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nbc_mediumFriday, Nov. 13 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) - "Once in a Lifetime" - Allison fears the worst about Ariel's new boyfriend when she suspects him of murdering a man. Also, Bridgette posts embarrassing videos of a man on the Internet and gets into trouble. David Arquette Returns to Direct This Episode and Amy Pietz Guest Stars, on MEDIUM, on the CBS Television Network.
And yet another great episode this week, this time directed by Patricia's brother, David, which is always a treat. The opening sequence was the perfect way to start of the episode. It created enough ambiguity to make me believe that it wasn't a dream Allison was having, but a sequence usually shown after the commercial break. I got a kick out of watching Allison and Joe staring down at and fondling the envelope from the desired college Ariel was hoping to get into, both of them all too tempted to take a looks-see inside before their daughter.
However, the moment Ariel's hesitant voice came from down the hall, I half expected her to come strolling intro the room splattered with blood and holding a gun. Instead, she skips into the living room/kitchen with a boy on her arms, looking positively beside herself with happiness. I honestly wasn't expecting him to appear to soon in the episode, but that was the least of my worries at the time, as my reaction to Ariel’s less than enthusiastic behavior toward the news, pretty much mirrored her parents. When she announced the reason behind her lackluster reaction, however ---her being pregnant, I was so relieved when Allison woke up. Now there's an honest-to-God nightmare any parent has bound have had.
Another thing I didn't expect to rear its head so soon was Bridgette's escapades with her father's video camera (Allison got him another one after all) as she taped the less than graceful adventures of on their next door neighbors. I couldn't help but think, "Wow, they really wanted to get that out of the way so they can focus on Ariel/Boyfriend subplot" With that said, with the way Ariel brought the subject of studying at Casey-Kyle's house, it made me wonder how long she'd been seeing this boy before she finally broached the subject with her parents.
Meanwhile, Scanlon is left without a clue as to who might've been responsible for the demise of a criminal (Earl Sanderson) and is looking to Allison for help. The best she can give him is person whom Earl killed. And this is where the episode seems to get incredibly predictable and at the same time, still manages to fool you enough to surprise you at the very at end. Allison's dream of Ariel's boyfriend (who sports the "young hooded Hitman" look Brandon Whitman from S5's "Necessary Evil" popularized) lurking outside the dead criminal’s house, wielding the six shooter, makes it obvious to the viewer that he's behind it the murder.
However, given Allison's apprehension towards Casey-Kyle to begin with, it makes you wonder, whether or not her own anxieties about her daughter's boyfriend, are in fact clouding her judgment. I love that Joe, once again, brings up the that her dreams are not always trustworthy, especially when something is bugging her, and that she should use caution when concerned with their daughter's first beau. Alas, Allison goes full-steam ahead and has Scanlon interrogate Casey-Kyle (yes, I'm writing that on purpose, I know it’s either/or) against the usual protocol, despite Kyle's willingness to proceed without a lawyer or his parents present. The end result is one pissed-off mother and her own daughter to boot.
While Allison's guilt over her brash actions was understood, I don't know why she didn't bring her daughter up on the "you should've asked me first if he could do such a thing". Just because Ariel feels she's in love with this boy, doesn't mean that she's known him long enough to be the judge of whether or not he was or wasn't capable of killing a man (or has she? I doubt it). She was far out of line with her mother on that much, especially when she tried to argue that Allison’s dream wasn't "real".
The next dream however, threw me for a loop. At first I thought Kyle was actually admitting to the murder of Earl Sanderson, but instead he claims be Angelo Filipelli, the man Earl buried beneath who-knows-how-much cement, reincarnated in the form of his Nancy's son. Okay, I know that subplot was used in "Soul Survivor" the same extent (sort of), but I could help but thinking: "What the hell"?
The scene where Allison confronts Kyle with a thermal-image of Filipelli's remains, really brings up a perfect example of Arquette's brilliant direction (that, plus dead-Earl in the fridge and the long shot of Joe following Allison out of the bathroom). I really love how he shot certain angles and presented the characters in their environment. Not to mention, everyone's performances seemed just a little more livelier than usual [at the moment]. This might be an side-affect of just watching Where the Wild Things Are (2009), but David did a great job with this episode IMHO.
That aside, when Kyle goes to explain to Allison, the very unexplainable circumstances surrounding his life up to this point, I could help but wonder, if he was in fact the Angelo reincarnated, if his soul had suffered a glitch or something during his rebirth. Their moment of sympathy and understanding, however, was cut short by a very unhappy Ariel. Sofia's glare actually made me gulp. I began to wonder how long Ariel would be acting like she was toward her mother --- (as sweet as it was to see her so sweet with Kyle, I grew tired of her anger quick), but that one kiss between her and Casey pretty much shattered any hopes of denying what she mother was telling her all along.
Afterward, the storytelling, while pleasantly surprising, becomes a little blurred when Allison discovers that Nancy knew Angelo (and that Kyle was his son) and paid Earl to kill him. It takes almost till the end of the episode to clarify that Nancy, and not Kyle!Angelo, was the one who offed Earl. Because at the point where Allison was trying to get Nancy to see the wrong she was committing by trying to get her son "help" via mental institutions with the aid of the insanity plead, I really thought Kyle was the one who did it and Nancy was taking to the fall to ensure her son had a future and all she worked to give him, wouldn't be snatched out from under the entire family.
The final reveal, however, showing just how Kyle came to know all the pertinent facts of Angelo Filipelli's life and skills, was both touching and clever.
On Bridgette's side of things, she really dug a hole for herself when she went back on her word and returned to video tapping their clumsy neighbor (who, might I add, had me giggling when I saw his extremely retro-looking sunglasses, over his glasses, the first time he confronted Joe about Bridgette's stint as a armature filmmaker) and got her father slapped with a yet another "you got served" notice. (I didn't think the first video was very funny, but the second cracked me up.) Thankfully, the rest her dream, in which the embarrassed man thanks her -- or this case her father -- for uploading the videos, comes to pass in a very funny turn of events. Thank God for old friends ...or girlfriends. Everytime I heard the ding! of the elevator, I expected Joe's $200-an-hour lawyer to come out, ready to get paid.
Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this episode allot. The affection between Joe and Allison returns, finally (but how long, who knows) and it is greatly welcomed, the dialogue stills continues to be quick on its feet and enjoyable. I was really surprised by how little we saw of Ariel this time as well.
Next week's episode, despite the dorky white glasses Allison dons, has a very creepy, almost Frighteners/Ghost Whisperer-esque atmosphere to it, what with the numbers appearing on people's heads and blinding the white light. I hope nothing' bad happens to Lee (who had a freaking' "1" on his head!) or Joe and the girls.
And yet another great episode this week, this time directed by Patricia's brother, David, which is always a treat. The opening sequence was the perfect way to start of the episode. It created enough ambiguity to make me believe that it wasn't a dream Allison was having, but a sequence usually shown after the commercial break. I got a kick out of watching Allison and Joe staring down at and fondling the envelope from the desired college Ariel was hoping to get into, both of them all too tempted to take a looks-see inside before their daughter.
However, the moment Ariel's hesitant voice came from down the hall, I half expected her to come strolling intro the room splattered with blood and holding a gun. Instead, she skips into the living room/kitchen with a boy on her arms, looking positively beside herself with happiness. I honestly wasn't expecting him to appear to soon in the episode, but that was the least of my worries at the time, as my reaction to Ariel’s less than enthusiastic behavior toward the news, pretty much mirrored her parents. When she announced the reason behind her lackluster reaction, however ---her being pregnant, I was so relieved when Allison woke up. Now there's an honest-to-God nightmare any parent has bound have had.
Another thing I didn't expect to rear its head so soon was Bridgette's escapades with her father's video camera (Allison got him another one after all) as she taped the less than graceful adventures of on their next door neighbors. I couldn't help but think, "Wow, they really wanted to get that out of the way so they can focus on Ariel/Boyfriend subplot" With that said, with the way Ariel brought the subject of studying at Casey-Kyle's house, it made me wonder how long she'd been seeing this boy before she finally broached the subject with her parents.
Meanwhile, Scanlon is left without a clue as to who might've been responsible for the demise of a criminal (Earl Sanderson) and is looking to Allison for help. The best she can give him is person whom Earl killed. And this is where the episode seems to get incredibly predictable and at the same time, still manages to fool you enough to surprise you at the very at end. Allison's dream of Ariel's boyfriend (who sports the "young hooded Hitman" look Brandon Whitman from S5's "Necessary Evil" popularized) lurking outside the dead criminal’s house, wielding the six shooter, makes it obvious to the viewer that he's behind it the murder.
However, given Allison's apprehension towards Casey-Kyle to begin with, it makes you wonder, whether or not her own anxieties about her daughter's boyfriend, are in fact clouding her judgment. I love that Joe, once again, brings up the that her dreams are not always trustworthy, especially when something is bugging her, and that she should use caution when concerned with their daughter's first beau. Alas, Allison goes full-steam ahead and has Scanlon interrogate Casey-Kyle (yes, I'm writing that on purpose, I know it’s either/or) against the usual protocol, despite Kyle's willingness to proceed without a lawyer or his parents present. The end result is one pissed-off mother and her own daughter to boot.
While Allison's guilt over her brash actions was understood, I don't know why she didn't bring her daughter up on the "you should've asked me first if he could do such a thing". Just because Ariel feels she's in love with this boy, doesn't mean that she's known him long enough to be the judge of whether or not he was or wasn't capable of killing a man (or has she? I doubt it). She was far out of line with her mother on that much, especially when she tried to argue that Allison’s dream wasn't "real".
The next dream however, threw me for a loop. At first I thought Kyle was actually admitting to the murder of Earl Sanderson, but instead he claims be Angelo Filipelli, the man Earl buried beneath who-knows-how-much cement, reincarnated in the form of his Nancy's son. Okay, I know that subplot was used in "Soul Survivor" the same extent (sort of), but I could help but thinking: "What the hell"?
The scene where Allison confronts Kyle with a thermal-image of Filipelli's remains, really brings up a perfect example of Arquette's brilliant direction (that, plus dead-Earl in the fridge and the long shot of Joe following Allison out of the bathroom). I really love how he shot certain angles and presented the characters in their environment. Not to mention, everyone's performances seemed just a little more livelier than usual [at the moment]. This might be an side-affect of just watching Where the Wild Things Are (2009), but David did a great job with this episode IMHO.
That aside, when Kyle goes to explain to Allison, the very unexplainable circumstances surrounding his life up to this point, I could help but wonder, if he was in fact the Angelo reincarnated, if his soul had suffered a glitch or something during his rebirth. Their moment of sympathy and understanding, however, was cut short by a very unhappy Ariel. Sofia's glare actually made me gulp. I began to wonder how long Ariel would be acting like she was toward her mother --- (as sweet as it was to see her so sweet with Kyle, I grew tired of her anger quick), but that one kiss between her and Casey pretty much shattered any hopes of denying what she mother was telling her all along.
Afterward, the storytelling, while pleasantly surprising, becomes a little blurred when Allison discovers that Nancy knew Angelo (and that Kyle was his son) and paid Earl to kill him. It takes almost till the end of the episode to clarify that Nancy, and not Kyle!Angelo, was the one who offed Earl. Because at the point where Allison was trying to get Nancy to see the wrong she was committing by trying to get her son "help" via mental institutions with the aid of the insanity plead, I really thought Kyle was the one who did it and Nancy was taking to the fall to ensure her son had a future and all she worked to give him, wouldn't be snatched out from under the entire family.
The final reveal, however, showing just how Kyle came to know all the pertinent facts of Angelo Filipelli's life and skills, was both touching and clever.
On Bridgette's side of things, she really dug a hole for herself when she went back on her word and returned to video tapping their clumsy neighbor (who, might I add, had me giggling when I saw his extremely retro-looking sunglasses, over his glasses, the first time he confronted Joe about Bridgette's stint as a armature filmmaker) and got her father slapped with a yet another "you got served" notice. (I didn't think the first video was very funny, but the second cracked me up.) Thankfully, the rest her dream, in which the embarrassed man thanks her -- or this case her father -- for uploading the videos, comes to pass in a very funny turn of events. Thank God for old friends ...or girlfriends. Everytime I heard the ding! of the elevator, I expected Joe's $200-an-hour lawyer to come out, ready to get paid.
Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this episode allot. The affection between Joe and Allison returns, finally (but how long, who knows) and it is greatly welcomed, the dialogue stills continues to be quick on its feet and enjoyable. I was really surprised by how little we saw of Ariel this time as well.
Next week's episode, despite the dorky white glasses Allison dons, has a very creepy, almost Frighteners/Ghost Whisperer-esque atmosphere to it, what with the numbers appearing on people's heads and blinding the white light. I hope nothing' bad happens to Lee (who had a freaking' "1" on his head!) or Joe and the girls.
