Medium By Name, But Definitely Not By Nature (Medium)

Member Name: antoniakelly

Product:	Medium
Date:	09/11/08 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Endearing characters, inventive writing, originality in spades.

Disadvantages: Sometimes gory, can be overcomplicated.

I am, to put it mildly, a supernatural geek. If it's a bit unusual, dabbling in "other wordly" goings on, I will watch it. Then, a few years ago, disaster struck - I ran out of supernatural TV shows. Buffy - gone! Angel - not anymore! Dead Like Me - cancelled for unfathomable reasons! Devastated, I did something I'd never done before: purchased a DVD boxset purely off the 'recommended' list at Amazon, and that DVD was Medium season one. And boy, am I glad I did...

'Medium' is based on real-life psychic (although she hates that word), Allison DuBois. Allison claims - and the word 'claims' must be stressed - to have worked with police forces in the US, helping solve difficult cases. Unfortunately, the Texas Rangers - whom she lists as one of the first she worked with, and who indeed star in the season premiere of Medium - refute Allison's claims at having worked with them. But that doesn't matter when it comes to a TV show, and even if the real Ms. DuBois is making it all up, she's got a cracker of an imagination.

The TV-'Medium' set up is Allison herself, played by the wonderful Patricia Arquette. Her husband, Joe (Jake Weber), is an aerospace engineer. They live with their three daughters Ariel (pre-teen), Bridget (8) and Marie (toddler). For Allison's entire life, she has 'seen' events that have passed or will come to pass, and as the series opens she finds a way to use that: she joins the District Attorney's office in Phoenix, Arizona. Although primarily used to select jurors, she dabbles in tricky or unsolved murder cases.

So far, so normal. It's basically a mystery show with a supernatural twist, but to leave it at that is to do this show a disservice. Firstly, there is the wonderful interplay between Allison and husband Joe. A reluctant believer, Joe is Allison's voice of reason and keeps her in check. As a viewer, you cannot help but love him, as he mixes his intelligent perspective with dry humour. The DuBois's as a family unit are excellently portrayed; loving, supportive but not without their faults.

Each episode usually begins with Allison's latest dream and her waking up from it. Then, the mystery process begins as Allison - and the viewers - try to connect the dots and figure out the truth.

This process involves two absolute gems of characters. Manuel Devalos is the DA and the man who spotted Allison's potential, even though he doesn't always believe it. It can be quite frustrating for the viewer when Devalos is sceptical about Allison's latest theory, as you feel like yelling at him about the amount of times Allison has been right in the past, and he should just believe her already. But if Devalos - and, for that matter, Joe - were just relentlessly believing and supportive, you'd have something like the 'Scooby' gang in Buffy: a group of supposed friends who are basically sidekicks. And while I love the 'Scoobies' with a fiery passion, in a TV show like Medium where the demons are actual people, you need a good dollop of reality and scepticism. Devalos, however, helps and backs Allison where he can and through an excellent working relationship they develop a touching friendship.

The final part of the crime-solving trio is Detective Lee Scanlan, easily my favourite character. He is sceptical beyond belief and lets Allison know it, while at the same time doing all he can to help her. A cop with a troubled past, you feel he wants to believe but a series of hard knocks from life stop him making that final jump. He's also endlessly amusing and mocks Allison mercilessly, but he is not unkind.

So we have our trio: psychic and flighty Allison, grounded DA Devalos and amused-but-trusting Scalan. They work in cohesion in their different areas of expertise and solve some of the most horrific crimes I have ever seen as a viewer. The show can be particularly gory and also disturbing, but as the end usually sees the bad guys getting busted, you feel slightly better about the world.

The excellent characters aside, what really makes this show shine is the complexity of it's mysteries. You learn as Allison learns but often I find myself watching her "get it" and not understanding myself until the final scenes. Only once in four seasons have I figured the mystery out before Allison does, and I was ridiculously proud of myself when I did so.

The dialogue is sharp and inventive and the acting nothing short of sublime. Every episode is vastly different from the last; no recycled plots here. You follow Allison through her working life but also the ups and downs of her home life, such as discovering she has passed her 'gift' on to her daughters, and trying to deal with the implications that may have for them.

What makes this show what it is, however, is that you really want the characters to figure it out... for the sake of the characters. You can't help but like them. Sure, you want the bad guy caught, but mostly you want to see Devalos smile or Scanlan crack a joke about how he knew it all along. You believe in these characters and as the series progresses and you delve into their personal lives, you really care about them.

As for downsides, there are few. Sometimes the interplay between the DuBois family grates a little with it's love and support, but I feel the writers are aware when this is becoming an issue and remedy it quickly. Perhaps the plots are sometimes too complicated and this is definitely not easy viewing, but that's how I like my TV shows.

Unlike most, Medium seems to be improving with age. Now on it's fourth season and renewed for a fifth, it is surviving in a TV schedule where cancellations are the rule and not the exceptions. And it is surviving, not for gimmicks or guest appearances - those staples of failing shows - but because it is snappy, well written, inventive and engaging. Long may it continue.

Summary: The best American export since 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' - and maybe even better than that.