S04.E04: Lost and Found

[Tabbyclaw]

A string of impossible kidnappings have the town in a panic, and it falls to Nathan and Dwight to find the children before they fall victim to the elements. Duke helps Jennifer learn to hear the voices from The Barn in hopes of finding Audrey.

 

[Elsinore]

One of my favourites of the fourth season.

 

It balances everything nicely, from the Duke/Jennifer stuff to the creepy children and last but not least, Audrey coming home.

 

Also, first episode of the season where Nathan seems to snap out of this daze that he was in in the first three episodes.

[BlueJay81]

Didn't find the children creepy at all, the costumes were horrible and so was the acting. The scenes with Duke and Jennifer and the yoga felt like they needed to fill in some time. Nathan was annoying with the pressure he was putting on Jennifer. The Barn scenes were a bit repetitive but at least Lexie was finally out of the barn.

Liked when Jordan zapped Dave though. Like Jordan's pro activeness

She could have been a much more nuanced character if they hadn't just turned her into the stereotypical woman scorned.

Only enjoyed the last few minutes of this episode.

Edited August 31, 2014 by BlueJay81

[Elsinore]

I actually could have watched an entire episode of Duke and Jennifer attempt yoga and do drinking games.

 

They really could have promised Emma Lahana the moon to stay another season :(

[Tabbyclaw]

The beauty of Duke and Jennifer aside, there's not a lot about this episode that makes it worth a second watch for me. My opinion on child-focused episodes has already been entered into the record, and these were some exceptionally bad children. And the parents were pretty dismal as well. I think a big part of me checked out of the A-plot when the first mother was so insistent that a four-year-old couldn't possibly have built that furniture tower. And okay, using the play kitchen pie server as a screwdriver to open a vent and crawl into it is a stretch, but I actively avoid kids and even I could tell you that a toddler's entire purpose in life is to find new and exciting ways to get to places they're not supposed to be.

 

But man, was all the other stuff harrowing the first time around. All that horrible, wonderful suspense building up to the last line, and I knew that line was coming, but still I had my face pretty much pressed up against the screen for the last ten minutes of the episode and it left my heart a greasy smear on the floor. That face that Duke's making in the last scene, where he's seeing this terrible thing unfolding and just desperately wants someone to stop it? That's the face I'm pretty sure I was making, and I live for the episodes that make me make that face.

[Elsinore]

For me, it was opposite.

 

I liked the plotline and the Ring Around The Rosies creepiness of it all.

 

Then they made that last scene so goddamn solemn I snort loudly every time. I forgot that this episode also kick starts the "I am not going to kill you" endless conga line.

 

I think a stack made out of plastic toy chairs and teddy bears would be quite unstable. Also noisy.

[Shanna Marie]

Yeah, I do volunteer work with preschoolers and kindergarteners, and their rules for life seem to involve stacking up anything that will stack and then climbing on top of anything that can be climbed. It's a mission statement. That pile of toys looked exactly like what you get if you turn your back for five minutes. The only reason they don't get away with more is that they also have a bad case of "Hey, watch me!" so they get caught when they brag about what they're doing while they're doing it.

 

However, I really like this episode. In fact, I'm enjoying this season upon rewatching far more than I did in the first place. I think the first time around, there was that whole "change is scary" thing going on and wondering when/if we'd get Audrey back, and there was a lot of fan negativity. But I've been really surprised by how much I've enjoyed each episode. I like Duke playing Nathan Whisperer and knowing how to deal with him even when he's in crazy mode. Dwight and Nathan make a good partnership team, though Nathan's reversing roles. He's taken on the "On a Mission!" Trouble Whisperer role Audrey used to play, and it's interesting seeing the normally shy guy who doesn't think he's good at talking or dealing with people and especially not talking to people having to make the emotional connections to reach them. Meanwhile, Dwight is taking on a lot of Nathan's usual role in being the voice of procedure and reason, though in police work he still seems to specialize in keeping the peace while Nathan's the real investigator.

 

Jennifer finding her zen in playing quarters rather than in all of Duke's New Age and yoga stuff was fun.

 

Also, first episode of the season where Nathan seems to snap out of this daze that he was in in the first three episodes.

I think they did a good job in showing his gradual return to himself. He's no longer dressing like a homeless person. He's starting to look a little more like his old self (though still without the waistcoat and tie look, alas). His hair is more neatly cut. And he's even carrying himself differently. In the first couple of episodes, he's a lot more slouchy, kind of hunched over. I think having clothes that actually fit makes him look less scrawny. In the first couple of episodes, his clothes swallowed him. It's like he's starting to come back to life and remember his purpose.