Touch Review: Who Hears You?
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Touch comes back after the pilot with its second episode "1+1=3" and that equation almost explains how I feel about this show: Both intrigued by the concept and weary from trying to keep up with its execution.
I enjoy Kiefer Sutherland's portrayal of a tired but dedicated father but I wish we got to see more scenes between Martin and Jake. The connection between father and son, despite the obstacles is the strength of Touch.
It took me a while to see Clea's point about bringing Jake back to the group home. He has a loving father. Why take him away, even for a short period of time? But if Jake continues to escape from schools, Martin needs to show he's doing everything possible for his son and that includes being evaluated at a live-in facility recommended by social services. The evaluation may give him feedback he doesn't have plus it continues to make him look like a concerned father to authorities who are already watching.
Speaking of Jake's ability to escape. What's up with that? He's practically a little Houdini. Does he pick locks? Walk through walls? Or is he just super observant and spies the flaws in security that most people miss? Clea only turns her back for a moment and he's gone. Right now, his ability seems almost mystical.
But that's one of the joys of this show. It marries the numbers with an almost spiritual faith. For 11 years no one has heard Jake's voice. Now his father hears something more powerful: Jake's spirit. He believes in his son.
As for all of the connections that Jake's numbers lead to, some of those stories left me with more questions than answers. Like, why is Pavel's father sending him a dog? Don't they have puppies in Moscow?
And shouldn't the kids in Pavel's class be nicer to him if they think his daddy is the Russian equivalent of Tony Soprano? Seems to me you would want Pavel as a friend, not an enemy.
Did the peanut vender really have to sue to keep that home run ball? Probably. It's a sad world when a fan can't keep a baseball they catch during a game without a law suit pending.
The weakness of the show is all of the leaps of faith it expects its audience to take. I'm good with the flight attendant running into the man with his father's ashes and that Martin is the connection between Becca and her ailing father. But the dog running onto the bridge at the exact moment dad tries to commit suicide? Or that the phone call from Pavel is enough to change his father's mobster ways? There are some leaps in this story that are just too unbelievable.
I get that they want to show that Jake's numbers have far reaching consequences. We are all connected no matter where we are in the world but I do wish they would limit the connections by a story or two. Trying to follow all of the jumps can take Touch from entertaining, to almost daunting to keep up with.
However, as Arthur tells Martin in one of the Touch quotes from this episode...
Sense. Is that what you're looking for? Sense? | permalink
Yes. But I suppose suspending my need for logical explanations and embracing the nuances of the story will make Touch a more enjoyable ride.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.