As most of you are aware,
Limitless is based off the 2011 movie of the same name. That movie starred Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a man who was down on his luck and unsure about his future, that is until an old friend of his gives him a chance to take a pill. That pill is called NZT-48, and it gives him the ability to learn and analyse at a superhuman rate and recall memories from his distant past, with the only apparent side effect being a change in the color of his irises while on the drug; his eyes become an intense shade of electric blue. Under the influence, he cleans his messy apartment and writes ninety pages of his book. The TV show features Bradley Cooper reprising his role, but instead of him being the one experiencing the drug and its effects, Brian Finch (Jake McDorman) gets access to this drug via his friend. Jennifer Carpenter plays Rebecca Harris, an FBI agent studying cases of individuals who died after taking this drug. If you've ever seen
Dexter, then you already know Jennifer is perfect at this sort of role, although she is not allowed to swear as much. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio also does a great job as Nasreen "Naz" Pouran, Rebecca's superior.
I for one really enjoyed this pilot. It took a serialized approach to begin with, although many people have doubts whether or not this show will continue performing as such. I am perfectly fine with procedurals, in fact, sometimes I prefer them, if they are done well. I watch a plethora of them. And if this show decides to go the procedural route, I will definitely stick around. The formula of this show is interesting enough, and the acting is quite good. I love the scene where Finch is standing directly on the oncoming subway path, and he is able to calculate exactly when the subway will stop in front of him. While being chased by the authorities, he is able to find a hidden trap door on the tracks. I thought this was well done. I liked the cat-and-mouse aspect too. Then, we get some narration and exposition about Finch's background, his dreams, and his regrets. We are then privy to Finch's family life. He appears to be a slacker amongst his family. Finch is a member of an indie band of sorts, and his family seems to be a bit judgmental. His dad collapsed at the dinner table, and this was the first time of many. Nobody has been able to figure out what is wrong with him. Until...and you probably guessed it...Finch exposes himself to the NZT. I did feel the emotions of the scenes in the hospital with Finch and his dad. The next scene I really enjoyed was Finch browsing the library. He figures out that what his dad has runs in his family.
Another great scene is where Rebecca and Spellman Boyle (Hill Harper) are talking to Naz about the many deaths of people who took this drug. However, Rebecca is more focused on the upside to this drug - the increased capabilities and skills added to the brain. Naz instructs Rebecca to find Finch. Transition: Finch is able to view and scroll through every text message on his phone. He is digging into his friend, Eli, who supplied the drug, and who is later killed. That was fast - only the pilot, and there's already a significant death. Anyway, I really like the scene of Finch and Rebecca talking to each other. It's a little creepy that Finch just showed up in Rebecca's apartment, but his motives are pure; they're going to team up to figure out who killed Eli. Later on, as Finch is suffering from withdrawal (and a bullet-graze wound from being in Eli's apartment when he got shot), he passes out in his bathroom. He is awoken as he is sitting in a chair across from Eddie himself. Eddie has one NZT pill to give to Finch. In exchange, he should go prove he is not Eli's killer. But what about after that? His body will crave NZT more, and more, and more. "You think it's bad now, it's only gonna get worse. You actually might remember this moment as the last time you felt vaguely human.". Haunting! Eddie tells him that he can take a shot (of something) every so often, and he can have as much NZT as he wants. He cannot tell anyone else, including his family and Rebecca, about this conversation, though. "You're on the verge of having a life that most people can't even begin to imagine.". Very tempting.
Finch is sitting on a bench when he pieces together the shooting of Eli. Adam did it, but he realizes there's one piece of evidence Adam wouldn't get rid of. It's in some kind of bank. Finch demonstrates how easy it is to pickpocket someone. That reminded me of
White Collar. He lets everyone know he's robbing the place and tells security to call the FBI to let Rebecca know he's there with a gun. Finch informs Rebecca that Adam has a safety deposit box downstairs. They can't find the missing NZT, that is until Finch opens the watch inside the box. Clever place to hide these pills. It should be noted that Rebecca suggested it could be hidden there, not Finch. Adam gets arrested, and Rebecca is called to Naz's office. Finch's CT-scans of his head show no abnormalities. Naz wants to use Finch to figure out who is creating and distributing NZT before they start giving it away to just anybody. "He's a person. A good one, actually. Am I the only one that's thinking about this?" Awww, Rebecca. You're so nice. "If Brian's gonna take NZT anyway, then every time he takes it he basically becomes the smartest person in the world. That's a resource. Let's make it our resource!" And there you have it. The potential for this show to become a procedural drama is right there. Again, I have no qualms about this. Finch tells Rebecca he'll agree to work for the FBI if they get his dad a new liver. A cute scene is to follow of Finch and his dad together in the hospital again. And the pilot ends on a scene with Rebecca and Finch. Rebecca reveals that her dad was on NZT. His eyes shined just like Finch's did, just like Eddie's did in the movie. "I couldn't help my father. Maybe I can help you.".
I'm not a huge fan of using ratings in my reviews. I figure that if you read my review, you'll know what I really thought about the episode. Great acting, good writing, nice chemistry between the two mains, and a solid premise. I'm ready to see what else
Limitless has to offer.
What did
YOU think of the pilot? Leave a comment down below, and feel free to check out my other reviews [
here].
