By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
By now, the status quo for the season has been established, and the initial creative boost of rearranging the pieces on the board has transitioned into the necessity of telling new kinds of stories within the context of those changes. The previous episode was an example of how several minor issues with a story can lead to a disappointing installment. The question is: was that a blip on the radar, or a sign of things to come?
This episode focuses on Johnny’s evolving relationship with Sheriff Turner. The original status quo forced Johnny and Walt into a somewhat friendly relationship, despite the love triangle with Sarah. The introduction of a hostile new sheriff, especially an attractive young woman with something to prove, was an interesting move. Having her investigate Walt also places her in an adversarial role, which makes Johnny work harder to make his abilities useful.
All of those changes are put to the test in this episode, and in general, it works. The crime in question was a bit predictable, right down to Johnny getting buried alive, but there were enough twists in the visions to keep it interesting. It might have been better if Johnny had been confused about the context of the visions a bit more. It seemed as though Johnny could easily distinguish between the current crime and the sheriff’s memories and intentions, and with a bit more confusion about the overlap, it would have made the mystery less conventional.
While I find Cara Buono very attractive, her acting is somewhat uneven in this particular role. Some scenes are very strong, but others seem tentative, as if she’s having problems delivering the dialogue convincingly. Of course, I also felt the same about Chris Bruno on several occasions, so it might have been a bad episode for the actress. The supporting players, however, were hardly inspiring, especially Deets.
One other recurring annoyance is the investigation against Walt. While it’s obviously a main component of the season arc, whatever that may eventually turn out to be, the unnecessary attempt to keep it as mysterious as possible is turning into a weakness. The characters keep referring to an investigation and allegation of wrongdoing that is serious enough to defame the former sheriff, but there’s not one hint as to what Walt was supposed to have done.
Considering that this might be the final season for the series, I’m a bit disappointed by the apparent lack of a strong season arc. While that’s never been the hallmark of the series (the mythology has always been rather loose), the circumstances would justify it. Thankfully, even without the overarching plot threads, the quality is generally better than in the previous two seasons.
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