Limitless 1x12 "The Assassination of Eddie Morra" (Trust No One; Question Everything)

"The Assassination of Eddie Morra"

Original Airdate: January 5, 2016

Whenever I watch shows like Pretty Little Liars and The Blacklist, I immediately recite a mantra that I’ve had for years when watching similar-themed television series — “trust no one; question everything.” I don’t trust characters easily on television shows set up to be dramas or suspense-action series. I know that characters are always harboring secrets and are always one step away from betraying the people closest to them in order to protect their own interests. This week’s premiere of Limitless found me doing nearly the exact same thing. In fact, at one point I essentially tweeted: “I know I should trust Piper, but also I love Bradley Cooper too much.” And I think that’s essentially the point, as Brian notes: the significance of the “twist” in the episode wasn’t that Piper was alive. It wasn’t for our benefit that he showed us how he helped her fake her own death.

What is significant, of course, is the fact that Piper tells Brian that he cannot keep playing both sides forever. He will eventually have to make a decision and side with the one he actually trusts. For now, however, and throughout “The Assassination of Eddie Morra,” Brian is content to keep himself alive, his morals intact, and Piper away from Morra’s clutches while he tries to figure out who he can really trust. Elsewhere in the episode, Rebecca and Boyle get really close to unraveling all kinds of secrets.

“DECIDE WHO YOU BELIEVE. SIDE WITH THEM.”

First things first: I am so glad that this week wasn’t a typical procedural. My friend Claudia tweeted: “The episodes that derail you from the procedural really do suck you in, huh?” And though I think Limitless is one of the most well-done of all the procedural dramas on television these days (CBS really has done well between this show and Scorpion of interjecting uniqueness and power to tried and true formulaic series), it definitely is nice to have a break from a villain-of-the-week story in order to focus all of our attention on the relationship between Brian and Eddie Morra.

And it really was great to have Bradley Cooper return in a larger capacity than we have seen him yet on the series. Eddie Morra is such an elusive character — charming, intelligent, and well-liked, Morra is the kind of character whose morality is purposefully ambiguous. We don’t know whether or not he’s lying to Brian or telling the truth. Or, perhaps like a number of politicians, Morra’s lies have become truth to him. As a politician, of course, Eddie Morra is concerned with keeping himself both alive and also in the public eye — something interesting given the fact that he’s perpetually on NZT.

There’s a point in this episode in which Brian and Morra have a conversation about who Brian was before NZT came along. “Why are you trying so hard to cling to the person you were before NZT?” Morra asks (I’m roughly paraphrasing here). And that’s something that I think is especially poignant in Limitless, a series nearly all about identity. There are a lot of complex themes running through the show at large, chief among them the question of “who are you?” Brian spent an entire episode grappling with this — is he NZT? Is the person he is while on the drug who he REALLY is? Or is he the guy before the drug? How does he decide who he is and who he’ll become?

Brian is such a moral character, a fact that Piper picks up on after only seven minutes (and, okay, one NZT pill) with his parents. Brian has always had a moral compass — he was raised with good values and a good heart. That’s one of the things that draws me most to Brian Finch as a character and a human being. I’ve said it before and I’ll likely repeat it many more times before this series ends: Brian has a great heart. He never had to learn to become a hero; he was always a hero. The saddest parts of Brian are the parts that don’t believe he’s worth anything. The self-deprecating nature that he has, because of his past and failures, is the hindrance in his character growth. But it’s something he’s climbed over repeatedly in order to become better.

Back to Morra for a moment, though: this character is so interesting to me. I really need to watch the entirety of Limitless (the film) in order to appreciate and understand him, but Brian and Morra are vastly different people. Morra cares about public appearances, about power and changing the world. And I can’t quite tell if those desires blind him to the realities and allow him to justify the means in order to reach the end that he wants (I’m rather certain that he IS blinded because of those things). What I do know is that Brian doesn’t care about any of that stuff. The reason he took NZT was to feel like he mattered — to his family, to the world, and to himself most of all. The reason he takes NZT isn’t to elevate himself, but to save the people around him. Where Morra’s use of NZT is for personal gain, Brian’s is selfless.

And Morra doesn’t understand that. He doesn’t understand how Brian could be limiting himself on the drug, refusing to give in to its alluring properties and limitless (pardon the pun) potential. Brian’s self-checking is something of a foreign concept to Morra and it’s something worrisome to Brian at the end of the episode. He knows he can’t play Morra’s game forever and remain unscathed.

So when, on NZT, Brian begins to imagine two different camps in his head — the ones wearing The Dude’s (Jake McDorman’s reference) sweater and those donning leather jackets — what is really important is that those warring dual identities come to a head when Brian’s father’s voice appears. His advice is simple: Brian doesn’t have to make every single decision today. He doesn’t have to be #TeamPiper or #TeamMorra. All he has to do is take a breath, pause, and decide who he believes. 

The rest will simply follow, Brian’s father reasons.

And while in a way, I think he is right, I think that Piper is too — at some point, Brian will have to make a decision on who he believes versus who he WANTS to believe. I think Brian wants to believe Morra, wants to know that he has everyone’s best interests at heart (despite, you know, the extortion and blackmail). But I think that after being on NZT, Brian has a difficult time trusting people who aren’t named Rebecca. And I think he’s right to be wary of everyone.

So maybe after all, my mantra is right up Brian’s alley: “trust no one; question everything.”

Only time will tell.

Bits & pieces:

• Since there was no real case to discuss, this is a bit of a shorter review than normal!
• I loved Georgina Haig as Piper in this episode, a woman who tries to assassinate Eddie Morra because she used to work for him and he had her boyfriend killed. I loved her not only because she was awesome in the role, but also because the last thing I saw her in was Once Upon A Time where she played Elsa. From the snow queen herself to an NZT semi-assassin!
• Bradley Cooper returned in this episode, which was delightful. That man is super beautiful.
• SHADY SANDS IS ALSO BACK. YAY. He gave Brian the worst “pep talk” known to man after Brian faked (though Sands and Morra think it’s real) killing Piper.
• I missed the way that Brian imagines scenarios in his head.
• “You know that ‘I barely listen to anything you say recap’ you do? It’s rude.”
• In the scene where Brian imagines himself in his head, NZT Brian models his sweater and it’s adorable.
• I love that on Limitless, the FBI are actually intelligent. Rebecca and Boyle manage to piece together the fact that the woman who confesses to the assassination attempt isn’t the woman who actually did it. And at the end of the episode, Rebecca seems fairly close to figuring out that something is amiss with Eddie Morra. On nearly every other show I watch, the FBI are buffoons so seeing these agents actually being good at their jobs and steps ahead of everyone else is refreshing.
• I literally yelled: “Why are your eyes so blue?!” at Bradley Cooper last night. I don’t understand it though.

What did you all think of Limitless’ return? Was it all you hoped it would be? Who should Brian really trust? Hit up the comments below and let me know your thoughts!

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Limitless 1x11 "This is Your Brain on Drugs" (Nothing Left to Lose)

"This is Your Brain on Drugs"

Original Airdate: December 15, 2015

If you had the ability to take a pill that would allow you to become something better –– something smarter and faster and more perceptive –– than you are right now, would you do it? Would you slide down that slippery slope of addiction in order to feel powerful? In order to feel purpose? And who would you be willing to sacrifice along the way in order to get the thing you want most? That’s the question of the winter finale of Limitless, titled “This is Your Brain on Drugs.” It’s a weird episode for the show –– weird in the sense that a lot of the time and focus is taken off of Brian Finch and placed onto the supporting characters. That’s a gusty move, and I have to admit that for a majority of the episode, I found myself to be a bit underwhelmed. But the last act more than made up for it with the prominent character development and conflicts of interest.

LET’S TALK ABOUT CASEY

I’ve never really cared for Casey as a character. It could be because he wasn’t totally utilized in Limitless, or it could be because I always had the feeling that he would turn into the villain somehow. Regardless of my feelings toward him, “This is Your Brain on Drugs” focused a lot on his characterization, his leadership, and ultimately the price he was willing to pay in order to feel in control of his life and circumstances. Because Casey had been teetering on a dangerous edge for a long time. He’s always wanted to be respected and to be the best. In his nature, he’s the kind of man who desires that and values things like hard work getting rewarded.

But the problem with people like Casey is that they’re often willing to sacrifice things –– big things, important things –– when they feel like they have nothing left to lose. We see this pretty clearly in the episode. Before Rebecca breaks up with him, Casey discovers that his team has swiped a bit of the NZT evidence and kept it for themselves. They’re curious about what the pill can do for them, but Casey is unsure that they should travel down this path. That is, until Rebecca breaks up with him via text message. After that particular moment, and the ones that follow in which Naz reveals what NZT does, Casey becomes detached but also unhinged.

This episode allows us to do what no other episode in the series has thus far –– watch Brian interact with someone else on NZT. Technically Eddie Morra is on NZT, but he has been using the drug so much that the effects aren’t as prevalent as they are in Brian and, in this case, Casey. Because Casey becomes very militarized when he is on NZT. Where Brian was fun, childish, and extremely energetic (like a child hopped up on candy), Casey becomes very robotic and extremely calculated (like someone is programming him to talk and move his head). Brian is suspicious when he interacts with Casey, post-NZT for the first time. He knows Casey (and knows him more because he can see everything clearer while on NZT), and knows that Casey –– normally –– is very deliberate in what he says and does. But Brian can tell that something is seriously off about Casey and it’s only when he discovers a Sodoku puzzle book in which pages upon pages are solved does Brian look up and across the office to find Casey staring at him intensely and kind of scarily.

But let’s back up just a bit because I left out something important in regards to Casey. When he and his crew swiped NZT from evidence, they decided to have a boys’ night out to try the drug. Everything was going well until Nick calls Casey the next morning, informing him that he strangled Russ –– one of their other partners-in-crime. While on NZT, Nick realized that Russ was sleeping with his wife and he snapped. Yeah, not good.

We find out the lines that Casey is willing to cross and here’s the really telling part of it all –– NZT doesn’t fundamentally alter who you are. We have never seen that to be the case in Brian or others who have taken the drug. It enhances facets of your personality that were already there and it definitely causes you to become more perceptive and generally more energetic. But Casey’s first instinct is to cover up Russ’ murder and pin it on –– of all people –– Russ. If we thought Casey was a stand-up guy, we thought wrong. NZT didn’t turn him into a man complicit in a crime. No, that’s who Casey WAS. NZT just allowed him to figure out a smart way to cover up, you know, a homicide.

Unfortunately for Brian, Casey and his crew on NZT are smart and end up yanking Brian and Rebecca and holding them captive, since they’re the two who know about what NZT does and that Casey is on it. Here comes the problem –– while attempting to get out of the CJC, Casey and his crew run into Boyle (who, we learn, was sent by Brian to rescue them). What results is ultimately Casey’s death, as he has his gun pointed at Brian’s head with no intention of lowering the weapon.

So Boyle shoots.

READING THE ROOM

One of the most interesting character dynamics in Limitless thus far has been that of Boyle and Brian. And I say “interesting” because I’m not really sure WHAT their dynamic is yet. Rebecca and Brian banter and love one another like siblings. She cares about what happens to him, and he will do anything to protect her. But Boyle is kind of a wildcard. He plays by the book, but he’s also not robotic. He’s compassionate and softens toward Brian. He’s not afraid to admit when he is wrong, and Boyle generally has a sense of humor about a lot of things too.

But the confrontation between Boyle and Brian post-Casey’s death is really interesting. Understandably, everyone is floored. Rebecca is shell-shocked and can barely process what happened; Boyle feels immense guilt for the decision he made in the moment. But he doesn’t regret the decision. He assessed the situation and made a judgment call. He did his duty.

But not as far as Brian Finch is concerned. Brian is upset with Boyle. He’s grateful to be alive, but he read the situation differently. Boyle has tactical training –– he’s been through rigorous training in his years as a part of the FBI. He’s run scenarios and has had to shoot people before, most likely. But Brian saw what Boyle could not, simply because Boyle’s brain was completely occupied in “hostage situation” territory. Brian, being on NZT, just wished Boyle could have given him a few more minutes to talk to Casey, to assess the situation. If he had… Casey might have survived. Because the truth that Brian saw and Boyle did not? Casey was lowering his weapon as the bullet sped toward him.

It’s this really complex and really interesting conversation. Really. Because maybe Brian is right. Maybe Casey was in the process of lowering his weapon. And maybe he wouldn’t have hurt Brian. Maybe if Brian had just had a few more minutes –– maybe even seconds –– things could have ended differently. But that’s not the kind of person Boyle is or can be. He doesn’t operate on possibilities. He operates on facts. And the fact of the matter is that Casey had a gun pointed at Brian and was not lowering it, even when repeatedly asked to do so. As the moments wore on, Casey only grew tenser. So Boyle made a call. And now he has to live with the choices of that call.

… Or does he? At the end of the episode, Boyle walks back into the CJC, feeling the weight of guilt and judgment from his colleagues. And as Boyle kneels down to retrieve papers that have fallen from his desk, what should he find but a clear little pill. And just like that, with only a moment of hesitation, Boyle pockets the NZT. This year at Comic-Con, Hill Harper talked to our press table about the complexities of Limitless and drug use. He discussed the possibility of inner tension in Boyle –– if NZT can turn Brian into someone perceptive and in control, why wouldn’t someone like Boyle want to take that pill as well?

I think it’s super important that Boyle’s decision to at least consider taking NZT falls on the heels of his decision to protect Brian and kill Casey. Prior to this episode, I wouldn’t have believed that straight-laced FBI agent would even think about taking a drug, especially one that he knows so little about. But given the events of “This is Your Brain on Drugs,” I can see WHY Boyle would choose to do that. Brian doesn’t feel guilt (at least that Boyle has seen). The pill that Brian is taking seems to have given him a better life. And Boyle desperately wants to be able to live a life where he doesn’t have to deal with the tough choices or feel the pain that he did in this episode.

I think that Limitless is asking some really interesting questions both of and to its characters. Because if you knew that there was a pill out there that could allow you to access your brain in a way you never could before, would you pick it up off the floor?

Bits & pieces:

• MIKE AND IKE. I didn’t get to talk about them above but Ike got shot while protecting Mike. And we learned more about them as characters, which I thought was a really great decision on Limitless’ part –– Ike is stressed about being Brian’s personal babysitter and wonders if he’ll be doing this forever; Mike only has one year with Brian and then he gets a job promised to him at the CJC.
• “… You did all this while I was getting my coffee?”
• “Did you just break up with him over TEXT?!”
• Brian’s fake newspaper headline read: “YOU DOWN WITH NZT? THE FBI IS.”
• This episode was told mostly from minor characters’ (and Rebecca’s) points of view. As such, it was directed REALLY cool. Seriously. And I’m not sure if it was an homage to anything in particular, but there were a lot of tight shots which made things a lot more dramatic. The shot where Casey and Brian both look at one another was particularly well done.
• “When are you going to start respecting me?”
• “You know?... I kinda got used to Ike.” 

Well, that’s it, folks! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the first half of Limitless as much as I have. See you in 2016! :)

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Limitless 1x10 "Arm-ageddon" (There's A Difference Between Complacency and Contentment)

"Arm-ageddon"

Original Airdate: November 24, 2015

I love that when Limitless is making arm puns, it still manages to be poignant. This week's episode was a little bit lighter on the emotional weight that has pressed down on Brian throughout the course of the season, but that doesn't mean it was any less important. In fact, we got a little more of a glimpse into the relationship that Brian has with his father, Dennis, and a glimpse into the kind of man Dennis is. But what is truly setting apart Limitless as an outstanding procedural is its committment to the core of the show — Brian Finch. Of course the show would pay attention to him, you might be thinking. He's the main character!

What the show continues to do though is reveal different layers of Brian's personality throughout the course of its episodes, and "Arm-ageddon" is no different. Let's discuss, shall we?

"BE SMART. MAKE ME PROUD, SON."

Even though that particular quote above comes from Hamilton, its resonance in this week's episode is not lost on me. We pick up nearly exactly where we left off — with Brian telling his father all about the FBI recruiting him to be on NZT and solve cases. While Dennis listens intently to Brian's energetic ramblings and recounts, there is one particular thing that Brian's father seems to be honed in on, and that's the idea that the FBI is using Brian. They are, in a way, using the young man as a test subject for NZT. It's a top-secret project that nearly no one outside of Naz, Rebecca, and Boyle technically are supposed to know about. 

But Brian doesn't see it the same way that his father does. In fact, Dennis even goes so far as to see the situation as an opportunity to sue the FBI for using his son as a lab rat. And what surprised me most of all was that, for quite a while in the episode, Brian actually was willing to let his father find a way to extract him from the FBI's blackmailing. But Brian essentially answered that decision for me, when he tells the audience that he didn't believe his father would actually find a way to do that. When it becomes clear that Dennis is serious about getting Brian out, it's time for the young man to come clean — he doesn't actually want out. He feels like he has a purpose at the FBI, even though he is under the influence of NZT. He feels like he's found his calling for the first time and it's really interesting that Brian essentially tells his dad that "his calling" means being a drug addict.

There's no way to skirt around the fact that this is exactly what Brian is. He tells his father in this episode that he would never be able to actually be an agent on his own merit. He is only at the FBI because he doesn't have life-altering adverse reactions to NZT. That's it. And Brian's father continues to insist that Brian find something else to do with his life — that he not spend it complacent. What's really interesting to me, of course, is that Brian respects and reveres and loves his dad so much, but he also still seeks his approval.

Rebecca tells him as much, actually, when she tells Brian that if he's happy with his life and choices, he needs to tell his dad that. He needs to stand up to him and tell him that he's happy with where he is. He shouldn't be afraid to do that... even if Brian is standing up to his father. It's really interesting because we haven't seen a lot of Brian and Dennis' relationship at this point. We know Brian would do anything to care for and protect his dad. And we know — by the end of the episode — that Dennis would do similarly.

What was really great, though, about this episode of Limitless was that it reminded us that even the people we look up to aren't perfect. Even the people we admire are wrong sometimes, and even if they are right... it's okay to clash with them. Brian's been so afraid for so long of disappoining his father that he's managed to just be complacent in their relationship. This episode proved that Brian can take a stand and still love his dad. He can look his father in the eyes and essentially say: "I'm happy. Get on board, or don't, but this is my decision. Not yours."

Now, the show could have made Dennis into a villain by having him go against Brian's wishes. Instead, Dennis proved his love for Brian by approaching Naz and threatening her. Brian makes choices that Dennis doesn't agree with. But being a parent means that he protects his son first and foremost. So if Naz ever lets anything happen to Brian... she will be the one to pay. It was such a powerful, wonderful little moment that exemplified — simultaneously — how loving Brian's father is and also how ruthless he could be if necessary.

ARMED WITH THE TRUTH

I couldn't resist an arm pun, of course. The case this week wasn't especially focused upon, but I thought it was really important nonetheless, especially because it involved Boyle. We are beginning to learn more about Spelman Boyle and what makes him tick. This week, we get glimpses into Boyle's time in the service, and then everything that happened after. His friend and comrade, Aaron, lost an arm in the line of duty, and we got the opportunity to watch Boyle and Aaron's friendship post-service develop. Unfortunately, this all comes crashing down when Aaron's wife ends up dead and he claims his arm was in control, not him.

The team spends the entire episode confident that they've found the killer (based on finding similar bionic arms being hacked around the country), but something doesn't add up. It's then that Boyle realizes the man he served with is actually a cold-blooded killer. What I really love about Boyle is the fact that he values loyalty above pretty much everything else. We don't know much about him, but each episode we are slowly uncovering little foundations of his character. And one of those foundations is that he actually cares more than he lets on. While on the job, he's by-the-book and very goal-oriented. He's much more relaxed, prone to smiling and laughing when off the job. And, because of that, his friends have become a sort of blind spot for him. Boyle admits that in the episode to Aaron. But he will always value justice and doing right by others over a friend.

What's really great about this episode, too, is that it draws a (slight) parallelism between Boyle and Brian as characters — both are loyal. Both are driven. And both care about others a heck of a lot more than they care about themselves sometimes. If that's not great... I don't know what is.

Bits & pieces:

• "He's your friend. I'll help." This single quote tells us more about Brian Finch's character than pretty much anything else on the show and I LOVE it.
• I went to Target yesterday and saw long, colorfully patterned cardigans. Immediately, I thought of Brian. I don't know what that says about me except for the fact that Brian has awesome cardigans.
• TECH TALK!
• "I'd like to think I'm somewhat of a late bloomer."
• "Arm-pocalypse Now. ... Give it to me?" "No."
• "It wasn't Ellen and it wasn't for the lulz!"
• There were so many puns in this episode and they were all so amazing.
• A portion of this episode featured Brian showing us — the audience — adorable Vines of kittens doing cute stuff. It was probably the best thing to ever happen on this show.
• "There's a difference between complacency and contentment."
• "BOOM! Boyle for the win!"
• Brian and Rebecca have one of the greatest relationships on television. The fact that she a) immediately knew he needed to talk when he mentioned "beer-o'clock" and b) gave him solid advice, as well as c) presented him with the special tech at the end of the episode... all of it was absolute perfection. Again I say: I love them so much as platonic best friends. Thank you, Limitless, for being brave enough to write two wonderful characters and not feeling the need to descend into trope-y madness with a "will-they-won't-they" dance.

There you have it, friends! Are you enjoying Limitless as much as I am? Hit up the comments below and let me know your thoughts. For all of my American friends... Happy Thanksgiving! :)

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Limitless 1x09 "Headquarters!" (With An Exclamation Point!)

"Headquarters!"

Original Airdate: November 17, 2015

One of the things that I find to be extremely impressive about Limitless is that it –– at any given moment –– can be the funniest show on television or the most heartbreaking. This new CBS hit series doesn't allow the fact that it's technically a procedural prevent it from having fun. In fact, I would argue that the first twelve minutes of "Headquarters!" is funnier than most of the half-hour sitcoms you'll find on television these days. The entire episode, really, was hilarious –– from Brian's incessant pleas for his own headquarters, to him assembling a team within the FBI that he named "the Bruntouchables" to Brian on NZT practicing synesthesia –– and yet it was also peppered with moments that managed to ground its slapstick shenanigans. That's what I truly appreciate about Limitless. On the surface, much like Brian Finch himself, this appears to lack substance. Without watching the series, you would assume that it is a show about people in the FBI solving crimes.

And though a lot of the show does involve cases and chase sequences and bad guys, the root of the show is Brian Finch himself, and he is much more complex than just a guy who takes a drug and works for the FBI. In "Headquarters!" we get to see more of Brian's family and the struggle that he is facing in his relationship with his father. It's one of the most poignant moments (and surprising) that the show has done thus far. But before we discuss that, let's talk about the episode.

THE BRUNTOUCHABLES

I love that Brian Finch is a goofy person. I love that he's consistently silly, persistent, and yet also has a good heart. One of the most endearing things about Brian, though, is his sense of humor and dedication to his job. Again, on the surface it might appear that Brian is a slacker –– we would typify him that way, and it's tempting to look at the guy with dreams and a failed band and see him only as that. It's easy to see him as the kid who got kicked out of schools and took from people, rather than gave. But on NZT or off, Brian is loyal to the people that he cares about. He doesn't just want to make himself better, but he wants to make the world better. And he's yet to compromise his morals in an attempt to do so, which I find to be really admirable. There have been shows –– procedurals –– that portray characters who enter the crime-fighting world as good-hearted, pure, and optimistic, only to crush and break their spirits by letting these people get bogged down by the cynicism of the world and evil they see on a daily basis.

But what's really important is that Brian isn't that person. He maintains his humor, in spite of the tragedies happening around him. I think that is the thing that often makes him feel most like himself. No matter what else is happening around him at the FBI or in the field, he finds solace in making a joke or a sarcastic comment or a movie reference. It's the thing that comforts him. But Brian has done more than just find a coping mechanism for the work he does –– he has managed to maintain his grip on humanity and his optimism.

When Brian and his "Bruntouchables" begin to hunt down the top ten criminals on the FBI's Most Wanted list, the young man stumbles across something unexpected: a man named Lawrence, who Brian believes did not actually commit the crime he was on the list for. It's this really interesting sub-story of the episode, and it allowed us the chance to remember that Brian still gives people the benefit of the doubt because he's not an agent. He wasn't programmed to look at the world and see its dangers –– he still looks at it the same way a kid does: with threads of hope for humanity. So Brian's decision to believe in Lawrence and stick to that belief ends up (mostly) exonerating the man. That's what is so fascinating to me about Brian as a character. This is a person who genuinely does good in the world by being himself. It's not the NZT that makes Brian trust people and care about their stories; that is all HIM.

In "Headquarters!" Brian gets the chance to lead a team. And though some are reluctant at first to take orders from him (people like Boyle, for instance), everyone eventually does and they begin to click and function just like a team would. In the process, they travel to various parts of the world and capture the majority of the ten criminals on the list while having adventures and shenanigans (poor Ike was freezing in the Arctic while Mike got to sip drinks in the warm sun). 

Go team, go!

"I LOVED YOU FOR THAT."

In spite of the fact that this episode was absolutely hilarious, what really struck me was the fact that it also was poignant. When Brian invites his entire family over for dinner at his new apartment in the city, he notices something odd –– his father is avoiding contact and conversation with him, and him alone. Ultimately, Brian's sister returns to his apartment and the two talk about why their dad has been shutting Brian out (sending a phone call straight to vocemail is cold). To be fair to him, Brian really IS trying to communicate with his dad. And when the man returns to the city to speak with his son, it's a really important and altering conversation.

Brian wants his dad's approval and to have a good relationship with him. Because Brian really and truly loves his father. He WANTS to be honest about Eddie Morra and NZT and the FBI. But he also remembers what happened the last time he was about to say something. And he remembers what Sketchy Sands said to him in the bar that one night, too. Brian's new life has not been something he revels in all of the time. Let's not forget that he carries this double life around like a burden. He's not happy that he has to shut the people he loves most in the world out, but that is what he feels is best. And Brian is finally in the kind of position in life where he can make decisions for other people –– responsible decisions. He never wants to jeopardize his relationship with his dad because of his secret... but he also would rather do anything else in the world than jeopardize his father's life by telling him.

Brian's father hands his son a box of mementos from childhood (we see Brian was always a fan of art projects) and with heartbreak evident, tells Brian that in spite of all of the bad decisions the man made as a child, he was always honest. ALWAYS. "I loved you for that," Brian's dad tells him. And we begin to grow misty-eyed as the young man does, because we want him to tell you, too! Brian explains that the situation is complex because it's dangerous. And this is what Brian's dad gives as a response:

"I would suffer for you. I would die for you. You're my son. You're my Brian."

This is such a beautiful sentiment because it exemplifies not just sacrificial love, but the fact that someone else is willing to carry the burden of Brian's secret, too. When Brian tells his father that the truth is dangerous, there is a shift –– now Brian isn't the one making all of the decisions, forced to carry all of the burdens. Now, his father is actively picking up that secret and saying that whatever happens next, it is his choice. Having a relationship with Brian is more important to his father than being in the dark. I think that's really important. 

Because this means that Brian's dad doesn't just say he loves his son –– he proves it. Everyone does, in this episode, too. Everyone proves that Brian Finch is a person they care about and are willing to support, no matter how seemingly silly or intensely significant the cause.

Bits & pieces:

• I often laud Jake McDorman for the way that he portrays the emotional nuances of Brian Finch, and though he knocked the scene between Brian and his dad out of the park, what I really have to commend him on this week is his comedic timing and delivery. He doesn't get nearly enough credit for how he carries the show's humor. He sets the tone, really, and I absolutely love it. I was laughing out loud throughout most of the cold open and long after that.
• This episode was REALLY funny, you guys. I need to re-watch to catch all the jokes I missed in my first viewing.
• Favorite thing? The gag of the bell dinging every time Brian said: "HEADQUARTERS!"
• "DAY THIRTY-FIVE!" That gag was also so on point.
• "... You can keep me out of this title."
• The Brian Finch and Rebecca Harris Amazing Major Crimes Squad = perfection.
• "Sorry, Rebecca, I didn't mean to imply that women can't be horrible criminals, too." "... None... taken."
• The Mike and Ike fist bump was adorable.
• THEY MENTIONED HAMILTON IN THIS EPISODE. Honestly, I am rightly and truly obsessed with this musical so good on you, show.
• "Like, all these tweens are so totally psyched they caught a bad guy."
• "You're gonna pick up the scene by... actually picking up the scent?"
• In non-comedic news, I like that we are getting a bit of insight into Boyle being conflicted over whether or not he wants to take NZT. Hill Harper briefly mentioned this at our press table in Comic-Con and it'll be an interesting topic for the show to pursue (how the other agents handle NZT) as the show continues.
• "What color am I? Am I pink? ... I'm not pink, am I?" This, for some reason, was the most adorably-delivered line ever.
• According to Jake McDorman, my synesthesia aura is "an electric cobalt."
• "I'm like... 59% sure you're innocent."
• Seriously, the end of this episode had me cackling.

Basically, I loved this episode of Limitless and I'm loving the show itself. What did you all think? Let me know below or tweet me! :)

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Limitless 1x08 "When Pirates Pirate Pirates" (We Are Family)

"When Pirates Pirate Pirates"

Original Airdate: November 10, 2015

Family is really important to me. I'm the eldest sibling — with a younger brother and sister who I would basically do anything for. And I think what is truly important is the fact that even now, eight episodes into the first season, Limitless is intent on providing building blocks for the show's relationships. Fundamental among those? The building block of family. The entire series, after all, began with Brian Finch's quest to save his father. He wanted to be respected by his family, but he also wanted to be able to do something to help them. He was tired of feeling worthless, tired of feeling like his life had no direction. So when he was given the chance to be more than he thought he could be, he seized it. Brian would do basically anything for his father (a fact basically exemplified throughout the season already). Similarly, Naz would do anything for hers.

Here's the thing, though: the act of protecting your family — or any loved ones, really — is rooted in emotion. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it does lend itself to recklessness and desperation. We've seen this recently on Arrow in regards to Laurel Lance, and we see it in "When Pirates Pirate Pirates," too. Brian Finch is willing to put a lot on the line to keep his family safe and Naz is willing to funnel money through a man on terrorist watch lists to do the same for hers.

Because you see, it doesn't matter HOW they protect their families. All that matters in the end is that they DO.

POMEGRANATE

One of the most important aspects of any procedural to establish a solid team dynamic. That is what Limitless has done with the relationship between Rebecca and Brian, but I admit that I found the integration of Boyle to be a little underwhelming up until now. Thankfully, this episode remedied that. Boyle is... well, he's a lot like what Donald Ressler on The Blacklist was like in the first season: a stiff do-gooder who always wanted to be at the top of the class. That's all, really, we knew of Boyle for a long time and it's the persona that he perpetuated.

But "When Pirates Pirate Pirates" gave us a deeper glimpse into Spellman Boyle as a character. You see, he didn't like Brian Finch at first. He didn't trust him. And as the episodes have gone progressed, Brian has proven himself over and over again to the FBI. He hasn't just proven himself to be a valuable asset to the team, but a valuable person. I think that this is what has allowed Boyle to trust Brian Finch more — I think that he recognizes qualities in Brian that are fresh, honorable, and good. Brian isn't a jaded FBI employee. He's not a trained agent. He doesn't carry the weight of that stuff around with him. He's a good person who wants to save other people. That's it.

And at his core, that's who Boyle really is, too. He is the kind of person who is loyal to those he cares about and acts the way he does in order to fight for the greater good. But the fact that Boyle used to think of Brian as a threat (or at the very least, a potential problem) becomes an asset for the team in this episode. Because all Grady Johnson sees when he looks at Boyle is the same stereotypical qualities that he possessed in the pilot. And therein, wonderfully, lies the downfall of Johnson.

I sincerely like that we got character development AND backstory for Boyle during this episode (learning about his relationship with Loretta, and how awesome was it to watch Boyle, Rebecca, and Brian eat brownies together?). I honestly believe now that Boyle is a part of the family unit that Limitless is creating for Brian Finch. And it's delightful.

Speaking of family, this episode revolves around Brian and Rebecca (and by extension, Boyle) trying to save Naz's niece, Meetra, from pirates in the South China Sea. When Boyle and Rebecca arrive at the safe house Naz instructed them to go to, they also meet someone unexpected — Naz's daughter, Ava. Brian and Ava have a few little possibly romantic moments during their time there (but who wouldn't automatically be entranced by Brian, really), but both work together to try and determine where Meetra was taken, by whom, and how to rescue her. They do end up rescuing her, thanks to an informant and a rare pinball machine. It... you know what? Never mind. It's actually better if I don't explain the plot.

While this episode of Limitless didn't exactly move the plot forward and I'm getting kind of bummed at the dangling threads (are we going to ever return to Brian's father? Besides name-dropping him, have we kinda forgotten about Rebecca's beau? Is Naz's one act of redemption last episode enough for us to forget about what she did? Will Rebecca and Brian ever really have that conversation about the NZT pills he got from Morra?), the truth is that this show is still one of the most consistently well-written procedurals out there.

And that is due to the fact that the relationships are the heart of the show. I've talked about this extensively in other reviews, but it would be fun if Limitless was all about Brian solving cases week after week while on NZT. It was amusing in the pilot to watch him traipse all over the city, giving business advice and playing guitar. But if that was ALL that the show was... I still feel like it wouldn't be enough to sustain me. Hijinks, shenanigans, and case-solving are like candy — they're sweet and you enjoy them, but they're not meant to replace a meal, either. The heart of the show — the meal, as it were — is in the relationship between Brian and others around him. THAT is why I keep returning to this show. I love it because Brian is flawed, but ultimately relatable. 

I love it because Limitless is asking me to buy into a family unit between Brian and the people in his life. And you know what? I really do.

Bits & pieces:

• I think this is the shortest review I've written. I'm blaming it on my tiredness.
• "Feel free to picture that however you like." The visual gags on this show are always SO on point.
• The fact that Ike was feeding Brian Mike & Ikes is my favorite thing this show has ever done. Period.
• "Are you listening?" "Kind of."
• Rebecca and Brian have such a great relationship. I think this is one of the few shows on television where I don't romantically ship anyone. I actually really enjoy these two as best friends/partners who have a sibling-like banter. It's refreshing in the best way possible to not ship the main characters on a show, romantically.
• "Is it wrong that I feel less special now?"
• "What are you thinking about?" "Trying to think of if there's a way this ends with me sword-fighting pirates..."
• "Does it?" "... ish." Okay but Jennifer Carpenter delivered that line so flawlessly, I giggled.
• "Seriously? The pirates were pirated?"
• "I... have a very particular set of skills." Liam Neeson would be proud of you, Brian.
• Pradeep was PERFECT.
• Brian and Rebecca played "Screw, Marry, Kill" and it was the actual best.
• I DID IT FOR THE LULZ.

There you have it, friends and readers! What did you all think of this week's Limitless? Let me know in the comments below! :)

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Limitless 1x07 "Brian Finch's Black Op" (Life Moves Pretty Fast)

"Brian Finch's Black Op"

Original Airdate: November 3, 2015

The first time I ever saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off was, weirdly, when I was babysitting my neighbor's kids. They were sitting around the living room watching the film while I helped prepare food in the kitchen. The most recent time I watched the film was to introduce it to one of our writers, Lizzie, who had never seen it before. And honestly, if you watch the film today, it still stands up as a great comedy and an even greater coming-of-age film. See, the thing about Ferris Bueller is that he isn't a slacker. He is, in a lot of ways, but he really isn't. He's just bored — bored of high school and the way that he's treated because he's young. Bored of being in a classroom instead of living life. And while Lizzie noted that she spent most of the movie wanting Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane to get caught because they were rebellious kids... she also found them endearing.

That's the appeal of Ferris Bueller — he's the kind of character who you desperately want to hate because of all the poor choices he's making and the lies he tells, but you also can't really hate him. Not when he constantly encourages Cameron to stand up to the things in his life that he constantly runs away from. Not when he shows appreciation for his sister. Not when he cares about Sloane and treats her pretty well. Ferris Bueller may be a lot of things as a character, but horrible isn't one of them. His boredom just makes him skew toward recklessness as a means of escape and fulfillment.

The same could be said of Brian Finch in Limitless. Last week we got a pretty big glimpse into Brian's life and his emotional state. This week was a little more playful in terms of characterization and shenanigans and a little less high-stake (and, consequently, less involved plot-wise). It is a welcome reprieve from the emotional turmoil Brian was put through in "Side Effects May Include..." honestly. But don't let that fool you — a "fun" episode of Limitless is still one in which important issues arise and character growth happens. Let's dive into that, shall we?

"I REALIZED IT WAS RIDICULOUS... BEING AFRAID. WORRYING ABOUT EVERYTHING. ... I'M TIRED OF IT."

Since "Brian Finch's Black Op" is less intense and complex than most of the episodes this season, I thought I would take some time in this review to talk about Brian Finch as a character. What's really interesting is that we don't know much about Brian, apart from the pre-NZT character who we met in the pilot. Oh, sure, we see Brian in every single episode. But we also see multiple versions of him — the guy on NZT and the NZT manifestation in his head. We rarely slow down long enough to dwell on him as an actual character without the drug. And when we do, it's usually extremely emotional and powerful (like him breaking down over pushing Shauna away).

But what this episode did really well — and what I hope the show continues to do as it progresses — is drop more hints, little fragments of backstory into dialogue. While in the woods with Kyle (also nicknamed by Brian as "Cameron" to follow along with the Ferris Bueller's Day Off homage), the two discuss what Brian is like on NZT. Kyle longs to have a taste of the kind of intellect and purpose that Brian seems to on the drug. It's then, in a moment that isn't extremely significant or notable, that Brian confesses he thinks the pills are amazing, in spite of their complexity. Why? Simply because Brian Finch was kicked out of five schools. He was so used to his parents looking at him like he was a failure and a joke. He hated that — hated that he was a disappointment and that he couldn't change his circumstances. And that's a little sad, isn't it? You feel bad for Brian, a person who desperately wanted to make something of his life who is now doing that by lying to the people he cares about and taking NZT.

Because now, with the drug, Brian has been thrust into a life he never could have expected and doesn't always want. Case in point: this week's episode. When Brian is abducted by the CIA to participate in a black ops mission in the woods, it seems like a pretty cut-and-dry situation. The mercenaries are going in to extract a terrorist and bring him to justice... until Brian realizes that they plan to kill the man instead. And when that doesn't happen — when two out of the three CIA contractors go rogue with their own plan to sell the hostage to the highest bidder for $10 million — Brian realizes he's in a lot of trouble as the one caught in the middle.

"YOU CAN NEVER GO TOO FAR."

I remember the executive producers at Comic-Con noting that the thing that makes Limitless different from other procedurals is the fact that Brian Finch is thrust into a life he did not prepare for after taking NZT. He is not an agent. He's not a soldier. He's just a normal guy who used to be a failing musician and happened to take a pill that now heightens all of his abilities. Unlike everyone else in the show, Brian is the rookie in the sea filled with veteran players. Sometimes, Limitless uses this for comedic effect.

In "Brian Finch's Black Op," however, while there are parts of Brian's novice attitude played for laughs, the majority of it is much more serious than that. When he realizes that there is no real way he can escape his situation in the woods alive, his NZT conscience reminds him of what he will need to ultimately do — kill the remaining two soldiers if he wants to survive. Brian accomplishes this by turning Kyle against Miklos, but there's something raw and real about the way Brian still reacts to death which I think is so important.

He flinches and looks away. He's horrified. He's not immune to death — not by a long shot. While Rebecca and Boyle can remain stoic in the face of that stuff, watching someone die still haunts Brian. He talks about it frankly, after the fact, but the truth remains that it hits him hard. And honestly, I think that is one of the things I really love most about Brian Finch. He's someone in a procedural who hasn't lost his humanity yet. He's trying desperately to not be jaded by the work that he does, to not let it cripple him emotionally, to not be so afraid of the world that he does nothing to save it, to not see the world as mostly evil.

That's admirable to me. And it's extremely reltable. It makes Brian the kind of character you instantly lean into — we care about Brian, because he's not like everyone else. We care about Brian because we desperately want him to succeed. And we care about Brian because HE cares. He's not cold and calloused. He still has intense and emotional reactions to things. He's just learning to tamper them a bit more around Rebecca.

I love that Rebecca notices this, though — notices the way that Brian matter-of-factly discusses death, and comments aloud to him, in private, that she's worried she turned him into some kind of unfeeling robot whose lost his tether to humanity. Honestly, I think Brian and Rebecca keep each other human. And I know that sounds grossly romantic, but I mean it sincerely — he helps her remember the best parts about life, the good parts in people, and the fun of waking up every day with something new to accomplish. And she reminds Brian that the world is full of pain and difficult choices and that sometimes there are painful things you have to do or see in order to ultimately protect someone else (or yourself). I said before, multiple times, that Brian's instinct is always aimed toward selflessness first. I stand by that, because he doesn't want to harm other people. He always wants to give others the benefit of the doubt first, and then resort to desperate measures if he knows there is no other way out.

What "Brian Finch's Black Op" proved was that Brian isn't immune to the pain and suffering of the world or the emotional toll of his job. Just like Ferris Bueller, he knows that the world is out there. And it's scary and complex and difficult, filled with people you don't like and things you don't want to do. It's a world swarming with Rooneys and people who just want to see others hurt so that they can benefit.

But, much like Ferris, Brian Finch makes the conscious decision — every day — to live his life with energy, humor, and enthusiasm. Because if he doesn't... what is even the point?

Bits & pieces:

• Every single homage to Ferris Bueller's Day Off in this episode was absolute perfection. With maybe the exception of the end because WHAT KIND OF BUS DRIVER PICKS UP A STRANGE, DIRTY MAN WHEN CARRYING A BUS OF CHILDREN?
• Brian Finch has a framed photo of Eddie Morra and that's just the best thing ever.
• "Ohhhh, that's not how it goes."
• "What's in those pills?!"
• I love that Brian's NZT conscience manifested itself as Rebecca-as-Sloane during the episode. That was just the cherry atop an already wonderful homage. I also loved that he nicknamed the CIA contractors after Ferris Bueller's Day Off characters too.
• "But if I know my quiet, psycho, in DESPERATE need of a hug mercenary types..."
• "You're not dying. You just can't think of anything good to do."
• No, wait, I lied. The best Ferris Bueller reference was Brian singing: "Let my Brian gooooooo" in the woods.
• "You did it! You saved Ferris!"
• "It felt like before... like the good parts of before."

What did you all think of this week's Limitless? Hit up the comments below and let me know! :)

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Limitless 1x06 "Side Effects May Include..." (There Was No Choice To Make)

"Side Effects May Include..."

Original Airdate: October 27, 2015

If I haven't said it enough already throughout these reviews, I really love Brian Finch. I love him because he's sarcastic and I love him because he's silly. I love him because he wants to find his purpose in life and I love him because he has values and morals. I love him because he's not an archetype, not a "just": just a slacker or just a drug addict (which he technically is) or just a failure and a fraud. I love him because he's complex and everything he does only furthers the idea that he's trapped. And trapped people do desperate things to save themselves and the people around them.

Because even though, to an extent, taking NZT was a way for Brian to make sense of his directionless life and find a semblance of purpose in it, it's not the reason he continues to take it. He continues to take the drug because with it, he can help people. With it, he can be the kind of son he's always wanted to be to his father — the kind who would make him proud. With NZT, Brian can literally save lives and put away bad guys for good. And with this pill, Brian believes he's the kind of person that everyone actually wants around. A better Brian, to be precise. What's so wonderful and heartbreaking is that Brian off of NZT is just as valuable and important as who he is while on the drug. But Brian doesn't see it that way. He's got some self-loathing, just like a hero usually has, and he's trying to tamper that down so that he can help others.

Unfortunately, the way that Brian acquired a way to manage the side effects of his NZT was by making an arrangement with Eddie Morra — a man who looks like the gorgeous Bradley Cooper, but has the soul of an amoral politician. So in "Side Effects May Include...", Brian is in a difficult position. He needs NZT in order to think of a way to help squash the side effects he's feeling from it AND he needs NZT in order to try and help Rebecca piece together what happened to her father. Since this episode was jam-packed, let's begin.

THERE WAS NO CHOICE TO MAKE

Brian spends the entire episode fighting so valiantly against turning over Rebecca to Shady Sands and Eddie Morra. In fact, there's no real case throughout this episode of Limitless which was both strange and also refreshing. There are so many emotional stakes that adding in a case — however relevant — would have detracted from the things that Brian and Rebecca were facing separately and together. As Brian begins to succumb to the side effects of NZT, he tries his best to hold fast to his relationship with Rebecca as an anchor. 

Sands tells him that if he pushes Rebecca away (if he pins the stolen FBI files on her), he'll be able to enjoy a lack of side effects again. Problem solved, right? Well... no, of course not. Because Brian refuses to frame Rebecca. Even as he's suffering from hearing loss and visual impairments and vomiting and excruciating pain and paranoia, Brian puts Rebecca over himself every chance he gets.

... And Rebecca does the same for Brian, in return.

They're both keeping secrets for each other and though they spend the vast majority of this episode apart, they're still working as a team. Brian is Rebecca's partner, and that isn't something she takes lightly. And Brian, even while suffering, refuses to be the kind of person who turns on his friends in order to save himself. Oh, sure, there are parts of him — the parts that are supposed to be the logical, NZT-driven ones — that keep thinking maybe he needs to put himself first, save his own life and turn on Rebecca. I noted this before and it bears repeating: it is so important that, while on the drug, Brian fights against the logical part of his brain and embraces his humanity.

THAT is what makes Brian Finch such a great hero. He struggles. He's not immune to thoughts of self-preservation. But he is not driven solely by logic or by selfishness. He's driven, always, by the need to protect the people he cares about. He is driven by ethics and emotion. So as Brian begins to crumble under the weight of his side effects, he also continues to fight. He takes the pill each day and that choice is such an important one. It is a conscious decision on his part to embrace pain in order to help himself find a cure for his side effects and, more importantly, help Rebecca discover the truth about her father.

REBECCA'S DAY OUT

In this week's episode, Rebecca tries to act normal around Naz. Spoiler alert: it's not easy for her to do and she doesn't have the best poker face in the world. At the opening of "Side Effects May Include...", Rebecca discovers — via Brian — that the FBI knew about her father being on NZT. And, in fact, they studied him. The file on her father leads Rebecca and Brian to a drug rehabilitation center (which Brian infiltrates in order to get information about who was in contact with Conrad before he died). Rebecca and Brian have to try and act normal around Naz and Boyle, though, even though it's difficult to do so.

What makes it even more difficult is the fact that Naz has recruited Rebecca for an assignment — a simulation, essentially. Rebecca does extremely well in this simulation, coming up with ideas and plans that end up impressing the director of the FBI. The director wants to meet Rebecca, but the woman is more concerned with the state of Brian's health than anything else in the episode. And when Brian goes missing for a while, she cancels the visit.

Naz eventually discovers this, of course, and — in a rather surprising turn of events — sits Rebecca down and tells her about her father's file. She tells her that she's known (again, Rebecca, you need to work on your face whenever you look at Naz because it's filled with rage) for a while and that the only way Rebecca will ever discover more about NZT is if she has the kind of clearance necessary to access information about it. And that, apparently, is what Naz's goal was with the simulation: she wanted to introduce Rebecca to the right people to make her climb to the top — and closer toward information — possible.

I still don't trust Naz, really, and I don't think Rebecca does either. It will be interesting to see what all transpires between the two in the future. Toward the end of the episode, Rebecca and Brian discover that Andrew Epperley, a man they believe to have invented NZT (and who had contact with the four patients at the rehab clinic whom Rebecca and Brian suspect had been given the drug), is alive and probably knows how to direct them toward more information about the origin of NZT.

Unfortunately for Brian and Rebecca, though, that's the only information they'll ever get from him, as Shady Sands (or should I say Murdery Sands) blows up Epperley's house at the end of the episode.

SO YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

First off, let me get some superficial things out of the way, here: Bradley Cooper is an extremely attractive human being. Okay, now, moving on: Brian is suffering from debilitating side effects in the episode. He becomes so disoriented and paranoid that he ends up walking into the street, getting hit by a car, and passing out. When he comes to, he's on the floor of a rooftop building with Eddie Morra's face looking down on him. Brian is upset and frantic to get out of the situation (as you would expect), but Morra insists that he's not going to hurt Brian or anyone he cares about.

... Well, that's new. Brian is just as baffled as we are, wondering why he should trust a man who threatened his family and loved ones. Morra insists that the whole "get rid of Rebecca" thing was just a way to see how far Brian's limits were. Stealing FBI files and committing treason? Doable. Betraying a friend and sentencing them to pain and time in prison? Not so much. Brian is baffled, and so are we. If Morra doesn't want Brian as his lackey, then what DOES he want?

Morra explains that he wants Brian as his partner. Together, they could change the world — he would be the political face of change, but Brian would be a part of the leadership that makes that change effective and possible. Isn't this a tempting and ideal offer for someone who has spent all of his adult life feeling like a failure? Isn't it tantalizing, this promise of changing the world? Of making a difference? Brian must think so too, because he doesn't walk away from the conversation and he hides the five pills of NZT bestowed upon him by Morra in his apartment.

I'm still not sure if I trust Eddie Morra. I don't think the show asks us to make a judgement about him either way, really. What I do know is that we learned the kind of person Brian Finch truly is this week. Even on the brink of death, he wouldn't compromise his beliefs. He has his limits, after all. And, as Morra notes, Brian is a man of integrity. He upholds his own set of beliefs and standards and doesn't compromise on them. In a television landscape of amoral characters, antiheroes, and people who constantly make the wrong decisions so eventually — once — they can make the right one, Brian is a refreshing sort of hero. I honestly could spend an entire review gushing about him, but I'll refrain. Suffice it to say, though, that Brian has a difficult road ahead of him in terms of growth and development. He may have escaped the side effects of NZT for now, but I have a feeling he's just beginning to unravel the mystery of the drug, its purpose, and use.

Limitless isn't a perfect show, but it's one of the best procedurals (and dramas, really) on television right now. It's smart, it is making the audience think, and it is providing us with amazing characters and relationships. Plus, the occasional appearance by Bradley Cooper and his blue eyes doesn't hurt either.

Bits & pieces:

• I constantly praise Jake McDorman, but it bears repeating in this episode because he had to play three different versions of Brian — Brian on NZT, pre-side effects; Brian on NZT, with side effects; and Brian's imaginary NZT self whom he talks to. Seriously, I am always impressed by his performance on this show, and this week he brought a whole new layer to that performance.
• "You make yourself the Barbarian Queen of New York City!"
• I love that Brian's fake name was Mike Ikerson, because why wouldn't it be?
• "Because if you know it, I know it... and I don't... know it..."
• "Hi! I need to speak to someone important!" That's how I'm going to enter rooms when I need things from now on.
• I didn't like that Brian's manifestation had to do with crawling bugs because ewwwww.
• "I just needed to know what your limits are."
• "There's so much more, Brian." "... There's rice?" I need Bradley Cooper and Jake McDorman in more scenes together. They'd be great in a buddy cop movie or something, because they have a nice rapport already.
• So here's a question: is Shady Sands going rogue? Or is he still following the instructions of Eddie Morra? Because it makes that scene where he, you know, BLOWS SOMEONE AND THEIR HOUSE UP pretty critical.

That's it for this week's Limitless! Let me know your thoughts about the show in the comments below. Until then. :)

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Limitless 1x05 "Personality Crisis" (Between An NZT And A Hard Place)

"Personality Crisis"

Original Airdate: October 20, 2015

What do you do when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place?

I hate making decisions. I'm really bad at them, actually, that I often just wait until my circumstances make choices for me. Or until someone else does. My friends and I are notoriously bad at decision-making, especially when we go out to eat or plan a movie night. It takes us thirty minutes to pick a restaurant because we all keep insisting that we don't care where we eat — really, we're fine with anything! But that's a lie. I hate making decisions mostly because I hate the fact that there is usually a right one to make and a wrong one. And I am always fearful I will choose wrongly. Up until this point in Limitless, Brian Finch has had to make a lot of decisions. He chose to work for Eddie Morra and keep a secret from his family and from the FBI. He chose to hand over the NZT files. He chose to let Shauna go. None of those decisions were easy ones to make, and I don't mean to cite them as a way to diminish the choices. These were extremely difficult things for Brian to do.

But all of those combined cannot compare with the decisions and ramifications of those choices that Brian has to make in "Personality Crisis." Brian's NZT double-life is often played for levity on the show — I love scenes of NZT!Brian interacting with normal!Brian. It's fun to see him interact with himself. But this episode sees a different kind of interaction — a more internal one than anything. This particular personality crisis isn't about what Brian is like on the pill or off of it, like the crisis we saw with Shauna a few weeks ago. This crisis is inherently about self preservation versus being a good person.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT OR FIGHT AGAIN

"Personality Crisis" was all about identity. (For those of you who read my Arrow reviews, this might sound like a rehashing of season three.) The case was relatively simple to follow for a procedural (and for that I was extremely grateful because a convoluted rabbit-trailed case would have been a disservice to the emotional content of this episode). It centered around two brothers: Chris and Sam. The former was picked up by the FBI while he was attempting to flee a building that they raided under suspicion. And when he was brought in for questioning, Brian was the only one Chris wanted to speak to. In doing so, the FBI had hoped that Brian would gain valuable information about the whereabouts of Sam, his older brother, and a suspected person of interest in the case.

But the more Chris talked about Sam, the more Brian believed Sam wasn't possibly the person of interest — the suspected terrorist. He was Chris' older brother, a compassionate young man who took care of Chris when their mother died and their father was hauled off to prison later. There's another show on television these days called Blindspot, and I couldn't help but be reminded of its title and the significance of it while I watched this storyline unfold in Limitless.

We all have blind spots — we all have weaknesses, places where we can't see clearly. I'm driving my parents' car for a week while my car is getting repaired, and theirs is an SUV — bigger than my sedan and equipped with, you guessed it, blind spots that I am not used to. We all want to know that we are in control and that we are capable. We all want to believe that we can see everything around us clearly, that we haven't gotten something crucial wrong. But the problem is that... sometimes we do. Sometimes we see people in only one light because they're our human version of a blind spot. When we look at them, we see the world differently.

Sam was Chris' blind spot, with good reason. That was his older brother — the person he looked up to most in the world. And when Brian reveals that Sam actually WAS working on building a dirty bomb and detonating it in New York City, Chris couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he would miss the signs, that he could misread his older brother — someone so intimately connected to him — that badly. The FBI wants to use Sam's care for his brother and trust in him as a way to stop the bomb from being completed, so they use Chris as bait and lure Sam (and a co-conspirator with neck tattoos) out of hiding for the final component to be delivered.

But this is where things go awry. Because Chris can't let Sam go, can't let him get caught and thrown into prison. That's his brother and for however badly he's messed up, for all of the bad things he was about to do... it's still his brother. And he still loves him. Sam is still the blind spot. LOVE is a blind spot. So when Sam and Neck Tattoo flee, Chris chases after them, with the FBI shortly behind. Shots are fired, and Chris is fatally wounded. Sam is imprisoned, and the bomb never detonates.

Thousands of lives are saved, but one is lost in the process.

LOVE IS A BLIND SPOT, A BATTLEFIELD, AND ALL YOU NEED

Okay, let me pause before I delve into the emotional elements of tonight's episode to talk a little bit about Brian Finch as a character. I absolutely love him. I've said in recent reviews that the difference between Brian and other heroes on series that I've watched is that he doesn't have to mess up a million times, make smarmy comments, and then grow as a person in order to be lauded as a hero. He's already a hero when our story begins. He's already a good person — he doesn't have to be taught how to love or care about others from a ragtag study group. He doesn't have to go through five years on an island or be struck by lighting in order to embrace his inner hero. He doesn't have to try and fail every episode to do the right thing.

And that's REALLY refreshing.

Because so much of what I watch on television these days is us rooting for the hero to finally become the hero — to overcome all of their internal demons and struggles and to take one step forward in their journey by the end of every episode. And I love shows like that, don't get me wrong. A hero's journey is epic and it's important and it's necessary. But not all stories are stories like that. Not all stories are ones of transformation.

Sometimes, when a story begins, it actually begins in medias res — in the middle of things. On Limitless, Brian is already a hero. And what he does throughout the episodes doesn't fundamentally morph him into someone different. His experiences and his decisions illuminate who he is and act as a compass toward what he knows to be true of himself already. Remember at the end of last week's episode that Brian was faced with a moral dilemma: he knows information about Rebecca's father and he has that information and he wants to share it.

But he can't share it without telling Rebecca how he acquired the files. This week, Brian struggles throughout the episode to talk to Rebecca and tell her about her father. It's clear she doesn't have closure after visiting the art gallery and Brian — to his credit — really has a difficult time with not telling her vital pieces of intel he has gathered. But the need for self-preservation weighs out in most of the conversations that Brian-on-NZT records for his non-NZT self to watch later on. NZT Brian is extremely intelligent. He's calculated and artistic and he has everything figured out, down to a formula and pie charts and little clay figurines.

Here's what is so great about this show, though: it would be easy to make Brian-on-NZT the voice of reason at the end of "Personality Crisis." We all assume that to be true, right? How could Brian on the drug — this super-genius who can master self-defense classes at the FBI, piece together almost 20,000 different potential email addresses, and recall entire conversations without missing a beat — possibly be wrong or off-base? 

... Unless there is something about Brian off the drug that Brian on the drug lacks. And there is: a deep, powerful connection to emotions and to relationships. Brian Finch cares about people. And not just in a way that is flippant or blase. He cares about people in an extremely profound way. He tethers himself to people and their stories. He cries. He gets angry. He tries to shut down the parts of himself that care. At one point in the episode, he puts on a leather jacket and dons sunglasses and pretends to be a version of himself who detaches from others, emotionally.

But then Chris shows up at his door, and he can't. And then Chris dies, and we would think — given what we know to be true of so many other shows — that this would be the thing that leads Brian to shut down further and drive him into isolation, a la Oliver Queen in "Sara." But it isn't. In fact, Chris' death is the catalyst not for Brian to withhold secrets and become calloused but to open himself up to potential harm for the sake of helping others.

Brian could very well die — in fact, he probably believes he will, given the threats that Eddie Morra and Shady Sands hung over him. But he doesn't care about that. There's a miniature speech that Brian delivers at the end of the episode, where he essentially says that if shutting himself down means that he loses the part of himself that feels and cares, then he never wants to be that person. That's not a life that is worth living. And I cannot tell you how happy that makes me as a writer and a viewer to see in this show.

The moral of "Personality Crisis" wasn't that being the tragic hero is a life you should aspire to, but rather one that is lonely and completely missing the point of heroism. Brian knows he is going to suffer, but he's weighed the price against what he could give someone else. Think about that — this decision is not about what Brian can GET but what he can GIVE to Rebecca. Can you please pass me some tissues? Because Brian Finch's heroism is making me a bit emotional.

Limitless keeps surprising me, honestly, in the best way. Just when I think we have reached the end of a possible problem related to Brian's secret, we unearth a new, more complex, more engaging one. I honestly cannot wait to see what this show does next. Whatever it is, I know it will be poignant.

Bits & pieces:

• All the praise to Jake McDorman, who consistently brings it every week as Brian Finch. Man, just when I think I have figured him out, Jake manages to illuminate another facet of the character's personality that compels me to lean in. Bravo. Honestly and truly, bravo.
• One of the things I feared with this show was that it would drag out revelations and secrets like a lot of other shows are prone to doing. Yes, there is the big overarching secret of Brian being on NZT that a few characters are not aware of yet. But Brian found out about Rebecca's relationship before the end of the episode, and by the episode's end, Brian was at her door with a folder, ready to talk about her father. Good job, show, for not stringing us along until the mid-season finale for that reveal.
• I got two very distinct comedy feelings when I saw the videos Brian made for himself (reminiscent of Nick Miller's videos to his future self in New Girl) and the clay figurines he made (reminiscent of the ones Ben Wyatt made when unemployed on Parks and Recreation). 
• "Brian, we've been talking to you for 30 seconds and you've been nodding along, but I don't think you're listening..."
• The graphic of Brian's bladder? Hilarious.
• "Don't... move?"
• "You might know more than you think you do."
• Rebecca isn't keeping secrets either! She told Brian about her father's paintings at the art gallery. I thought they were going to have her lie, but I'm really glad she didn't.
• Brian made a pie chart titled "WAYS TO DIE" and it was literally just a circle filled entirely in that said: "Talk to Rebecca."
• "I can be really annoying when I'm on NZT." "We've noticed."
• "I'm checking on you." Awww, that was cute.
• "You? It's Charles Barkley!"
• "Just because you remember everything doesn't mean you know everything."
• BCOOP RETURNS NEXT WEEK.

Limitless airs on CBS Tuesday nights at 10 PM EST. If you're not watching the show, you're only a few episodes behind — catch up!

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Limitless 1x04 "Page 44" (Immortal Mice and Moral Dilemmas)

"Page 44"

Original Airdate: October 13, 2015

We all make choices in life. These choices –– for better or for worse –– define who we are and who we become. If you do bad things with good motivations, does that make you a bad person? If you help someone in the same day that you commit treason, are you the hero or the villain? Can that change? Is this even a question of either/or –– or do we all have, as Harry Potter told us, dark and light inside of us? And how do you really decide whether or not you’re a good person or a bad one?

In this week’s episode of Limitless, Brian Finch struggles to figure out whether or not he’s a bad guy or a good guy. And it’s a good question for him to ask of himself, because he saves an innocent man from prison in the same episode that he commits treason by stealing files from the FBI. What I am loving about this series –– and why I fully believe it to be worth your time –– is because it is focused foremost on characterization. The cases drive the plot, but they are so much more integral than that because they drive character development. In the case of this week’s episode titled “Page 44,” we not only become more engrossed in Brian’s moral dilemmas and story, but also the story of Rebecca. The show could have easily brushed aside the comment she made to Brian in the pilot about her father and his involvement in NZT. But it didn’t. Instead, Limitless brilliantly paralleled two revelations at the end of this episode.

I’m getting ahead of myself, though. Let’s talk more about what is making this show so wonderful.

THE CASES

There were actually two cases this week! In a procedural, that’s fairly common (because by no means is the FBI or CSI unit just working on one case every day). But what was good about this episode that the previous episode lacked was relevance to the main story –– to the story of Brian Finch. Since losing Shauna (thanks to Shady Sands’ warnings), Brian has been resorting to one-night stands in order to fulfill him. He simply cannot become attached to anyone at this point in his life without putting them in danger (much like a certain hooded vigilante noted to a certain blonde IT girl in season two of Arrow). If he cares, they can be used as leverage against him.

So Brian finds no meaning in these meaningless relationships (he dryly comments on that) and instead, chooses to spend his nights on NZT perusing the Internet and talking to geniuses all around the world about the projects they’re working on. He begins to chat with a man named Arthur who is working on extending the lifetime of a mouse. Brian helps him, as you do, and Arthur is extremely grateful for it. And then, the mouse goes missing and Arthur panics.

Arthur also reveals to Brian –– when the two meet in person –– that he was one of the founders of a biotech firm called Claxion… oh, and he suspects his former partner, Paul, is behind the stolen mouse. Why, you ask? Because Arthur did tons of work for Claxion and Paul stole all of the hard work and ended up making millions off of the information and research, while Arthur was left with nothing. When Paul shows up dead the following day with Arthur’s fingerprint at the crime scene, Brian is a bit concerned.

The other case in the episode involves a Chinese drone and honestly, the only important part of this story connects to what Brian has to do (steal all the information that the FBI has on NZT, making it easier because the case gave him special security clearance at the FBI). The show does a wonderful parallel between Brian stealing the information and the culprit –– Zhang –– confessing that he was a spy. The confession by Zhang is important, because he tells Rebecca and Boyle that he never intended to be a spy. It didn’t start out that way. It started out, much like addictions and things of that sort, little by little until finally, he was caught in a web of espionage.

There’s the understood warning there that if Brian does what Shady Sands –– and, by proxy, Eddie Morra –– want him to do in committing treason, there is going to be a snowball effect. He’s not going to be able to escape his web of lies and crime. One act will lead to another and then another. We see the effects of that this episode.

Meanwhile, together, Brian and Rebecca manage to determine who actually killed Paul and why (basically, Paul was going to leave five different charities all of his money after he died instead of giving it to his children and told his lawyer about this, but instead of making the change, the lawyer contacted one of Paul’s children and promised them that he would be able to sit on the will and not do anything about it… if the price was right). Arthur is extremely grateful to Brian and lauds him a good person and a hero. Brian, feeling immense guilt for what he was made to do by Sands, isn’t so sure.

But Arthur is insistent that Brian is a person who did a good thing and that he owes him.

(I hope we see more of Arthur again, honestly.)

BRIAN’S MORAL DILEMMAS

Brian is told by Shady Sands that he needs to steal all of the information the FBI has on NZT and if he doesn’t, people he loves will get hurt. Here’s what I love about Brian: decisions don’t come easy for him and we see the weight of those decisions pressing down on him at every turn throughout the show. He’s an extremely emotionally-driven and invested individual. He cares about people, he wants to help them, and he genuinely desires to do good. So when he is forced into a corner by Sands, Brian tries to outthink him –– he fabricates documented evidence from the FBI about NZT and crosses his fingers that it’ll work.

It doesn’t.

Brian’s father ends up in the hospital, not in life-threatening condition but in a condition no less. Sands knows. And we assume Eddie knows, too. The web that Brian is caught in isn’t just growing more complex by the moment –– it’s starting to choke him and kill him. There’s a great shot right before “Page 44” jumps to commercial in the hospital. Sands has just left and Brian is sitting in a chair, beginning to feel every implication of what he has done and what he will do. His hands go to his mouth and he rubs his face, wearied and burdened.

Brian is a good guy. He is the kind of guy that you want to root for –– the kind of guy you already believe is doing the right thing, the best he can. He’s not like Jeff Winger, who was smarmy and egotistical but still (probably) had a good heart. He’s not rough or tortured like Oliver Queen. He’s not judgmental or jaded like Danny Castellano. He’s not self-involved like New Girl’s Schmidt. Brian is a character who you truly believe has a heart of gold and wants to do right by the people he loves.

He’s a hero and he is a dreamer and he wants to live a better life for himself and his family. He wants to save his father. He wants to prove his worth. He wants to HELP people. But now, Brian is being coerced into stealing secrets, turning on his own people in order to save others. Brian isn’t protecting himself by doing business with Shady Sands and Eddie Morra. He’s trying to protect everyone else.

“Page 44” was such a great glimpse into this growing inner conflict and the effects of Brian’s choices. Jake McDorman continues to impress me with his portrayal of Brian, as he can transition from playful and goofy banter (seriously the emoji thing was adorable, as was digging through the trash excitedly, and the fantasy sequence of Mike and Ike this week was hilarious) to extremely concerned and serious quicker than I can snap my fingers. The producers talked at Comic-Con about how Jake was the right guy for the role because of this, and I truly believe them. It takes a talented person not only to play opposite himself (which he does in the NZT sequences), but to be able to play such an array of emotions without making them contrived or clichéd.

DADDY DEAREST

Brian isn’t the only one who gets some emotional depth this episode –– Rebecca does, too! When she meets a “dealer” on the street… the woman quickly explains that she is an ART dealer of her late father. Rebecca had no idea that her dad had continued to paint in his later years, assuming that once the drug addiction began, he had stopped. The woman hands Rebecca her card, and tells her that there are pieces in a gallery that her father did and might be of interest to her.

Rebecca doesn’t want to see what her father created (even as she shows Brian pieces of his pre-NZT art). In an extremely sweet moment, Rebecca and Brian talk about their parents. Understandably, Rebecca is trying hard to distance herself from the NZT version of her father. She doesn’t want to remember him as the addict. She doesn’t want to think about that part of his life and if he painted something while on NZT, she wants no part of it. But Brian gently tells Rebecca that if he found something of his father’s after HE passed… there’s no way he wouldn’t want to be a part of it. It’s a lovely little moment between these two and I love that the show has been so intentional in building up their trust in one another.

So Rebecca goes to the art gallery and meanders around… only to discover a painting of her that her father did. Jennifer Carpenter does such a great job conveying the utter shock and intrigue and well of emotions Rebecca is feeling as she sees the painting.

THE TWIST

Of course, at the end of the episode, Brian also discovers something: the FBI has a file on Rebecca’s father in that top-secret stuff that he stole for Shady Sands. They knew he was on NZT (something is important that was great foreshadowing was that Rebecca hasn’t told anyone at the FBI that she suspects her dad was on the drug) and, moreover, were monitoring him while he was on it.

Brian’s horrified realization is that he can’t tell Rebecca that he knows this. He can’t tell ANYONE that he knows this without them knowing the treason he committed.

So is Brian a good person or a bad one? The answer is far more complex than that, I think, but I would venture to say that –– right now –– Brian is a good person who is being made to do bad things for good reasons.

Bits & pieces:

• “If you could make ten minutes feel like an entire day… what would you do?”
• “… Please don’t spill coffee on the top-secret file.”
• The graphics and directing in the show are amazing and I say that every week but I will keep saying it as long as it keeps being true.
• The fact that Brian helped create an immortal mouse is so great.
• Every time Shady Sands (his real name is Mr. Sands, but I’m adding the “shady” for fun) is on screen, I immediately yell: “HI WALTER FROM ARROW!” Funnily enough, Arrow name-dropped his character this week.
• “If I were you… and I pretty much am…”
• “Wake up.” “Ugh, Ike.”
• “SHE IS TRYING TO RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A PONY!” – Brian’s fake excuse while pretending to sell Girl Scout cookies for his “niece” in order to sneak into Claxion.
• In the background while Brian calls Rebecca, the lab mice hop down the stairs (clearly CGI lab mice) and it’s hilarious and also slightly adorable.
• “Thumbs up!”
• “He was right. Or I was right. Whatever.”
• “And I wanna know what you did with Arthur’s mouse.” “I do too!”
• BCOOP IS RETURNING. It’s amazing how he is able to play such a calculated and cruel villain, it really is.

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