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Touch 2.08 "Reunions" TV REVIEW
THE ONE WHERE Lucy and Amelia are finally reunited, but in a last-minute twist, Lucy must sacrifice her life for her daughter. Blub!
VERDICT Touch has come a long way since it featured joyful, happy-go-lucky connections between quirky folk dotted around the world – now it's more like a conspiracy thriller with a tiny paranormal edge. Never has this been more in evidence than in the final scenes of this episode, where it suddenly turns into The Parallax View . After spending so much of this season searching for Amelia, it's wonderful to see Lucy finally hug her close and tell her she loves her, and Amelia's joy at being with her mum again is sweet. But then... Teller Institute goons turn up again, and you slowly realise that only one woman is getting out of this story alive. Although the writers do spare us the sight of Lucy being shot, Amelia's horrified response is probably enough to traumatise anybody watching this show who still thinks it's a piece of warm-hearted fluff.
Kudos goes to Maria Bello and Saxon Sharbino for their emotional final scene together; not a duff note anywhere. Masterful.
Aside from the killer ending, the rest of “Reunions” is pacy and tight, containing some delicious twists and turns – far better than most of the earlier episodes this season. Calvin teaming up with Lucy and Martin to help them find Amelia; the cure for Calvin's brother; Amelia and Jake hatching a plan to communicate... even little things, such as Jake hiding the car keys so they can't be followed, are pleasing. There's a cursory nod to the old “connections” theme by having a volunteer nurse at Calvin's hospital being the daughter of a guy who gives Martin and company a lift in his truck, but other than that, this is straight-out thriller. It will be fascinating to know where this show goes next...
NUMBERS GAME This week's numbers are 0175, which are written on the side of a delivery van that Martin follows to find Calvin.
HIS NAME'S BAUER... JACK BAUER When Martin sees Calvin he launches himself into his car and holds a gun to his head without a second's hesitation. Later he turns into a screaming nightmare when Jake hooks himself up to Calvin's machine: seriously, this Martin is not the same mild-mannered ball of angst we met in season one. He's RoboCop!
LEARNING CURVE I know we've been told from the start that Jake is special and Calvin needs him for his research, but the fact that he uses Calvin's machine once , for just a few minutes, and Calvin instantly discovers that he can use the information gathered to cure his brother... well, it’s a little silly. But it does make the ensuing scenes in the hospital very moving.
THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THIS ANY MORE Check out this fabulous Art Deco diner/gas station in the middle of the desert – pure Route 66 Americana!
CONTINUITY IS EVERYTHING In season one, Amelia's little toy car was a huge clue to her existence. Jake hands it back to her in a very nice nod to the show's beginnings.
PUPPY EYES OF THE WEEK Lukas Haas pulls out an impressive pair of puppy eyes as Calvin stares at his newly awakened brother.
AWWWWW Martin and Lucy share a goodbye kiss – made all the more poignant in retrospect, when you know she's going to die. The way Lucy giggles and looks bashful afterwards is so adorable, while Martin just looks delighted at the hot bird he's pulled.
DID YOU SPOT? Guest stars DB Sweeney (the guy who corners Lucy at the end) and Frances Fisher (the red-headed woman who issues orders) both starred in a '90s show called Strange Luck , about a man who could manipulate the world in a similar way to Jake and Amelia.
BEST LINES
Calvin [about Jake]: “His speech centre... it's getting ready to fire.”
Martin: “What are you talking about? He doesn't speak!”
Jake [a few moments later, to Amelia]: “I found you.”
Jayne Nelson
Touch season 2 starts on 2 April on Sky1
