Life: Beware of Bamba Lovers

This third episode of Life’s second season ties last season’s “Farthingale” for being the most offbeat of the whole series. Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) and Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) are assigned to the case of a murdered cancer researcher who was murdered in his lab when someone switched his oxygen tank with liquid nitrogen and froze him solid from head to toe. That’s gotta hurt. In an absurdly hilarious moment, Crews accidentally shatters the victim into a million pieces when he touches him with his pen. The look on his face is priceless, as is when an unbelieving Dani asks him “Must you touch everything?”

So the show gets the ball rolling fast with an unusual and very visual murder and crime scene, a strength I have previously cited. But who would want to kill a cancer researcher? Well as it turns out, a lot of people, because this guy also routinely tested on and killed rats-an action that doesn’t usually endear one to animal rights activists. The victim received a slew of death threats over the years, so Crews and Reese start there.

They focus on an animal rights activist named Betty who used to work for the victim (and, as Crews and Reese learn later on, was sleeping with him even after she became an activist). Betty and her assistant currently take care of a chimp named Bamba and wear shoes made from the remains of a deceased activist who donated his body in that way so that he could help horrify people who wear leather boots…um, yeah.

Besides the main crime storyline, we also get some significant developments on the Crews conspiracy front. First, Assistant D.A. Constance “Connie” Griffiths tells Crews to stop trying to identify the remaining figures who set him up and denies that she heard Kyle Hollis confess that he killed the Seybolt family (except for Rachel whom he abducted and psychologically scarred by becoming her guardian) on behalf of Jack Reese, even though both she and Crews know that she did. Connie worked with Crews for years to get him out of prison, believed in him, fell in love with him and helped him bring in Hollis at the end of last season, but now she’s doing something fishy and it really worries me.

But on a more positive front, Crews learns that Jack Reese is on dangerous ground with the other members of the conspiracy now that Crews found Rachel Seybolt – Jack’s insurance policy – and took her away from him. Thanks to a listening device he planted on Jack’s car in the last episode, Crews overhears a conversation between Jack and an unidentified new conspiracy member (onscreen we only see the back of his head, not his face) that confirms that Jack Reese is in trouble and is afraid of the other conspiracy members. Crews is gaining ground.

Other highlights of the episode include: Crews talking to rats and getting assaulted by Bamba the chimp and Jennifer’s new husband, as well as getting exposed to a hallucinogenic substance and seeing images of Jennifer everywhere (as well as blowing Ted’s new job interview for a teaching position in which Crews is his reference-serves you right Ted for even thinking about selling Crews out last episode).

Donal Logue continues to make his presence an asset to the show as the new precinct captain, and he and Dani have some really funny, well-written and well-acted scenes between them that ratchet up the sparks. The chemistry between all of the principals on the show remains absolutely infectious and perfect, the crimes are creative and interesting and the conspiracy backbone has never been more compelling. It is truly a good Life.

Season 2, Episode 3: The Business of Miracles (originally aired 10/06/08)

For another take on this episode of Life, read Elma Rahman’s review here.

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Wednesdays at 9/8c, NBC
Photographs courtesy of www.nbc.com