Awake (TV series): Difference between revisions

A high-concept [[Cop Show|cop drama]] premiering on February of 2012 in which Police Det. Michael Britten, played by Jason Isaacs, lives a double life in two separate realities after being in a car accident with his wife and son. In one reality, his wife Hannah (played by [[The 4400|Laura Allen]]) survived the accident, but their son Rex (played by Dylan Minnette) did not. When he falls asleep, he goes into the second reality, where the exact opposite happened; Hannah died, but Rex did not. The show follows Britten going about his life in each reality, mourning for his wife, son, and ''both'', in the two realities, as well as seeing two separate psychiatrists who have contrary opinions on the significance and psychological benefits of the "subconscious alternate reality" that he's created for himself.

 

 

Despite exceptionally positive critical review, the series was cancelled. Interviews like [http://www.tv.com/news/awake-q-and-a-creator-kyle-killen-explains-the-finale-and-more-28770/ this] offer additional wrap up and insight as to the series had it gone on.

 

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'''Tropes found in [[Awake (TV series)|Awake]]:'''

** {{spoiler|Harper, Hawkins, and Kessel also qualify as this.}}

* [[Downer Ending]]/[[Bittersweet Ending]]/[[Happy Ending]]: {{spoiler|All three! The red reality ends with a [[Downer Ending]]; Britten's probably going to be in prison for the rest of his life and the criminal who caused his son's death got away with it. The green reality has more of a [[Bittersweet Ending]], in which he catches the criminal but has to stop believing in the red reality to make it happen. He then ends up in a third reality which seems to him to be a [[Happy Ending]], but viewers could see it as one of the others.}}

* [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]: In both realities in "Oregon", dogs bark at Britten, leading him to a dead body in the green reality.

* [[Framing Device]]: The pilot has Britten talking to two therapists in two separate realities.

** The show centers on how Michael's life would be different based on a possibly very small change in one event before the start of the show.

** "Kate is Enough" shows how the eponymous character's life would be drastically different if her mother had pushed her just one more time to get through her grief over the death of her sister.

* [[Sadistic Choice]]: Suggested by his psychiatrist in the pilot episode. His [[Take a Third Option]] was to sacrifice his own sanity to keep both alive.

* [[Schroedingers Gun|Schrödinger's Reality:]] Even though Britten's life should have been exactly the same until it split at the accident, it isn't: Events before the accident that occured outside Britten's perception range may vary depending on the plot. {{spoiler|Like Kate in "Kate is Enough" who had lived a drastically different life because of a decision her mother did or didn't take years ago. Also, whether or not Emma, Rex's girlfriend is pregnant varies - in the world where Rex lives, she miscarries. In the world where he dies, she doesn't. In both, she got pregnant just before the accident.}}

* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Gabriel Wyath III is acknowledged by Britten as what he fears becoming: a man suffering from mental illness, who's lost everything due to his refusal to recognise the death of a loved one.

* [[Shout-Out]]: To [[Mark Kermode]], Simon Mayo, and listeners of their show. The following line from episode 4, "Kate Is Enough" was put in by Jason Isaacs after he was dared to put the words "teapot" and/or "ukulele" into his series on Kermode & Mayo's show on December 23rd (2012). Presumably as a result of his being [[Memetic Mutation/Radio|constantly greeted on their show]]...