Medium 2.1: "When Push Comes to Shove: Part II"
Written by Glenn Gordon Caron
Directed by Aaron Lipstadt
In which Allison struggles with the fact that her ability doesn’t seem to be working when the killing from the spring resume, while Joe deals with the fact that he resents her priorities…
This series surprised me in the first season by focusing so strongly on the key relationship between Joe and Allison. Whenever events or gimmicks threatened to undermine the credibility of the show, that key relationship was always more than capable of carrying the weight. That’s still true of this season, because the resolution of the case itself was rather predictable.
I don’t know about anyone else, but it took me about five seconds after Allison’s first dream to figure out who the killer was. After that, it was just a matter of sitting through the process of Allison working it out. Much like “Dead Zone” episodes of late, it’s more a question of how inventively this process plays out, rather than the originality of the situation.
Here’s where things were interesting. Allison wasn’t having visions or psychic dreams for three months because her personal issues were supposedly getting in the way. And that sets the stage for Joe to be even less happy about her divided loyalties. Some people seem to think that Joe is being unreasonable, and that he should simply accept that fact that Allison’s ability tasks her with unusual responsibilities.
Of course, for Joe, it’s a matter of cost vs. benefit. Allison likes the fact that her ability is actually helping people and serving a function. But the cost is rather high, especially since it puts an enormous strain on her husband and his own responsibilities. It’s only a matter of time before Joe’s career is impacted by the bizarre hours, and that will begin straining the finances even more. Allison can’t simply push off her responsibility to her family based on a “higher calling”.
Or can she? I think that’s the question that could be explored this season. Certainly the dead have few qualms about making demands on her, and they are less reasonable than her family, even under the current circumstances. Can Allison simply ignore the voices and her ability to stop crimes from being committed?
Joe’s reactions wouldn’t be nearly so interesting or meaningful if he wasn’t trying to be so patient about it all. That’s why I don’t understand why he’s seen in such a negative light by some fans. Any other husband would have exploded a long time ago. I’m personally shocked by his patience, considering how much he’s fuming.
Anyway, I think the challenge this season is to avoid some of the pitfalls that similar shows have encountered. For instance, this past season of “Dead Zone” was considered by many to be its worst, because many of the episodes were too predictable and pedestrian. A lot of the unique situations had been covered in previous seasons. Similarly, the writers for this series need to keep things fresh. The first season spent a lot of time on peculiar perspectives, and that should continue. Perhaps because of the need to resolve the cliffhanger, this premiere wasn’t able to do that, and as a result, it didn’t quite hit the mark.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by Aaron Lipstadt
In which Allison struggles with the fact that her ability doesn’t seem to be working when the killing from the spring resume, while Joe deals with the fact that he resents her priorities…
This series surprised me in the first season by focusing so strongly on the key relationship between Joe and Allison. Whenever events or gimmicks threatened to undermine the credibility of the show, that key relationship was always more than capable of carrying the weight. That’s still true of this season, because the resolution of the case itself was rather predictable.
I don’t know about anyone else, but it took me about five seconds after Allison’s first dream to figure out who the killer was. After that, it was just a matter of sitting through the process of Allison working it out. Much like “Dead Zone” episodes of late, it’s more a question of how inventively this process plays out, rather than the originality of the situation.
Here’s where things were interesting. Allison wasn’t having visions or psychic dreams for three months because her personal issues were supposedly getting in the way. And that sets the stage for Joe to be even less happy about her divided loyalties. Some people seem to think that Joe is being unreasonable, and that he should simply accept that fact that Allison’s ability tasks her with unusual responsibilities.
Of course, for Joe, it’s a matter of cost vs. benefit. Allison likes the fact that her ability is actually helping people and serving a function. But the cost is rather high, especially since it puts an enormous strain on her husband and his own responsibilities. It’s only a matter of time before Joe’s career is impacted by the bizarre hours, and that will begin straining the finances even more. Allison can’t simply push off her responsibility to her family based on a “higher calling”.
Or can she? I think that’s the question that could be explored this season. Certainly the dead have few qualms about making demands on her, and they are less reasonable than her family, even under the current circumstances. Can Allison simply ignore the voices and her ability to stop crimes from being committed?
Joe’s reactions wouldn’t be nearly so interesting or meaningful if he wasn’t trying to be so patient about it all. That’s why I don’t understand why he’s seen in such a negative light by some fans. Any other husband would have exploded a long time ago. I’m personally shocked by his patience, considering how much he’s fuming.
Anyway, I think the challenge this season is to avoid some of the pitfalls that similar shows have encountered. For instance, this past season of “Dead Zone” was considered by many to be its worst, because many of the episodes were too predictable and pedestrian. A lot of the unique situations had been covered in previous seasons. Similarly, the writers for this series need to keep things fresh. The first season spent a lot of time on peculiar perspectives, and that should continue. Perhaps because of the need to resolve the cliffhanger, this premiere wasn’t able to do that, and as a result, it didn’t quite hit the mark.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:25
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