(S04E04) " " - The cast of Medium
There are probably a lot of things about being deaf that are not pleasant but not being able to listen to a Godzilla movie is one that never occurred to me.
I understand that actors will often be typecast into a certain role and may play similar characters on television, but I would think the casting director for Medium would have a little more sense than to cast Dr. Martin Candle from Lost as the hearing specialist.
I can't help thinking that when you live the unexpected life of a psychic, it must be helpful to have a husband who's a genius. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to use a computer to communicate with the hard of hearing but it clearly helps.
This is one of my favorite things about Medium. Allison lives in a world where much cannot be explained, whereas Joe has spent much of his life explaining why things are the way they are. That kind of situation adds a level to the show that is both subtle and interesting.
It's nice to see Joe & Allison finally beginning to understand that there is always a connection between Allison's physiological status and her psychic experiences, although it still took way too long. As for Cynthia, she seems to get it almost every time. I can't tell if Anjelica Huston is purposely playing the character as somewhat unlikeable or if I just don't like her. In any event, I'm starting to think Cynthia has a hidden agenda and I am interested to see what it is.
While my innate laziness has prevented it, I've always felt that it's a good idea to be able to speak sign language, although It never occurred to me that one of the reasons is that I may be suddenly struck deaf without reason. I really liked how we saw the frustration that Allison went through just trying to function without her hearing. I have to give David Arquette full props for making his point without going over the top. I honestly didn't think he could be so subtle. Charley Weaver would be proud.
For a minute, I thought it was stupid that Allison wouldn't just text Joe what she wanted to say, but then I realized that she is probably one of those people we all know who doesn't understand how to utilize all the features of her cell phone. From what I have learned, in my limited dealings with people who have hearing problems, the ability to text from a handheld device has been a huge advance in helping them communicate, but I suppose if you hear perfectly fine and so do all the people you know, texting isn't really that common, unless, of course, you're in high school.
I really didn't see the conclusion coming and I loved how believable it all was. The acting and directing really helped to make the entire ending very dramatic. Another really good episode.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-19-2008 @ 12:40PM
kerry said...
As soon as the father said anything about insurance I knew he was responsible for the kidnapping. Usually I can't see where Medium is going with its mysteries (it's much better than a lot of other detective kind of shows in that respect), but this week was a no-brainer for me. Still enjoyed watching how it played out, though.
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2-19-2008 @ 1:02PM
Jacki said...
I agree with Kerry. I knew right away the father had something to do with the kidnapping. But I too enjoyed watching it play out. Not sure why Cynthia was the lead person with a gun when they catch the father. Doesn't she work with a private agency? Police were present, you would think they would take the lead.
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2-19-2008 @ 1:52PM
Jimmy said...
Maybe I'm experiencing a little Medium malaise, but I really am not enjoying these new episodes. Certainly not as much as I did last season. I really think the series jumped the shark when they had Allison outed by the media, and the introduction of Angelica Huston -- a phenomenal actress -- has been less than interesting. I miss the old gang. I know all series have to change and grow, but I think it was just too soon for this one.
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2-19-2008 @ 7:39PM
jensenmr said...
I agree, I'm not really happy with the new season either. I'm a latecomer to the series, and only started watching regularly last season, particularly because of Joe and the conflict between him and Alison after the shooting. His character has gone from Emmy-nomination worthy to incredibly one-dimensional, which we saw this week. He went from getting annoyed at being woken up three times a night to "What's wrong? What can I do to help, Alison? I love you so much." Yuch. I feel like there wasn't enough resolution and lots of issues and storylines simply got dropped--never a good thing.
2-19-2008 @ 5:12PM
Brian said...
Hey I text a lot and I'm in college. :P
I didn't suspect the husband, I thought he was gonna get killed and then prove Allison and Cynthia right to the wife.
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2-19-2008 @ 7:59PM
Jojee said...
I don't like the Anjelica Houston character either. I too want the old gang back.
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2-20-2008 @ 4:49AM
Tess Capra said...
I didn't think much of this episode either, nor did I care for Arquette's direction. I thought Allison was pretty stupid to have a dream about a deaf girl, wake up deaf, and not connect the two. Such a devoted mother wouldn't go on a screaming jag with her kids in the house either, knowing how much it would scare them. The mystery, as many have said, was unusually obvious. The only thing I liked was Bridget learning rudimentary sign language. Awww.
And one of these days, I want Joe to get pissed at being awakened in the middle of the night by Allison jerking upright.
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2-20-2008 @ 7:55AM
Will said...
Yeah, I always enjoy Medium and am almost always suprised by the endings, but I thought this was way too obvious. Seriously, husbands business is doing badly, the wife has no idea, so he sets up an insurance scam; seems like I've seen this a million times in both tv and movies (I can think of one movie, starring an Oscar-winning actor whom I won't name so as not to spoil it for anyone). I mean, I knew it as soon as the insurance policy was mentioned. I also agree that after all this time, I'm suprised Allison gets so upset and doesn't seem to realize things happen to her in relation to her dreams and the purpose behind what she sees. Remember the time she woke up & thought she was someone else for several days? Is she just a slow learner? And I miss the old regulars, too, Devalos and Scanlon. They added to the show and it's a shame they aren't around. Although, it seems like they might bring Devalos back & I say good. Get him & Scanlon involved again & restore the show to what it was. It was better then, I think.
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2-20-2008 @ 5:56PM
ral said...
I still enjoy the show but one thing that is really bugging me is that it's all about her dreams now. Remember the early seasons when she'd SEE dead people? or see things in mirrors?
Now, it's formulaic. Dream, misunderstanding, not enough info, dream, more info, dream, all info, conclusion. :(
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3-01-2008 @ 5:38AM
Alicia said...
This episode drove me nuts. I work for a company that serves the Deaf community and this episode was so wrong. If a person were to spontaneously become profoundly deaf, they'd immediately be referred to all kinds of services, and there's no way the doctor would just tell the husband the information without writing it down or something similar for the person who is actually affected.
Plus, the mother's sign was ridiculously rudimentary. She spoke pidgin sign, instead of American Sign Language, and even that not really well. We're supposed to believe she's been raising a deaf daughter for 12 years and doesn't know proper sign? The kidnapper's sign was better than hers. Is it that difficult in Hollywood to find an actress who knows sign?
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