By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
In a number of respects, this is another introductory episode, delving into the details of the ongoing reaction to promicin distribution without the demands raised by a season premiere. Clearly, much of what happens in this episode will be important later in the arc, and for that reason alone, it’s easy to overlook the minor struggles with editing.
This episode is chock full of plot and character threads, almost to the point of bursting. Juggling all of that material becomes a difficulty in the middle of the episode. Some of the scenes feel like they were forced into position to keep the tension mounting and the pacing intact. Every now and then, the lack of transitions could be jarring. I can’t honestly say that I could have done much better under the circumstances; it’s amazing that the rough edges were kept to a relative minimum.
The theme continues to be the morality of Jordan’s decision to unleash promicin on the population at large. On one scale, we see how it can be misused by those in desperation: first Graham in the premiere, now Mr. Powell. In both cases, the consequences were large enough to demand NTAC response. In Brandon’s case, the solution required Shawn’s intervention, which is a new complication.
The “new world” puts use of promicin-induced abilities as a crime, because as seen with the terrorists in the third season and so forth, the powered can be a danger to society. But the powered can also be a benefit to society, and that has always been part of the series’ equation. Meghan Doyle may have to enforce the law, but under the circumstances, someone like Shawn would be a miracle for her father.
That element should help to complicate the ongoing conflict of interests for Tom and Diana. Nearly everyone in their personal sphere of influence is powered, and it’s something that has been troublesome since the beginning. Diana’s reinstatement, even on a temporary basis, may reveal something about Meghan and her stance on the powered.
On the other end of the scale, equally important, is the personal effect of promicin availability. Diana is terrified at the possibility that April is dead or dealing with a crippling ability. One might argue that Diana is now more concerned for April than she’s ever been. Danny’s decision to get his hands on promicin highlights the growing rift between the “powered” and “normals”, taking the macroscopic issue and bringing it down to the identifiable sibling-rivalry level.
And of course, there’s the most important revelation: Cassie, the cute and spunky redhead in Kyle’s life, is actually his flirty spirit guide. He’s become a modern-day shaman, whether he likes it or not, and this puts him in the position (foretold by more displaced persons transplanted by a future faction, perhaps?) to be as involved in Jordan’s cause as he desires. His spirit guide could be tapped into some subconscious communication with the future.
The implication is that Isabelle was meant to become a source of promicin, that Jordan was designed to distribute and control the promicin thus unleashed, and Kyle was then meant to take the promicin as a further control over Jordan. Perhaps that was the original intention for Kyle in the series premiere, and given that Shawn became an acolyte/adviser to Jordan over time, perhaps there was some role encoded in the abilities exhibited.
In other words, this episode may appear to focus on a “4400 of the Week”, but that’s just a pretext for putting together the rest of the character threads. The pieces have to be staged on the board and the status quo must be established, and this episode continues that process. And because this is a 13-episode season, there’s very little padding. So far, this season is living up to the legacy of the third season! |
