And yet more Numb3rs

[oceana]

General Observations
As far as I remember, this is the only time we've been to the morgue in Numb3rs. I'm not sorry that we don't visit it again. In CSI, morgue scenes are always incredibly boring, and there is no way they could get someone as brilliant as Ducky for their morgue, so it's better not to show it at all. There are so many crime shows, and it's always 'crime scene - morgue - lab - something else - arrest'. I like that in Numb3rs the main scenery is the office. The show is about solving crimes with math, so it is only consequent that it takes place somewhere where people work with their brains. (which is not to say that people don't use their brains in lab and the morgue, of course. You know what I mean, right?)

I love the sprinkler analogy. It says so clearly and easy to understand what this show is about. In fact, I have used it a lot when explaining to real life people what Numb3rs is about (I pimp the show quite regularly in real life)

The Eppes family has a very cool house.



Someone needs to tell those criminals that they have to stop smoking. Smoking kills you, don't they know that? (I swaer, one more case where cigarette butts are the clue and I'll....argh!)

Don
I think the main thing we learn about Don in this first episode is that his work and his family are his life. He'll do everything to get his work done right, and he'll do everything to protect his family.
It starts with him bitching at Charlie when he sees that Charlie has been through his case files (which, my dear Mr. FBI agent, you shouldn't leave on the kitchen table anyway.) I think this is more than the typical reaction of older brothers when they find their younger siblings going through their private stuff yet again. He also wants to protect Charlie from things he shouldn't see in Don's opinion - like the photos of the rape victims.The way they snap at each other clearly establishes that they are really brothers. Colleagues or friend wouldn't treat each other that way, only family or lovers will do that. And lovers only if they are as married as Jack and Daniel.

The two things mix when Don is taken off the case. Sure, it was his responsibility: he trusted Charlie,he put a lot of man power into an idea that was entirely based on Charlie's math, and he (seeminlgy) failed. but it would have been easy to go home and blame the little brother. Don doesn't do that: he not only takes responsibility, he also tries to protect Charlie when Charlie asks about it. His answer as to why he was taken off the case is rather reluctant, and the glance towards his father tells a lot. I bet Charlie grew up very protected by everyone, and even though it is clear that Don loves his brother, it can't have been easy for him.

To keep the women watching, there is a gratuitous Don shower scene. I'm not complaining.



Charlie
Oh, how I love how they introduced Charlie, Larry and Amita! Instant love. Look at how Larry helps Charlie out of the 'car'! And it also establishes that Charlie really is the younger brother of Don. Not only younger, but also a lot more immature compared to Don, who is first shown coming out of his car with his FBI jacket, sunglasses and his gun. And I'm not using immature in a negative way here. Charlie is younger, he has other interest, he spends his time building 'go-carts'. not in the harsh reality of women being killed by a rapist. And we will see that theme a lot in the show. He also looks damn cute when he gets out of the car. *g* And then he starts math geeking, and the love is complete.





Daddy Eppes trying to set up Amita and Charlie is the best reason why one shouldn't live at home at Charlie's age. I know what I'm talking about, and my parents aen't as cool as Dad Eppes.

I love how stubborn Charlie is about being right. He didn't make a mistake, the data was wrong. The rapist wasn't there? You must have missed him. Charlie doesn't care, he knows that the math is right, and that's all that matters to him. That and pleasing his big brother.

Amita
Amita is very pretty. I love a woman with brains. At this point I'm also more convinced that she has a crush on Don and not on Charlie. Who knows what got into them when they started the Amita/Charlie thing later on. I can see that she'd be impressed by his intelligence, but they were doomed from the beginning. Don/Amita, however, I'd take any time. Recs, anyone?

Larry
Larry is already Larry. His moves, his expressions... he obviously knew right from the beginning what he wanted to do with this role. Interesting conversation between him and Charlie when he tells Charliethat he is at his peek as a mathematician and that he shouldn't get distracted. This will come up again later as well. Yay, continuity. ;-)

I also love that Charlie comes running to Larry when he doesn't know what to do anymore, and that it is Larry, who minutes before was afraid of being in the "wrong dimension" when Charlie asked him for help,who points out that there is always a human factor that Charlie needs to consider. And Charlie was so adorable looking like a wet poodle.



First Don/Charlie scene.
"I'm making sure you don't take complete advantage of dad." Yep, that's what you think , Don. The amount of time you spend with your family speaks of something else. Just admit that you love and miss them, will ya?
Charlie, as always, is completely right when he answers: "he wouldn't know what to do without me." I just said that Charlie is shown as immature, and now we see the points in which he is more mature than Don: when it comes to family. I doubt I'd have seen that the first time I watched this episode, but in hindsight it makes perfect sense.

David
David is new to the team. Having someone new come into an established team in the first episode is a very common effect (CSI, NCIS etc.), and it usually works. I think they could have done more with it in Numb3rs, but it was okay. It does give us the knowledge and the feeling that Terry and Don really know each other, and since we later learn that they dated, this seems only right. We also learn that David was assigned by the director, so at this point Don doesn't get to choose his own team. Later, Don snaps at David, asking him where his priorities lie: with the director or with the case. It's interesting to see that Don doesn't seem to really trust David at this point, for whatever reason. I will have to keep an eye on the development of their relationship.

Also, David calls Don "Sir" in this ep.
*authority figure kink squeeks happily*

Terry
I wonder why Terry seemed so hostile towards David at first, as if she didn't want him on the team. Does this have something to do with Don working under close supervision in this case, compared to the ones we will get to see later? Guess we'll never know. What we do know is that the director will disappear soon - not that it is a loss, really. I love Terry's hair btw. I want my hair like that, but the hair dressers never get it right.





More screencaps for this episode are here. This is the first time I'm 'really' using scrapbook, so let me know if you can't see the pics.