Life“Find Your Happy Place”
Original Air date: Sept 29, 2008
Kristina – TwoCents Reviewer
kristina@thetwocentscorp.com
Female dancer who just got her first acting part. Male executive preparing to move to London for a new job. Female shop owner turning 30. What do these people have in common? They were found in dead in trunks. In the LA river (which isn't really a river), in the middle of a freeway, on a building rooftop... and all before the opening credits. You've gotta hand it to the writers of Life, they don't skimp on the season opener.
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[photo: Trae Patton/NBC]
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Life
ReplyDelete“Find Your Happy Place”
Original Air date: Sept 29, 2008
Kristina – TwoCents Reviewer
kristina@thetwocentscorp.com
Female dancer who just got her first acting part. Male executive preparing to move to London for a new job. Female shop owner turning 30. What do these people have in common? They were found in dead in trunks. In the LA river (which isn't really a river), in the middle of a freeway, on a building rooftop... and all before the opening credits. You've gotta hand it to the writers of Life, they don't skimp on the season opener.
This season brings us a new captain in charge of the division and I'll so miss the other lady, not. But this guy seems a bit um... strange. What did you think of him? Maybe he'll get better over time.
The victims appear to be unrelated. A man comes in explaining that he runs a luggage store. He saw trunks that he sold on the TV. A gentleman came in and paid cash for 10 of them. 3 down, 7 to go? Oh boy.
So through this really cool GPS mapping system, they track the cars of the second two victims. The first one didn't have a car. They find that they were both in a park at the same time during the week before they died. When they visit the park, they have a funny little side trip with a couple of guys fresh out of jail in an ice cream truck selling drugs. Pretty funny and Charlie all the way around. A woman approaches them afterward. She thanks them for catching the guys. She brings her son there everyday. When shown pictures of the victims, she picks out the second two victims. She saw them in the park. The woman was taking pictures of the man.
They visit the club the first victim danced at and other than them having a box that they dance inside of, there was nothing useful. They speak to the wife of the second victim but she's really no help. They visit the store the third victim owned. There's a funny scene where Charlie asks the guy if he has a box for a little kumquat but they do not learn anything because the guy only worked with the victim.
Then there's a fourth victim. A trunk left on the airport runway. A student who just found out he had gotten a full scholarship. Still no apparent connection to the other victims. It would seem they are getting nowhere fast. Then the new captain makes a comment about doing what makes you happy and something clicks for Charlie. What do you want to do when you're getting something that makes you happy? You celebrate. How do you let people know? You send announcements and invitations.... like the kind made at the third victim's store.
They return to the store and speak to the guy there again. Again he says he doesn't know anything. He would give them their customer list but well, the owner kept things all over the place and he doesn't know where it is. Charlie and Dani decide one way to find out if they are on a good track. They split up to visit friends and family of the victims. They are given copies of the invitations and on the back of them is the logo of the store.
They get a search warrant for the store clerks apartment. Can you say freaky?? This apartment was decorated in smiley faces, happy birthday signs, really bright and garish colors. They also find copies of the invites of the victims... including a fifth. With all of this evidence, they return to the store and find a trunk. Inside the trunk is the store clerk with a bag over his head. They get him out before he dies and arrest him. In searching the building, they find 4 more trunks. 4 contained bodies, 1 had the store clerk, 4 empty.... yep, one missing.
They contact the family of the fifth invitation they found at the apartment and confirm she's missing. They try to talk to the store clerk but he just can't stop smiling. Thinking about her out there in that box just makes him smile. In the dictionary, next to the word freaky, should be this guys picture. Turns out this guy was leaving bodies in a pattern... of a smiley face. When they look at the locations they figure out the next location and find the lady still alive.
Now, behind all of this, Charlie is still looking for Rachel. You remember Rachel? The daughter of the family Charlie was wrongly convicted of murdering who has disappeared with everyone claiming they're protecting her? Well, after paying $700,000 to private investigators, they've tracked her to a building which is apparently some kind of dorm. However, it's only for foreign nationals, no Americans live there. Charlie and Ted search through the rooms until they finally find a hidden door and find Rachel who goes a little nuts when they find her. Charlie calms her down when he tells her what sounds like “the fire sent me”.... anyone know what he means there? I haven't pieced it together yet.
Not too bad for the season opener. I thought it was a little bit of a let down that this guy was killing all of these people because they were happy and doing something in their lives but overall the show was good I thought. I can't wait to see what Charlie manages to do with Rachel. Who do you think is behind all of this? If he found Rachel in the season opener, what is he going to be chasing the rest of the season? Is Dani's Father really that dirty? Luckily we get another chance to find out this week. Tune in Friday night at Life's regular time for the next new episode!