TV REVIEW Medium 4.06 "Aftertaste"

Original US air date: 3/3/2008

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Written by: Craig Sweeny

Directed by: Miguel Sandoval

Rating:

In Dreams: A senator appears to be having an old friend for lunch... literally.

The One Where: A senator who aims to help Devalos become DA again has a shady past.

Verdict: Kicking off with one of the show’s most macabre dreams yet (a man feasting on his own legs), “Aftertaste” moves swiftly from black humour to a complex, thought-provoking exploration of the nature of good and evil, with
a very surprising and controversial ending. It’s almost an inversion of that old chestnut, “What if you could travel back in time and kill Hitler as a baby to prevent his evil...?”. Here we explore the morality of condemning someone for murder, even if that murder is for the greater good. In usual Medium style, the show dramatises this dilemma with style and subtlety. The episode also features some frankly unnerving sound effects of people eating – it’s enough to put you off your dinner.

Trivia: Check out who directed this one – DA Devalos himself!

Did You Spot? Scanlon says of LaRoche, “Seeing as he was 59”, but the date of birth on LaRoche’s driving licence is 1945, making him 62.

Highlight: Garrity rationalising Allison’s powers: “People like the word ‘intuitive’... To me it describes someone who might use unconventional techniques – in your case, someone who might make leaps in logic that might elude other investigators. Occasionally, one of those leaps in logic might come to you in a dream. Is that a pretty fair description of what you do?” No wonder he’s a politician.

Best Line:
Allison: "A hubba from the hubba... that’s good."

Dave Golder

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