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 reviews of season one, season two, and season three.

During Medium's fourth season, the 2007 Writer's Guild Association strike occurred and resulted in a shortened season--sixteen episodes. While not a full season, season four is still very entertaining and continues to offer a solid combination of mystery, drama, and excitement. The season picks up with the aftermath of the season three events. Allison's life is in upheaval, as her special talent was revealed to the public. She is banned from helping the DA's office. Devalos was strong-armed out of his position. Scanlon is on shaky ground and stuck giving inspirational talks to grade schools -- he has no way to help Allison.

Unfortunately, while the powers-that-be ignore and outcast Allison as a reliable source of information on tough cases, her dreams do not stop. In the season four premiere "And Then...", Allison dreams about a young boy who was kidnapped from a toy store. She tries to help the police locate the boy, but Scanlon is afraid to use Allison as a resource and Devalos doesn't have the power. The situation changes when the boy's family employs Ameri-Tips' help. Allison forms a relationship with private investigator Cynthia Keener (Anjelica Huston), becoming her silent partner with all of the right answers. Slowly, Allison is back in the game and able to put her talents to good use from behind the scenes.

As the season continues, there are a lot of strong developments that include Scanlon tries to get his job back that produce some interesting episodes like "Aftertaste" and "Lady Killer", Joe looks for a new job and requires Allison's help to impress a potential employer in "To Have And To Hold", Bridgette has a couple storylines that continue to highlight her growing abilities, and Allison's relationship with Cynthia is developed further, which gets pretty intense in the two-part episode "Wicked Game".

Overall, season four is very entertaining. I really enjoyed how it transitioned from season three. The show has always had a good emphasis on Allison as a person and not just a medium. However, season four gets better with some serious issues on the home front that include dealing with her teenage daughter (and her manifesting powers), an unemployed husband, and dealing with the politics of working with the public image of being a psychic. In addition, the regular cast and guest star Huston make for solid characters. In the end, Medium's fourth season continues to be exciting with strong characters, solid developments, and all-around good episodes. It is a must for fans.

Episode Guide

1. And Then: Allison loses her job after her psychic abilities are revealed to the public, but then meets a tough female investigator. A jobless Joe looks for work.
2. But For The Grace Of God: As daughter Ariel dreams of Allison's teen years, Allison is hired by investigator Cynthia Keener to help find a missing teenage girl.
3. To Have And To Hold: After Joe and Allison attend a party at a prospective employer's house, Allison is asked to help find the man's soon-to-be-married missing daughter.
4. Do You Hear What I Hear: Just as Allison temporarily loses her hearing, Cynthia Keener negotiates for a wealthy couple after their young deaf daughter is kidnapped.
5. Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble: A defense attorney who was Allison's longtime nemesis asks her to consult for him. But later Allison dreams that his client is guilty of murder.
6. Aftertaste: Manuel Devalos tries to regain his old job, but Allison has visions of his strongest supporter involved in a conspiracy. And Bridgette has dreams of a creditor.
7. Burn Baby Burn (Part 1): Joe's mother pays a surprise visit - and has a secret for Allison. Devalos and Lee Scanlon are now on opposite sides of an arson-related murder.
8. Burn Baby Burn (Part 2): Allison's visions of a deadly dentist seem to link the arson-murder case with Ariel's prediction of the death of a classmate's mother.
9. Wicked Game (Part 1): While working to locate a missing girl, Allison dreams about Cynthia Keener's own missing daughter. Bridgette's science project inspires Joe to invent.
10. Wicked Game (Part 2): As Allison and Cynthia investigate the kidnapping of Cynthia's daughter, Bridgette is convinced she can help find the money for her father's new invention.
11. Lady Killer: Allison dreams of an older seductress who attracts and then murders young men. Later, she becomes disturbed by a contributor at a fundraiser for Devalos.
12. Partners In Crime: While an attractive venture capitalist shows interest in Joe's invention, Allison is asked to work with a legendary FBI profiler, who she suspects of murder.
13. A Cure For What Ails You: A woman dies after taking a popular pain reliever, but Allison's dreams indicate that her husband poisoned her. Joe frets over not having health insurance.
14. Car Trouble: After Allison's old car dies, Joe surprises her with a new one that appears to be haunted. Allison finally meets Meghan Doyle, Joe's new business partner.
15. Being Joey Carmichael: While trying to help Scanlon locate a charming killer, Allison dreams of the killer's twin brother. Joe's business partner jeopardizes their relationship.
16. Drowned World: As Joe tries to dissolve his business partnership, Allison is hired to determine if a house is haunted. Meanwhile, Devalos receives unexpected news about his career.

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 English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo track. 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:

• Deleted Scenes: are included for episodes "And Then", "To Have And To Hold", "Do You Hear What I Hear", "Aftertaste", "Wicked Game (Part 1)", "Wicked Game (Part 2)", "Partners In Crime", "Car Trouble", and "Drowned World". The deleted scenes have optional audio commentary with Glenn Gordon Caron and Larry Teng.
• Joe's Crayon Dream (6:22): is a making of featurette for Joe's special dream sequence, where he got the creative inspiration for a new invention. The featurette begins with discussion about the concept and proceeds with details of how the dream sequence was put to life.
• Introducing Cynthia Keener (9:05): is a featurette highlighting Anjelica Huston and her role on Medium as a reoccurring character Cynthia Keener, private investigator. The featurette includes cast and crew discussing her character, plotlines, and involvement with Allison.
• The Making of Medium Season 4 (21:38): is a behind the scenes look at the making of season four. The featurette includes discussion from cast and crew. They talk about key plot details from season 3 to season 4, character developments, major storylines, and more.
• Gag Reel (7:12): is a montage of clips of the cast acting goofy and messing up their lines.

Final Thoughts:
Like many other television series, Medium's fourth season was cut short due to the 2007 Writers' Guild Strike. While a short season, season four has several great developments in store for Allison, her family, and associates. She works some grisly cases despite being banned by the DA's office. These turn of events, coupled with her home life, make the season very entertaining. Fans will definitely not want to miss out on it.