Round Two: Awake

Awake: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Little Guy” (C+)

Watching this episode, I found myself almost entirely uninterested in its events. The problem with a show like this is that the premise is the hook, not the week-to-week plot developments. The links between Michael’s cases in both universes seem random at best, and his partners aren’t going to be able to deal with his antics much longer. The introduction of Laura Innes’ Captain Tricia Harper once again puts her at the forefront of an evil movement with unclear malicious aims after her role on a former NBC show, “The Event.” What that means for this show is that there’s something afoot that defies explanation, yet it’s man-made rather than supernatural in nature, and the explicit mention of the accident being caused is but the first clue in what’s sure to be a lengthy and sparse journey towards clarity and satisfaction. At this point, watching Michael solve conflicting cases isn’t going to keep the interest up, and it would help if either his wife or his son was slightly more interesting. His secret motorcycle habit isn’t exactly groundbreaking, and having him watch his wife ride the bike in one universe and his son ride it in the other universe verges on being forced. Neither of his therapists are helping the situation much by being entirely unsupportive of his other reality as anything other than a dream. Though she was optimistic in episode one, even Cherry Jones’ Dr. Evans doesn’t seem to buy Michael’s situation as anything other than a fantasy.