My Own Worst Enemy S1E1 "Breakdown"

[mjh]

Wow. That was pretty darn good. I especially liked the part where Mavis said that Henry was the experiment. It made me wonder what it would feel like to not own your life - borrowing someone else's body. If they erase you, is it a murder?

On the other hand, it's pretty clear that this lifestyle is not exactly safe for Edward. Henry has to learn and has to learn fast, or Edward's life is in danger. Seems pretty risky for Edward.

Fun show.

[appleye1]

I really liked it. Very interesting.

How sustainable is the Henry/Edward split-personality premise though? It seems like it would just get gimmicky after a while. I'd prefer that they kill off the secondary personality (Henry) every so often and create a new one. (It'd suck to be the wives though!)

[atrac]

It's an interesting take on the whole "Total Recall" (aka "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" by Philip K. Dick) plot.

I have to admit though, by the ending I was a bit confused. Why did they leave Henry alone at Edward's apartment? It appears they were monitoring him, and they even let him call his wife and then go home. Why?

After the whole reconditioning scene in the white room, was Henry pretending to be Edward? At what point Edward record the video for Henry?

[ScottE22]

I liked it -- as with a lot of pilots there was a LOT of information. They had to explain the whole premise of the Edward/Henry thing PLUS include some kind of story...

I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes once things settle down a bit.

If nothing else, it's always nice to see Madchen Amick (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000749/)!

[mgk]

arg i missed the pilot cause i wanted to watch mnf so i canceled the recording =(

Did someone say USA is doing replays?

[Jeeters]

arg i missed the pilot cause i wanted to watch mnf so i canceled the recording =(

Did someone say USA is doing replays?Yes, USA tonight at 11pm. It's also being repeated later in the week on SciFi and Bravo.

[swifty]

I thought the pilot was fantastic, I only have one question and I might have just missed where they explained it.

Why does Edward need to have another personality? What's stopping him from just having a cover life? Basically I'm just wondering why they went to that much trouble when it seems that it would be easier and less risky to have Edward assume a cover identity.

[Northerner26]

I thought the pilot was fantastic, I only have one question and I might have just missed where they explained it.

Why does Edward need to have another personality? What's stopping him from just having a cover life? Basically I'm just wondering why they went to that much trouble when it seems that it would be easier and less risky to have Edward assume a cover identity.

i agree with swifty 100% but then it wouldnt have had the same dynamic i guess?
would have been a whole helluva lot easier to just have one person and why not be just a spy and have no need for another 'person'

its a good show that is different then anything else on so i hope it sticks around for awhile! :up:

[atrac]

Why does Edward need to have another personality? What's stopping him from just having a cover life? Basically I'm just wondering why they went to that much trouble when it seems that it would be easier and less risky to have Edward assume a cover identity.

I have to agree with this. Clearly, it didn't do any good when it came to the bad guy of this episode. He didn't believe that Henry wasn't Edward, no matter how much he insisted. So it doesn't have anything to do with believability -- unless all of the villains of future episodes start off by giving Henry a lie detector test.

[gossamer88]

Pretty smart how they communicate with each other via video taped messages. Finally a show this fall season I'm looking forward to seeing again.

[TIVO_GUY_HERE]

Color me very surprised. Not many shows go straight to season pass, but this one did.

[dswallow]

i agree with swifty 100% but then it wouldnt have had the same dynamic i guess?
would have been a whole helluva lot easier to just have one person and why not be just a spy and have no need for another 'person'

its a good show that is different then anything else on so i hope it sticks around for awhile! :up:

It'd be an excellent way to place operatives in the field -- they can establish their cover and be activated at will when they're "real" personality can take over but still knows everything the inserted personality does.

They'll never break cover except when they're activated by the field office. They're incapable of breaking cover, actually. Well, except for the little problem we saw occur in this episode. ;)

[BitbyBlit]

I have to agree with this. Clearly, it didn't do any good when it came to the bad guy of this episode. He didn't believe that Henry wasn't Edward, no matter how much he insisted. So it doesn't have anything to do with believability -- unless all of the villains of future episodes start off by giving Henry a lie detector test.

I think it has more to do with protecting the information than the people involved. That's why it appears they normally "terminate" the operatives if something goes wrong. As good as Edward might be, there is still a chance that he might give up secrets. But Henry can't. He might be put under extreme torture by people that don't believe him, which sucks for him. But the secrets Edward knows stays safe.

[pkscout]

We really enjoyed this. I mean *really* enjoyed it. This is likely to become one of our must watch this week kind of shows. Christian Slater did a great job playing two different roles and switching between them.

[scooterboy]

Christian Slater did a great job playing two different roles and switching between them.

...and most importantly: without using his Jack Nicholson voice!

Definitely a SP for me. If he had used his Jack voice I don't think I could watch it every week.

[TiVo Bum]

Seems to have some similarity to the upcoming "Dollhouse" from Joss Whedon.

[Zevida]

Enjoyed the episode quite a lot! It is hard to imagine two personalities existing in one body. Edward seems like a total ass! I will definitely be setting up a season pass for this.

Before the show I was not at all sure how the premise was going to work, but it was explained and pulled off quite nicely.

Christian Slater is pretty good eye candy too. :up:

[Hunter Green]

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself -- well... how did I get here?

And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

[mattack]

Enjoyed the episode quite a lot! It is hard to imagine two personalities existing in one body.

You need to see "Sybil".. or another great movie from the last 10 years.

[scsiguy72]

I just got around to watching this last night. My wife calls it "that total recall show"

I liked it SP set

[JYoung]

I too have to wonder the "Why" behind the procedure.

I also think I caught a continuity error. When Henry was talking to Edward, he said that test driving a car isn't like test driving his wife at which point Edward shut off the recording.

But why does Henry remember that considering it was wiped, like all the memories of his time in Russia?

I also wonder how they will sustain the longevity of this.

Still, it's interesting and I'll keep watching.

[JETarpon]

You need to see "Sybil".. or another great movie from the last 10 years.

Last 10 years? I saw that in health in high school over 20 years ago.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075296/

[postrin]

I too have to wonder the "Why" behind the procedure.

I also think I caught a continuity error. When Henry was talking to Edward, he said that test driving a car isn't like test driving his wife at which point Edward shut off the recording.

But why does Henry remember that considering it was wiped, like all the memories of his time in Russia?

I also wonder how they will sustain the longevity of this.

Still, it's interesting and I'll keep watching.

His wife came in in the morning and told him how great that night was. On his hand Edward had written, something to the effect of "Don't drive my car"

[JYoung]

His wife came in in the morning and told him how great that night was. On his hand Edward had written, something to the effect of "Don't drive my car"

Right but after that, they wiped his memory of those events.
So how did he remember them to refer to them on the recording at the end?

[Sirius Black]

The name of the show is "My Own Worst Enemy" but who is the enemy? Are we supposed to be "on the side of" the normal guy? He's completely artificial.

I liked the show and have a season pass for it. It is at the very least an interesting premise. I have to keep myself from wondering why the CIA bothers with the alternate personality thing. The premiere showed that it can result in very unwanted consequences. One personality "waking up" at the wrong time. A personality finding out about the "secret life" of the other or worse finding out that they are not the "real personality".

[BitbyBlit]

The name of the show is "My Own Worst Enemy" but who is the enemy?

It's a play on the phrase, "I am my own worst enemy." I don't think we are supposed to consider either of them enemies in the good guy / bad guy sense. This is more like a sibling rivalry where the siblings share the same body.

[gchance]

The title also refers to the fact that Henry has trouble maintaining his family life & satisfying his wife in bed, because Edward gets in the way. Edward has trouble being a spy with Henry driving his car and telling people he's not Edward, and deleting his football recordings from Microsoft Media Center (TM).

Greg

[BitbyBlit]

Right but after that, they wiped his memory of those events.
So how did he remember them to refer to them on the recording at the end?

The memory wipe might not have been that complete. Perhaps once Edward told him about himself, he began to remember other things. And also, since their memories are starting to bleed together, perhaps he doesn't remember himself driving the car, but rather Edward catching him doing it. Or maybe Edward just set some ground rules, telling Henry, "And don't drive my car. If you do, there will be consequences. Ask your wife about last night."

[Jebberwocky!]

I'll keep watchibng but color me not that impressed.

So many questions, so little logic.

[JETarpon]

I think it's clear that the memory wipe wasn't complete. If the memory wipe was complete, there would have been no reason for Edward to even leave the message for Henry. They could have just gone back to the way things had been before.

[JYoung]

I think it's clear that the memory wipe wasn't complete. If the memory wipe was complete, there would have been no reason for Edward to even leave the message for Henry. They could have just gone back to the way things had been before.

Well except for the fact the Russian agent tried to kill him.

[JETarpon]

Well except for the fact the Russian agent tried to kill him.

After Edward had already filled Henry in. Why would Edward have thought that necessary, if it hadn't been the previous 19 years?

[Edmund]

As for the name of the show, your only as strong as your weakest link, the weak link here is henry. If he gets shot, so does Edward. Edward can protect himself, Henry can not.

Why do they have Henry in the first place? Without Henry, Edward would burnout rather quickly, he doesn't sleep, in Henry persona, he can recharge.

[JYoung]

After Edward had already filled Henry in. Why would Edward have thought that necessary, if it hadn't been the previous 19 years?

You remember that the Russian agent Uzi came to Henry's house after his memory had been wiped?

The memory wipe and the fact that Uzi was still out there was what prompted Edward to make and send the recording in the first place.

[TAsunder]

Caught it on Hulu. Liked it quite a bit, but I am worried that it was simply a really good pilot and it might be difficult to sustain a good show now that "all the cards are on the table". If they can focus on the more blade runnery aspects of this - whether Henry is real or just programmed memories, that sort of thing -then it will be good. Time will tell. SP set for now.

[EMoMoney]

I at least made it through the entire episode, but my wife could not. SP (Baleted!) Bring Life back to that time slot, please.

[madscientist]

After Edward had already filled Henry in. Why would Edward have thought that necessary, if it hadn't been the previous 19 years?Because this was the first time Henry had been captured. Edward knew that Henry had given enough away (like, his full name!!) that Uzi would be able to find him. So, Edward had to act.

The strange thing is why the CIA didn't protect Henry, or at least have his house staked out. I wonder if they were hoping Uzi would kill him and solve the dilemma. Seems weird.

[mattack]

Last 10 years? I saw that in health in high school over 20 years ago.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075296/

There was a new Sybil made a few years ago.. but I was trying to make an oblique allusion to another movie about which the first rule is not to talk about it.

[catcard]

I was not expecting this show to be very good but I was pleasantly surprised! If the next episodes are as good as the pilot I will definitely keep watching :)