Numb3rs

I had some time this weekend to catch up on Numb3rs episodes. That show is one of those guilty pleasures... like a Ramones song or a game of Counterstrike.

I like shows and movies about math, and I guess Numb3rs fits into that dorky category (together with all the Star Wars movies, and all the LOTR movies, and all the Matrix movies) that people like me are just obligated to watch, or we'll be asked to kindly surrender our pocket protectors and USB flash memory cards.

Anyway, the show is pretty good. I always liked Judd Hirsch, and I really like the character of Dr. Fleinhardt (played by Peter MacNicol). And, they do get the math right every time. But, I think that with every new episode, it has become increasingly difficult for the writers to fit the math into the plot, while keeping any semblance of reality about the FBI.

For example, in the latest episode, "Toxin," Charlie used math to explain to the FBI that a fugitive on the run might come back to his house (in 7 months on the case, the FBI couldn't come up with that one on their own); he also instructed the federal agents on a little known concept called Negotiation Theory! It's almost comical to watch every week as the FBI are portrayed as a bunch of bumbling neophytes, who just sit around waiting for an extremely complicated mathematical concept to reveal to them something entirely obvious about the case.

However, I do think that this was the very first episode where they suggested that a tenure track professor might have something else to do besides consulting with the FBI and working on P=NP in his father's garage... so, much thanks for that "I have midterms to grade" line... certainly helped to alleviate some of the frustrations with that character.