There were some odd episodes, and the series still seems oddly rushed. How long did it take the original series to do a Halloween episode? Three seasons. Here we get it in seven episodes. The Depression Era setting seemed kind of unnecessary, as it added nothing to the story. Sure, it was backstory for why Charles and Percival were broke, but they could have done that in practically any era. I also guess that Ben leaping beyond his own timeline is old hat by now, that they don't even bother commenting on it.
There were also a few plotholes that seemed a minor bother. What if Ben hadn't drank the drugged gin? And shouldn't that have told him who the killer was right away? Did someone else offer him a gin? And I suppose it can be put down to the power of suggestion, but it was convenient that Ben had the same hallucination of a demon that Daisy did. And didn't he see some supernatural-ish stuff before he drank the gin?
Okay, as some reviewers noted, the supernatural stuff before Ben drank the gin was "real". But if that was the case, then why did it stop. Did the Devil or the nybbuk or whatever decide Ben had enough on his plate and just pulled up stakes?
And where was Ernie Hudson? Heck, where was Walter Perez? Did I miss Richard Martinez somewhere?
None of this interfered with the episode, though. I wasn't totally surprised that they opted for a totally rational explanation. It is 2022, after all. Unless you're doing shows that are totally supernatural (hello, 'Winchesters'), showing real demons and thus their counterpart, God, is verboten. But it kinda worked to see Ben as a priest and at the same time questioning his rational "faith". And talking to Davenport in a mirror.
For once, they cut out the project backup staff and mostly stuck with Ben, and the episode was better for it. It wasn't great shakes as a story, but it gave Raymond Lee more of a chance to act as he was the focus of the story. This mean we didn't get anything of Ernie Hudson, and the 1920s (??) supporting cast were no great shakes except for Kerri Medders. It seemed very Agatha Christie-ish, along with a bit of 'The Exorcist' tossed in.
Don't get me wrong: I _liked_ the episode. Medders brought a very 'Joan of Arc' quality to her role when she was the human, and was very demonic when she was growling and chuckling. And Lee got to strut his stuff. I liked the supernatural stuff, even if it didn't make much sense (see above). Overall, I'd say this episode is a keeper.
One other thing that kinda bugs me is how the production staff is welded to the original concept so much. Ben is a woman, Ben is a teenager (going by next week), Ben encounters something supernatural on Halloween, Ben calls his living parent and breaks into tears, Ben is an Old West type, Ben meets an evil Leaper. That's why in part I keep comparing it to the original show. Why not have Ben leap into a nonbinary? Or leap into a female teenage girl? The "what if we trigger the future" thing is a start, and so is the leaped into the past beyond his own timeline, but the writers seem to have forgotten those and didn't make a big thing out of them when they happened. Have Ben Leap into a younger version of one of the team: have him leap into a young Ian and cover the team leaping and the nonbinary at the same time. The thrill of "discovery" that the original QL had ("Sam's a woman!" "Sam's a chimpanzee!" "Sam is Lee Harvey Oswald!") just isn't there.
Yes, it seems somewhat contradictory that I'm telling the new QL to go off from its predecessor, but use examples from the old QL. But it should make itself its own using the old QL as examples, instead of carbon-copying it practically lockstep.
And if the excuse is, "We don't want to rush it," strike while the iron is hot. The ratings and reviews aren't that great, Ql may not last long enough to get a second season and strike out on its own. Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
6 out of 12 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
