Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A | 178 USERS: A- YOU GRADE IT The Way We Were
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 17 | Aired on 2007.02.26
Oh, this is so awesome. So we focus in on Bennet's left eye, seeing Sprague's image in his glasses as we get close. When we're past them, the image suddenly turns black-and-white, and then we pan back out to see Bennet without his specs. We then get a superimposed "15 Years Ago," and we're on a side view of Bennet and another guy in an office, presumably at Primatech. The guy asks Bennet how he feels about paper. Bennet, in kind of a deadpan: "Wildly enthusiastic." Heh. The guy says that's good, because as far as his friends and family are going to know, paper is Bennet's life. When the guy stands and shakes Bennet's hand, I see that he's played by Eric Roberts, whom I actually recapped once, when he played the serial killer Richard L'Italien on Oz. If it turns out that his character's power is extreme creepiness, it'll mean they sure did a good job casting the role. Bennet laughs that his title of Regional Manager is a nice cover, and Eric Roberts ("Thompson" is how I've seen his character's name listed, but until that's officially mentioned on the show, he's "Eric Roberts" to me) says he's sorry to make a liar out of him, but no one outside the organization can know what they do. Bennet agrees with that modus operandi, as he thinks people are fragile. He can be forgiven for thinking that, since he doesn't know Claire yet. After an allusion to their species being in a state of flux and their mission being to keep people safe, Eric Roberts tells Bennet that he may be asked to do things that fall in a morally grey territory -- things that most people would find cruel, but men like them know to be necessary. Bennet smiles big and says he's "comfortable with morally grey." I don't know how you can be comfortable with anything this close to Eric Roberts. I'm lying in bed with four pillows and a down comforter and I'm about to jump out of my skin. Eric Roberts tells Bennet that he's going to have a partner, and that said partner is going to be one of them, as that's how they all stay honest. Bennet grins and says that's cool, and asks when he gets to meet him. Eric Roberts says he's already there, prompting Bennet to look behind him. Claude then appears in the chair next to him, and I'm glad the show didn't duck the effect by cutting away there, because that was really cool-looking. Bennet turns back and jumps up like he just sat on a hot poker. See what I mean about not getting too comfortable? Bennet's too flummoxed to form coherent words for about five seconds, but to his credit, he busts into a "Wow, that kind of rocked" smile. Eric Roberts is mildly amused at Bennet's temporary aphasia, while Claude smoothly sticks out his hand and tells Bennet it's a brave new world. Bennet smiles even bigger and takes Claude's hand, then turns his headâ¦