I have a simple question: Do the writers know how to make effective character development? And the simple answer is no. Once again, a huge issue is resolved in one episode after a very brief development. While the acting was good this episode, mostly by Eddie McClintock, it appears that the writers have no long term plans for anything. They have no clue how to make a character arc and this episode confirmed it.
Since the pilot, we've known Myka has a huge problem dealing with the fact that her partner died partially because of her or at least her thinks so. Until this episode, it has largely been ignored. The artifact of the week takes place in a prison where suicides are happening. Joe Morton of Eureka is the big guest star this week, but like all the other guests stars and more so this week, he played a useless role and did not have any impact on the outcome. It turns out the prisoners are having visions of dead people due to quartz in the prison and committing suicide The the ninth time, this conclusion came from an unfounded leap in reasoning, but that's expected in this series.
Myka is seeing her dead partner Sam and Pete is seeing his father, the firefighter who died after Pete got a vibe. The quartz somehow makes people want to kill themselves. There is also a tropical storm coming in, so Myka and Pete can't leave and it enhances the effect of artifacts. Earlier in the episode, we saw Myka struggling over the report of the shooting that resulted in Sam's death. Pete helps Myka deal with it, convincing her that it wasn't her fault. They hug and all is well. Later, Myka throws the report in a fire without reading it and smiles.
So the psychological problem on Myka introduced in the pilot comes down to a vision and Pete talking. In the pilot, I was expecting this be an ongoing problem. There wasn't any big confrontation of it until now, and it got resolved instantly. Her guilt over Sam's death was so insignificant that she had no physical reaction to a mental problem. You'd expect some hesitation on her part or trepidation, but there was neither. From the instant Artie-Myka reconciliation in episode 8 to the instant trust between Myka and Pete, I have no clue how the writers will continue to make these characters interesting.
There is a sidestory that was of little consequence. Claudia puts on a magnetic lab coat to change a light bulb and gets stuck really high in the Warehouse with metallic objects being attracted to her. In the end, Artie saves her, and Claudia laughs it off as being fun. Later Artie forces her to copy lines on a blackboard, but it's not a big deal. Has Claudia learned her lesson? No, she just learned how to have more fun.
Score: 8.2/10 (shit, I messed up the score earlier)
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