Episode 18, “Rear Window”
Originally aired: April 22, 2004
“Rear Window” took a concern common to our modern society and shaped it into an episode partially modeled after a classic Hitchcock film from the 1950s. The blending of ideas from these two decades created an interesting concept in theory, but the execution was less than stellar. It tried to focus on both concepts, but never allowed either to reach its full potential. However, the occasional twists and turns and the unexpected victim and villain played against audience expectations and kept the episode relatively entertaining.
Modeling an episode after Hitchcock’s Rear Window is not an idea unique to Tru Calling. The Simpsons and Roseanne did it in the mid-1990s, and Raising Hope and Castle did it within the past few years. The major problem with this episode of Tru Calling is that they tried too hard to include elements of Rear Window when the rest of the episode did not rely on these elements to make sense. One could argue that Tru overseeing her neighbor’s argument was a strong way to get her involved in the case and give her knowledge preceding the victim’s death, and that the murderer’s intense voyeurism and obsession regarding his target provides a strong motive. That may be accurate, but they are also the most convenient methods, the easiest, and the hardest to believe would actually happen. It all felt too much like a crazy, random happenstance.
The heightened cinematic world intrinsic in the story of Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and thus in stories based on it, naturally clashes with anything that is presented as a grounded, real world concept. The storyline in this episode about identity theft played into a fear so reasonable and so possible that it put adjacent scenes at odds with one another.
That being said, the “who’s the real Chris Berenson” storyline itself was an interesting ride that unfortunately ended on an unfulfilling note. Having Tru start out the episode by aligning herself with the ultimate villain allowed the writers to throw a surprising twist at the audience, but it also called Tru’s judgment into question, especially given the next episode when she once again incorrectly assumes something – this time, that Jack has morals similar to hers.
Some times watching the villain walk off in handcuffs, or at least knowing that he or she will, gives the audience a sense of closure and fulfillment because the villain was twisted enough that he or she will never accept the mistakes that he or she made. This was not the case. Cathy, if that was even her real name, was caught, but showed no remorse or indication that she had learned a lesson. Once she pays her fine or gets out of jail in a few years, there is nothing to stop her from starting the con all over again in a new city. Tru may have helped the real Chris Berenson escape death, but she may not have saved anyone else from being put in his situation in the future.
One random thought that struck me while watching this episode was that Tru’s world is confined to the morgue, her brother, and her one friend. On a weekly basis, she is exposed to the world at large, introduced to people from all walks of life, but she does not utilize as many resources as she could. Even though Davis is an efficient sidekick, it would have been a neat addition to have Tru confide in someone within the police department. It would have completely chanced the dynamic of the series and taken away from Tru’s resourcefulness, but it also would have taken away from the awkwardness of Tru trying to drag information out of a suspicious victim.
The series has been building to a huge reveal about Jack, and we finally received it at the very end of this episode. Because there have been set ups, hints, lingering ominous shots of Jack, and unusual comments about the positive side of death from Jack, it did not come as a complete surprise that he also relives days. Regardless, it kicks off my favorite and the most fascinating conflict that the series tackles.
Additional Comments:
– Watching Tru and Davis be friends who chat on the phone at night is such an abnormal and wonderful aspect of this series.
– Tru’s assumption that her upstairs neighbor wanted to ask her out instead of any other female tenant who lived nearby was such a pompous move on Tru’s part.
– This episode had an unacceptable amount of quick flashes.
– The dimly lit morgue scene toward the beginning and the dimly lit scene of Tru walking through the hallway and into her upstairs neighbor’s apartment made it all too obvious that they were trying to amp up the suspense. In addition, the score when Tru found the stalker wall and the camera lingering on the photos of the half-clad target was too overdramatic.
– The idea that Tru is too trusting seemed like something put in place solely to set up for the next episode.
– This sounds a little dangerous.
Chris: Some guys won’t take no for an answer.
Tru: Try saying, “Yes. Yes, you’re a psycho. Yes, I was right to break up with you.”
Episode 19, “D.O.A.”
Originally aired: April 29, 2004
“D.O.A.” switched up nearly every Tru Calling convention that we have gotten used to over the course of eighteen episodes. It focused on a new team dynamic between Tru and Jack. It threw discord into the relationship between Tru and Davis. And it made Tru think about how to save people in a different way than just preventing them from dying. These elements made the episode stand above many of the others, but the heavy reliance on elements commonly found in primetime soap operas kicked it down a notch.
“D.O.A.” quickly followed up on the reveal that Jack relives days like Tru does. Watching Tru bond with Jack over drinks and darts was such a beautiful, light moment for the character. It has been quite a while since we saw Tru having fun and enjoying herself, so this scene was much needed and appreciated, even though it came off as slightly too giddy and cathartic. Because everything appeared to be going perfectly, it is only natural to assume that things would go downhill fast. Tone at the beginning of the episode versus the tone at the end was completely opposite. “D.O.A” started out with Tru and Jack as allies and ended with them as enemies. The pacing of this turn was stellar. Each step that Jack took to divert Tru away from saving her victim felt like a natural progression; however, it did paint Tru in too gullible of a light.
Personally, I find Jack’s character to be a stroke of genius. The conflict created by Jack’s dedication to making sure that the victims die on the relive day like they did on the original day is my favorite piece of the series. Not only does it allow for more screen time for his twisted character, but it also amps up the stakes for Tru. Before Jack’s introduction, there was little doubt that Tru would succeed in saving her victim, even if she had to relive the day more than once. Now, there is an added element of suspense and the potential for actual failure. It opens up the possible stories that can be told and strengthens the audience’s investment. It makes the world of Tru Calling feel much larger and more important than it previously did because instead of presenting one special girl doing extraordinary things, it reveals that the mythology spreads beyond Tru and her mom, all while using a commonly held scientific principle. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This episode noticeably dived more into the world of soap opera drama than sticking to the procedural formula that it was built upon. Most of that can be attributed to the victim’s natural cause of death. Rather than focusing on a crime, “D.O.A.” focused on the victim’s broken relationship with his son, his unfulfilled love life, and his good deed of tutoring. Tru transitioned from someone determined to save a life to someone responsible for righting a dead man’s wrongs. She was forced to venture too much into Ghost Whisperer territory. Not only is the show not built for this, but Eliza Dushku (and Tru) better succeed as a problem solver and not an emotional bandage. It was not until the very end when Tru realized that there was another life hanging in the balance, which came too late to make up for the tonal diversion.
The issue with Lindsay’s sudden engagement is not that it is sudden or coming only a week after rekindling a romance with a former boyfriend. It is that we have not seen Lindsay interact with Randall enough to form a proper opinion about the nature of their relationship. With Lindsay being a supporting character, it’s no surprise she rarely carries scenes on her own, but she is capable of it. I wish they could have included a short scene where Randall stayed at the diner when Tru met Lindsay there to establish the chemistry between him and Lindsay and sway the audience to their side. Unlike Meredith’s random disappearance from the show, the writers have at least set up a reasonable exit for Lindsay, which is fine, given that they never really knew what to do with her character other than making her a love interest. I do not relish in her departure, but I am also not opposed.
Additional Comments:
– There should have been some indication from Davis that he had a theory about Jack in mind instead of railing on Tru for simply being too trusting. It made Davis act unreasonably and out of character.
– The error that Tru found in the suicidal woman’s file sounded like something that should have been caught by any doctor who looked at the file. Tru being the one to figure it out was convenient and implausible.
– Not shocking given pieces of the previous episode, but the ending of “D.O.A.” when Davis practically indicated that Jack was one step below a supervillain and then the camera pulled back to an empty morgue table was unnecessarily overdramatic.
– On the “what’s important in life” scale, friends are equal to coffee.
Tru: You don’t trust the waitress to give you decaf unless you see what pot she uses.
Davis: Coffee’s important to me. And so are you.
