The Second Season

Medium is a television series based upon Allison DuBois. DuBois is a psychic, a medium, who has the ability to communicate with the dead. She has used her paranormal abilities to assist law enforcement agencies and legal bodies to put bad guys in jail, and even on death row. This television series, which first aired in 2005, is based upon DuBois' life, portrayed by Patricia Arquette, and focuses on her interaction with the local police department and district attorney's office in Phoenix, Arizona. For more details about this series, refer to DVD Talk's review of season one.

This review was my first experience with the series. To say the least, I started off season two with excitement, yet at the same time it was difficult to get into. Season two begins with the conclusion to the season one cliffhanger; obviously, having not seen it, I was a tad bit confused about what was going on. However, following that episode, I quickly started to understand what the show is like, who the characters are, and what to expect in a given episode. After the first few episodes, I was hooked and glad I finally had a chance to see this show.

One of the show's strongest features is the imperfection of DuBois as person and her abilities. She has dreams that can foresee the future and speaks to the dead, both of which can be misleading. DuBois is human and sometimes she follows her visions incorrectly and the consequences can be catastrophic, or at least appear that way. Following her, as she (and everyone around her) tries to understand what the dreams/conversations mean is a great aspect of what makes this show so intriguing.

Another great aspect about the show is the writing. Each episode is strong with storylines that are always full of mystery and never fail to be engaging. As previously mentioned, this relates to Allison's inability to always fully comprehend her vivid dreams and/or conversations with the deceased. The show has an uncanny way of driving a story down one path, but revealing an entirely different one as it comes to a close. In addition, how the paranormal aspects are tied in is done superbly. These aspects are not over-the-top or unbelievable.

The show's acting is also something worth mentioning, because the characters fit their roles well. In particular, Arquette is great as a crime fighter/medium/spouse/mother. She gives her character an overtaxed energy that makes her character feel human, despite having an unrealistic gift. The situations she also repeatedly goes through are dark and sometimes overpowering, but nonetheless handle well by the leading actresses.

As for strong season two episodes, there are many. One of my favorites was "Still Life", which is provided in both 2-D and 3-D (two 3-D glasses are included with the set to view the episode in 3-D). The story begins with Allison looking at a painting, which triggers a vision and reoccurring dreams. She dreams about a woman who was murdered. She believes the artist who made the painting is responsible, but the murder occurred when he was a baby. The story has a lot of a mystery and is a great example of what the rest of the season has to offer. It does not fail to keep one's interest.

The remaining twenty-some episodes also prove to be entertaining (with the exception of the season two premiere, which will be best for those who have seen the season one finale). There are episodes with murderous apparitions from beyond the grave who still try to kill, psychics on the defense's side, all-around dark characters with a passion of death, and more.

Overall, Medium is a strong drama with a lot of mystery and little spookiness. The season two episodes are all quite strong with one great episode after the other. It is great in that it makes you think while keeping your interest.

Episode Guide

1. When Push Comes To Shove Part 2: With Captain Push in a coma, Allison is visited by the ghost of his father, who offers clues in the search for the serial killer. Joe sees a shrink in order to deal with his wife's job.
2. The Song Remains The Same: A song that Allison literally cannot get out of her head leads her to search for a missing co-ed. And Allison and her daughter Bridget both have the same dream...about their plane crashing.
3. Time Out Of Mind: Her dream that she is a psychiatric patient from the 1950s becomes all too real when Allison views vintage film footage of a woman who calls herself...Allison DuBois.
4. Light Sleeper: While Allison's recent bout of sleepwalking may leave her tired and her bank account empty, it also provides valuable clues in a kidnapping case.
5. Sweet Dreams: A recurrent dream of her high-school friend who disappeared seems to be connected to the case Allison is working on with Detective Scanlon--the disappearance of a councilman's daughter.
6. Dead Aim: Not only is Allison dreaming about a massacre at the D.A.'s office, she comes to find out that a defendant's attorney is also using a psychic...and winning the case against her boss.
7. Judge, Jury & Executioner: The D.A. is prosecuting a charismatic man who may have murdered his wife for her millions, but Allison can't discuss the case with Joe. He's serving on the jury!
8. Too Close To Call: If the crime in Allison's dream actually occurs, it could have a disastrous effect on the outcome of Devalos's re-election bid. Meanwhile, Joe runs into an old girlfriend who needs his help.
9a. Still Life 2-D: While Allison looks at an artist's paintings, her visions regarding the death of a murder victim spring to life. The ghost of Joe's father appears to Allison with career advice for his son.
9b. Still Life 3-D: The same episode as "Still Life 2-D", except it was made to watch with 3-D glasses (two are included in the set.)
10. The Reckoning: Ariel tells fortunes for fun at a slumber party, but gets scared when it looks like one of her friends may die. And a woman haunted by guilt is causing Allison to dream about a hit-and-run accident.
11. Method To His Madness: Allison takes on certain characteristics of a psychotic murderer. But even after he dies, he stays in her head, frightening Joe and the girls.

12. Doctor's Orders: The ghost of the serial killer Dr. Walker is back in Allison's life. And now it looks like he is after her daughter Ariel!
13. Raising Cain: A little boy is kidnapped and left for dead. But when new evidence points towards his mother, Allison wonders if the woman was trying to stop her son from committing evil acts in the future.
14. A Changed Man: When Allison gets a minor concussion and has an MRI, she meets a man who may have murdered a missing girl. But then he introduces Allison to her, and not only is she alive...she's his wife!
15. Sweet Child O' Mine: After dreaming about her miscarried child, Allison develops maternal feelings for a teenage boy who is accused of murder. Joe worries about letting Bridget keep a stray dog.
16. Allison Wonderland: After she helps her boss find the brother of a close friend, Allison has visions of his death and needs Joe's help to decode his messages. Bridget appears to be communicating with a dead author.
17. Lucky In Love: Allison is surprised hen her brother Michael shows up in Phoenix and gets romantically involved with a young woman who needs his help to settle a score.
18. S.O.S.: After Joe finds the body of a dead girl during family outing, Allison decides it's time to explain to Bridget and Ariel what it is she does for a living.
19. Knowing Her: Scanlon is forced to come clean to Allison about his past when three drug mules are found murdered and Allison's visions connect him to their deaths.
20. The Darkness Is Light Enough: Allison dreams of a blind woman whose apartment is repeatedly broken into by a faceless man. Meanwhile, Joe feels threatened by a young colleague at work.
21. Death Takes A Policy: While investigating the accidental death of a doctor, the Angel of Death begins appearing to Allison, who then becomes cornered about her own morality.
22. Twice Upon A Time: A murder trial has a strange effect on Allison. She reams of a life without Joe and the girls, working as a powerful attorney and married to her childhood sweetheart.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in an enhanced anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are some occasional moments when the picture suffers compression artifacts. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen.

Audio:
The audio in this release is given in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound. There is also an additional track in dubbed Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. Overall, the sound quality is very good, providing an audible and clean audio track. The 5.1 track sounds great, with the majority of activity in the forward channels. Music and sound effects sound very rich and vibrant.

Extras:
When you are finished with the season two, there are several audio commentaries and featurettes to experience.

• Audio Commentaries: are included for episodes "Time Out Of Mind" with Glenn Gordon Caron, Jessica Kender, and Robert Doherty, "Too Close To Call" with Rene Echevarria and Miguel Sandoval, "Still Life " with Glenn Gordon Caron and Ronald L. Schwary, and "Doctor's Orders" with Rene Echevarria and Mark A. Sheppard.
• The Story of Medium, Season 2 (26:36): stars Patricia Arquette, Madison Carabello, Miranda Carabello, Glenn Gordon Caron, Deborah Cass, David Cubitt, Rob Doherty, Kelsey Grammer, Rene Echeverria, Melinda Hsu, Ken Kelsch, Jessica Kender, Moira Kirland, Maria Lark, David Paymer, Pierre-Hugues Routhier, Diane Salzberg, Miguel Sandoval, Ken Schefler, Craig Schoenfeld, Ron Schwary, Laurie Siedman, Steve Stark, Larry Teng, Sofia Vassilieva, and Jake Weber. They talk about season two--the plotlines, change of pace from season one, and so on.
• Medium In Another Dimension (9:24): stars Patricia Arquette and many others (similar to the first featurette). The topic of discussion is the "Still Life" episode and putting together the 3-D episode from a variety of different aspects, production, filming, properties, effects, etc.
• A Day In The Life Of The DuBois Daughters (16:12): stars Patricia Arquette and many others (similar to the first featurette). The content focuses on the two girls who play the DuBois daughters. The featurette consists of interviews with cast and crew, as well as behind the scenes footage with the girls.
• The Museum of Television & Radio Q&A With Cast And Creative Team (6:07): is an excerpt from the salute to Medium held at the Directors Guild of America. The event was part of the Museum of Television & Radio's 23rd Annual William s. Paley Television Festival.
• Gag Reel (5:24): is your average bloopers reel with a few funny moments and a decent chance to see the usually serious and dramatic cast in a different light.

Final Thoughts:
Medium is a show that is new to me. While I have heard of it prior to this review, I just haven't had the chance to sit down and watch it. With this review, I had the opportunity to see the second season. After a few episodes, I was hooked and found that there is a lot to like about it, from characters to acting performances to writing. However, it is the writing and the general flow of the stories that really gives this mystery-drama an edge. In the end, this show is one that you will really want to get into.