Best described as “Sherlock Holmes with a twist,” Perception stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) as Dr. Daniel Pierce, a schizophrenic neuroscience professor with an unmatched understanding of the human mind. Fresh of a stint in a psychiatric hospital, his breakdown forced him to give up his police consulting job as well as take a yearlong sabbatical from teaching at prestigious Chicago university. Having refused to take the prescribed medication, and teaching again, Daniel has hired a live-in assistant, Max Lewicki (Arjay Smith) to help him stay focused.
One day after class, Daniel gets a visit from FBI agent Kate Moretti (Rachael Lee Cook), a former student with whom he used to piece together murder mysteries until she got transferred out of town. She ends up pulling him into various cases, knowing that his work on how the brain constructs reality, will allow him to notice things that others miss. While Daniel does catch things others miss, they do tend to be awfully convenient for whatever case he’s working on.
Almost every episode begins with Dr. Pierce lecturing his students on a thought provoking subject that somehow ties into that week’s case; in turn, the episode ends with a lecture summing up the episodes themes. This could be painfully dry, but it works because Eric McCormack puts so much obvious care into making his character believable. Daniel Pierce is a seriously flawed individual—he’s a schizophrenic who regularly suffers hallucinations—but he genuinely wants to use his gift of intelligence to give something back to the world. You can’t help but root for his recovery.
Rachel Leigh Cook is very good as FBI agent Moretti. She’s tough but not incapable of emotion. She wants to see justice serve in every case she works on. Inevitably, there’s some sexual tension between her and Daniel, so it will be interesting to see what the series does with that.
Arjay Smith’s performance as Lewicki is understated but very effective. Given Daniel’s decidedly fragile mental state, Lewicki is the glue that quietly holds everything together for his boss. For that reason, Max may be the most important person in the room at any given time—Daniel isn’t able to admit this—but he never seeks the spotlight.
The seasons 10 episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The image is as crisp and clear as you’ll find on a standard DVD transfer.
The Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound audio track does a fine job with dialogue and sound effects.
There are no special features.
