There are very few shows in existence that actually kill off main characters. Sure, Grey’s Anatomy does it, but you generally hear rumblings of contract disputes months in advance, so when George gets hit by a bus and dies, it’s not actually a giant surprise. Because it’s such a rare occurrence, the stakes are generally low when a main character’s life is in peril on a primetime show. However, I totally bought Medium this week — and I spent much of the episode wondering if Lee actually was going to die.
Last week’s episode set up Lee’s downward spiral really well, so I could totally see this culminating in his murder in a dirty rest stop (no word on how many “not thumbs” it was rated). Since Lee’s brother is evidently raping people from the beyond, why can’t he plan a murder? Ghosts are assholes, after all.
Plus, Lee left his body! And he talked to his dead brother! That totally means he’s dead, right? Actually, that was the point where I kind of thought he was going to survive. I feel as though if Lee were actually dead, he would be way more pissed about his situation instead of finishing his brother’s sentences and whatnot.
But here’s my nitpick of the week: I don’t demand high degrees of medical accuracy in my television; especially shows that aren’t medically-based. however, the paramedic scene was so annoying. If Lee’s heart was still beating, he would have still been bleeding from his gunshot wound, instead of peacefully lying in a congealed pool of blood. I did, however, kind of adore the paramedic leisurely and ineffectually putting her stethoscope randomly on Lee’s chest while ignoring the gaping bullet wound in his gut.
The whole thing was so distracting that I had a difficult time focusing on the whole, “wait, did they just totally kill off Lee?” thing. In the end though, it all worked out. Lee survived, the sheriff died, and Lee and Allison are back to being besties again. I guess a shot to the gut is enough to make Allison forget that Lee threatened an abused woman and her child last week.
Of course, I can’t blame Allison for being a little off this week: Ariel is going off to Dartmouth, after all; that can’t be easy. Although, I will say that I was a little surprised to see Joe and Allison freaking out so little compared to Bridgette and Marie. I loved this little B-story, because Bridgette just about broke my heart when she laid it out for Ariel: they barely talk and they aren’t close any more. It was such a great performance by all three of the actresses that really reminds me of why this show has survived as long as it has: the excellent family dynamic.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on Oct 17, 2010 @ 08:46 EST5EDT
