Limitless Season 1 Episode 5 "Personality Crisis" : Review
As Limitless Season 1 has (and should) continued to play up the fun during its episodes, it’s good to see some consequences and more serious aspects get their moments. The case of the week for Limitless Season 1 Episode 5 certainly implied mass chaos and destruction with the bomb, which never really got that close to being that, but it was far more of a device to give Brian some character growth outside of being Mr. Happy Nice Guy. The day was saved, and the bad guy stopped, but there was a cost.
And it wasn’t a cost I thought the series would even attempt. I assumed Chris Harper being shot would have been merely a flesh wound, not him getting killed. Instead, Brian learned that working for the FBI isn’t just fun and games, real people can get hurt. But it wasn’t just that someone was killed, it was someone he had managed to sort of bond with, get to know, and even at one point begrudgingly manipulate to get him to that meeting with his brother.
Brian felt responsible, and as much as it was good that Rebecca tried to talk to him about what he’d done, about the overall good he managed to do, this wasn’t some quick fix. It was a solid emotional moment for the character that also played into him telling Rebecca about her father and NZT. He’d been toying around with the idea of telling her, but the NZT version of himself was adamant Brian not tell Rebecca.
That was an interesting aspect that even Brian questioned in that it was odd that him on NZT was talking to him like a different person. Didn’t he just have a conversation with Rebecca about being two different people on NZT, and she reassured him it’s just one him? I’m curious to see how that might play out the longer Brian is on NZT. But I was glad that Brian off NZT was determined to tell Rebecca about the file, despite the warnings, despite Supermax, and despite Mr. Sands.
This was something he felt he had to do, and frankly, I’m pleased it’s not a storyline that’s getting dragged out over the course of the season. Granted, Mr. Sands is going to be pissed, and Eddie Morra probably as well, but hopefully it brings Brian and Rebecca even closer together. Though, I’m sure there’s going to be more questions than answers after the fact. Bradley Cooper is going to have some explaining to do.
At the same time, I like how Limitless is treating Brian and Rebecca’s relationship without forcing them to be romantically involved. It’s just not necessary, especially this early in the series. So it was a actually a pleasant surprise to find out that Rebecca had a secret boyfriend in Rooks, in addition to seeing the Dexter reunion between Jennifer Carpenter and Desmond Harrington. The two have a solid chemistry together and are believable as a couple. Their characters have some great flirty banter, and it will be interesting to see that relationship grow.
What’s more, Rooks was actually a cool guy helping Brian (after the hilarious Bruce Lee debacle) get some training, and he doesn’t seem to be some jerk who has to step on Brian if he gets jealous. This was definitely an hour that really emphasized the importance of the characters on the show and making them more than just tools to solve a twist-filled case. And it’s great to see that as the story progresses for Brian, as much fun as it is to see him crack jokes and make clay versions of the others, adding some emotional and impactful moments help round things out. It makes you far more interested to see where the overall story goes.
