... very few TV shows can claim to be good when when they are good, but especially good .... when they are, in fact, bad.
I am watching this series in altered space-time (a trick made possible by the current technology known as "time-shifting") and came to this episode both honorably and sequentially. That is, at the time of this review, this is the most recent episode I have seen, and I have no idea where the show is headed, other than the fact that I know it is headed somewhere since, even in my altered state of reality, I know it is still in production.
And this is where I part company with the incredibly eloquent reviewer who, at time of writing, has left for posterity the only other review of this episode currently in the IMDb database. The other gentleman claimed some 70 years of TV watching whereas I, alas, can claim only 65. The other gentleman lamented that shows like Gunsmoke disappeared because they became formulaic, and then lauded this show for constantly keeping the viewer on edge.
And therein lies the rub. Sometimes formulas are good. Sometimes they are comfortable. That is why some of us (not mentioning names) like to wear a shirt or other favorite article of clothing long past its prime. When I think of early TV, I tend to think of the Fugitive, a show with, at its core, a one-note plot ("the one-armed man did it") yet a show which for years held viewers' attention based solely on the ability of the lead to convey pathos and connection.
I rated this episode a "7" because this production company has, so far, set the bar so high that even an off-note episode is still solid entertainment. But what these tired old eyes see here is a writing team desperately trying to cover all bases instead of trying to hit the ball. We have a victim who rejects protection (?) against a backdrop of Carter's ongoing flirtation with the FBI job (and trying to beat a lie detector) against the ongoing attempts by "agency X" to find and kill Reese against ... what? .. the only things missing here are the kitchen sink and a cameo by Amy Acker as Root.
This is not a show returning to its roots. This is a show trying to be all things to all viewers. And that seldom ends well.
I am watching this series in altered space-time (a trick made possible by the current technology known as "time-shifting") and came to this episode both honorably and sequentially. That is, at the time of this review, this is the most recent episode I have seen, and I have no idea where the show is headed, other than the fact that I know it is headed somewhere since, even in my altered state of reality, I know it is still in production.
And this is where I part company with the incredibly eloquent reviewer who, at time of writing, has left for posterity the only other review of this episode currently in the IMDb database. The other gentleman claimed some 70 years of TV watching whereas I, alas, can claim only 65. The other gentleman lamented that shows like Gunsmoke disappeared because they became formulaic, and then lauded this show for constantly keeping the viewer on edge.
And therein lies the rub. Sometimes formulas are good. Sometimes they are comfortable. That is why some of us (not mentioning names) like to wear a shirt or other favorite article of clothing long past its prime. When I think of early TV, I tend to think of the Fugitive, a show with, at its core, a one-note plot ("the one-armed man did it") yet a show which for years held viewers' attention based solely on the ability of the lead to convey pathos and connection.
I rated this episode a "7" because this production company has, so far, set the bar so high that even an off-note episode is still solid entertainment. But what these tired old eyes see here is a writing team desperately trying to cover all bases instead of trying to hit the ball. We have a victim who rejects protection (?) against a backdrop of Carter's ongoing flirtation with the FBI job (and trying to beat a lie detector) against the ongoing attempts by "agency X" to find and kill Reese against ... what? .. the only things missing here are the kitchen sink and a cameo by Amy Acker as Root.
This is not a show returning to its roots. This is a show trying to be all things to all viewers. And that seldom ends well.