Paradise welcomes viewers to its dystopian world, but this news piece dives into Sarah Shahi's impressive work in the 2007 detective procedural 'Life'. Shahi and Damian Lewis create an unforgettable dynamic as a reformed convict and the skeptical detective assigned to partner with him.
Paradise, the new series by This is Us creator Dan Fogelman, has officially welcomed viewers into its top secret world and introduced the main players behind its dystopian mystery. Sarah Shahi’s Gabriela Torabi doesn't carry a fancy job title or an ominous Secret Service call sign, but she walks a fine line as a grief counselor who holds immense sociopolitical power because she’s privy to everyone’s secrets — an ethical dichotomy if there ever was one.
Shahi’s understated performance, simultaneously soothing, astute, and wary, is a stand-out among Paradise's top-notch ensemble, which isn’t new territory for her. Back in 2007, Shahi matched chemistry and wits with her co-star Damian Lewis (Billions, Homeland) in a humble detective procedural called Life. An entertaining premise but a ratings flop, Life's, well, lifespan was cut short by NBC after two seasons. However, its memory as a precursor to primetime procedurals with unique hooks and ongoing character arcs lives on — and where Shahi and Lewis are concerned, both performers have rarely been in finer form.What Is 'Life' About? In 1995, Detective Charlie Crews (Lewis) is framed for a triple murder. When a re-examination of the evidence proves his innocence 12 years later, he emerges from a maximum security prison with a multi-million dollar settlement, compounded trauma aplenty, and a driving need for answers. Instead of peacefully settling down in his new mansion, Charlie elects to return to his old job, working assigned cases while using the police department's resources to help him find the murderous culprits behind his framing. This man's revenge scheme isn't all doom and gloom, however — Crews cheerfully practices zen Buddhism as a defense mechanism against his past, focusing instead on the present moment. More than a bit quirky, Crews' unconventional investigative methods earn him many raised eyebrows among his colleagues but produce better results than their tried-and-true methods. Meanwhile, Crews' partner and superior, Detective Dani Reese (Shahi), is the prickly, no-nonsense grump to Charlie’s fruit-eating, philosophy-reciting sunshine boy. His idiosyncrasies bounce off the stoic and straight-laced professionalism of a woman trying to do her job while incredulously eye-rolling her way through her male co-worker's off-the-cuff habits. Obviously, Reese has no interest in working with a pardoned felon — in fact, she knows their partnership is a punishment handed down by the higher-ups for her most recent mistake. But she feels she must earn her redemption, so she keeps her head down. As they solve murders, mysteries, and the conspiracy against Crews, this oddest of odd couples gradually develops a lasting rapport.Sarah Shahi Is a Spectacular Anti-Heroine in 'Life' Close If Crews conceals his darker side underneath his chipper sheen, then Reese wears her demons on her sleeve even though she would prefer not to. Cool as a cucumber in her leather jackets, her furrowed brow and assessing eyes hidden behind her aviator sunglasses, Reese evades all attempts at genuine emotional intimacy and vulnerability. She's been burned too many times: by growing up with a cruel and demanding father, and by an undercover narcotics mission that went horrifically wrong. Dani emerged from her assignment stuck in her personal living hell and clawed her way semi-free, joining Alcoholics Anonymous and recovering from her past substance abuse. But despite her diligent attempts to repair the shreds of her career and life, she can't shake all her intentionally self-destructive habits. Related This Procedural Series on Streaming Flips the Detective Drama on its Head Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie star in this intense thriller. Posts If that sounds familiar, you wouldn't be wrong. The woman detective with a perfectionist streak and a miserable past has become enough of a recurring trope for Marvel's Agatha All Along to playfully skewer — think titles like the Mare of Easttown, The Killing, and True Detective: Night Country. Once a trope becomes widespread, the clichés that were once subversive run the risk of becoming hollow and regressive if handled uncritically. Thankfully, Reese maintains her humanity, in large part because Shahi balances simultaneous conflicting emotions: aloofness, irritation, bitterness, fear, and how much she truly cares but pretends she doesn't. Thoroughly unintimidated and only mildly intrigued by Crews, she’s sarcastic enough to give as good as she gets and intuitive enough to follow his atypical logic instead of staying close-minded. Frankly, Dani could lead her own series. Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi Are at Their Best in 'Life' However, without the lopsided balance the Crews-Reese dynamic provides, Life wouldn’t be nearly as charming. Never quite friends or lovers (although there are mild crumbs for those who wouldn't mind some kissing), these two exist in that most heralded of in-between zones — partners
SARAH SHAHI DAMIAN LEWIS LIFE DETECTIVE PROCEDURAL PARADISE DYSTOPIAN MYSTERY TV SHOWS ACTING
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