Kyle XY – The plots grow up and so does Josh

by Debbie McDuffee

(Season 3, Episode 1 – “It Happened One Night” – Season Premiere)

At the end of last season, I was considering dropping Kyle XY from my list of shows. I was disappointed with the lack of conspiracy and intrigue and the increase of the “ABC Afterschool Special” storylines. I was hopeful that we’d see something a little darker from Kyle this season, after reading Isabelle’s spoilers from Matt Dallas’s live chat.

After seeing the season three premiere, it turns out Matt knew what he was talking about (well, duh). This was one serious kick-it-up-a-notch for Kyle XY, to a place I was longing for them to go. They’ve set us up for a powerful season, with a more intricate conspiracy, superhero-like abilities for Kyle and Jessi, and the light family humor we’ve always loved about Kyle XY.

Shortly after Amanda disappears at the end of the prom, Kyle gets zapped and ‘napped himself. When he wakes, he’s strapped to a table. This is where it gets good: Kyle mind-throws himself a scalpel (catches the third one) and shows us leaps, hovers, and jumps worthy of Superman in his escape. They really threw us right into the action.

In fact, the entire episode was fast-paced and fun, when I really found some of last season’s episodes to drag a bit. With Kyle and Jessi fighting the Latnok guys in a very grown-up fighting scene and Kyle diving in front of a bullet so that Amanda and Jessi can get away, we’ve got a very different feel to Kyle XY so far.

I love that even though Jessi wants to help, they are still keeping her character dark — rolling her eyes when Kyle listens for Amanda’s heartbeat, choking the Latnok guy for information after Kyle separates from her, and making Sarah leave without her. Let’s keep Jessi angry; it makes a nice contrast to Kyle and good TV, of course.

So now here’s another spot where they really take the conspiracy to a new level. Previously, the “plants” worked with Stephen and were slightly removed from the everyday lives of the characters. Now, we’ve got Mark working for Latnok — and you know he’ll end up dating Lori — and Cassidy living in Jessi’s building (or at least doing his laundry there). That is going to make things more tense, I hope.

Oh, and the fact that Latnok kidnapped Amanda just to see how Kyle would perform under pressure, and the fact that she’s got some sort of implant in her now which will hopefully put her in some danger, will also hike up the tension.

Some other superhero powers we saw Kyle use:

Enhanced vision.
Whatever he did to the door to break it (was that freezing?)
Used his mind to pop the lights out (though I don’t think this is the first time we’ve seen this).

And how about the humor?

Lori referred to Kyle and Amanda as “the dimple twins;” glad to see she’s not losing her cynicism.
When his dad asked him if anything exciting happened at the prom (meaning, did he and Andy have sex), Josh retorted: “If you’re asking about the candy bar you gave me, don’t worry, it’s still in the wrapper.” – Josh
Drunk Declan giving Josh sex advice was delightfully awkward.
When Kyle told his family that Amanda had disappeared and Nicole wanted to call the police, Lori mocked how that conversation might go: “H1? 911? My adopted son, you know, the one with no belly button, I think his prom date was abducted.”
Stephen triying to leave the room when he saw Amanda’s mother was there? Priceless.

And the classic Kyle campiness:

Josh and Andy played video games instead of having sex after the prom (though it seems as though they did seal the deal).
Kyle looked for Amanda at her house and floated up to her second story window.
Amanda thought she fell asleep at the after-party and had the greatest night of her life. At the prom where she was abducted and held hostage? C’mon!
Declan’s and Hillary’s romp in the tub and the kissing, with the predictable scene with Lori catching them.
Jessi and Kyle drew an intricate map of the area on the floor with pieces of drywall, and heard the train sounds on the text message and finds Amanda. But of course!

My one complaint — and it really is very minor — is that Kyle’s voiceovers are so stilted and lame. I think they could really drop these at this point and not have anyone too upset by this. After all, this is an age where the voice-over competition is steep, what with Dexter and Burn Notice giving us brilliant, witty voice-overs every episode.

How did you feel about the season three premiere of Kyle XY?