Medium 2.9: "Still Life"
Written by Craig Sweeny
Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill
In which Allison has visions related to an artist and the murder of a woman, which lead to problems for Devalos, while Joe gets an offer that he may have to refuse…
I was a bit wary about this episode, because I really don’t like it when a gimmick overshadows the point of the story. It’s something that many shows struggle with during sweeps, when networks push producers to one-up the competition. That’s exactly what this episode sounded like, but thankfully, the 3-D effect was little more than window-dressing. (We didn’t wear the glasses, so the 3-D was somewhat lost on us.)
While the case itself was very much in the forefront, that mystery was not very hard to work out. Once all the clues were on the table, the motive was fairly obvious. If this were an inferior series, that would have stolen some of the power from the episode. But there were two aspects that made this a little more interesting than the conventional crime drama.
Devalos and his political concerns add another layer to Allison’s input. Now it’s not simply a matter of giving law enforcement an edge. It’s a matter of giving Devalos just enough direction to make the case on the evidence, and how getting the time and latitude to make that happen can be harder than pinning down the meaning of a vision.
More substantial was the exploration of Joe’s career path and how Allison’s ability factored into his decision. As an engineer with career often in mind, I can sympathize with Joe and his father’s reasons for interfering. As it stands, Joe’s schedule could become a lot less flexible, should he get his boss’ position, but it’s nothing compared to the demands he would have encountered.
The writers could have spent more time on the gimmick, but instead, they focused several scenes on Joe and his emotional roller-coaster. He manages to hold a lot back, but he was clearly trying to decide whether to follow his instincts and dreams or follow Allison’s vision. The fact that the information came from his father couldn’t have been comforting. As usual, his part in the story is a highlight for me.
As an aside: some ask why I’ve been “easier” on “Medium” than I was on the most recent episodes of “Dead Zone”, despite a number of similarities. Here’s the difference, for my point of view. “Dead Zone” started with a number of similar elements: Johnny had many personal connections and situations to work out while also solving mysteries brought forward by his abilities. But more recent episodes have not maintained the same level of personal impact, and his interaction with law enforcement doesn’t have the same level of complexity.
It remains to be seen if those issues will continue to plague “Dead Zone” (and admittedly, those are just my feelings on the subject, under much debate). But the writers of “Medium” should continue to develop the world around Allison and maintain the depth of storytelling. The complexities of her professional and family worlds are the heart and soul of the series.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Robert Duncan McNeill
In which Allison has visions related to an artist and the murder of a woman, which lead to problems for Devalos, while Joe gets an offer that he may have to refuse…
I was a bit wary about this episode, because I really don’t like it when a gimmick overshadows the point of the story. It’s something that many shows struggle with during sweeps, when networks push producers to one-up the competition. That’s exactly what this episode sounded like, but thankfully, the 3-D effect was little more than window-dressing. (We didn’t wear the glasses, so the 3-D was somewhat lost on us.)
While the case itself was very much in the forefront, that mystery was not very hard to work out. Once all the clues were on the table, the motive was fairly obvious. If this were an inferior series, that would have stolen some of the power from the episode. But there were two aspects that made this a little more interesting than the conventional crime drama.
Devalos and his political concerns add another layer to Allison’s input. Now it’s not simply a matter of giving law enforcement an edge. It’s a matter of giving Devalos just enough direction to make the case on the evidence, and how getting the time and latitude to make that happen can be harder than pinning down the meaning of a vision.
More substantial was the exploration of Joe’s career path and how Allison’s ability factored into his decision. As an engineer with career often in mind, I can sympathize with Joe and his father’s reasons for interfering. As it stands, Joe’s schedule could become a lot less flexible, should he get his boss’ position, but it’s nothing compared to the demands he would have encountered.
The writers could have spent more time on the gimmick, but instead, they focused several scenes on Joe and his emotional roller-coaster. He manages to hold a lot back, but he was clearly trying to decide whether to follow his instincts and dreams or follow Allison’s vision. The fact that the information came from his father couldn’t have been comforting. As usual, his part in the story is a highlight for me.
As an aside: some ask why I’ve been “easier” on “Medium” than I was on the most recent episodes of “Dead Zone”, despite a number of similarities. Here’s the difference, for my point of view. “Dead Zone” started with a number of similar elements: Johnny had many personal connections and situations to work out while also solving mysteries brought forward by his abilities. But more recent episodes have not maintained the same level of personal impact, and his interaction with law enforcement doesn’t have the same level of complexity.
It remains to be seen if those issues will continue to plague “Dead Zone” (and admittedly, those are just my feelings on the subject, under much debate). But the writers of “Medium” should continue to develop the world around Allison and maintain the depth of storytelling. The complexities of her professional and family worlds are the heart and soul of the series.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 19:38
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