I'm really loving this show, came to it late as usual. Damian Lewis is very impressive as Charlie Crews, who has just got his life back after 12 wronged years in prison. He was police through and through: he was framed; now he's out and very rich and, apparently, serene, with a great passion for fruit. He practises the art of zen; but his messy life keeps catching up with him despite his splendid isolation. No one wants him back on the force: but with no idea how to spend his great wealth, he does what he can: by day he's an off-beat detective. By night he's hunting – you'll see for what. His partner Dani Reese is being punished for having a drug problem, and the carrot dangled in front of her is to bring Crews down to elevate herself. But (** spoilers **) her partner's good police work and quirky approach to life turn out to bring out the best in her, too. And praise the scriptwriters – these two don't fall in love.
Sarah Shahi's Dani Reese got a better deal out of season 1 than season 2; and so did we (unless you're a 12 year old boy). In the first season she had a really three dimensional life, with mysterious and dysfunctional behaviour accounted for by her having "messed up" on the force; by rehab; by her cop dad who she didn't have a great relationship with before Charlie dragged his shadiness into the light. So her character amply balances out Charlie's oddness. But by season 2 she is these things, in this order: great body; fluffy big hair; the love interest for the new captain; the troubled cop. That's extremely disappointing. Did her new tight fitting clothes and high heels deprive her of inner thoughts? What happened to interesting Reese with the depressive Persian mother, the drug and men problem and the determination to be all the cop her dad was? It's like the director can't wait for another opportunity to show her in her knickers again. Her relationship with the new Captain, Tidwell (Donal Logue, quite as mad as Charlie Crews) had really interesting possibilities of moving in the same self-destructive direction of Reese's past exploits; but currently, about half way through season 2, it's just a regular clothed-guy-naked-girl type deal. Lazy and unnecessarily sexualised: did a female scriptwriter get sacked or something?
As almost everyone has commented here, Adam Arkin lends much-needed heart and humour to the show. I'm suspicious, however, that for season 2 the writers are in danger of pulling a Chandler on him – that is, giving him awful and embarrassing things to do which risk emasculating him (remember poor old Chandler from Friends by the end?). That's not fair on his character: he's more interesting when you remember that he survived prison too.
It's got a nice supporting cast, and I love the way LA is so bright and pretty; and the bodies always more still life art than grimy verité. The zen teachings can be wearing but I still like it a lot – mostly due to Lewis, Shahi and Logue. "Life" has legs – has someone gone and cancelled it then?
Sarah Shahi's Dani Reese got a better deal out of season 1 than season 2; and so did we (unless you're a 12 year old boy). In the first season she had a really three dimensional life, with mysterious and dysfunctional behaviour accounted for by her having "messed up" on the force; by rehab; by her cop dad who she didn't have a great relationship with before Charlie dragged his shadiness into the light. So her character amply balances out Charlie's oddness. But by season 2 she is these things, in this order: great body; fluffy big hair; the love interest for the new captain; the troubled cop. That's extremely disappointing. Did her new tight fitting clothes and high heels deprive her of inner thoughts? What happened to interesting Reese with the depressive Persian mother, the drug and men problem and the determination to be all the cop her dad was? It's like the director can't wait for another opportunity to show her in her knickers again. Her relationship with the new Captain, Tidwell (Donal Logue, quite as mad as Charlie Crews) had really interesting possibilities of moving in the same self-destructive direction of Reese's past exploits; but currently, about half way through season 2, it's just a regular clothed-guy-naked-girl type deal. Lazy and unnecessarily sexualised: did a female scriptwriter get sacked or something?
As almost everyone has commented here, Adam Arkin lends much-needed heart and humour to the show. I'm suspicious, however, that for season 2 the writers are in danger of pulling a Chandler on him – that is, giving him awful and embarrassing things to do which risk emasculating him (remember poor old Chandler from Friends by the end?). That's not fair on his character: he's more interesting when you remember that he survived prison too.
It's got a nice supporting cast, and I love the way LA is so bright and pretty; and the bodies always more still life art than grimy verité. The zen teachings can be wearing but I still like it a lot – mostly due to Lewis, Shahi and Logue. "Life" has legs – has someone gone and cancelled it then?