Thoughts about “Awake”

[aadler]

 
I watched Awake tonight on NBC. I’d been seeing the ads for it, and been intrigued.

Briefly, the premise is of a homicide detective who was in a car crash with his wife and son, after which he is living — or appears to be living — in parallel realities. In one, his son survived and his wife died; in the other, his wife survived and his son died. Every time he falls asleep in one, he wakes in the other. He doesn’t know which is real; he doesn’t know for sure that they’re not both real; for all he knows (this wasn’t said in the show, but I recognize the possibility), he’s comatose or insane and both realities are imaginary. In each, the police department has assigned him to see a psychiatrist … but they’re different psychiatrists, with different personalities and approaches — and genders — and in each reality he has a different partner and deals with different cases, but the cases seem to have intersections of their own. That is to say, what he learns in one reality may genuinely relate to events in the other.

All the time I was watching it, I was thinking two things, which — like the show — both paralleled and interrelated.

The first was, this is being beautifully and intelligently done. I like the people. I like the situation. I like the way the story is being presented. I like the way it appears future developments may proceed. Ideas are plentiful (though some are substantially better than others), but the real payoff is how well an idea is used, and the use being made here is of serious quality.

The second was: since, like the Matrix, this situation deals with the nature of reality, it could be applied in fanfic to ANY fandom. Or any moment in fandom. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where Warren’s bullet hit Tara — as in our own ‘known’ reality — or Willow instead … or where Caleb blinded Xander or killed him, or Buffy jumped off Glory’s tower or Dawn did it before Buffy could get there, or any of any number of branching points. I could come up with other examples (I’m not utterly bound into Buffy fandom), but I think the basic point has been made. This is essentially an approach, rather than a plot per se, and much could be done with it anywhere.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep watching the show itself. Because it genuinely is interesting and intriguing.

Comments

[xxmagex.livejournal.com]

I agree, I just watched the pilot episode online. I liked it and want to see where they go with it.

[aadler]

Clearly, a lot depends on the handling. Any number of shows have begun with an excellent opening episode, and then failed to follow up properly, or even done well with an entire first season — or most of one — before faltering. So far, what I’ve seen is encouraging. Let’s hope it lasts.