Forever Episode Review: “6 A. M.”

Guest stars include Frankie Faison, James McDaniel and Johnny Ramey.

I think the thing I appreciated most about this particular “Forever” episode was the way it let Henry be a bit more Sherlock Holmes-like than he’s been in some of the other episodes this season. His ability to notice obscure things and wide range of knowledge (gathered from his many years of life) are what help to make his character unique. And, seeing him figure out an easy-to-miss murder weapon, find a clue in an incinerated car and determine the time of death by figuring out how fast a body would cool down after burning kept this particular episode interesting.

My opinions about the various weekly flashbacks about his life have always been a bit mixed. However, I did like them this time around because it did give a good indication about what kind of parent he was when Abe (Judd Hirsch) was still growing up. I also found I loved their ongoing disagreement about jazz music, primarily because Henry made it sound like it is a new type of music rather than something that has been around for decades. It’s an argument I would expect to have with my own kids about the stuff I’m sure they’ll be listening to and the ironic twist this episode put in there was definitely entertaining.

My only real complaint about this episode is we don’t learn much about his former neighbor and Abe’s piano teacher, Red (Ramey) after he says goodbye. He was actually pretty likeable and it would have been nice to find out what happened to him (perhaps through a conveniently located newspaper clipping or a flashback of Henry passing him on the street) after he left for Paris.

Also, whatever happened to that mysterious “Adam” character? We haven’t heard from him lately and I’m starting to wonder if he stopped following Henry, if he’s choosing to remain quiet or if the writers decided he wasn’t needed anymore, wrote him off the series and are hoping we don’t notice.

This was an entertaining episode both because of the mystery and some fantastic flashbacks. I definitely enjoyed watching this.

My Grade: A