What I’m Watching: The Finder

The Finder: Season 1, Episode 12 “Voodoo Undo” (B)

I’m really not so keen on shows like this and like “Psych,” which creatively position their protagonists to possess seemingly superhuman abilities that are really just enhanced cleverness tackling actual supernatural phenomena since the results tend to be less than conclusive, since there’s really no magic going on at all. Fortunately, this show’s characters are entertaining enough that even a subpar hour is an enjoyable one, and it’s fun to see how they deal with the notion of voodoo, something entirely off-putting to me, mainly because its implications are often creepy and never good. Isabel killing someone was a good jumping-off point for the question of the lesser of multiple evils, which pervaded the entire episode. Willa’s participation was useful since she knew which witches to talk to and is capable of thinking in a simpler way than Walter and his supercomputer-inclined brain. Isabel, Leo, and Willa showing up each time Walter got shot or started bleeding to unenthusiastically greet him was fun, and these dynamics are truly terrific. Walter stepping in to be the masseur for Xavier’s ex-wife resulted in a great invocation of Walter’s nickname, able to find all the right spots. Nestor Serrano was quite over-the-top as Xavier the voodooed gangster, and his crew was rather hapless. One associate, however, was decently intimidating, and Leo managed to make an enemy of him by showing him up and knocking him out. Something tells me that the Ice Pick will be back again soon to wreak havoc on the peace and tranquility at the Ends of the Earth.