Awake is freaking great!

Alright, time to talk about TV. The new NBC show Awake, starring Jason Isaacs (the dude who played Lucius Malfoy), is absolutely fantastic.  The show is only a few weeks in, but it’s already my favorite show on US television at the moment. Its blend of sci-fi and police procedural is seamless and is a joy to watch. 

Jason Isaacs as Detective Michael Britten

The show's premise is that Michael Britten, a cop in Los Angele, is in a car accident with his wife and son. After the accident, Britten experiences two different realities. One where his son died in the accident and his wife survived, the other being a reality where his wife died and his son survived.

These realities are differentiated by colored wrist bands that Britten wears. One is red, for the reality with his wife, and the other is green, for the reality with his son. When Britten falls asleep at night he wakes up in the other reality (example: If he falls asleep in the reality where his wife survived, he wakes up in the reality in which his son survived). In both realities Britten sees psychiatrists who tell him that the other reality is just a construct of his imagination. Both psychiatrists tell Britten that he must get let go of the other reality (something that does not seem possible anyway) to get better, something Britten cannot do because he still has his wife and his son in his life. The story goes on from there with strange connections between both realities making it impossible for the viewer to figure out which reality is real or fake (if in fact one of them are fake).

I have watched the first three episodes of the show (There are five out but I’m a college student, I am very busy!) and I can tell you right now I will be sticking with this show. The pilot episode is one of the best pilots I have ever seen, it tells you everything you need to know about the show while also telling its own interesting story arc with closure at the end. I don’t want to tell you guys more about the plot because I want you all to check it out and see how great it is for your self

 It is beautifully directed and all of the acting is phenomenal. Jason Isaacs is superb, playing a man who has both his wife and his son but can never have them together, as far as he (and we) knows. Isaacs deserves an award for his portrayal and I expect at Emmy time he will at least get a nod for this role. On a side note, seeing Wilmer Valderrama (Fez from That 70’s Show) in a drama is a change and he is very good playing Britten partner in the “red” reality.

Awake is interesting, thought provoking, and smart. It is a show you should be watching. I can’t wait to catch up and see where the show goes with this great concept.

If you are interested, even vaguely, check it out Right Here.