Customer Reviews

Life: Season Two

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The quirky NBC crime drama "Life" gets a second season, featuring understated British actor Damian Lewis as LA detective Charlie Crews, who spent 12 years in prison for a mass murder he didn't commit before returning to duty anchored by the Zen Buddism he learned to survive his incarceration. His partner is detective Dani Reese (Sara Shahi), recovering substance abuser and daughter of the policeman who may have helped frame Crews. The pair are assisted by Bobby Stark (Brent Sexton), Crews' last buddy from his former days on the force. Their new boss is Lieutenant Kevin Tidwell (Donal Logue), a transfer from New York who seems out of place in laid-back LA but who learns to appreciate Crews and Reese for very different reasons. Adam Arkin returns as Ted Early, once Charlie's white collar criminal cellmate.

The new season follows a familar formula: the detectives each week are handed a new case that proves far more complicated than first appearances. Crews' Zen Buddist approach invariably provides unique, unexpected, and often humorous insights to cases involving, for example, a murder during a student prison experiment, the landing of a plane by a dead astronaut, and the suffocation of a rock star impersonator.

The weekly cases also allow the viewer to watch the slow blossoming of the relationship between Crews and a once skeptical Reese. Crews is by turns a quirky but kind searcher for truth and a shockingly tough cop, a combination Reese learns to value. As Reese learns the truth about her father, she and Crews will discover they have more in common than just a badge.

In a parallel story arc, Crews secretly unravels clues to the conspiracy responsible for his frameup. That conspiracy has expanded to include a mysterious group of retired policemen, one or more rogue FBI agents, and a charming but ruthless Russian mob boss. The conspiracy seems uncannily aware of Crews' every move, and acts ruthlessly to protect itself by attacking Crews, sending Ted Early unjustly back to prison, and endangering Dani Reese. In the outstanding season finale, Crews will combine his Zen and his cop skills to ransom a kidnapped Dani and finally confront a ruthless killer. Series fans will not be disappointed.

"Life: Season Two" on DVD is very highly recommended to fans of this unique police procedural. This reviewer hopes against the ratings numbers that "Life" will get a third season.

The first season of Life was strike abbreviated and just enough to get you hooked on the premise, the characters and the writing. But Season Two of the show was like opening a gift - both in terms of the acting, writing, technical direction, choice of interesting LA venues and wonderful camera work; and advancing the story arc of Crews wrongful imprisonment's genesis. The relationship of Crews and Reese has become stable and supportive, that's not to say that Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) still doesn't irritate, exasperate and often amaze Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi), but they are balanced and he's not constantly rescuing the "maiden in distress". This season you get to see the cracks in Charlie's Zen armor and the effect his trust and confidence has on a very distrusting Dani. And as much as it pains me to admit it, Captain Kevin Tidwell (Donal Logue) has proven to be more than a comedic foil. He's a real person who adds to the story and helps the team through the season, whilst continuing a irregular and illicit romantic relationship with Dani. But he's good for her and that relationship moves Dani toward the season finale reveal that most viewers were looking for with Crews. It's about how you find your faith again, the renewal of trust and the connections we make and the importance and wonder of love (in all forms).

The appearance of wonderful guest stars doesn't take the focus off the central relationship in the series, that of Crews and Reese. That being said, the series was really enriched by the choices of guest stars like:

Garrett Dillahunt (as the ever slimy Russian thug Roman Nevikov)
William Atherton (as the only tangible piece of the conspiracy we see this season- Mickey Rayborne)
Helen McCrory (as the security expert Amanda Puryer - hired by Rayborne and used by Crew)
Gabrielle Union (as the overachieving junior Detective Jane Seever -who I didn't hate nearly as much as I thought I would when I heard she was replacing Sarah Shahi)

I am always amazed at the incredible amount of information conveyed by Damian Lewis' facial expressions and eyes. He continues to say more with just a look than half the actors on TV can with their mouths in 45 minutes. The manner in which the producers dealt with Sarah's pregnancy was inventive and kept her link with Crews alive. It made me realize that I missed Sarah too. She is an integral part of the team and without her presence the show lists and meanders- when Sarah and Damian are together you feel the link, the balance, the connection. Sometimes they don't have to be present in the same shot, but speaking about each other or two each other. It was also very apparent that Crews missed Reese and vice versa. It's very clear that Charlie has one partner and it's Dani. The realization that he comes to in the finale is poignant without being overplayed and leaves much room for growth, drama and conflict in the third season this show richly deserves.

It is an ever increasingly disappointing social commentary on us as viewers that talent show TV survives and thrives, when gems like this struggle to win their niche in TV land. Only by respecting and appreciating "gifts' like LIFE can we hope for continued good television. If you haven't seen Life yet, check it out. You are in for a treat, in terms of talent, writing, sheer entertainment value and visually arresting shots and venues.

And who knows... if you listen you might just learn something from Crews - that you don't have to understand here to be here. For now, I'll appreciate the now of Life's Second Season and try not to think about where we're going next (......but I'm secretly hoping it is Season Three).

How often can you say that? I'm usually happy with anything that's not Reality TV. But this show leaves you craving more. Even though the Second Season wraps up some of the answers of Charlie Crew's conspiracy theory, there are still a lot left. I'm hoping NBC lets USA pick up a new person for their 'Characters Welcome' add. I can't imagine not seeing this show for a few more seasons. I would love to see Charlie and his first partner, Bobby, work together on some more cases. And now that Shahi has had her baby, she can get back to work as Charlie's best partner, Dani. Regardless, Season Two is great to watch over and over. If you haven't got Season One yet, make it a dual purchase. It's worth the money.

If you ever wonder why NBC is the cellar dweller, wonder no more. They take very good shows like this and Journeyman, jack them around on the schedule, underpublicize them, and there you have it. One of the best cop shows on TV, and now it's gone.

You can see and feel the frustration in the last few shows on the actor's faces.

There are several eloquent and detailed reviews here, so no reason to go over the same issues.

Cheers was a new show that was at the bottom of the ratings. Brandon Tartikoff the NBC honcho at the time, saw the quality of the show and stayed with it. Cheers turned out to be a blockbuster hit in it's second year. Life never had a chance. We watched every episode but what a chore trying to find it!

TOO BAD for us and NBC....

I really will miss this show. I bought season one and I had never before purchased a tv series. It seems a silly notion, but not with LIFE. I watch it again and again and I'm sure I will do the same with season 2. Too bad that the channel couldn't stop moving it around and find it a nice home for 4-5 years. I would have purchased every season!

I was very glad to see they made the second season and I most definitely hope for a third (same as with Shark series). Damien Lewis is so good that I started buying anything with him in it, just on the basis of the first Life season. Intelligent, funny and well plotted, far from sentimental with a hero who has more inner conflict than the current Batman but turns the opposing forces to his advantage - more of an Aikido disciple than Zen. Or both, probably.

There are not that many really intelligent and funny series around (and especially surviving the ratings from your general public) so if you like your shows with lots of action but smart, with really twisted thinking and really good acting thrown in for a huge bonus, do not miss that one.

Life came on unassuming and unpretentious. But it was so different and so wonderful that I could not ignore it. Life follows the story Charlie Crews, a cop who was falsely imprisoned for 12 years for murder. After being released, he was given a massive settlement and a badge. But his time in prison changed him. He was not the same man any more. He attempted to bring order and balance to his life through zen, but any man who went through what Charlie went through would be filled with such a rage that no amount of zen could keep it in check forever. And that's what season 2 all leads up to, what it builds to. Season 1 followed Charlie's investigation of who framed him. Season 2 follows his investigation of why and, now that he knows the who, how is going to punish them.
So that's the overarching plot. But each episode is a self-contained story about a murder. This is a cop show after all. But the "thing" about Life is that Crews and his partner Dannie Reese get the weirdest cases California has to offer. Season 1 introduced this premise, but season 2 perfected it. The entire season is so memorable and wonderful, but there are some noteworthy gems that will have you thinking about them for days. For instance, the case of a man impaled with a broom stick which leads to a globetrotting assassin who uses common household items to kill the target. Or a man found dead in the Christmas display at a mall, whose body disappears and leads police to strange group of homeless children living in the mall, who had followed the dead man like a prophet.
Life is one of those shows that pulls you in and won't let you look away. But as is the way of television, great shows get canceled and this is the final season of Life. So buy it and enjoy it for years to come. And who knows, maybe DVD sales will spark a different network to pick up Life for another season?

Another great show cancelled because it couldn't find an audience , at least the writers gave it some closure with the last episode . I'm going to hold off purchasing season two until I find out if they cut costs like the first season , substituting the great soundtrack by original artists with what sounded like somebody in a studio composing the soundtrack with a synthesizer . But what can you expect these days from NBCheap ? Soon to be filling up 5 hours of weekday primetime from 10-11pm with that unfunny hack Leno , not picking up David Kelly's pilot Legally Mad , only renewing Chuck for 13 episodes , and flooding their schedule with reality garbage . No original soundtrack - not buying it ! Besides it's only a matter of time before the Life episodes make it to a cable channel , which is where the better tv series seem to be coming from lately anyway .

I loved this show WHEN IT WAS ON TV (It was 5 star worthy). The DVDs (season 1 and 2) are a big disappointment with the awful replacement music. I didn't understand how much emotion was not only solicited by the great acting and writing but more so by the score. When I used to re-watch the TV versions (that I Tivo'd but lost when my tivo crashed!), I had an emotional response every time I watched it. When I watched the DVDs -- no such response. It was almost like I bought a Gucci bag only to take it home and find out it's a knock-off. I hope Damien Lewis comes back to TV!!

Conspiracy theories tend to intrigue the human mind. Unfortunately, for a number people they can become an obsession.

Life is a conspiracy based series. It is like one of those old table puzzles that you would find at your grandma's house. A couple of thousand pieces with similar hues and tints and various unusual shapes away brought a sense of awe as you looked at that cherry game table and the puzzle box picture laying on the side. Putting it all together became an exercise of geometrical precision and patchwork color analysis.

It was a great series. Like one reviewer said, it was refreshing to watch a show without the CSI overtones. In many ways it was unique on television. Wait a minute! It was unique.

The characters were well written and acted by a great ensemble cast. The series hit the high road during its second and final season on NBC.

It was kind of nice to travel with Charlie Crews as he searched for the truth and reconnected with "normal" society. Dani Reese was his partner with her own baggage and strange connection to Crews in his former life.

Crews' sheer enjoyment of fruit was a delightful subtext in each episode. His mansion was a pure exercise in abstract contrast to someone of means. Also, great cars!

The stories and the players were just pure enjoyment to watch. The second season began a countdown to the finale which would tie up all the splintered ends to this cave spider's web maze which formed the core of the conspiracy.

If you want an intelligent drama with humor, then Life is the series for you. In many ways the last several episodes bring it all together into a neat package.

So, grab a bowl of fresh fruit, sit down and watch one of the best series in years. I place this on the same level as the old Crime Story series which lasted two seasons as well on NBC.