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Episode Recap: Aftertaste
OK, that is a totally gross title for this week’s totally gross Medium. But it is exactly what Allison had when she awoke after the first dream about the Senator and his cannibalistic tendencies. Did you catch her? She raised her hand to her mouth. You could almost taste it with her. And it was totally gross.
Finally – the return of Devalos! Let’s hope that soldier-eating Senator can get Manny back in the DA driving seat. It’s been long overdue. Speaking of which, did Manny look a little heavier than when he left last year? Perhaps all that time off from the job he got a little lazy. I kept thinking the Senator might find him “dinner-worthy”.
Not only was Devalos back, but he was directed by none other than his alter ego, Miguel Sandoval. That's right Sandoval directed this week's show, so to the reader who was panicked, worry not. He's baccck!
Gregory Itzin made a fantastic return to primetime since his days on 24, as the Senator with a secret. Unfortunately, for him, Allison could see right through his politicking veneer. As a young soldier, and in what could only be called a real tribute to Rescue Dawn, the Jed Garrity, found himself locked in a POW camp with a group of starving prisoners. So when a sick prisoner was inches from death, with pretty much no hope of recovery, Garrity talked his pals into eating him so the rest of them could live.
Now I don’t doubt that this sort of thing happened during any wars, and I can understand how they came to the decision, they were starving and Rhodes was sick, but to be so darned glum about it 30 years later. Itzin seems to always play a smarmy sort.
Speaking of smarmy, (isn’t that just one of the greatest words, ever?) I thought the Senator’s final speech to Allison was a little too practiced, his whole thing about honoring his friend, blah, blah, blah. You could tell he didn’t feel the slightest amount of remorse and that he has assuaged his guilt by sending money to Rhodes’ family. And he let another friend take the blame for all of them. What a creep.
Meanwhile, the Dubois’ were being bombarded by credit card companies trying to get blood from a stone. One had Bridgette on the phone for over ten minutes talking about nothing, but enough for Bridge to have a dream that the guy was going to be robbed. Poor Joe, I knew he was up the creek without so much as a paddle when he told Bridgette he would relay her message to Mr. Reshdie.
The only really unbelievable part of that whole scenario was that Mr. Reshdie changed the status of their file from “annoy them everyday”, to "pending payment". Of course, I would never admit to having had credit card problems, but you could wine and dine one of those folks on a yacht in the Mediterranean, and you’d still get a phone call the next day asking for payment.
Scanlon, Ahhh. My question is, why does he always doubt our heroic psychic until the very last minute? He should know better by now. But when Allison said, “Oh, that’s comedy! Cop-comedy!” I burst out laughing. He deserved it. But of course, he came to the rescue at the appropriate moment.
It was comforting that there were no missing children in this one. I hope they’ve put those story lines on the shelf for a time. We Medium-ites can only take so much! Although, I’m not sure how much better cannibalism is, even when it’s for somewhat understandable reasons.
More new Medium next week, in the meantime, chew on these vids in our Online Video Guide.
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Mar 4, 2008 12:16 AM
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Fun and swift write-up, Paula. Thanks.
Must say....it was more entertaining than tonight's show. I found this episode so darn boring...but at least Allison got to have some visions instead of just dreaming.
Next week looks interesting. We can hope.
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Mar 4, 2008 12:39 AM
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The credit guy's name was Reshmi, not Reshdie. 
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Mar 4, 2008 2:27 AM
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Great recap, Paula! Another interesting episode, to say the least, and another quandary for Allison. I agree with you about the Senator. He was just a bit TOO smug, considering what he had done. He had really convinced himself that he had done his part to make up for what they did to the other soldier, but he felt even less remorse about letting his friend take the fall for the rest of them. I would hope that one of the other guys would have the courage to come forward and confess to the part that they all played in it. But he was just a little too comfortable with doing such things, and getting away with it, or letting someone else take the blame. Guess that's why he was a politician, huh?
I also noticed Allison's reaction when she woke from the first dream. And the title, while gross, was rather apropos, I thought. Even though that was a difficult topic, I don't doubt that in certain situations, it has happened. Look at the Donner Party. I myself kept thinking of the movie, Alive, while I was watching this episode.
The story with Bridgette and the creditor was cute, and poor Joe trying to explain to the guy just how his daughter knew was funny. Also loved Allison's line to Scanlon about "Oh, it's cop-comedy!" Too funny.I also liked that the creditor changed the status of their account to try and help them. What a nice guy. Too bad he couldn't write off some of their bills, lol! That would have really helped them out, but that would have been even less realistic than what he did. It was just nice that they showed something good happening for the Dubois clan after all they've been through.
I've heard a lot of people complain about how no one ever takes Allison's visions seriously, even after all the times that she's been proven right, but why don't they realize that they are dealing with the justice system, where things like visions and dreams cannot be taken into a courtroom as evidence? Let it go already, people. It's a standard element of the show. Let's face it, if everyone believed her every time, then the show would be REALLY boring. It's her trying to figure out her dreams and convince them that makes the show interesting.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:33 AM
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The problem with Allison's visions is that they're not always dead on. Sometimes people represent other people like seeing a cop that she needs to talk to for information appears in her dream as a villain. However, Scanlon and Devalos should know that where there's smoke with Allison, there's usually fire. Devalos was much more understanding of her than Scanlon. I just don't know why he has to be such a jerk to her instead of just saying that what she's dreaming isn't adding up, maybe it will later, and not be such a smartass. I really liked that Reshmi "fixed" their account, but yah, the odds are pretty slim that would happen...although more people from India would tend to be more understanding of a psychic than your typical American. The Senator's end speech was clearly something he's gone over in his head many, many times. It's like Jessup's from A Few Good Men. It's also like the conundrum of stealing being bad versus stealing medicine to save your dying child. To paraphrase Chris Rock, I'm not saying I agree, but I understand.
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Mar 4, 2008 9:05 AM
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I noticed the Medium took a new direction for a while. Resdmi said that he changed the account from urgent to payment pending, and "sometimes mistakes happen". If you ever worked for a card company or a phone company, you can do that, you can change a status. I love that they are incorporating the children more.
I love Joe Dubois..he is hot.
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Mar 4, 2008 9:31 AM
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That was a strange episode and pretty easy to figure out what happened before they told us. Although, the fact that 4 guys actually killed the blackmailer was a bit of an AH HA moment.
I was actually happy that the Senator got away with it because otherwise it would have messed with Devalos' plans. I also tended to see his point of view about them all attempting to do good with their lives helping people in honor of the soldier they ate, but the fact that he had no remorse about the killing [very hideous killing] of Roasch and that only the doctor was taking the fall for their crime pretty much wiped any understanding I had. But I guess their justification is that the remaining 3 can continue to benefit society whereas if they confess, none of them will be able to help anyone. Pretty weak.
I loved the Reshmi/Joe/Bridgette scenario. That was lots of fun and had a nice outcome.
I actually didn't have a problem with Scanlon and Devalos' treatment of Allison this time. Scanlon was joking around but basically meant that he needed something to hang his legal hat on before he could move for her. Devalos came closer to being insulting, but basically he seemed to believe that terrible things occurred in the past, he just willing to accept that his friend had done anything now under very different circumstances particularly when he knew that he'd been with him during the time the victim had been picked up.
Will Allison tell Devalos the rest of the story and will he believe her then?
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Mar 4, 2008 10:25 AM
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I would imagine that after going through such a terrible ordeal and doing such an unthinkable thing to a fellow soldier that not a day would go by they wouldn't think about what they did. Perhaps after 30 years they have come to some kind of acceptance in their hearts about the incident and are trying to live their lives to somehow make ammends for it. Who knows what any of us would do under the same circumstances. Just like the Donner party when one of the men told his daughters what to do when he died. I don't think there was any point in bringing out the truth of what happened. I was dissappointed that only one of the men could step up to the plate and take responsibility but if they had all admitted guilt then the whole story would have come out. Think of how the dead soldiers family would have felt.
I was glad to see a little more of Bridgette. She comes across as so innocent and honest, yet so frank about how she feels.
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Mar 4, 2008 11:37 AM
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Taesma, thanks for pointing out that the cc guy was Reshdie... Hard to keep up on every detail!! I love that you guys keep me on my toes. I also forgot to mention how fantastic Patricia Arquette looked in this episode. I couldn't figure out what was different, but then they showed the pic of her with bangs and in this ep, they had grown out and were swept to the side. It's a good look for our fearless gal and I hope she keeps it up!
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Mar 4, 2008 11:54 AM
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Another episode where Allison is left hanging with the "real" murderer getting away with the crime.
I hope this unresolved Justice problem leads into further episodes.
It was cute with Bridgette and her wanting her dad to call the credit card guy. I understand the phone calls being annoying so it was nice that Mr. Reshdie decided to ease up, but Allison and Joe sending him money for a new engagement ring, Isn't that a bit smarmy!
This is the idealistic, unrealistic Nice family!
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Mar 4, 2008 1:11 PM
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The Senator from Arizona in this eppy was a prisoner of war and John McCain is a Senator from Arizona and a former prisoner of war....was this only a consequence of the script?
Even as an unenrolled voter, I found even the inference in bad taste (no pun intended). Medium is one of my favorite programs on television but I am still taken aback that CBS would allow this eppy be shown the night before a large primary vote.
Again, I probably just read too much into the similarity.
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Mar 4, 2008 1:18 PM
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I thought/think that Allison might dream about where the other guys each buried their body part. Since each one was responsible for one part of the body, there has to be some kind of evidence to tie each one to the murder. I thought that was going to be the ending, but I guess that might come out later. Maybe after Davalos is back in, he will have to prosecute the senator who got him there.
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Mar 4, 2008 1:18 PM
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Good episode this week. I DVR it every week, and usually it's low on the totem pole to watch, but after every episode I think to myself why wasn't I chomping at the bit to watch this sooner? I really love this show, gross or not.....
The situation with the senator has not been resolved and will come back to bite Devallos in the a** in the future, at which time he will blame Allison for not clueing him in when she first found out about the killing of Rhodes and the senator letting the doc take the fall.
I thought the Reshmi storyline felt very much like what M. Night Shyamalan might do. The lighting, the camera angles, the way Reshmi talked when he called Joe back to tell them his home was robbed, the strangeness of the whole thing...it was quite a cool storyline.
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Mar 4, 2008 1:55 PM
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Possibly, Gingersnap, you could be reading too much into the coincidence. Remember the episode where Joe and his co-workers were taken hostage and some were killed? What, about 2-3 weeks later that actually happened at NASA. Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber actually came on before the next show aired to say what a tragedy that was and that their sympathies went to the real families that went through that ordeal. Of course this spisode may or may not have been written before Senator McCain took such a lead in the primaries. I don't know about that but I don't think for one minute that anything was meant to be implied about Senator McCain. The Dubois family has always been living in Phoenix so of course the senator would have been from AZ.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:14 PM
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Paula, I can't believe your naivete at saying you don't think things like this actually happen during wars? Where have you been? Or is it just the affect of the present administration's mandate that only sanitized views of the present war are shown? Why do you think so many of our young people come back from war and find it difficult to function again in society? My own father was a soldier in WWII - he joined his senior year in high school and was taken before graduation. He came back with shrapnel in his neck and had little ticks and nightmares that stayed with him his entire life until his death at age 62. Today's news media is forbidden to show the coffins draped with US flags that come back by the hundreds - they also don't show the countless men and women who have served this country and are coming back absent limbs and with other horrific injuries that will have an impact on the way they can live the rest of their lives. We cannot see the countless cases of mental illness or psychosis that have been exacerbated because of what they had to do or see during this war. When the soldiers returned from WWII they were treated like the heroes they were, but when the Viet Nam vets came back, there weren't any parades honoring them because so many people were against the Viet Nam "conflict" the soldiers were not treated properly. Fortunately, the public has a better attitude about the soldiers returning from Iraq, etc. but everyone expects them to pick up where they left off before they left without skipping a beat without regard to what they were required to do and the horrors they saw.
This Medium epiosde brought up some moral issues, but I do have to say, I agreed with the Senator about honoring the memory of their fellow soldier by living their lives in the best possible way to honor his memory and the sacrifice he made - giving his life - so the others could live. Sure, it was a horrible decision to have to make, but being in a POW camp was no picnic either - just ask John McCain who still bears the scars and damage today that was inflicted upon him. Allison did not have the right to judge them on that decision. In the end, killing the present day blackmailer also presented another moral quandry. Good soldiers to the end, one of them took the fall for the others - someone was killed and someone was punished for it. Is the world any worse off because someone who chose to live his life by blackmailing his fellow POW's was killed? Nope. Would taking down all of the POW's have a negative impact on the world? You bet.
After all, the Senator was using his considerable expertise in coming up with terms to use to explain Allison's contributions to Devalos and the city of Phoenix.
You really have to hand it to the Medium writers for this excellent episode.
Yea, we had Scanlon and Devalos together with Allison again! Scanlon has the best lines - love his humorous touch. It's understandable that they doubt some of Allison's dreams because they are only pieces of a much larger puzzle and it doesn't always make sense until more of the pieces make themselves known.
God Bless Bridgette! Talking to the creditors! LOVE IT! Great way to also bring up the fact that so many of our jobs are being jobbed out overseas.
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Mar 4, 2008 3:39 PM
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