NBC
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I’m just going to come right out and say it, as far as pilots go, ‘Awake’’s is about as close to perfect as it gets. It’s provocative, thought provoking, exciting, ridiculous in all the right ways and the acting is superb. After one hour, I have fallen for this show. Having said that, I am going to be very careful about getting to attached to it. ‘Awake’ was created by Kyle Killen, he of the much lamented ‘Lone Star’ from 2010 – a show of equal complexity and quality to ‘Awake’ and a show that lasted for exactly two episodes before it was canceled. So, you can see my concern. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch (YOU SHOULD! PLEASE WATCH! I’m already in save this show mode), I’d just say remain cautious.

‘Awake’ is the story of a police officer played by ‘Brotherhood’’s Jason Isaacs – who is great here. You can see the pain in his eyes as he tries to push it back – who was the driver in an accident that killed his son…or his wife. He’s not sure. You see, he lives in two worlds, one in which his son survived and the other in which his wife did. One is a dream, but he’s not sure which. To make it even more complex (to him, not to the viewer. Believe it or not, the pilot goes through great pains to ensure this all goes down easily), he’s got a therapist in each world trying to convince him that theirs is the one that’s real. These therapists are played by scene stealers B.D. Wong and Cherry Jones. Let’s great it, shall we? I’ll give you all one guess as to how it’s going to go.
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Pilot Grade – A+: I’ve already said it was great, but truth be told the ‘Awake’ pilot is art. It’s directed beautifully and in HD, every line on our actor’s faces tell a little piece of the story. It’s so nuanced and within the first ten minutes I was completely one hundred percent invested in these people. If you haven’t watched it yet, you really should.
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But, Pat It Sounds So Complicated: I promise you it’s not. There is not one moment where you’re left wondering where you are or what you’re dealing with. It’s one of the show’s strengths.
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So, Nothing Snarky Then, Huh?: No. Nothing. I’m being as earnest as I’ll ever be. This is a great show.
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Can You Talk A Bit About Jason Isaacs?: I sure can. Jason Isaacs isn’t a revelation to me because I was a big ‘Brotherhood’ fan, but he will be for people who haven’t seen that great show. Isaacs’ is so subtle, yet so heartbreaking as he navigates this new (weird) life. If it were up to me, he’d have the Emmy already.
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Oh And Another Thing: There are cases that need solving. One in each “world” and they overlap. Again, I promise, not confusing.
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Potential For The Series: I have not seen any future episodes, but I have heard from some who have that the show becomes a bit more procedural as the it progresses and, to be honest, this saddens me a bit. I’m going along for the ride, though because I’ve loved this pilot so very much and, if you didn’t know, I think Jason Isaacs is pretty amazing.
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Overall Grade – A: The plus is removed only because I can’t see into the future, but this is great, great, great.