What I’m Watching: No Ordinary Family

No Ordinary Family: Season 1, Episode 19 “No Ordinary Future” (D+)

I wasn’t paying close enough attention and almost missed this special Saturday episode altogether. Of course that bit of alliteration is an oxymoron in itself, since Saturday night is never a show you want to host any type of programming, especially the second-to-last installment of a sure-to-be-cancelled show. Both of the stars even have pilots in second position, so I can’t imagine this show living on past its first season finale next week. There are considerable problems with this show that are still extraordinarily evident in this episode, pertaining to nearly all aspects of the plot. Set-up wise, the murder of Cordero isn’t a bad kick-off, but to suddenly position Jim and George as his best friends upon his death is just lazy. Even if Jim didn’t mind him as much once he realized that Jim saved his life, they still didn’t have anything close to a genuine friendship. Casting Raphael Sbarge as his ally on the force is, at least for a TV viewer who pays attention, far too obvious: he always ends up playing a bad guy, no matter what the role. This show is far too caught up with trying to explain everything away with babble-science, and JJ delineating an algorithm on how his mother runs into the future, which conveniently also makes her run into walls and cars, is entirely unnecessary and detracts from this show’s credibility. The return of Victoria is rather uncalled for, especially if she isn’t going to kill the doctor and doesn’t want to kill Katie, going back to the original problem this show has: no stakes. Chris not remembering anything about his relationship with Daphne after she fries his brain is a relief since he’s a worthless character, and she’s better off doing other things. Presumably, the final episode of this show will actually air, though I can’t imagine it’s going to wrap things up in anything close to a satisfying manner.