TVSquad

I thought it was a dream! I thought she woke up and it was of what could have been. I can't believe I forgot that. But it was great. I think there was such fear of how the show would change once Allison was discovered and I think it was a nice shift.

Misery loves company. Asking family for money, not getting to buy what you want at the grocery store, and unrealistic understanding of your financial situation (Marie still in paid preschool?!?), that was so good.

I have seen some great episodes and new shows...this strike is killing what would have been a great season of tv. But I am glad Medium is back!

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boooo this show...

BOOOO!!!!

how does this show get a writeup but American Gladiators still doesnt get any love

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I've never commented before but I just had to say that I loved this episode! I am sooo glad medium is back! The reviewer is right, they do have a realisim to this show that you don't see on others. Most shows probably wouldn't even bother to show how the events of last season are effecting everyone especially the Dubois financially, they would have just glossed over it, and thats part of the beauty of medium. The girls are great too I too like the way they make them part of the story. I was starting to wonder if medium would even be back, it's been so long but I'm glad that it is!

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David

Because there are some people out there who have more than one brain cell to rub together. I mean, seriously, a write up for "American Gladiators?" Is that really necessary? And I'm not cracking on the show, I'm watching it too, unfortunately. But why the heck would TVS do a review of it? What would they say?

"Well, today on American Gladiators, everybody's favroite has-been called people 'dude' and 'brother' before sending the mic over to everyone's favorite never-was to introduce the new contestants. Wolf howled liked an idiot, Cruch knocked someone else off in the joust--which is nothing like a joust, by the way--and another goofy contestant told everyone how they were going to win it all for their kids (whoo!) before losing and looking like an idiot."

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I'm so glad that Medium is back. I really love this series, and how as much time is spent on the Dubois' family character development as well as the episode plot. And last night's episode was fantastic.

Morjana

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I didn't even know it was on tonight crap! I need to start watching TV again. I wanted to see the premire after I missed last season watching Lost.

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Personally, I find the constant downer-ism of this show annoying. The Dubois familiy has continually been under various threats, whether financial or from some bad-guy stalker. (And how unlucky is Joe that he eventually lost his job as the result of heroically handling the disgruntled gunman who shot up his workplace?) As for finding the kid -- I can't believe they're going to have to edit "Dexter" for violence when the networks regularly show stuff like that.

Now that Allison is "out" as a medium, why doesn't she just start her own business helping people in trouble? Why haven't she and Joe gone insane due to lack of sleep yet? (And why hasn't she figured out yet, after all these years, that when she doesn't have enough information to solve a mystery, it's bound to come to her the next night?)

I like this show for its basic premise and the excellent acting all around. But it seems as if the writers could do a lot more with the material they have to work with.

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I like the show.

However, I found this episode extremely disturbing. I do not think it was neccessary to show the image of a dead, bloody little boy in a box. This was indecent, and it crossed the line. The information could have been conveyed in another way.

I am all for freedom of speech and artistic license. I am a dramatic writer myself.

However, I have to object to the use of this image. It was simply not appropriate. If I wanted to expose myself to something like this, I would watch a horror movie, not a network television program.

Does anyone else agree? Was anyone else offended/angry to see this? Did anyone else feel they were violated as an audience member?

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Double crap! I knew it was coming on and totally forgot to watch it. :( With the writer's strike, and the vast barren wasteland that is Reality TV, I've been going to bed right after the local 9:00 PM news. I finally remembered it this morning at work around 10. Nice. :-| I came over here to read the recap but, sadly, it's just giving me the gist of it all. Oh well.

(I wonder how many other people missed it like me because of the strike.)

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Thank god I have my TIVO set to record any episode of Medium on any channel!!! I also did not know it was last night, but just watched it today.

I *loved* this episode - thought it was heartbreaking, interesting and clever.

KD - I get your point about the bloody kid in the box. Pretty horrifying, yes.

My biggest concern was, would this guy really stash the body there if he was coming back to the scene to pick up the rats? Once they identified the poison that killed him, it would just be a matter of time before they went looking for the exterminator (whether they knew he had a green jacket and liked to dance). I bought everything up to that point.

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Great episode overall, but two things really bothered me: The boy in a box was quite graphic and disturbing and the opening with the people on the street. To me they came off as actors rather than real people...I half expected it to be one of Allison's dreams, it seemed that animated.

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I was confused with the opening. I expected something better since the last scene of the season ender was Allison walking into roll call while the fake D.A. was reading the riot act to everyone about what a dupe Manny was. She gave the phone with the recorded conversation on it to the DA and walked out. I expected some sort of exzoneration for her, Many and the detective. Instead, it was just like she had not found the recording and solved the case against the killer of the journalist. What is up with that!!! Completely unsatifying. As far as the story.. it was fantastic except the death of the little boy was gruesome..just like a horrow movie!

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Fantastic episode. Period.

I've been watching the show since the beginning of the series, and it does what few shows can - it keeps me guesssing.

You're dead on right about the attention paid to the kids; they always seem to really capture some subtle things about kids where most TV shows would just wallow in cliche.

The boy in the box was absolutely disturbing. I would say that it's pretty inappropriate at 8PM, but at 10PM, I think it's fine. But I know, since KD is offended and angry, let's cancel this program and anything on TV that makes her angry. Let's just have scintillating, inoffensive network fare like Dance Wars and American Idol on all day! Hey, they are bringing the Mole back, that's inoffensive too!

Does regular stuff like low flying planes and non-signaling lane changers make you angry too?

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Chris --

You don't have to be such an asshole.

Like I said, I like the show. I'm not saying "cancel" it.

I'm just saying I don't agree with showing images of dead, bloody kids on network tv in America.

Had I gone to the theater and saw Sarah Kane's "Blasted" in which one of the characters eats a baby -- then I couldn't complain. It's theater. You set yourself up to be open to images like this.

However, I was not prepared to see a dead, bloody kid on network tv. Had I known I would see this, I would not have watched this episode. It was completely disturbing, especially for someone who is the mother of young children.

I do not want to be exposed to something like this, and I don't think network tv should be allowed to show images of dead, bloody kids, whether fictional or not. There are too many cases of kids getting murdered these days. It's bad enough knowing it exists, but I don't want to have a visual shoved in my face. It's way too painful.

This is the only time network tv has offended me -- and I watch a lot of tv.

For the record, I don't watch crappy mind-numbing tv like "Dance Wars." I am drawn to the dramas. I am a fan of "Rome" and "The Sopranos" (both graphic). I haven't been offended by them -- because they don't show dead, bloody toddlers like "Medium" did.

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FANtastic, thanks KD! Another frail psyche that demands supression of artistic expression, despite the already harsh FCC rules and an omnipresent ability to change the channel. FANtastic!

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Chris --

I guess you are in your 20's, and think you know everything.

I guess you think that you are a champion of artistic expression and freedom of speech.

It seems this way, because you are attacking me, instead of listening to my point, and addressing the issue in an intelligent manner.

Networks have a responsibility to adhere to standards of decency. Personally, I wouldn't care if the networks wanted to show bestiality, porn, or anything else -- but they won't. The FCC has said it is not decent.

So why is an image of a dead, bloody toddler considered decent?

One day, if you have kids, you will understand what I am talking about. One day, when you have developed your sense of humanity, you will understand what I am talking about.

I don't fault the writer for writing the image, I fault whomever's job it is to review the show before it airs.

I wonder if they ever even considered that this might be offensive, or if they gave it no thought at all, and just simply aired it. I would like to think they gave it some consideration, and made a bad choice.

I still believe "Medium" is a good show. I just hope this doesn't give other network shows license to start airing images of dead, bloody toddlers, too.

Even you yourself said that the image as "inappropriate" if the show were to air at 8PM.

So why are you accusing me of being a suppressor of artistic expression? It would seem that you would be a "suppressor," too, if the show were to air 2 hours earlier.

Can you answer my post intelligently, instead of attacking me, and trying to put words in my mouth that are not true?

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KD --

I just want to say that I generally agree with you that this episode contained some particularly difficult imagery and I also found this scene shocking. I also have two young children and of course it is a topic that hits home.

However, I did not really find the scene especially "inappropriate" in the context of the story. Difficult, yes, but I don't feel particularly strongly that it should have been cut. Many shows have disclaimers about strong subject matter and this one certainly would have been a candidate. But I can see why it was allowed to remain.

I actually found myself much more disturbed by the topic itself than any particular scene (except maybe the dancing dream, which in its own way was at least as disturbing as the boy in the box). The situation that this episode dealt with was one of the most grim and difficult things I have seen on a long time, and I thought the way the plot unfolded was very effective.

-- Chris: Take it easy. Just because someone raises questions about what should and should not be broadcast does not automatically mean an outright attack on free speech and artistic integrity. Artistic expression is one thing, even when its goal is to shock or offend, but everything should also be looked at in the appropriate context. I don't think the scene should have been censored, but I am glad someone raised the issue and was willing to talk about it from that point of view.

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I totally agree that the scene with the little boy in the box could have been avoided. Medium is a shows about a psychic and it revolves around murder. If parents are concerned about violence on TV they should not be tuning with their kids to shows like Medium, CSI, Law & Order or other shows that may depict gruesome scenes. This is adult content. There is an option with most cable providers called "Parental Control".

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Juan --

My kid was not watching the show. "I" was watching the show. "I" would have like to avoid the image.

I wasn't expecting it, because you just don't see images like this on network tv. I haven't even seen an image like this on cable tv.

Can anyone recall an instance where an image like this was used on network tv?

I've read other message boards and some people agree with me. Some people are even refusing to watch the show now.

I won't go that far. I like the show, even though I feel the image crossed the line.

I don't mind the content, it was just this particular image that offended me.

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