What I’m Watching: No Ordinary Family

No Ordinary Family: Season 1, Episode 16 “No Ordinary Proposal” (C+)

I’m happy to report that this episode is considerably better than many of those that came before it, because we finally have a few serious moments and some real stakes! The specific storyline in this episode isn’t entirely terrific, but I’m much more pleased with its resolution. This family unit became more believable than ever before as Jim raced to the defense of his daughter and nearly killed Joshua. Katie got the more intense line, however, as she told him to leave the hurting of Joshua to her. It makes sense that Katie’s relationship with this former murderer and villain was never going to work, though it’s a shame because Joshua is a good guy now and could really be an asset to the Powell family. They definitely could use some help, especially considering the fact that they have multiple threats facing them, including JJ’s teacher, who has proven himself to be even dumber than he initially seemed by serving as a hapless pawn for Dr. King. It’s nice that Daphne helped out her boyfriend just like JJ did with his semi-girlfriend last week, and giving her some reliable happiness is fine. The revelation that Jim’s ricocheted bullet actually saved someone’s life rather than ruining it is pretty corny and sentimental, but given that this show has always been lighter than other shows with this kind of theme, it’s not a problem. In fact, I’ll admit that this episode actually did a good job of balancing the comedy, the light drama, and the actual serious drama involving Jim protecting his family.