No Ordinary Family Review: The Beast Within
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What a weird episode. "No Ordinary Animal" was full of action and a good deal of suspense, but it was peppered with so many irksome moments, it was almost hard to enjoy.
Almost.
I'll start off first with a gripe that really could be directed at the majority of shows on any network these days. Why they feel it necessary to set up a cliffhanger and then make the reveal in the preview which immediately follows I will never know. It's beyond irksome; it's flat out annoying and I wish they'd just stop it.
Although, since the next episode is airing on Saturday, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea in this instance. It's not like many folks will tune in on the weekend to find out what happens.
Is it just me, or are the Powells getting mighty reckless with their secret? Fortunately, though, they appear to live in a town where people are completely oblivious to anything going around them... even at a crime scene. Stephanie darted into the house right in front of an entire crowd of people and no one saw her abruptly leave and then return? Unbelievable.
Something else that bothered me was how Stephanie could let her guard down and approach a vicious killer - one who just sprouted fangs and the sharpest set of brass knuckles I've ever seen, mind you - just because he appeared to have made a sudden change of heart. She is a compassionate doctor, sure, but that was just ridiculously naive and felt a bit too out of character for her. Have some common sense for goodness' sake.
I did, though, enjoy the number of Stephanie's slow-mo sequences. In fact, an entire episode of her just running, hair flowing in the background, would be completely fine by me.
Speaking of common sense, what a dumb move by Daphne to go off with a perfect stranger like that. If someone you've never met comes to tell you your mother has been attacked and you don't even have time to walk fifty feet to let your boyfriend know, wouldn't that seem like a good time to, I don't know, read his mind to see if he's legit? That didn't exactly sit well with me, either, because Daphne has read minds for a lot less than that.
Of course, no one can really rescue themselves on this show, so it was up to Jim to save Daphne yet again. The fight sequence between him and Lucas was rather impressive, except for one point: when they collided mid-air and fell to the ground with Jim atop Lucas. Lucas didn't even wince. So he's got feral abilities, does that mean he's unbreakable, too? That's just pushing the already far-fetched boundaries a little too far out of my comfort zone.
My favorite scene of the episode was Katie trying to describe Lucas to Jim and using Wolverine, Hulk and Tony Stark in her descriptions, all while George was jealously smack-talking her from behind. If I haven't made it clear before, I heart Katie Andrews. I especially loved her reaction to having "powers," but I assume by the revelation she's pregnant with Joshua's child that it was actually the child's abilities being manifest through her? I'm not exactly sure how that is supposed to work, but it did make for some amusing moments.
I'm uncertain if I can really boast about this, because I suppose it was a bit predictable, but I called it in my last review that the equations King was having J.J. work out via Mr. Litchfield are to make permanent the abilities fostered by King's serum. Not really patting myself on the back for that one; perhaps just a mild tapping.
All in all, it was a fun episode, despite my groaning. But enough about what I thought. Who do you think is faster: The Flash, Superman or Stephanie Powell? Discuss now!
Jeffrey Kirkpatrick is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.