Round Two: No Ordinary Family

No Ordinary Family: Season 1, Episode 2 “No Ordinary Marriage” (B+)

I started this episode out with more positive feelings than I left it with, but I’d still like to posit that it was an effective second installment and that it demonstrates that the show should work. What I initially dismissed but eventually found bothersome was the constant bashing of the parenting by both Jim and Stephanie, and the way that both are so mercilessly bullied by the other parents. I though that a snarky line like “I keep my phone on, in case my kids needs to reach me,” as delivered by one of the other mothers, was funny and was the kind of dialogue that isn’t meant to be taken too literally, rather in keeping with the show’s somewhat campy sensibilities. By the end of the episode, however, it becomes a bit too much, and I think it’s not quite necessary to help its heroes become what they can be with their new abilities. The way that JJ’s teacher speaks to him so rudely and condescendingly also seems harsh, but I’m sure he’ll eventually have his revenge on the obnoxious professor. The continuing mystery of the source and meaning of the powers is interesting, and I’m enjoying both parents’ pursuit to learn how to best safely use their abilities to do the most good. Jim’s decision to actually tell someone besides George was a bit surprising, though sadly it appears that she’s now dead and his confession will have been in vain. It also seems like Stephen Collins’ Dr. King is truly evil and behind pretty much everything related to our new super-family, and while it may seem corny right now, I think that it will work well in establishing a mega-villain for the Powell family to eventually have to take down. We’ll have to wait until episode three to see if this show can really deliver and sustain itself.