watched it. Maybe a little, but I hardly remember it.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I never saw the first version. Am not inclined to search it out after what I saw of the second version [g].