Season 2, Episode 6, “Twas the Night Before Christmas … Again”
Original airdate: November 5, 2005 (on SciFi channel)
Befitting the last episode of the formula-breaking second season, “Twas the Night Before Christmas … Again” once again threw Tru into an unknown situation with her case of the week. On the one hand, this further engaged the audience and kept them guessing what would happen because of this new set of circumstances, but on the other hand, it also lowered the stakes for this particular case and created a more mellow episode than what we have grown accustomed to. The series did not go out with a bang, but it did go out on an intriguing note. Overall, this makeshift series finale partially satisfied the audience while still leaving room to imagine what happened next.
I must give props to the writers for coming up with six consecutive stories this short season that each took a different approach to the victim needing help. Each came with their additional challenges, and each still felt organic to the individual victim. My major note of praise is that these diversions from the first season did not feel like a ploy to attract more audience members or simply shock the already committed audience, but rather they were a natural progression of Tru’s gift.
As creative as it was that a cadaver asked for Tru’s help, it plays into a point I mentioned last week in the review for “The Last Goodbye.” It implies that fate or destiny is a cognitive being capable of knowing what’s best for a character other than the victim. It is no longer about balancing the universe or about saving someone from dying before his or her time has come. My issue with this idea is not the idea itself, but rather that we were not granted the opportunity to see this explained. Introducing Jack into the mythology was a genius move, and I can’t help but feel like there is still another player out there who turns this idea from a potential problem into a fascinating game. In terms of characters, we have the action, the reaction, and now we just need the puppet master.
Other than the unique nature of the case and watching Tru and Jack team up, the story itself was rather lackluster. The murder of a mistress and her lover being suspected of the crime is a story we have seen time and time again across different procedurals, as well as a child taking revenge against his or her parent’s murderer. At least this episode added another layer of mystery by having both of these common stories piled on top of one another. Although this episode did a sufficient job diverting attention from the true murderer in both cases, the reveals were still not as shocking or unique as they could have been.
One wonderful, long-awaited aspect that this episode delved into was mending the relationship between Tru and Jack. While they should not be friends because of their opposite jobs, they should have a mutual respect and understanding that the other is simply trying to carry out that job which he/she has been chosen for. This episode provided minor indications that they were headed in this direction. Tru came closer to understanding that Jack is not the monster she claimed he originally was, and Jack sees that Tru does more good than just saving the victim. Whether it was because of their team up or the holiday season, the episode’s conclusion especially allowed these two rivals to end on a peaceful note.
“Twas the Night Before Christmas … Again” concluded Tru Calling in a calm way. It did not leave off on a massive cliffhanger with any character in mortal danger. For the first time in a while, Tru was happy with her friends, family, and love life, while Harrison was making a solid name for himself. Davis was also happy, though it was a false happiness on his girlfriend’s part. Despite these positives, it did leave the audience with several lingering questions, especially regarding the future of Tru’s secret. Having this episode rewind before Harrison could tell Tru about their father’s involvement with Jack gave us a glimpse of a potential future storyline, but ripped it away with no indication if it would in fact come true later down the line.
Also regarding Tru’s secret, I think this episode missed a great opportunity to show Davis telling Carrie the truth. It would have been interesting to see how she reacted to something she already knew, and how, in turn, Davis reacted to her reaction. The way it played out, Davis should have been highly suspicious since it seemed to have gone over abnormally smoothly.
To conclude these flashback pieces, while Tru Calling did an exceptional job course correcting with characters and storylines that did not come across as strongly as they were intended, the series itself was riddled with numerous missed opportunities, and its premature cancellation only added to it. As episodes progressed, the mythology became more complex and more fascinating, and the character relationships did the same. Although it had its ups and downs, Tru Calling was quite an intriguing blend of supernatural and procedural elements and definitely worth the watch.
Additional Comments:
– Richard Davies resorts to strangling his son to keep his secret. Is there anything this man won’t do?
– I love/laughed at how casual everyone was about Davis giving the children weapons from the morgue. You know you’re watching television when something like this happens.
– Every time I heard the name Cambria, all I could think of was the font.
– “FYI, buddy. The under $10 dollar rule. That’s actually not a contest to see how far under 10 you can keep it.” – Avery
– This is the last of the Tru Calling flashbacks, so thanks for following along. Hope you enjoyed.
