Awake (2012 TV Show) Review
Awake TV Show Trailer
If you watch the trailer above, you'll see that the show is about this detective who was in an accident where he ideally lost only either his son or wife but somehow he ends up being able to wake up in two realities: one where the son is alive and one where the wife is.
I love how they didn't go for the typical detective drama and chose to do something so risky and original.This is really such a powerful premise for a story. I mean, they can choose to bring the story into so many branches and still make it really awesome.
Although the Rorschach in the OBB indicates that they will be focusing mainly on psychology, like with what the shrinks in the show are suggesting that the protagonist's subconscious is merely trying to cope with his loss from the accident. In episode 2 though, there's this strong foreshadowing about a deeper conspiracy going on and the show could eventually even be classified as some sort of science fiction.
I doubt they'll go as far as the Fringe concept of the character merely slipping into two actual realities (multidimensional string theory of sorts) but I'm really suspecting that there will be a lot of science involved more than paranormal stuff (I'll really hate it if it turns out that he's already dead and the whole show is just his purgatory of sort).
Awake TV Series Review
The kid is actually Jack's kid in Lost, I think. More importantly, Wilmer Valderrama who plays Fez in That 70's show, is the protagonist's partner in one of the realities.
If you ask me, honestly, I'd rather be in the reality where he has a beautiful loving wife rather than be in the other one where he has an annoying kid.
I love how the characters and cases he takes on have parallels between the two realities which is very similar to that parallel universe or multidimensional kind of take on this issue.
Well, I guess no matter what take they have or how the story progresses, what I really love about it is the bombardment of mysteries. It just makes me ask so many questions and even makes me think about some things about our own reality. J.J. Abrams' talk on TED has an interesting take on this "mystery" concept I'm talking about.
Always, as I have mentioned, it is important for a movie or TV Show to make you think like this. It's really away from how generic plot lines are. It's not the typical TV show that you can predict. It is challenging.
Optimistic About 2012
With recent shows like Alcatraz, Touch, and The River; with the great comeback of The Walking Dead's plot, and with Game of Thrones still about to come — I'm feeling very optimistic about the TV shows of 2012.
I just have this feeling that The TV Renaissance is coming back and with the technology in CGI and cinematography getting better and better, the shows will surely evolve even more. Gone are the days of annoying reality TV shows. It is time to go back to great storytelling. Here's to being hopeful about 2012.