Click here for the discussion thread on the season premiere


UNDERGROUND PARTY CIRCUIT CLAIMS LIFE OF FAMILY MAN—Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) and Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) investigate the death of a family man who is found beaten and bound to a chair at the bottom of an empty pool. Captain Tidwell (Donal Logue) is convinced the murder was an act of gang violence and sends the detectives on assignment. After interviewing the victim’s daughters and two gang members, Crews and Reese’s only clues are an underground party circuit, a bottle of steroids, and a myth about a man only known as Monster. Meanwhile, Ted (Adam Arkin) gets an unexpected visit from Dani’s father who is determined to find out what information Crews has on him and consequently has a request of Ted. Crews also enlists the help of his ex-wife Jennifer (Jennifer Siebel) to reach out to Rachel (Jessy Schram), the lone survivor of the murdered family Crews was wrongly convicted of killing. Brent Sexton also stars.

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PLEASE NOTE the following SPECIAL TWO WEEK schedule of the first FOUR episodes of Life!

(Week of September 28-October 4)
(Monday) 09/29/08 10:00 PM ... FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE
(Friday) 10/03/08 10:00 PM ... EVERYTHING...ALL THE TIME

(Week of October 5-11)
(Monday) 10/06/08 10:00 PM ... THE BUSINESS OF MIRACLES
(Friday) 10/10/08 10:00 PM ... NOT FOR NOTHING

I once again LOVED this episode!! Where to begin?? The twisted triangle that was this case..the amazing writers who wrote the episode..Damian's purple shirt! . I liked the talk between Crews and Reese about Reese being uptight, cute.

how did Jack find out about Charlie taking rachel? why did he go to ted?

anyone know what kind of Italian car Charlie was driving? He lookd so dang yummy wearing those shades and the clothes he wore..the car fit him perfectly! I love how he justified getting a car and then saying that it was just an object, great line Damian!

why doesn't Ted know anything about Jack? wouldn't Charlie have told Ted who set him up..ie Jack??

Everything about this episode was great!! The writing, the music, the plot line, the characters..the cast!

I so can't wait until Monday's NEW episode!!

Excellent episode. I never want these episodes to end. I am always ready to see more of Crews life unfold.

One question-- where is Rachel staying? It appears to be a hospital of some sorts. I also wonder how she is not being found by those who would want to find her.

Favorite scene of this episode is where Crews' ex-wife started to hold his hand while they were with Rachel. The emotions that Damian Lewis can convey without speaking are priceless.

Howdy LIFEers,

CONTAINS SPOILERS BELOW

Just caught the Friday night episode of LIFE and what can I say, very good, very good indeed! The first fifteen minutes was one bit of humor after another by Mr. Crews but after that it became pure drama.

“Everything All the Time” referenced to a song by the 70 era band group the “Eagles” and their song “Life in the fast lane.” Money can buy and get you a lot of things, including trouble. Detective Crews and his Partner Detective Reese seem to be the ALPHA dogs when it comes to getting the guilty party, which in this case includes parties being thrown by offspring of the rich and powerful.

I did like the show very much, my only disappointment, when Mr. Crews crawled into the back seat with ex-Mrs. Crews. The lady did come through for me though , come on Mr. Crews, you’re one of the rich now. You can’t have “Everything All the Time”. I don’t mind you pulling the new hubby over or leaving a white horse on your ex-wife’s lawn but dude know you limitations. Captain Winters would never do such a thing.

My hats off to all involved in this episode. It was very entertaining!

Z

For the browncoats, “It’s just an object. It doesn’t mean anything.” Mr. Crews there at the end must have Zen-ed River in the FF episode “Objects in Space”.

am I the only woman who thought Damian/Charlie looked totally yummy making out with his ex-wife? LOL

Hands down one of the best shows on the air. Love how Charlie has a handle on everything with the new car, which is too slick for words. Great job of setting up future scenes between the ex, Rachel, Jack Reese, and so much more. I think the addition of Lonegal, correct me if I am wrong, is a strong asset. There is less tension in the department and less need for another storyline that just complicates things. Great writing. One thing though, the wife says, "I remember that." I don't know if that would do it for me. Seems like it would be a reminder that she wasn't there for him when he really needed her. Guess I am thinking too much like a woman instead of a man about to make love to someone he probably never stopped loving. NBC - I am looking forward to a long, healthy season of Life. So make those SAG members happy.

Not unless someone killed all the members on the DL group list on yahoo, including myself. Positively delicious. "Support you local homocide detective."

Did anyone else feel like this episode was particularly uneven? The editing seemed sloppy and the writing was not nearly as tight as it was in the season premiere!

Hopefully this was a momentary lapse and the show will continue to improve from last season...

does anyone know when this with be available on the nbc website. time warner and nbc decided it wasn't going to air the episode on tv tonight. that stinks.

The pacing is not as tight as it has been in the past, and I think the connection between scenes did not run as smooth. Also, I really thought there should have been more interaction with Ted, but that is just me. I am hoping things settle down, and they get the groove back. The last three episodes of Life from Season 1 had great rhythm. It was cop stuff, cop stuff, Charlie stuff, cop stuff, cop stuff, conspiracy stuff, cop stuff, murder clues connected, cop stuff, confession time then conspiracy stuff. That's what gave it the "my heart is racing feel." They just need to find their new rhythm. That's all.

hi,
really love this show. but like charlie's new tight ride and pressed jeans; "everything, all the time"; dani's new totally coiffed locks...the show seems to be getting pretty polished and supercharged.

i like the new lt. because he IS greasy and lame and more real (i guess) and reminds me of a lot of the depth and charm season one had because it was flawed and unpredictable. hope the show's not going to turn hard and coiffed too. just my thoughts.
thanks,
r.

Tonight Episode was Excellent. I got really excited when they played Ladytron's song Ghost at the beginning. I really liked that song. This show, Amazing as Always. My weekend started off GOOOOOD.

The new car is a maserati but I don't know which model

http://www.maserati.com/

I don't think you can compare Dick Winters to Charlie Crews...they're pretty different people...

I have a new obsession..Damian Lewis and Maserati's...YUM!

oh to be Charlie's ex-wife..so delicious!

first 12-14 minutes of the episode the audio was all messed up. All background noise and music, none of the dialog was there. Was is the cable or did someone screw up? Comcast cable, HD channel in Utah. Anyone else have this problem? When can I re-view the eposode????

Generally the episodes are available by 2am, but it can also be as long as a few days.

Having seen LIFE from the very beginning I do understand that Charlie Crews isn’t a flawless character, showing that he was a womanizer from the very first episode. I guess once outta prison one may desire everything that one was denied while in the lock-up, hence his love of fresh fruit and his affection for the ladies. I get that, and with all the pretty girls around ( his lawyer, his partner, his chief from season1, the girl that got him the file on Jack Reese) Charlie has lots of ladies ready and willing for his affection.

I know I named Dani Reese in that group (I find Sarah Shahi highly attractive) and I know as of now she and Charlie’s relationship has been kept on a professional level ( now transforming more to sibling rivalry) but I do look for more to come of it. The simmering sauce may not be brought to a boil for some time, a tease the story tellers use that works most efficiently. We’ll see what happens.

I really enjoyed the way she flipped tables on Mr. Crews when questioning the younger daughter of the deceased the second time.

Now on to Mrs ex-Crews. I know he still loves her and it seems she has some changed partials still left for him ( Ooohhh….I remember that!) But she be a married woman. I don’t want her to become Mrs. Farthingale, split between the man she loves and the one she’s married to. Anyway we’ll see what happens there too.

The jest of the episode had me crack with laughter a couple of times, like in the interview with the gang bangers where Charlie mirrors the hoodlums remark “What she said.” Then when the banger repeats the chiefs advice, “Plant something!”, very funny.

Anyway, I don’t get where there are some posts saying this episode was off a bit. I respect all the LIFEer fan opinions but to me “ Everything All the Time” was one of the best ones.

Z

I really liked this episode. The new cpt. is starting to grow on me. He had a few lines that made me laugh, "what? you guys don't plant stuff?" I like that Crews finally got a new car tho I still like the one he gave away last season better. It was slick how crews planted that mic in Jack Reese's car.

In the Everything All The Time episode,who played the psychiatrist lady?

Jeff Soskin aka Marty Hawkins........this guy is GORGEOUS & he can act..........Hello, he put LIFE back n2 the show......I think sum1 needs 2 get this guy his own show!

I have been a pretty big fan of this show, but s2e2 was by far the worst episode yet. Way way way too much bs... too many flaws. How did they wind up with those 3 guys as suspects? Maybe I missed something, but it seemed like they rounded up a bunch of gangsters (why did they do this? what made them think it was a gang thing? they never did this with any earlier murders) and then crews overhears one of the bangers talking about a guy who does steroids (why a gangster would be talking to one of his people about some rich white dude I cant figure out) and all of a sudden this guy is a suspect. How the hell did that happen? Its just too damn easy. Bad writing. Then the when the big guy dies, hes having a tantrum, breaking a bunch of ponies, then all of a sudden he drops to the ground and dies. That just doesn't happen! How stupid do they think we are? It's too bad because this show had a lot of potential, it would be a shame if they ruined it with constant ********. I hope its just a one time thing. Did anyone else feel the same about this episode?

Spoilers! I loved this episode but the plot details are complex and the pace is fast so it is necessary to pay close attention or it can be easy to miss things. Tidwell said the manner of killing and the victim's neighborhood suggested gangs. The gang members were from the same neighborhood and one of the guys had steriods (not your typical street drugs) and he got them from a crazy violent monstrous guy. The steroids came from the health club and the connection to the 3 rich kids were due to their involvement with the health club and that fact that Benny's father owns the building where the party took place. Benny's friend Marty had a record of violence. Marty didn't just have a tantrum and die, Patrick gave him a whopping overdose of steroids to kill him because he had become a liability. People don't bleed from the eyes just because they are having a tantrum - he was murdered. Maybe the connections were a bit too simplistic but then they only have around 45 minutes to commit and solve a crime while also advancing the conspiracy back story and providing interesting information about the characters. I thought it was great!

I think the non-interaction with Ted was intentional. Ted was approached by the evil one and threatened with prison. He didn't do well in prison. The only reason he survived the first time was because of Charlie. If he goes back, there would be no Charlie. We were left to wonder if he trusted Charlie enough to tell him about the confrontation. We wanted our dynamic duo just as tight as last season. So I think we all breathed a sigh of relief at the end when Charlie told Jack to stay away from Ted. Obviously Ted said something.

And wasn't that smooth the way he tagged his car. I bet Ted told him how to get ahold of that technology.

I liked all the unexpected: Charlie using the ex to help get Rachel to talk, almost hooking up with the ex, and not knowing until the end what Ted was going to do about being approached by J. Reese.

The rhythm {The last three episodes of Life from Season 1 had great rhythm. It was cop stuff, cop stuff, Charlie stuff, cop stuff, cop stuff, conspiracy stuff, cop stuff, murder clues connected, cop stuff, confession time then conspiracy stuff. That's what gave it the "my heart is racing feel." They just need to find their new rhythm.} may be different but I think in needs to be. I see nothing wrong in letting us hang on conspiracy stuff for an episode or so and then hit it hard. I hope that this will allow the show some more time.

What a heartbreaking and poignant moment when Charlie and Jennifer held hands while visiting Rachel.

And why the heck couldn't she have been driving her own damn car?

I also love that the Maserati has lights and sirens.

A good show firdaynight

Stacy Haiduk

I really like how this season Dani is much more accepting of Charlie's idiosyncracies and personality...and in fact, she's on Charlie's side now. I love their relationship and I love how, little by little, they get to know details about eachother's lives.

Eponine mentioned this upthread, but the scene when Charlie pulled Jack over and told him to stay away from Ted was fantastic.

I think eventually there will be a standoff between Dani and her father over Charlie...and my bet is that Dani picks Charlie over her daddy.

So I didn't even get to see this episode. Because of my schedule I have to DVR the episodes and to my surprise when I went to play LIFE today after saving it up, it turns out while it was listed as LIFE and gave the description of LIFE it was actually Deal or No Deal that got recorded. Did the time get switched? What was up with this happening? I'm in Utah and I have Dish Network, did this happen to anyone else?

Also in the middle of this weeks Heroes the beginning of one of the Life episodes started for about 30 seconds before it went back to Heroes, totally weird.

Didn't this standoff almost already happen in S2E3 at the dinner table?

Dani is torn, between her family, the force, and what's right. She's learning that Crews is corrupt in his own way, but his way is closer to what's 'right' than the line either her family or the force tows. So far this season not much has been shown of corruption in the force other than the superficial dirtiness of their new Lt.
Please tell me if I've missed something.

[quote name='zzetta13' date='Oct 4 2008, 08:43 AM' post='3490128']

Now on to Mrs ex-Crews. I know he still loves her and it seems she has some changed partials still left for him ( Ooohhh….I remember that!) But she be a married woman. I don’t want her to become Mrs. Farthingale, split between the man she loves and the one she’s married to. Anyway we’ll see what happens there too.


I understand why Crews wants to reconnect with his Ex and the need he has to recreate his life the way he felt it should have been but I really have trouble with JenEx wanting him for more than a brief trip sown memory lane. She is a totally different person than the girl Charlie married. She has been married to someone else for what 9 years and has two kids . Charlie may have been the great love of her life but he is the past and I can't see her throwing everything away no matter how guilty or nostalgic she feels.

Before Crewes is able to truly move forward in his life, the relationship w/Jennifer has to be explored. There were a number of instances in S1 where this journey was shown to be an important one. Example 1 - Jennifer intimated to the documentarion that she regrets not having believed in Charlie's innocence. Example 2 - Charlie tells Jennifer that he has forgiven her because they were "both so young". Each of these scenes were infused w/so much longing, that it was clear that closure was a long way off.

Anyway, I believe that eventually, Charlie will come to the understanding that the fact that Jennifer in fact did not stand by him is just too much of an obstacle to overcome. There's just no way that the relationship is a viable one.

As far as the "cheating" aspect, in Charlie's mind, Jennifer is his wife. We know that he has a moral aversion to sleeping w/a married woman (i.e. Constance), but those rules just do not apply to Jennifer. I'm not sure how the writers are going to handle it, but I can see them having sex w/one another. Or, Charlie may let go before the sex. Either way, it would be understandable behavior.

Personally, I believe that the true romantic couple of this show is Crewes and Reese. Just think back to the moment in the Pilot where he helped her shower off the drugs. That was supercharged!