Sam (Maggie Lawson) and Carlos (James Roday) are at the church, ready to be married after a very short engagement. But moments before the ceremony is scheduled to begin, a woman in a red scarf drops off a note that gets passed on to Sam: "The person you are marrying is a serial killer." She freaks out, and although she's ready to go through with the wedding, the mood was changed and the night is about to become stressful for everyone involved.
I seem to be in the minority on this episode. Michael Gingold of Fangoria didn't really care for it. But it seems every episode I liked, he didn't and every one he didn't, I did. So, Michael, I think you're a great reporter but I don't think I trust your taste in movies anymore. Further, most people seem to disapprove of it, calling it "boring" or "slow" or "confusing". I can understand it being confusing -- especially after a few plot twists and some characters are introduced who don't have very well-defined backgrounds. I didn't find it boring or slow at all, though. (I think this may be in part because I get copies of the show without the commercials... sorry, NBC.) My good friend Hannah liked it, but not as much as she liked "Family Man". I think that's a fair call and I'm not far removed from her. I think I liked "In Sickness and in Health" slightly better, but it's hard to say. They seem to be the best episodes so far (thank you, Ronny Yu and John Landis). With "Innocent Blood" still fresh in my mind, it's not surprising this one left a good taste in my mouth. I'm still holding out for next week's Stuart Gordon episode ("Eater") to be the best, but the plot doesn't impress me. And Gingold likes it, so it's bound to be horrible.
There isn't much to analyze in this week's installment, simply because most of it is suspense and very little plot. I think they succeeded on the suspense. And the traps for the audience were set up well, even if it doesn't all make sense in the end. I don't know. I liked it. Maybe Hannah is right, maybe "Family Man" is better. I'll have to wait until my second viewing when these come out on DVD. But I can say after the slow start of the series, this was a welcome addition.