No Ordinary Family: Season 1, Episode 12 “No Ordinary Brother” (C-)
Having a troublesome sibling stop by a series isn’t something terribly uncommon, and the effectiveness of it as a storyline can vary. In this case, Mike Powell’s appearance doesn’t do much to help enliven the show, and his presence only serves to reinforce the bigger problems on the show. It’s not all bad, of course, and especially for those who like the show and are frustrated each week with my reviews, I’ll try to highlight some of the positive aspects. Daphne’s new role as a member of the peer disciplinary board makes sense, and it’s certainly a good use of her powers, though I’m a bit perplexed as to why she felt the need to get the kid suspended when his brother was clearly trying to defend him (not a flaw of the show). Rebecca Mader is definitely a great addition to the show, and the revelation that she’s a shape shifter is cool. The Watcher really needs to stop before so forthcoming about his plans and feelings regarding Katie since she’s going to be the one who gets hurt by all of it. JJ’s betting powers are absolutely useful, but it felt incredibly convenient that an injury would just happen to happen at the very moment where they needed to win big most. Most importantly, I don’t feel that Mike’s presence has helped any of his family members grow at all, and I don’t feel it’s necessary for us to see him again on the show. He may have upped the stakes momentarily, but now everything’s back to normal.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
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2 comments:
Ok, now I see why you're sticking around. I think Mike Powell was supposed to be just a one-time stop, but that may be hard if he already knows about the fmily's powers. I liked a lot of the interactions between him and Jim though, especially that final goodbye where Jim was having trouble measuring his own strength when hugging him and then giving him a friendly punch. I appreciate this kind of humor. I also really like what they're doing with Daphne, and I think with the injury at the track the show wanted to discourage gambling at all costs (even if it is helpful to have JJ in the tracks).
I do admit that it's a very flawed show, Abe, and it's not even in my Top Ten shows currently on air (my list of those is on my Facebook account) but I come back every week because I enjoy these characters and I like the bond they all have.
I appreciate your weekly comments, Richter. I had high hopes for this show and I don't think it's strayed far enough away from them for me to give up yet. I like watching TV, I like reviewing TV, and I like the original concept of this show, so I'll probably be sticking with it for a while.
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