Friday TV Flashback Review: Tru Calling, Episodes 16-17

Episode 16, “Two Pair”
Originally aired: April 8, 2004

Putting an interesting spin on the types of stories that we have previously seen, “Two Pair” revolved around a fun dynamic of teamwork. While the cases themselves were not complex or that interesting by themselves, the way that the story was shaped around the victims made this episode into a solid one. In addition, the series took major strides to utilize Harrison and Davis better than they have been in the past.

The most notable aspect of “Two Pair” is how it broke the formula from the beginning and then continued to switch things up. Once the body asked for help and Tru’s day did not rewind as it has every other time, it threw her and the audience into uncharted territory, which was needed to keep the show feeling fresh when it is over halfway through with its season. Because the rewind waited for another body to be brought in, it made Tru’s gift seem less like a standard, uncontrollable reaction to the circumstances, and more like there was something or someone deciding when exactly it should happen so Tru has her best chance at saving the victim. If that is the case, it explains why it took so long for Tru’s day to rewind when her stepmother was murdered in episode 1.14, “Daddy’s Girl.” It bends the rules a bit, but the rules have not been established well enough that it breaks the series’ credibility. However, it also caused Tru to jump to the drastic conclusion that she may never rewind again. While this thought would be something to consider if this was not the first time a corpse spoke to her without a rewind, there was certainly no evidence that this problem was permanent. It was a quick way to catch the audience off guard that backfired into an unfounded exaggeration.

The team up between Tru and Harrison was by far the most exciting aspect of this episode and the one that I invested in the most. Not only did it further the bond between the siblings, it also allowed Harrison to carry a storyline on his own without it being quite as repetitive as his stories have been in the past. Although he engaged in the world of gambling, which felt like a convenient aspect to include in this episode, his reasoning for it and his willingness to give up his winnings for a greater purpose showed his strength and potential as a character. Because Tru and Harrison worked so well together in this episode, it raises the question why they do not team up more often, especially given Tru’s concern that Harrison would turn out like her second victim. From what I can tell, Harrison does not have an actual job, so he should be free to find his purpose saving people beside his sister.

The first half of this season relied heavily on two types of stories: young adults, particularly college students being the victims, and Harrison gambling. “Two Pair” combined these two stories into one episode, and while I was not thrilled they were once again taking this route, it was unique enough and veered away from the teen angst that I enjoyed this combination. In addition, the complication of having two victims allowed the opportunity to create a mirror world. Where there was a murder and a suicide the first day, the second day saw a suicide and a murder with the opposite victims.

Finally, we learned more about Davis’ background, including the little tidbit that Davis is his middle name. While it is understandable that Davis would not want to share all of his personal details with someone he has not known for that long, I would have preferred the information about his wife’s connection to Tru’s mom to come out sooner after Davis spilled the beans about knowing her mom’s gift.

Additional Comments:

– Despite the fun team dynamic with Tru and Harrison, I don’t remember having seen this episode before, but I know I have. It’s unfortunate because this episode has some wonderful moments.

– Jason Priestley’s smarmy expressions are spot on.

– Was it just my DVD acting weird, or was that action sequence behind the poker club actually super weird? It looked as if they were trying to make it straight out of a comic book, and Tru Calling is not a series designed for heavy stunts or action sequences.

– Overall, this episode had a significant amount of noticeable camera movements that were more like distracting camera swings.

– Reasonable question given her circumstances.
Tru: The body asked for help and nothing happened.
Harrison: What? Were you fired?

– You should always be serious about alphabetizing DVDs!
“Hey. I put all thirteen episodes of I, Claudius on the same shelf as the X Files videos. Is that wrong? What? You were serious about alphabetizing?” – Jack (to Davis)

Episode 17, “Death Becomes Her”
Originally aired: April 15, 2004

“Death Becomes Her” stands as a seemingly routine episode of Tru Calling that reminded me much more of an episode that would be found earlier in the season than one airing as the show’s seventeenth. There was nothing particularly bad about it, but there was also nothing too flashy and attention grabbing about the main case. While the end solution of Tru’s case was unique and the interactions between Harrison and Jack were entertaining, it felt as if the writers were buying time until a big reveal a few episodes from now.

Whenever there is an episode of television that deals with the world of actors/actresses or Hollywood, they can easily veer into unrealistic territory. They either comes off as an over-exaggerated satirical version of that world, or they just do not feel like a genuine story. “Death Becomes Her started out looking as if it was going to break that tendency, but a few logic bumps along the way prevented me from fully believing the truth of this story.

Even though coming home for a day of research does not involve the mass chaos that is present when living a life in the Hollywood spotlight, Carly Anders, a (fictional) actress and the victim, was not believable as a famous actress. Presenting her as an average, levelheaded, kind woman was a refreshing choice given the Hollywood stereotype, and there is no part of me that wishes they would have changed this, but there was so little conflict in the story that contributed to the type of life that Carly wanted to run from that I struggled to believe she was famous. The reporter who continually blackmailed her into paying him could just as easily have been someone from her neighborhood or school days. Also, giving her an assistant who did little to nothing for her only added to the peculiarity. The adage, “Show. Don’t tell.” exists for a reason in filmmaking. Including even a brief moment of her interacting with a fan (other than Davis) or dealing with a photographer would have brought more credibility to her status. That being said, Tamyra Gray did an excellent job portraying the character as she was.

On the original day, Tru’s bonding with Carly was such a nice and rare moment of relaxation for Tru that it was a shame that this relationship was essentially destroyed the second day. I know there are times where I have not been shy about criticizing Tru’s methods of getting close to a victim in order to ultimately save him or her because they have been bordering on goody, but “Death Becomes Her” was the first episode in which Tru’s methods annoyed me. This also comes from a believability standpoint. Maybe Tru gets so wrapped up in carrying out her calling that she loses the ability to think clearly, but the way she went about pressing Carly for information about who might want to harm her went too far. How does Tru not realize that this sound strange and suspicious and will only alienate her subject? Tru is a smart woman and should be smarter about her tactics.

Harrison and Lindsay’s relationship has been circling the drain for several episodes now, so it is not shocking nor upsetting that they seem to be finally through. On the plus side, their story happened in the reverse way than what usually occurs on a redo day, so that was a welcomed change up. Instead of the first day being a disaster and the redo day being Harrison’s chance to change things, the first day went well and the second was Harrison’s screw up. The only problem with this storyline was that Harrison’s actions the first day did not feel like something Harrison would do. Even though he may be trying to change for Lindsay, which is not a problem in itself, it is a problem that he acted so drastically different with little explanation and little motivation. The redo day with Jack’s influence felt much more like normal Harrison.

Jack has proven to be an odd and interesting … and occasionally uncomfortable (in a good way) addition to the main cast. Petting the deceased woman’s hair last episode was just creepy, but it did further set Jack up as a character who contrasts Tru, so it was effective in that right. Having seen the series before, it is hard not to catch on to pieces of information that first time viewers might gloss over, but regardless, this batch of episodes makes it clear that there is indeed something going on with Jack, especially given his repeated positive views about the role of death in life.

Additional Comments:

– Davis’ research into whether or not there is a pattern with Tru’s relived days is such an interesting concept that got cut way too short.

– Davis checking his teeth in the reflection of a piece of silverware was an easily overlooked but humorous moment.

– Agreed.
Tru: Do you think he (Jack) heard us?
Davis: We so need a secret lair.

– “Just stick to the plan. Talking to dead people: your thing. Haggling: mine.” – Harrison

– Cute.
Lindsay: You are doing awesome.
Harrison: Come on, babe. What did you expect? Don’t answer that.