By Ed Zhao ’12

Awake

NBC’s Awake offers a fascinating premise. Michael Britten (David Isaac) lives two realities: In one, his wife survived a horrendous car accident while in the other it is his son who is alive. His psychologists believe that it is an elaborate coping mechanism, one way to deal with the death of someone he loves. But it also slowly destabilizing Brittenas he struggles to maintain when he is awake and while dreaming. For the audience, this provides a wonderful tension; the show’s writers further capitalize on the ambiguity as shrinks from both worlds proffer convincing arguments.

The confusion also seeps into Britten’s work life. A detective case from one world spills clues into the other, and it’s a delicious jumble compelling viewers to think. The overarching question regarding reality is intensely captivating and will certainly make for some interesting debates.

Awake’s debuts on the first of March but the pilot is currently viewable on NBC’s website.

Touch

Touch is a departure for Kiefer Sutherland. Rather than playing a machismo filled Republican super agent, Sutherland is Martin Bohm, a concerned parent struggling to raise his socially challenged son, Jake (David Mazouz). There is still a fair bit of bombastic shouting, but it’s tempered by paternal acts of tenderness: Bohm constantly struggles with a child who is not only mute but also abhors human contact. Mazouz is thus able to sidestep the challenges of most child actors since he doesn’t need to speak; instead, he strikes the right balance of timid and awkward through actions and facial gestures.

Though the pilot has been heavy handed in stressing the world’s interconnectivity, it nonetheless delivers an arresting narrative spanning a crowd of ostensible strangers. The ultimate success of the show will hinge on Sutherland’s interactions with Mazouz, but these first few scenes were moving and they bode well for future episodes. Touch officially premiers on March 19 (but the pilot is currently available through Hulu).

Mad Men

After a seventeen-month hiatus, AMC’s Mad Men returns this March.

When we last left Don Draper (Jon Hamm), he had impetuously proposed to his sultry French secretary, Megan Calvet(Jessica Pare). It is an example of Draper’s fascinating character: He is a consummate womanizer incapable of fidelity yet struggling for meaningful emotional connections. This translates into the rest of his life as he is charming and financially successful, but he counts few true friends. Draper could very easily find happiness yet he constantly sabotages himself.

Like Draper, the rest of Mad Men’s characters are a particularly layered bunch. It leads to a heavy atmosphere that invites introspection and it’s very much a series to be savored. Add in the impeccably researched 1960’s backdrop and there is nothing else like Mad Men. The fifth season starts on March 25.

Game of Thrones

I’ll freely admit that I’ve been a gigantic fan of George R. R. Martin’s works since my high school days. His books present a multitude of engaging characters and a plot brimming with subterfuge and intrigue. HBO masterfully adapted the book series last year, sparing little expense in bringing the fantasy epic to motion. The first season, rife with outstanding moments that ranged from terribly gruesome to endearingly charming, was both a commercial and critical success.

It’s no stretch that Game of Thrones could be the most riveting show this Spring. At its heart, it’s the characters that drive the series and Martin crafted a host of memorable people. Combined with excellent casting and an engrossing script, it’s no surprise that Tyrion, Arya, and Daenerys are so engaging. Many of these major characters are in perilous situations after last season’s finale while the Seven Kingdoms are on the brink of civil war. The end result is a tumultuous, desperate atmosphere that will provide for hours of absorbing television. The second season begins on the first of April.