Season 1, Episode 20, “Two Weddings and a Funeral”
Originally aired: April 29, 2004
“Two Weddings and a Funeral” successfully wrapped up the first season and laid the foundation for the main tension in the second season. Not only did this episode raise the stakes for Tru and raise the danger for those around her, it also solved a few problems that had been lurking since the beginning. Although the logic behind the case was weak, the rest of the story made up for it with its strength.
Even from the first scene, “Two Weddings and a Funeral” felt much more like the show it was meant to be. It was focused. It was intense. It contained an unpredictable, potentially insurmountable obstacle for Tru to face – Jack – instead of the audience expecting that she would succeed in her mission like she has every other episode. Jack kick Tru Calling up to a new level. It just took them a while to fully capitalize on it. Despite his role, he has brought new life to the series and helped to establish the world in which Tru lives. Before, she was a random girl with an unusual gift, but now she exists as a vital element in the war between life and death. To add more conflict to the pot, Mr. Davies is his version of Davis, only he had Jack’s gift before. We knew Richard hired someone to kill his wife, and now we finally know the reason. A wild way to end the season.
Even though Jack is presented as the enemy – and he is, as a representative of death – it is interesting to note that, unlike Tru, Jack is not meant to be a bringer of life. Not to justify his actions, but merely explain them, there has been no indication that bodies ask him for help, so he’s not acting against his own calling. Every villain thinks he’s doing what’s right, and Jack is no exception. Eighty percent of his likability could be attributed to the fact that it’s Jason Priestly, but I find Jack to be an enjoyable villain to watch. He’s twisted, but he didn’t choose the role he has.
Tonally, the first season was all over the map. There were episodes that delved into suicide, a dying child, Mrs. Davies murder and her husband’s betrayal. Very serious topics that made the series appear to be geared more toward adults. Then there were episodes where Tru infiltrated a bachelor party, a teen car race, and med students playing God. While death is never a topic to be taken lightly, these episodes were not nearly as engaging.
“Two Weddings and a Funeral” attempted to take the more adult route, but failed to live up to it by containing such a petty and ill-conceived motivation from the murderer. For most of the other killers that Tru encountered, they have had a believable reason why they acted the way they did, even if that reason was only believable in the television realm, such as an angry student killing the professor who ruined his life or an angry teacher killing a former student for her book. This episode hinged on the audience believing that a jealous man would murder someone who he suspected his ex-wife of being involved with even though they were divorced and she wasn’t even seeing anyone. If they had given us more insight into how their relationship ended (maybe he didn’t want to get divorced) or why their relationship ended (maybe she hated his irrational jealousy), then it would have been easier to understand why he got so worked up about it. He made no sense. Maybe that’s what they needed in order to have him still shoot someone in the end.
As satisfying as it was that Tru finally told Luc, his reaction was difficult to read. Did he assume she was crazy or lying to him once more? Unfortunately, it only took Luc dying for Tru to become more dedicated to and confident with her gift rather than merely accepting it. Jack seems naturally better at creating excuses to get his way and realizing what needs to be done, but now Tru is prepared to put him to the test.
As the season concluded, they solved two major kinks. I wish I could add Meredith to the list, but the problem with her fitting in was not solved, but rather ignored. Like I’ve said before, the series never knew what to do with Lindsay either, a character so focused on her and Tru’s love life, so marrying her off to a man moving to London was the only fitting end to her story. While it’s a bummer that Tru lost her best friend, Lindsay did not contribute much else to Tru’s life. And there was little chance Tru would ever tell Lindsay her secret. On another note, it was wonderful to see Harrison try to turn over a new leaf and mentor a child whose parents divorced. He has ever so slowly evolved from the kid he was in the pilot. He’s turning into an adult to be trusted and depended on. A loyal, honorable sidekick for Tru.
Additional Comments:
– Having the theme song kick off the episode instead of a teaser was an unusual departure from the norm, but it makes sense given that the beginning of the episode didn’t end with a true cliffhanger.
– And we’re back to episodes with Tru running.
– When Harrison asked for help, he said, “You can’t let him win.” Do the bodies get to choose their own phrase? Or was this special because Harrison is her brother? It feels weird that this comment was never addressed like a few others have been.
– Harrison being so interested in how sad people were upon his death was an amusing bit, along with Davis offering his condolences directly to a living Harrison.
– I enjoyed the concept behind this exchange, but I didn’t come off quite as smoothly as I’m sure they intended.
Jack: I like your brother. I’d hate to see him die. I’d hate to see you see him die. Again.
Tru: Death’s top ten come-ons. Number ten: promise to spare the life of a relative.
Jack: I also hate reliving days. I mean, the first time it was kind of cool, but after that, dull as dishwater.
Tru: Number nine. Complain about the job and then invite her back to your place to see your new black robe.
Jack: You know what I hate more than anything? The way you’re looking at me right now.
Season 2, Episode 1, “Perfect Storm”
Originally aired: March 31, 2005
“Perfect Storm” hit the ground running (not literally, thankfully). Aside from a brief recap of the series premise, this episode wasted no time throwing Tru back into all of the struggles she faced last season. It picked up two months later in the story, but nearly a year later on TV, and nothing felt lost or forgotten or radically unlike Tru Calling. It changed the rules of the game, the rules about how to win and lose a target, and truly embarked on this grand war between life and death.
The episode excelled at showing the strategies that both Tru and Jack took in order to win. By flipping back and forth between the perspective that we were watching, it also showed how Tru and Jack constantly one-upped the other until the very end. Jack acting as a victim in order to gain the actual victim’s trust was a brilliant move that I did not see coming at that point in the episode. The rest of his tactics were rather predictable. Still, it built tension and drama and created an outcome that could have believably gone either way. Not only did she have to fight fate, she had to fight a person. Just like the previous episode, “Perfect Storm” made Tru fight for her win against an opposing force that could think and act on his own. She was able to predict a few of his moves, and he did the same to her, but rightly she succeeded over him this time. It gave the audience hope for her ultimate success without making it seem too easy.
The battle between Tru and Jack became a battle between Team Tru and Team Jack, for lack of better terms. The dynamic between Jack and Richard Davies partly mirrors the one between Tru and Davis because of the way each mentor pushes their mentees toward their destiny, but that’s where the similarities end. That’s what makes both of these relationships interesting. Richard lacks the warmth and positive spirit that Davis possesses, fitting for Richard’s role as the one aiding the bringer of death. Because Jack and Richard seem to have such an understanding of one another, it brings up questions about their backstory. How long have they been working together? How did they find one another? Since Tru’s gift came from her mother, is Jack Richard’s son? And can only one person possess each side of the gift at a time?
What was peculiar about this episode was how it humanized Jack while also villainizing him. Both days he made sure to save a young girl from getting hit by a truck, but only because she wasn’t supposed to die. He allowed himself to bond with a victim, only to send her off to her death more than once. The sadness was present on his face, but not powerful to stop himself from doing what he believed in.
Tru’s decision to give medical school another shot is not surprising, but it is also not something that I am clamoring to see. While there’s no doubt she’s destined to do something greater than work in a morgue, she has already found that something else by working in the morgue. On the one hand, it shows her commitment to saving lives in any way possible and gives her greater goals to strive for. On the other hand, it makes her appear as if she didn’t learn a lesson from trying to go to medical school the first time and not succeeding at it. Nothing has changed this time around to make her success more likely. In fact, the opposite is true. Now she has to deal with work, helping the dead, med school, and Jack. The opening of the episode with Davis coaching her and leading her to the classroom was fun, but insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
One long-awaited introduction that this episode contained was a potential love interest for Davis. Learning about his late wife midway though last season was a fascinating revelation, but so brief and underdeveloped that it left the audience wanting more. Seeing Davis maneuver his way around dating a psychologist would be a comedy gold mine.
Additional Comments:
– Are Harbor Patrol officers not required to wear lifejackets that don’t need to be manually inflated? Seems pretty dangerous if you’re knocked out.
– Tru stole a boat and apparently knows how to drive one perfectly. I don’t know what’s weirder.
– The flashes are back and still unnecessary.
– There is so little diversity on this series. It’s alarming.
– “Later Tru. Catch you on the re-wind.” – Jack
– “That’s the lost continent of Atlantis and the puppy I never got as a child.” – Davis (during an inkblot test)
– “Wouldn’t it be ironic if we were a lot more alike than people thought?” – Richard (to Harrison). Is it possible that Harrison could one day have the same gift that his father did? Wouldn’t that be interesting.
