TV REVIEW Medium 4.09 "Wicked Game (1)"

Original US air date: 24/03/2008

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Written by: Diane Ademu-John

Directed by: Peter Werner

Rating:

In Dreams: Allison dreams about a girl who’s been abducted and kept in a cellar. Joe dreams about a new kind of solar battery.

The One Where: Allison learns that Cynthia‘s daughter went missing years before, and Joe has a Eureka moment.

Verdict: An oddly-structured episode, in which Joe’s oddball dreams pad out a main plot in which little actually happens (you suspect the producers felt that a character as good as Cynthia deserved to be sent off in a two-parter but couldn’t quite find the story to support it). There are still blistering performances from Arquette and Huston to savour, and the mystery of why Allison’s dreaming about an abducted girl who has (allegedly) never been abducted in the real world is intriguing. There’s no denying this is a slow burner and setting-up exercise, but the episode has enough good lines, character moments and surprises to keep it above average.

Trivia: This is Medium’s second two-parter in a row.

Highlights: Joe’s dreams – both the one with the sexy woman (“Would you mind doing my back? It’s okay, Joe. It’s only a dream. And no one’s going to understand that better than Allison”) and the animated song and dance number are both brilliantly bonkers examples of Medium at its most inventive and mischievous.

Best Line:
Allison: "How did Bridgette’s thing go?"
Joe: "Fine. She now has a solar-powered Christmas tree bulb. Which is a perfectly handy device if you’re okay with your Christmas tree being outdoors and only illuminated during the day. She also has a little less faith in her dad, but then again, who doesn’t these days?"

Dave Golder

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