The Little Guy

Last updated
"The Little Guy"
Awake episode
Awake S01E02.jpg
Bernard Mackenzie's body after he is murdered, which was made to look like a heart attack.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Jeffrey Reiner
Written by Kyle Killen
Production code1ATR01
Original air dateMarch 8, 2012 (2012-03-08)
Running time43 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Pilot"		Next →
"Guilty"

"The Little Guy" is the second episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake , which originally aired on NBC on March 8, 2012. The episode was written by series creator Kyle Killen and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. "The Little Guy" earned a Nielsen rating of 1.6, and was watched by 4.33 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode has generally received positive reviews, although many commentators criticized its ending (noting that the episode was not as good as the series pilot).

Contents

The show centers on Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs), a detective living in two separate realities after a car accident. In one reality (in which he wears a red wristband), his wife Hannah Britten (Laura Allen) survived the accident; in another reality (where he wears a green wristband), his son Rex Britten (Dylan Minnette) survived. In this episode Britten investigates the death of a homeless man, Bernard Mackenzie. Meanwhile, Hannah and Rex try to deal with each other's death in their respective realities, while Captain Tricia Harper (Laura Innes) is increasingly concerned about Britten's behavior. Harper speaks to Captain Carl Kessel (Mark Harelik) about their involvement in Britten's accident. Britten also learns that Rex and his best friend Cole (Logan Miller) are working on a motorcycle when they claimed to be going to the beach. The titular "little guy" in this episode is later revealed to be Detective Ed Hawkins (Kevin Weisman), who made his debut in "Say Hello to My Little Friend".

Plot

In the "green reality" Rex (Dylan Minnette) complains about his clean clothes which, nevertheless, smell "weird" and "funny". Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) remembers seeing his wife Hannah (Laura Allen) use fabric softener in the laundry, and realizes what he is doing differently. Dr. Judith Evans (Cherry Jones) congratulates Britten on using his dreams to access his subconscious and work out his problems. Soon after, Britten is called to work; Dr. Banks (Chris McGarry) tells him and his partner, Bird (Steve Harris), that Dr. Bernard MacKenzie (who was a fertility specialist) was brought in dead from a heart attack. After running a second test, however, the coroner confirmed that someone had given MacKenzie potassium chloride to induce a heart attack. The killer placed it in the diabetic MacKenzie's insulin, where it would be "untraceable". Shortly after transferring into "red reality", Britten discovers that Rex was having his mail delivered to his friend Cole (Logan Miller)'s house and asks Hannah if she knew anything about it. She prefers not to open it, as it would stir up emotions. Soon after, Britten sees a list of homeless people who have died and notices that MacKenzie is on the list. In the "red reality" he tells his partner, Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama), to get the file (although the case was closed due to the lack of leads).

While Dr. Evans claims that Britten using his two realities is good, Dr. Lee notes that Britten's two realities are "problems" rather than "tools". However, Britten claims that he is fine with both realities. Meanwhile, Hannah goes to Cole's house and tells him she opened the box; he confirms that there is a camshaft inside. When she asks why Rex had the parts shipped to Cole's house, Cole takes her to a storage facility and shows her the motorcycle they were rebuilding. Hannah tells Cole to finish it, because Rex would have wanted him to. While Britten and Vega interview people in the neighborhood about Mackenzie's death, Britten finally finds a homeless man (Jeris Lee Poindexter) who recognizes MacKenzie's photo and talks to him. The man tells the detectives that he saw an "angry little guy" shoot MacKenzie. After transferring to the "green reality" Bird brings in a suspect, Dr. Arthur Taylor (Jordan Lund), but Britten is convinced of his innocence when he discovers that Taylor is 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m). Taylor claims that he was at home watching television, and Britten asks him what he was watching that night. Hearing that Taylor was watching Sunday Night Football , Britten asks what in particular the commentators said at that time. Taylor describes the commentary in detail; Britten and Bird check the broadcast, and confirm that he was telling the truth. Police tech Nat (Jay Seals) confirms that someone hacked the clinic computer system and deleted a number of patient records. The IP address belongs to Laura Harvison, one of the clinic clients. Nat figures she does not have the computer skills to pull it off, but confirms that her 17-year-old son Sam (Brian Norris) might have.

Britten and Bird go to see Sam at his home; he claims that he was trying to find out about his father, who had cancer. Britten asks how tall he was; outside, Bird asks for an explanation and Britten tries to spin a story about a small window at the clinic that someone could have crawled through to poison MacKenzie. His partner warns Britten that coming up with theories and looking for evidence to fit is not standard procedure. That night, Rex and Cole work on their motorbike. Later, in the "red reality", Hannah tells Britten that she opened the package and was glad she did. She tells her husband about the motorcycle, and how the boys would claim they were going to the beach when they went off to work on it. At the station, Vega tells Britten that they have a new case; however, he insists on sticking with the MacKenzie shooting and checks photos of short criminals. The homeless man comes in and offers more information in return for lunch. The partners start arguing, and Captain Tricia Harper (Laura Innes) calls Britten into her office. Soon after, Britten asks Vega if he wants to lead a new case.

Production

Series creator Kyle Killen, who wrote the episode Kyle Killen by Gage Skidmore1.jpg
Series creator Kyle Killen, who wrote the episode

The episode was written by series creator Kyle Killen, [1] and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. [2] It was Killen's second writing credit, and Reiner's first directing credit in the series. [3] Reiner tried to maintain the visual style set up by David Slade in the pilot episode. [2]

In a pre-broadcast interview with IGN , Killen said that the "it was all a dream" option would not be explored. [4] He stuck to the premise that "one of Detective Michael Britten's worlds is real and one is fake" and he will not be in a coma. [4] The titular "little guy" is mentioned several times in this episode; this character is later revealed to be Detective Ed Hawkins (Kevin Weisman), who made his debut in "Say Hello to My Little Friend". [5]

Themes

Although it did not directly impact the ongoing storyline of Awake, "The Little Guy" introduced key thematic elements to the series. [2] [3] "The Little Guy" was noted for beginning to unravel the mystery of what really happened in Britten's accident, with Kessel and Harper discussing their involvement at the end of the episode. [2] [3] It was described as a show that does not need "a conspiracy narrative about the truth behind the accident", and a show that does not need mythology. [1] The A.V. Club stated that Awake has "enough elements already". [1]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix observed that Harper and Kessel's knowledge involving the accident was "in the red world — and was not something Britten was present for". [2] Sepinwall thought this meant Hannah was alive and Rex was dead. [2] He also noted that "Killen has an absolutely brilliant plan for what's going on, why the Britten family was attacked, [and] why Mike is suddenly shifting from one reality to the other". [2] Sepinwall compared the elements to The X-Files . [2] He claimed that viewers may be pleased with the final scene (and enjoy the mythology), while some viewers will not "want to invest in the bigger mystery". [2]

Broadcast and reception

"The Little Guy" originally aired on NBC on March 8, 2012. [6] The episode's initial broadcast was viewed by approximately 4.33 million viewers. [7] "The Little Guy" earned a Nielsen rating of 1.6 with a 4 share, meaning that roughly 1.6 percent of all television-equipped households (and 4 percent of households watching television) were tuned in to the episode. [7] In the United Kingdom, the episode was first broadcast on Sky Atlantic on May 11, 2012, and had 300,000 viewers, making it the third most-watched program for the channel behind Game of Thrones and Blue Bloods . [8]

"The Little Guy" has generally received positive reviews from television critics. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club praised the episode. In her "B+" review, she claimed that the episode "isn't great TV like the pilot, but it's a very enjoyable murder mystery for much of its running time". VanDerWerff added that the episode "has some hiccups here and there". She criticized the final scene, adding that it made him want to "punch" something. Despite this, VanDerWerff thought that "there was plenty of fun" in the episode, other than the final two minutes". VanDerWerff stated that parts of the episode cannot be "connected". [1]

IGN writer Matt Fowler gave the episode a complimentary review. [9] Like A.V. Club's review, Fowler started by claiming that the episode was "not as tragically serene as the premiere episode" or "as good as the pilot". [9] He noted that "the show has also ramped up the tension between Britten and his partners". [9] Fowler was "happy that the investigation all came together and made sense". [9] He called parts of the episode "dramatic" and "irony". [9] He stated that the ending scene of the episode "introduces a full-on conspiracy into the mix, is risky, but I'm still in", "I fear that some folks might start to drop off from this show now simply because once you start defining something that was previously unexplained, you're going to lose those who had different ideas stubbornly cemented in their heads". [9] Fowler gave the episode a "8.5 out of 10" score, classifying it as "great". [9] TV Fanatic's round table team (including Carissa Pavlica, Lindey Kempton, Carla Day and Nick McHatton) were pleased with the episode. [10] Pavlica claimed that it was "much better than [she] anticipated". [10] McHatton simply wrote that the episode did "really well". [10] Kempton though that "Rex's motorcycle was a nice touch, personal and not unrealistic, and it helped start developing his character a little bit". [10]

Ross Bonaime of Paste magazine gave the episode a positive review. [11] He started by noting that the episode "shows us how Awake will most likely work as a series". [11] According to Bonaime, "the show never shows the faces of either MacKenzie, not even letting us know if they are supposed to be the same person or if they just share the same name". [11] He stated that "Awake is also showing a great ability to show the impact of Britten's decisions he makes throughout the realities, regardless of how small they are". [11] The episode had "sweet moments", stated Bonaime. [11] Like other reviewers, Bonaime criticized the final scene of the episode". [11] Bonaime concluded his review by giving the episode an "8.4 out of 10" rating, classifying it as "commendable". [11] Caroline Preece from Den of Geek called it "promising", "interesting" and "fortunate", claiming that "the genre elements of Awake have received much more attention than the generic cop show trappings they're wrapped in". [12] Despite this, she called it "strange". [12]

Writing for Entertainment Weekly , Ken Tucker expressed many opinions on the episode. [13] He claimed that it "reserved its deeper mystery for the final couple of minutes". [13] Tucker thought that the show "may need an extra layer of viewers to keep it going". [13] BuddyTV writer Laurel Brown called the episode "twisty" and "mind-bending", and called the episode's final scene "surprising", "potentially story-changing", "intriguing" and "problematic". [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Awake</i> (TV series) American police procedural fantasy drama television series

Awake is an American police procedural fantasy drama television series that originally aired on NBC for one season from March 1 to May 24, 2012. The pilot episode had an early release on Hulu on February 16, 2012, two weeks before the series' premiere on television. Kyle Killen, the series' creator, was primarily responsible for the program's concept. Killen and David Slade served as executive producers of the pilot episode, and Killen continued producing the series along with Jeffrey Reiner and Howard Gordon.

Pilot (<i>Awake</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on March 1, 2012. Written by series creator Kyle Killen, "Pilot" earned a Nielsen rating of 2.0, being watched by 6.247 million viewers upon its initial broadcast. Directed by David Slade, it became the highest-rated non-sports program in its respective time slot on NBC in over a year. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with many critics commenting on the episode's unique script, and the cast members, particularly Jason Isaacs' performance as Michael Britten, who they felt effectively embodied the characteristics of the lead role. It was one of eight honorees at the Critics' Choice Television Awards.

Guilty (<i>Awake</i>) 3rd episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Guilty" is the third episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first aired on March 15, 2012 in the United States on NBC, and was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada. It was written by series executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon and consulting producer Evan Katz, and was directed by Jeffrey Reiner. "Guilty" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines, noting the script to be interesting. The episode garnered 5.12 million viewers in the United States and a 1.6/4 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot of the night, behind Private Practice on ABC.

"Oregon" is the fifth episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first premiered on March 29, 2012 in the United States on NBC, was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada, and was subsequently aired on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2012. It was written by consulting producer Lisa Zwerling, and directed by Aaron Lipstadt. "Oregon" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode was the "strongest outing" since "Pilot" broadcast on March 1, 2012. Upon airing, the episode garnered 3.18 million viewers in the United States and a 1.0/3 rating-share in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot, behind The Mentalist on CBS.

"Virtual Systems Analysis" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Community. It originally aired on April 19, 2012, on NBC. In the episode, Annie and Abed spend time in their apartment's "Dreamatorium" simulating adventures together, but Abed turns it into a personal exploration of the group's dynamics.

Say Hello to My Little Friend (<i>Awake</i>) 11th episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Say Hello to My Little Friend" is the eleventh episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on May 10, 2012. Written by Leonard Chang and series creator Kyle Killen, "Say Hello to My Little Friend" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.9, being watched by 2.51 million viewers upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Directed by recurring guest actress Laura Innes, the episode generally received positive reviews, with many critics claiming that it was the best episode of the series since "Pilot" and that Jason Isaacs' performance deserved an Emmy Award.

"Two Birds" is the twelfth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode premiered on NBC on May 17, 2012. In the episode, Michael learns more about the truth of the accident. He tries to get evidence that Ed Hawkins tried to kill him, and finds out that Hawkins' commanding officer Carl Kessel was also in on this setup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky's Tacos</span> 7th episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Ricky's Tacos" is the seventh episode of the American television police procedural supernatural drama Awake. It originally aired on NBC on April 12, 2012. The teleplay of the episode was written by executive producer Howard Gordon and Evan Katz, from a story by series creator Kyle Killen; the episode was directed by Adam Davidson. "Ricky's Tacos" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.9, being watched by 2.68 million viewers in its initial broadcast. The episode has generally received positive reviews, with critics commenting on its storylines.

"Turtles All the Way Down" is the thirteenth and final episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. It premiered on May 23, 2012 in Canada on Global, and on May 24, 2012 in the United States on NBC. "Turtles All the Way Down" was scheduled to air on May 17, 2012, as part two of a two-hour finale. NBC had changed the order, and moved it to the following week. The teleplay of the episode was written by series creator Kyle Killen, from a story by Killen, and staff writers Leonard Chang and Noelle Valdivia. It was directed by Miguel Sapochnik. "Turtles All the Way Down" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written. Upon airing, "Turtles All the Way Down" obtained 2.87 million viewers in the United States and 0.9 million in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Britten</span> Character in the American TV series Awake

Michael Britten is the fictional main character featured in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. He is portrayed by Jason Isaacs and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in "Pilot", and last appeared in "Turtles All the Way Down". Michael was created and designed by series creator Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network. Killen had been called in to pitch a new drama for NBC after the cancellation of Lone Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rex Britten</span> Fictional character

Rex David Britten is a fictional main character in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. He is portrayed by Dylan Minnette. The character first appeared in "Pilot" and last appeared in "Turtles All the Way Down". He appears in Michael's green reality. This is because it is his favorite color. Rex was created and designed by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network; Killen had been called in to pitch a new drama for NBC after the cancellation of Lone Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Is Enough</span> 4th episode of the 1st season of Awake

"Kate Is Enough" is the fourth episode of the American police procedural drama television series Awake. The episode first premiered on March 22, 2012 in the United States on NBC, was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada, and was subsequently aired on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2012. It was written and produced by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen, and was directed by Sarah Pia Anderson. "Kate Is Enough" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode was "enjoyable". Upon airing, the episode garnered 4.73 million viewers in the United States and a 1.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It ranked second in its timeslot of the night, behind The Mentalist on CBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Not My Penguin</span> 6th episode of the 1st season of Awake

"That's Not My Penguin" is the sixth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode premiered on April 5, 2012, on NBC, and was simultaneously broadcast on Global in Canada. It was written by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen and staff writer Noelle Valdivia, and was directed by Scott Winant. "That's Not My Penguin" was well received by television critics, who praised its storylines. Commentators noted that the script was well written and that the episode worked "either way". Upon airing, the episode garnered 2.56 million viewers in the United States and a 0.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It was the lowest-rated show of the timeslot.

"Nightswimming" is the eighth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on April 19, 2012. Written by Leonard Chang and co-executive producer Davey Holmes, "Nightswimming" was watched by 2.8 million viewers, including 0.9 percent of those aged between 18 and 49 in Nielsen ratings, upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner, this episode received generally mixed reviews.

"Game Day" is the ninth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The episode was scheduled to be the eighth broadcast episode but NBC changed the broadcasting order. It premiered on NBC on April 26, 2012. The episode was written by executive producer Howard Gordon and writer David Graziano. The episode was directed by Michael Waxman. "Game Day" earned a Nielsen rating of 0.8, being watched by 2.21 million viewers in its initial broadcast.

"Slack Water" is the tenth episode of the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake, which originally aired on NBC on May 3, 2012. Written by Noelle Valdivia and directed by Nick Gomez, "Slack Water" was watched by 2.15 million viewers, including 0.7 percent of those aged between 18 and 49 in Nielsen ratings, upon its initial broadcast in the United States. Critics were largely positive in their reviews of the installment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Britten</span> Fictional character

Hannah Britten is a fictional protagonist in the American police procedural drama television series Awake. She is portrayed by Laura Allen. The character first appeared in "Pilot" and last appeared in the series finale "Turtles All the Way Down". Hannah was created and designed by series creator and executive producer Kyle Killen after he created and developed the series Lone Star for the Fox network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Britten family</span> Family of fictional characters

The Brittens are a family of fictional characters featured in the American television police procedural fantasy drama Awake. The Brittens are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Michael and Hannah and their child son Rex. The family was involved in a car crash, which caused Michael, to live in two separate realities, one in which his wife Hannah was killed in the crash, and in the other his son Rex was killed.

"The Clearing" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 19th episode overall. It originally aired on Showtime on November 11, 2012.

"The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is the seventh episode of the third season of HBO's fantasy television series Game of Thrones, and the 27th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by George R. R. Martin, the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which the series is based, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren, her directorial debut for the series.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 VanDerWerff, Emily (March 9, 2012). "The Little Guy". The A.V. Club . The Onion. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sepinwall, Alan (March 8, 2012). "Review: 'Awake' – 'The Little Guy': Conspiracy theories". HitFix. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Kyle Killen (writer); Jeffrey Reiner (director) (March 8, 2012). "The Little Guy". Awake. Season 1. Episode 2. NBC.
  4. 1 2 Fowler, Matt (March 8, 2012). "Awake Creator: It's Not All a Dream". IGN . News Corporation. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ Webb Mitovich, Matt (May 9, 2012). "Exclusive Awake Video: Has Britten Found 'The Little Guy'? Or Is He Spoilering?". TVLine . PMC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Awake Episode Guide 2012 Season 1 – The Little Guy, Episode 2". TV Guide . March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  7. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (March 9, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Parks & Recreation' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers . Zap2it. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  8. ↑ "BARB's multichannel top 10 programmes". BARB. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012. Note: Information is in the section titled "w/e 13 May 2012", listed under Sky Atlantic
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fowler, Matt (March 8, 2012). "Awake: 'The Little Guy' Review". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Round Tables (March 15, 2012). "Awake Round Table: 'The Little Guy'". TV Fanatic. Sheknow Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bonaime, Ross (March 9, 2012). "Awake Review: "The Little Guy" (Episode 1.02)". Paste . Paste Media Group. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  12. 1 2 Preece, Caroline (March 12, 2012). "Awake episodes 1 & 2 reviews: Pilot & The Little Guy". Den of Geek. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 Tucker, Ken (March 9, 2012). "'Awake' tried to jump-start a mythology, but will it wake up viewers?". Entertainment Weekly . Time, Inc. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  14. ↑ Brown, Laurel (March 9, 2012). "After 'Awake': What Was Up with 'The Little Guy'?". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.