(Season 2, Episode 10 – “Evil … and his brother Ziggy”)
To begin, I would like to talk to the producers of Life as a man. A male chauvinist man. A man who will risk falling flat on his face to glance at a beautiful woman (who, of course, is my loving, caring wife). I just have one thing to say … Thank you.
Thanks for what? Oh, don’t be so modest! For Dani at the beginning and end of the episode. It was a masterpiece of camera and dialogue, of scope and focus. You should win an Emmy for it! Dani walking around in boots, panties and sucking on a lollipop. My lord! Where’s your Nobel prize?
Okay, okay. Let me go take a cold shower, and talk about some of the finer points of this week’s episode. Other than Dani being naked, that is.
Mickey and Charlie: So, the last time we left Detective Crews, he was smack dab in he middle of a kidnapping. For two weeks we wondered what would happen to Charlie as it seemed that Mickey Rayborn had gotten the upper hand. Turns out, not much of anything happened, other than an invitation to Rayborn’s charity shindig a few days later.
That’s when the first “meeting” between the two finally came to fruition. It seems Mickey has a terminal illness that is only giving him about six months to live. So, in order to die with a clear conscience, he is willing to let some secrets be known about his involvement in the Seyboldt case. As the episode ended, we were about to hear what those issues were. Hopefully, we’ll get some sense of what it is next week.
On the Res: I mentioned in a previous review how Life shows the bright and shiny side of criminal Los Angeles. This time we moved away from all of that brightness into the barren tribal areas of California. Somewhere, I think there was some symbolism in their location that could be connected to Charlie and Dani. Charlie was easy … he liked the area because it was so open. After living in a tiny cell for 12 years, he wants as much open space as he can get.
The (slightly creepy) world of Dani and Tidwell: Maybe it’s just me, but there is something just a bit unsettling in the “romance” between Dani and Captain Tidwell. Sure, it’s nice to see Dani loosening up a bit (somewhat of an understatement, if you ask me), but this relationship seems, I don’t know, oogy. On the upside, it has been great fodder for some of the lighter moments of the show.
Take this week’s episode. When Charlie picked up the phone to hear Tidwell talking about Reese’s panties: his reaction was priceless. It was like he touched radioactive material and got severely burned. The reaction to the phone ringing again was even funnier. There was also the incident where the good Captain called Reese “dude.” Who calls a hot woman like Dani “dude?” The resulting action was both sexy, with Dani being nice and naked, and funny, as Tidwell called her “dude” once again.
Dinner at Charlie’s: This was another light-hearted moment for this week’s episode. All Charlie wanted was to have a nice quiet dinner with his guest, Captain Whitehat. Soon enough, he realizes Ted had Indian food (from India, not Native American) brought in. Then, Rachel plops herself down at the table, angry that Crews wasn’t there when she called the house the night before. Finally, Ted blurts out that he’s in love with Olivia, the woman who will be marrying Charlie’s father. The best line of the night was Charlie’s simple response to Whitehat: “White people.”
A man named Evil: When I saw Evil’s name (really spelled Eval) in the title I thought that he, and his brother Ziggy, would be the main suspects in this week’s episode. In the end, they were only minor supporting characters who appeared towards the end. Though, I’m sure there was some symbolism there with Evil’s red convertible and red shoes. Maybe a representation of the devil who was bringing sin into the Reservation. Who knows.
This week’s case: I had a hard time understanding what the birth certificate was all about and why Anna’s father killed Hawes. I think it had something to do with Anna not being Native American at all, which meant that her father would lose any money that the reservation made from the new casino. Maybe someone else can fill in the holes that I apparently left.
That’s all for Life this week. Next time it’s into the suburbs for Crews and Reese as they investigate a murder victim who died quite awhile ago.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Dec 04, 2008 @ 14:51 EST5EDT
“Finally, Ted blurts out that he’s in love with Olivia, the woman who will be marrying Charlie’s wife.”
Seeing Dani has really rattled you’re creative juices…..!!!!
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s that damn picture I posted! Anywho, I made the necessary corrections. Thanks for picking it up.
Um, since I edited that post, I’m wondering what my problem is. I swear, I’m not flustered by naked Dani! ;-)
I loved the brief moments where they showed Dani Reese from the back, then the front, then “saddled”. I love Life, and last night I loooovvveeeeddd Life :)
Ok you mentioned Indian food and in the bracket you add Persian?? I am Indian and would you please indulge me in a geography lesson that American HS kids get?
By the loved the dinner scenes at the Crews residence as well as the dani skin baring scenes. The crimes this week was pretty unique as well. Hopefully this show will get a third season.
*sigh* Where did the complicated, badass Reese disappear to?
The Tidwell relationship confuses and skeeves me out the same time. We haven’t seen enough from Dani’s side to see why she would even consider having a relationship with her boss was a good idea.
On the other hand, I love the other aspects of this episode. I love Captain Whitehat, I love seeing other rounded female characters who aren’t reduced to just being eye candy.
Crews and Reese’s interactions remain the highlight of the show to me.
If anything we know that Dani has poor decision making skills (previous addiction & promiscuity) so sleeping with her boss doesn’t seem unfathomable for her character.
I agree with D-Bo — and Dani’s dialogue at the start (yes, guys, she was talking too) indicates that even she understands that it’s not a smart move. But she has an addictive personality, and that often leads one to make improper decisions.
My understanding of the actual crime was that Anna wasn’t actually Native American. Not only did that make her not eligible for the big payout from the casino, but there was fear that it would make her activist boyfriend reject her. The better question is what the Sheriff was going to do with the information, as he didn’t want to hurt her. I think he just wanted her to know who she really was, so she could make up her own mind and not be living a lie. But everything else about him made him seem to be an ass, so that part was very unclear.
this was actually a badly done episode, unless we’re going to go back to the Casino at some point. the whole Eval/Ziggy thing was totally unnecessary, even as a red herring. They spent a lot of time setting up those characters, only to have them be entirely irrelevant to the murder. This is usually a much, much better constructed and planned out show, so I expect us to come back to the rez at some point.
The abrupt resolution to the kidnapping cliffhanger just didn’t feel right, either. If this show had been cancelled, I’d understand rushing through the important plot points, but this show got the back 9 — they can take their time, at least for this season.
and I loved that the Indian law officer was Officer Whitehat.
LOVED Life 2.10!
Loved Tidwell/Reese, I don’t think she’s OOC. The writers are showing us another part of her personality.
And I LOVE this new part!
And: Tidwell rules!
Yay for the Tidwell/Reese relationship! Loved their interaction in last night’s episode.