S01.E08: Reborn

[formerlyfreedom]

When a grieving mother claims she's found the reincarnation of her dead son in one of Carolyn's patients, a young piano prodigy, the lines between Carolyn's proof investigations and professional life begin to blur.

 

 

[Kromm]

Okay so the mystery flower lady is a Grim Reaper.

 

Guess that one shouldn't have been that hard to figure out, but I didn't connect the dots until now.  Clearly some people who come back alive get... an option... or something like that.  And she implies she's one of many, with the whole "they" thing she said.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Kromm

[possibilities]

Grieving mom going bonkers was a bit disappointing to me. Millions of people all over the world believe in reincarnation without being mentally unbalanced. They could have just let her be a kind person doing a good deed for the other family, out of a hopeful kindness that it would somehow lay to rest her son's unfinished business and relieve her of the sadness over his death.

 

I'd like to see the show deal with something other than a white xtian perspective, and bring the issue out of the "crazy people" territory and into something a little more respected. You can suspend judgment and keep an open mind, even if you don't want to adopt and fully endorse a point of view. Casting the topic into the "scary weirdo" category isn't any more scientific than just going along with whatever story any random stranger offers.

 

They have the intern who occasionally briefly mentions what people think where he comes from, but he's no more than a token, by the way the treat him.

Edited August 5, 2015 by possibilities

[molshoop]

You must have been reading my mind Possibilities.  You just posted what I came here to write. ( TV Soul Mates?)

I keep deciding not to watch anymore and then tune in hoping the next episode will improve.

[Texasmom1970]

This episode was okay. I know he cheated but I like Bealls, ex husband. I know I have seen the woman who played the grieving mother playing crazy on another show. Guess it's her strong suit.

[andromeda331]

Grieving mom going bonkers was a bit disappointing to me. Millions of people all over the world believe in reincarnation without being mentally unbalanced.

 

 

It disappointed me too. I guess they lied when they said it would explore different beliefs.

I thought it would be interesting for them to explore reincarnation. What did that mean

for Matthew's mom and Kyle's mom? For Kyle. Would or should she get to see the kid

or not? Even have Ivan or Ian (I can't remember his name) explore the idea he might die

and come back as someone else. That would be really interesting.

[sinkwriter]

I'm enjoying Caroline's relationship with her ex. It's complicated and they both still care, but the death of their son (and her ex's infidelity) created a wall that they just can't seem to get through right now. I like watching the journey. I'm curious where the showrunners plan to take their relationship -- back together, or amicably apart.

 

I'm also glad to see Callum Blue in a role again. I've missed him since Dead Like Me; he was so good on that!

[l star]

Grieving mom going bonkers was a bit disappointing to me. Millions of people all over the world believe in reincarnation without being mentally unbalanced. They could have just let her be a kind person doing a good deed for the other family, out of a hopeful kindness that it would somehow lay to rest her son's unfinished business and relieve her of the sadness over his death.

I don't think it was a crazy lady situation really. I think she was overly invested while also recognizing that her viewpoint would likely not be commonly appreciated there. That kind of necessitated secrecy can mess with anyone's balance towards a situation. Then Carolyn's mix of belief and skepticism fed her surety in a way that she didn't need in an already high stress situation. So I don't think she was shown as the grieving psycho dumping her crazy on that poor family. She definitely went over the line but not alone- she and Carolyn went over it together, feeding off each other.

 

They were also very clear that it was reincarnation. Surprisingly they didn't show any outs there IMO. They told us the proof they were looking for then they stacked it up for the audience to see. And the reason Carolyn lied to the mother wasn't because she was crazy or even overly attached. It was because Carolyn didn't want to deal with her. That was right before she told Zed that she was out. She wanted to put the whole case behind her as soon as possible and that was the quickest, easiest way.

 

I liked the way they handled her (predictably brief) decision to quit the research. She is beginning to wonder and believe. That is in her head and changing her views. I get why she would see that as taking away from her skills as a doctor. This was just more evidence supporting the view that she's always had which is that belief in this sort of thing has no place alongside serious medical thought.

 

I really liked the scene when she told the other mother about her son's death. It was like for just a minute, she let herself let go. Then she quickly realized she had gone too far and jumped back again.

 

I was surprised Turing paying the medical bills never came up. That seemed like the easiest answer so even if the mother paying for it made more storyline sense, it surprised me when Carolyn's first reaction wasn't 'don't do anything, I can take care of her bills'. Though maybe the Turing Sister would have objected. For the first time I really liked Janel in that scene with her. I liked how firmly and unequivocally she stood up for herself with the sister. I really don't have any positive or interesting reaction to the sister yet though. I still think she should have been his ex-wife.

 

The little boy's interview was adorable. Every time he went 'I don know' I smiled too. He didn't have that coddled vibe TV kids frequently do, and almost always with prodigies.

I'm enjoying Caroline's relationship with her ex. It's complicated and they both still care, but the death of their son (and her ex's infidelity) created a wall that they just can't seem to get through right now. I like watching the journey. I'm curious where the showrunners plan to take their relationship -- back together, or amicably apart.

I honestly keep waiting for her to jump him. I can't see them actually getting back together anytime soon because her head isn't there yet but every ep I end up surprised that they haven't had sex yet. He's hot, right there telling her he wants her, and she is obviously thinking about it. I like their vibe a lot.

 

Though really Jennifer Beals has that spark with everyone. I love watching Carolyn with Ivan. I almost always think their interactions are the most interesting. I also think that's why Carolyn softened so much so fast. JB is charismatic as hell but she's not a top actress. So keeping Carolyn unlikeable would have been difficult. She can still be a bitch but I think showing a lot more charm and personality is more comfortable for Beals and the character is better if the writers support that.

[DXD526]

In the scene with the three of them having a conversation in the car, I found it weird that the car kept being shown from the outside. Usually that's an indication that something is about to happen, like an accident. I didn't think they'd go there; what with the history with Carolyn's son, it would have been kind of a cheap plot device, and fortunately, they didn't. Then during the commercial break... look at that, it's the same car! Now it makes sense. TNT sure does love its product placement. On Rizzoli & Isles it's been written into the script a couple of times. 

[alias1]

I thought the episode itself was pretty good.  I didn't think Kyle's mother was over the top in her reaction.  She had no idea what happened previously between the other mother and Dr. Tyler and I didn't blame her for freaking out right then, especially with the other lady calling her son Matthew several times.  Where they really lost me is with the woman in the green scarf.  oooohhh, it's so mysterious.  "They" told me I shouldn't be talking to you (or something like that). It was also ridiculous how she was waiting for Caroline in the dark.  Now it's in nonsense territory for me.   

[Andromeda]

In the scene with the three of them having a conversation in the car, I found it weird that the car kept being shown from the outside. Usually that's an indication that something is about to happen, like an accident. I didn't think they'd go there; what with the history with Carolyn's son, it would have been kind of a cheap plot device, and fortunately, they didn't. Then during the commercial break... look at that, it's the same car! Now it makes sense. TNT sure does love its product placement. On Rizzoli & Isles it's been written into the script a couple of times. 

Heh. You think that's bad, try watching Hawaii Five-O sometime. Some segments look like car commercials, then there was this egregious "ad" for Subway!

 

I didn't like the green scarf lady threatening her, either. Seemed hokey, like the doctor is on the verge of some huge revelation that will shake the foundation of the universe. Seemed really hyped and dumb -- from the perspective of someone who watches a lot of supernatural shows.

 

Also didn't like the short shrift that reincarnation got. This show was so promising, but it just dances around the edges, and when the doctor gets close, she backs off. Really irritating. What kind of scientist does that?

[DXD526]

Is that an actual "Hawaii Five-O" clip? Wow. That's literally a 50-second commercial. Shameless. It makes this car thing look subtle. How old is that clip, anyway? I wouldn't think they'd want to be bringing up Jared these days.