Episode 4, “Past Tense”
Originally aired: November 20, 2003
At this point in the series, the show is settling into the groove of things regarding the way that Tru goes about investigating her rewound days, but it is still avoiding solving problems that arose early on by keeping certain underdeveloped characters, such as Lindsay and Meredith, on the fringes, while incorporating the more engaging and developed ones, such as Harrison and Davis, more into Tru’s operation. It seems more confident and focused, but it is not yet firing on all cylinders.
“Past Tense” took a slightly different approach to creating the tension of Tru’s case of the week and that resulted in both a more dangerous episode and also a more awkward one. Because Tru did not know the identities of the deceased or who the killer was, there was the necessity to have her go undercover to acquire this information. “Past Tense” fell into the common pit in crime dramas of involving a strip club in the investigation. While I don’t like it, I get why they’re so frequently used. Strip clubs are good places to unearth otherwise buried dirt on people, but they’re also a really easy way for feminine exploitation and pandering to a male audience. Thankfully, Tru did not have to resort to going undercover as the night’s entertainment, and it was rather clever that Harrison’s tip about bartenders knowing everything led to Tru taking up that cover instead.
If it wasn’t known that five of the six men were going to die, Tru’s investigation during the bachelor party would have seemed like a drag, and even knowing the possible outcome, it had its ups and downs. Most of the time, Tru just waits around for something to happen or an instance to mark off a suspect from her list instead of asking questions that would raise suspicions. Being in a room with that many potential victims and an unknown murderer infused some amount of suspense, but most of the attempts at suspense came from a highly suspicious and intimidating party guest. Having him be the murderer would have been too simple and fast, so it’s not hard to pick him out as a red herring. The reveal that the murderer was also in danger of being poisoned because of Tru’s bartending trick was a clever way to force out a confession, but it also made it appear as if Tru knew everything all along. The resolution was partially satisfying and partially underwhelming.
By episode four, the whole ordeal of Tru trying to tell Harrison about what she can do and him not entirely believing her has become old news. Yes, it would be a hard concept to grasp if this was something your sister actually told you and it takes the audience a second to warm up to this idea as well, so Harrison in the beginning served the excellent purpose of mirroring the audience’s beliefs. Now, the audience has seen multiple times what Tru is capable of, making this beat of disbelief repetitive and lacking an effect. It’s not the only way to characterize Harrison as a skeptic or to show how much he cares about his sister.
With any show in which the main character is keeping a secret from his or her colleagues, there’s the tendency to create a moment of panic for the main character and the audience that someone has found out about it. Gardez, the morgue attendant, hiding under a sheet and calling out for Tru did exactly this. It came across as a false beat because what are the chances that such a minor character figured everything out?
In the repetitive category, Lindsay is still trying to set Tru up on dates. Luckily this episode marked the introduction of Matt Bomer as Luc, a new crime scene photographer who works in the morgue building. Just from their interactions on the first day, it’s clear there’s a potential love interest there, so the ending scene with the dramatic slow motion and music paying as Tru passes him and Harrison mentions that her man is out there was overkill. Regardless, it was a fun dynamic to watch play out and then be erased by the rewound day. It only ups the interest for a future meeting.
Additional Comments:
– I have yet to mention how much I enjoy that the series has a theme theme song and opening credits. While the lyrics are a little to spot on, they do give you a quick roundup of the series’ concept and the visuals are interesting enough. If only the actor’s names matched up with their images.
– The quick flashes while Tru replaces the alcohol were completely unnecessary. She already explained what she needed to do and it was nothing complicated enough to require and additional explanation a few minutes down the line.
– Something somewhat more necessary but equally as bothersome are the instances in which Tru explains things out loud to herself. It’s an easy way to fill the audience in on her thoughts without voice over, but it’s awkward and unnatural.
– Unfortunately, the awkward shots of Tru running have made another appearance.
– “I took a semester of psych back in high school. It’s always about someone’s mother.” – Harrison
– Davis, always keeping things grounded.
Davis: Can I ask you a question?
Tru: Sure Davis. Anything.
Davis: Does this lab coat make me look portly?
Episode 5, “Haunted”
Originally aired: December 4, 2003
“Haunted” was a mediocre and still entertaining episode. The truth behind how the victim died this week was fascinating, but the characters that Tru found herself involved with were not threatening or interesting outside of that one fatal instance. Unlike prior episodes, this one contained a distinct tone of angst that made it appear as if the writers were catering solely to the younger, college-aged generation that was focused on in “Haunted.” While I’m sure that was a significant portion of the audience when the show was on the air, it isolates an older, equally as important segment of the audience. Despite a timeless motivation for the victim, the tone causes this episode to not hold up quite as well as other episodes.
Watching “Haunted” back-to-back with “Past Tense” made it originally appear as if there were diverse groups of victims and suspects that Tru encounters over the course of the series, but upon further examination, it really has not been that way. Last episode, the victims were men in their thirties. This episode, a female med student. Before that, all of the victims have been in their twenties or thirties, and upstanding, approachable individuals. Tru needs to be asked for help by someone outside of this small cluster of people for it to feel less unspontaneous and to give her different obstacles to convince these people to help her.
After allowing Tru to seem comfortable in her job at the morgue for a few episodes, “Haunted” tried to drum up some drama and give her hope that she could escape the life she’s in by following the path she originally wanted. The beginning of the episode included Davis giving Tru a brief line of advice to consider whether or not she believes that she belongs there. It’s a seemingly harmless line that obviously sets up a much larger choice. By now, it’s kind of no surprise that Tru’s day is going to rewind at some point, so showing her take her MCAT soon after this line sets up the decision she’s going to have to face: med school or saving lives. To make matters way too conveniently worse, she is asked for help by a med student. It was an attempt at showing Tru’s struggle to accept her fate that was neither necessary nor smooth.
The victim and her friends took an inventive and “TV cool” (as in, not cool in the real world) approach to unlocking repressed memories in their amateur lab by dying and coming back to life. Since the episode was hinting at drug use being the culprit, this was an unexpected and more complicated cause of death. The rest of the episode felt like it followed a formula in order to be “good” and functional, but this piece of the puzzle was creative and original.
The episode contained a few turns along the way, including Tru realizing her work was not completed once she saved the victim the first time. That’s something we haven’t seen before on the series, so it added a touch of freshness. The only problem with this was that it was Tru’s well-timed MCAT that helped her solve the case. Having the subplot influence the main story is an effective method of storytelling, but one that often comes across as too contrived, as it did here. And of course, Tru didn’t get everything she wanted (she had to walk out of the MCAT) because where’s the fun in that. But what makes this episode stand out was the very end. After Tru explained overly clearly that the theme of the episode was understanding, she was presented the opportunity to understand more about herself, courtesy of Davis, who knows more than you think he knows. That was a solid cliffhanger and an exciting way to move into the next episode.
Additional Comments:
– It was especially noticeable in this episode that some of the comments that Tru makes under her breath are a way of her speaking to the audience without breaking the fourth wall.
– Tru receiving her mom’s autopsy record was a promise of answers that unfortunately didn’t pan out in this episode. Was Davis’ line the first day about the clerk being off on vacation a bad lie or a lousy excuse from the writers?
– It’s worth noting that there were a few brief appearances by Luc (Matt Bomer) in this episode, but nothing of too much substance yet.
– Harrison and Lindsay were their usual selves. No surprise.
– So this is where Kutner (Kal Penn) received his doctor’s degree before becoming part of House’s team.
