Limitless - 'Page 44'

Some have suggested that Brian does not take his work seriously.

Brian is faced by a dilemma this week: The FBI are showing more trust, reading him into his first classified case (admittedly to sort through trash,) at the same time as Sands delivers Senator Morra's first demand: Steal the FBI's NZT files so that Morra knows what they know. Fortunately, he has a goodwill case to salve his conscience: An internet buddy named Arthur claims to have genetically modified a mouse to live an extra two months and to have been framed for the murder of his former partner, whom he believed to have stolen his mouse. The chance to save his friend is at least morally unambiguous.

Although he tries to pass off fake documents, refusing to betray Rebecca's trust, Sands is unconvinced and arranges a medical crisis for Brian's father. Brian is forced to steal the real files, but sneaks a peek before sending them on, which reveals that the FBI was monitoring Rebecca's father and knew he was using NZT before his death.

The clash of loyalties is what is set to separate this from a routine quirky cop show, more than the neuroaccelerator gimmick. Given that NZT basically puts him at the functional level of Sherlock Holmes, it is Brian's dependence, and not his abilities, that distinguish him. Hopefully then the clash will continue to have areas of grey, such as the FBI's monitoring of Harris snr, and we will see a less than completely amoral agenda for Morra.