This week was a bit of strange brew over at Medium. Oh, it was a very familiar feeling case, with the cryptic dreams, and a very bad man in Allison’s sights. But everything was just a little bit off. Not off in the bad way, like a ball was dropped somewhere along the production line. No, things were off in a very interesting way that tied in with the coma to once again raise questions about what may have changed with Allison’s ability. As we sorted through that, we also got some follow up on Joe’s big job search, and a return of the ongoing story of Bridgette’s abilities.
Starting with the case, I really liked how this one played out. I was reasonably confident that Statler was up to no good as soon as I saw Oded Fehr, even after he saved Allison. Still, they did do a pretty good job twisting that story up before we got to the payoff at the end. I was almost ready to give him a pass after the dream about the nurse and the discussion with Carlisle. It did a very good job of floating the idea, as Joe suggested, that Allison’s dreams may not be 100%. And really, if it would have gone that way, I’d be on board with that too. It would be fun to see her struggle with that notion week to week as she regains control, or understanding, of how they work all over again. Not unlike what she is doing with the cane.
Alas, the dreams were accurate, and Statler was a very bad dude. My favorite part of his story came in the reveal of Carlisle as an accomplice. The radio queue in the background, talking about George Bush as president, was a very clever way to set the scene so we knew exactly what we were watching. And it really turned the whole case on its ear. The biggest surprise though, was that Statler got away. Despite everything, he just walked. Now we’ll have to wait and see if he makes a return some day. I’d be up for that.
Getting to the family, I think I can speak for most viewers when I say, “Hey, nice haircut Joe!” The dapper new Joe had quite a week himself, dealing with the job hunt, and Bridgette’s peculiar writing inspiration. On the positive side for Bridgette, this went a lot better for her than when she was drawing topless pictures of Dr. Venture. But the story did bring the one big question I had with the episode. Wouldn’t you think Joe and Allison would be a lot more concerned about her dreaming these things? Sure, this time it was kind of amusing, and did turn out to be useful to Joe, but the mind just races when contemplating the possibilities. Given the history of Allison’s dreams, that could all go off the rails rather quickly.
At the end of the day, it was another really good episode. I like the occasional case that isn’t so open and shut, and love the possibility of a return for Dr. Statler. The continuation of the idea that Allison’s abilities are still changing, as we saw with the waking dream in Rosemary’s room, is good as well. It’s a good start for season six.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Oct 09, 2009 @ 22:42 EST5EDT
