This episode continued right where the pilot left off. Rebecca gave Brian his NZT, and Brian went straight into narrating about his new life working with the FBI. I actually quite enjoy his narration. He's snarky, and he has an easy voice to listen to. I like the fantasy scene where Brian was playing baccarat with Uno cards. Jennifer Carpenter was looking beautiful, as always. And Jake McDorman looks great in a tux. Then, he mentions how before he officially joined the FBI, he had to sit around and get looked over. A lot. That was funny to watch. I also enjoy how Brian has to hide the reason why he is immune to NZT from the FBI. We know why, but the FBI are left in the dark, and I think that element of this show works really well. As well, I like knowing about Brian's family life, and the scene where they all had their concerns about his new job was great. And his relationship with his dad is really sweet to see.
Next, Hill Harper's character, Spelman, hands Brian a stapler and a tape dispenser, taped with the words Badge! and Gun! on them, bringing in the title of this episode. That was comical. Rebecca then fills Brian in on the case at hand. Only when Brian's on NZT, he's an analyst who has to stay inside the office. Brian's disappointment is evident, and Rebecca apologizes. Another thing about this show I enjoy is the special effects that happen throughout, such as the animation when Brian actually swallows the NZT, or the phrases of Farsi he's learning appearing all over the screen when Brian was lying down. While on the case, the police actually beat Brian to the realization about a chip being hidden behind the bumper sticker of the car, proving that this case just turned into a homicide. Brian is getting bored being cooped up in the "boring file room", so him and his hallucinated clone hatch a plan to break out of the room and escape. That was sweet.
The theme song is shown for the first time, and I loved it! It was really well made, and the electro music is catchy. The next sequence is of Brian retelling his story about escaping, the cool people he met on the bus, and eventually arriving at the crime scene where Rebecca asks, "Do you have any idea how many people are looking for you?". Again, the animations and editing done here are really nice. Rebecca and Spelman are discussing the bomb part Brian made for them, and it actually pointed out a suspect for them. "When you give someone performance-enhancing drugs, they perform!" No kidding, Spelman. When Brian's brain was finished with that current dose of NZT, he crashed in the boring file room. He was late to go see his dad, but he didn't miss much. Now that I'm looking at the dad up close, I think he was a guest-star on an episode of House. Brian then starts thinking to himself about Eddie Morra, or should I say, Senator Morra. He wonders if hell need to take another shot anytime soon. Poor guy, he just wants to figure this stuff out.
We then proceed to Brian finding out who Taurus is. When Rebecca is confused, because she didn't even know that Brian knew they were looking for him, Brian recalls how he's good at reading people's lips, and he read Rebecca's and Spelman's lips. Only, he's not 100% accurate with it. Take for instance, his reading of something Spelman said. "I did not say Brian = terrible." "No, you're right, those were not your exact words. I laughed really loudly at this. Anyway, Brian found a potential suspect for who Taurus is. Normally I would doubt that the first suspect given is the right one, but this Cullen guy had all the ingredients for a detonator in the trunk of one of the cars he was fixing up. That's not very smart. Maybe if this guy was on NZT, he would've found a better place to hide this evidence. In another scene of Brian and his clone, just before escaping once more, he said, "Sorry guys", very softly. And as Rebecca was coming into her apartment, Brian is sitting there piecing more things together. It's still a bit creepy about how he just shows up without saying anything. Alas, it's still funny to watch.
Brian goes back into work after another NZT hangover, under the pretense of him getting fired. However, Rebecca shows up to tell him that she investigated the coffee shop and found out that Steven Fisher might not have been the main target. Also, this episode was brought to you by Genghis Khan, I guess? It was a bit strange. But this mystery woman could be the target, or she could be the means to get this virus around town. Regardless, Naz scolds Rebecca for interrupting the meeting where she was literally about to fire Brian. Rebecca vouches for Brian's actions, and then fights for him to remain working for them, under her watch. That was so nice of her, really. I like their chemistry, and it's not even based on romance! As well, that scene where Brian stares up to a street camera, with this short pan over it, it reminded me of Person of Interest. Now I am longing for a crossover between the two shows. Later, Brian shows off his superb Trivial Pursuit skills to his family. Like he said, he might want to be a bit more careful in the future. And once again, this episode showcased the hardships this drug and Brian's life has on his family. My favourite scenes came from those moments. Moreover, the fact that Brian's dad's doctor is the same doctor that gave him the shot was crazy! I liked that twist a lot.
Overall, I enjoyed this episode. I liked the procedural case-of-the-week, I am still greatly enjoying the acting, and the witty writing is really working for me. This is one of my favourite shows to watch each week. But enough about me.
And as always, you can check out my other reviews [here].
