Stars: Jason Issacs, Laura Allen, Dylan Minnette, Cherry Jones, Steve Harris, Wilmer Valderrama, BD Wong
Writer: Kyle Killen, story by Killen, Leonard Chang, Noelle Valdivia
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Network: NBC, airs Thursday nights
Original Telecast: May 24, 2012

There’s two ways to look at the challenging NBC series AWAKE. On one hand, the network gave a greenlight to a challenging, original and incredibly high-concept police procedural that in any other NBC era it wouldn’t even make it past the pilot stage.

On the other hand, you can view it as another missed opportunity – a chance to build and grow a challenging, interesting series that is unlike anything else on network television (and the ratings increase the last two weeks proved there were viewers interested).

Either way, after thirteen episodes, AWAKE leaves the airwaves with a complex and intriguing series finale that will keeping die-hard fans talking and frustrate anyone who clicked on it by accident.

“Turtles All The Way Down” is the second part to last week’s “Two Birds” where detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) finally discovers there was a conspiracy to kill him by fellow cops and his own Captain Tricia Harper (Laura Innes) because he was getting close to uncovering some pretty deep police corruption.

This resulted in Britten’s worlds being split in two – one where his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) has died and one where his wife Hannah (Laura Allen) has died. He also has two psychologists (BD Wong, Cherry Jones) in each respective world giving him guidance and advice – trying to help him decide which reality is the true reality.

As he gets closer though to the truth, the two worlds start to cave in on each other. In one world, his actions (although justified) backfire and he ends up in jail framed for murder. The other reality has him succeeding in blowing the lid off the corruption and getting his Captain arrested for her involvement.

SPOILER ALERT

Then the series takes its next big step – where Britten comes to the conclusion that one of the realities he created in order to deal with the death in his family. Of course, that reality also appears to be false, when he realizes he can create a third reality, one where both his wife and son live.

Yes, it’s that confusing, but it gives fans a lot of detective work to go back through all thirteen episodes to see how the clues add up and if there’s a bigger answer here to the series – was it a third reality, was it all a dream, did he die and is he now in heaven with his family?

Frankly, for a show like AWAKE, I prefer to have more questions than answers. It leaves it up to the viewer to put its own interpretation into the mix. It also allows AWAKE for its last episode to be insanely crazy. It’s well directed and incredible strange making for a riveting hour of television.

Isaacs gets a chance to really go full-on crazy – even, at one, trying to strangle his Captain to death.

Writer Kyle Killen, whether he knew the show was headed for cancellation or not, has crafted something that does feel more Series Finale, than Season Finale, which is a good thing. Too many good shows go off into the sunset without a single resolution and this one at least strives for something more.

It would have been nice if NBC put a little more promotional push behind the series, but then again, it kept it in its Thursday night slot for its entire 13-episode run, so there’s not much to complain about there.

And the concept itself, really lends itself more to a cable model or even a Netflix model, where you can sit down and watch every episode in a big, orderly chunk.

Will there be more series like AWAKE in the future of NBC. I sure hope so, because being in last place allows for one major thing – risks. And those risks, every once and awhile provide some of the best rewards. AWAKE may have not been a ratings success, but creatively it kept your interest and made you talk about it – and that’s the bigger success story out of all of this.

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Related Link: Exclusive Interviews with AWAKE stars BD Wong and Cherry Jones

Related Link: Exclusive Interview with AWAKE star Steve Harris

Related Link: Exclusive Interview with AWAKE creator Kyle Killen

Related Link:TV Review – AWAKE – Season 1 – “Guilty”

Related Link:TV Review – AWAKE – Season 1 – “The Little Guy”

Related Link:TV Review – AWAKE – Season 1 – “Pilot”

Related Link: Exclusive Interview with AWAKE executive producer Howard Gordon and star Wilmer Valderrama

Article Source: Assignment X 
Article: TV Review – AWAKE – Season 1 – “Turtles All The Way Down” – Series Finale

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