I love starting the week with good news like this: Sarah Shahi’s show, Life, has been picked up for the rest of the season. OK, I know it’s not technically “Sarah Shahi’s show,” but I wanted that picture to be right up top, to make your Monday brighter.
As we told you a few weeks ago, Life seemed to be on the verge of ending, unless ratings improved. NBC showed some faith in the show by moving it to Wednesday and now has ordered nine more episodes of the drama. Life is billed as a detective show – as it certainly is – but it is much more complex than that. I always get in trouble with fans when I compare it to shows like CSI, Criminal Minds or other crime dramas, so I won’t. I will say that Life is nothing like those shows, at least in terms of characters. I mean, can you imagine the following exchange on NCIS?
Corrections Officer #1: Getting’ angry, convict? Charlie Crews [Damian Lewis]: Anger ruins joy, steals the goodness of my mind, forces my mouth to say terrible things. Overcoming anger brings peace of mind, leads to a mind without regrets. If I overcome anger, I will be delightful and loved by everyone. Correctional officer #2: Are you makin’ fun of us? Charlie Crews: It is the universe that makes fun of us all.Or this conversation between Willows and Grissom?
Charlie Crews: This [mango] came all the way from Guatemala. And now it’s right here in this cup. It’s all connected, Reese. Dani Reese [Shahi]: What is? Charlie Crews: It is. Dani Reese: Mmm, that’s Zen. Charlie Crews: Is it? Dani Reese: That’s Zen too, isn’t it? Charlie Crews: Is it? Dani Reese: Say “is it?” one more time and I’ll shoot you.I love Charlie Crews. I love the way he is confused by cell phones and voice recognition (he’s been in prison for 12 years). I love his Zen quotes that calm chaotic crime scenes while completely confounding his partner, Dani. And I love the fact that he knows that his philosophy of life is totally at odds with his anger over who framed him. But I don’t love everything. As AfterEllen.com reader pecola warned us, Dani is, for some unknown reason, attracted to her sleazy boss, Captain Tidwell (Donal Logue). Not only is the captain gross, but I also don’t see even a smidgen of chemistry between him and Dani. The two seem to be headed for the sack – and I’m not sure my tummy can take it. Of course, I am inclined to dislike Captain Tidwell anyway, since he replaced the best boss ever, Lt. Karen Davis (Robin Weigert). Still, I’m celebrating Life in all of its extended glory. Are you?
