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Numb3rs: Season 6
I’ve always felt that math was fun. As a child I was fascinated by the relationship of numbers but then again I admit I am a lifelong geek. Even during the upswing in math and science’s popularity during the space race back in the sixties few would have predicted that an action crime show could become popular on standard broadcast television. That conclusion didn’t fit with the well established business convention that drives the network success paradigm. With that accepted as axiomatic one television series managed to drastically alter that perception; rally against the odds and became a hit; ‘Numb3rs’. Over the decades that I have watched television crime dramas I truly thought I have seen it all. There have been all sorts of crime fighting teams and methodologies from housewife cops to rich, brilliant mystery writers with a flair for solving crime. What I never anticipated was a dynamic duo of two brothers, one a senior FBI field supervisor and the other a certified genius advanced math professor. Together wither their retired father they fight for truth, justice and the American way in the greater Los Angeles area. Thanks to this series Math was all of sudden not only cool but exciting. For six seasons ‘Numb3rs’ followed the exploits of Dr. Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) and his older brother Special Supervisory Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow). Making this series so likable, so incredibly watchable was the craftsmanship evident in every aspect of the production. Over six years the sizable fan base began to know and care about the characters anxiously awaiting what would happen next. The series could have continued pas this final season but cast and crew seemed to realize it is better to go out on top before that proverbial shark begins to swim around. I have seen interviews with members of the cast talking about how the network was on the bubble, unsure of whether to cancel the show. Just in case they worked with the writers to make sure the plots and story lines would culminate in a satisfying conclusion. While my Friday evenings will feel a bit empty now at least they went out in style. One of the most remarkable facts about this show is its creators Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton have this credited as their freshman project. I have to doff my hat to them; they certainly started on a high note. The most import production point adhered to here is balance the action and drama with the personal stories of the characters. This is where most crime series careen off course, the either focus entirely on the crime to the preclusion of the characters or they focus some much on the characters that the show degrades into a cheap soap opera. With ‘Numb3rs’ they managed a perfect balance never tilting to one extreme or the other. Helping with this undoubtedly has to do with a real life team of brothers Ridley and Tony Scott. Their feature film list is a compendium of great action cinema. In this final season the audience gets to watch the fruition of a truly epic romance between Charlie and his former student Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat). While he was her thesis advisor a romance was ethically off limits but for the last couple of seasons Charlie has grown past the socially awkward protégé becoming a much more confident person. Much of this was watching Don. His older brother was great in sport and usually had an easy time with the ladies. The sibling dynamic here is Don coming out from the shadow cast by a super intelligent younger brother. Don usually sabotaged his relationship with women but takes a page from Charlie and finally commits to a woman. We watch as Charlie and Amita plan their marriage a secret that doesn’t last long. In a touch of art imitating life Rawat and Krumholtz are really engaged. One of the quirkiest characters ever devised for TV is Charlie’s best friend professor Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol) he has always been odd, living in underground tunnels, working on the space shuttle or eating only monochromatic food but he has a big heart and is a true friend, he has become very close to the Eppes patriarch Alan (Judd Hirsch), a former city planner, and the two have shared the Eppes home on more than one occasion. This season Larry once again seems on the verge of giving into his wonder lust by turning down a position at the Holy Grail of physics, CERN. Reflecting the darker side of this type of relationship occurs when Don discovers his mentor was engaged in criminal activities and has to shoot him. The economic downturn hits Alan but Amita takes the lead with a sensible resolution. This season caps off threads that have been going on for years. One important one has been the growing relationship between Alan and Amita. She loves her father but he is very conservative and traditional. She bonded with Alan providing him with the daughter he always wanted, The season has both Charlie and Amita receiving prestigious scholastic appointments in England forcing a quicker than anticipated wedding. This was obviously a quickie plot device to tie up loose ends turning a season finale episode into the series finale but I didn’t feel cheated. I was satisfied that care was given to allow the characters a graceful bow before the final curtain. The crimes remained as creative as ever as did the use of real mathematic principles. Naturally there is always what has come to be known as ‘Charlie Vision’ where Charlie uses his skillful ability to explain a complicated concept in math in simple English. The series ends on a high note but it concluded as it lived; with style and quality. Coming Full Circle: Numbers The Final Season Posted 08/25/2010 | ||||||||
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