Holy frak this episode is steamy! Too bad it is somewhat lacking in other areas, but hey - there's nothing wrong with that! We can have "restless" episodes like this every once in a while. The standout sequence is between Michelle Williams and Joe Flanigan, even if it does not lead to Pacey-like illegal results - although, at 16, Jen would be *legal* in Finland and some other countries. Rather disturbingly, there was once this article on a UK "lad magazine" that included a map of about almost all countries in the world and the age of consent in said countries. But I digress. Nothing *really* special happens here and the tone shifts almost from scene to scene, which, while arguably realistic, also makes the episode an uneven (in both senses of the word) 7/10 one. Although there is one really good *major* reveal, which is better left unspoiled.
*Technically* Meredith Monroe, Kerr Smith, Monica Keena and Leann Hunley are *all* "Special Guest Stars", though it has become obvious that the first two are going to stay. How did the show-runners justify *four* "Special" guest stars? How special *can* they be if there are four of them? Again, Monica Keena is served with the least to chew, which, in hindsight, is a shame. Meredith Monroe, on the other hand, is given a scene to shine in and she excels, no doubt making an impression on both the show-runners and the viewers. One wonders, had they been cast the other way around, how would it have affected the show and their careers? Yes, Abby's role was cast way earlier, but if the Many Worlds Hypothesis holds true, maybe there is a parallel Earth where the roles *were* cast the other way around. Now if I only had that cool window that allows to see to the parallel Earth in that show where Joshua Jackson plays the son of said window's inventor...
*Technically* Meredith Monroe, Kerr Smith, Monica Keena and Leann Hunley are *all* "Special Guest Stars", though it has become obvious that the first two are going to stay. How did the show-runners justify *four* "Special" guest stars? How special *can* they be if there are four of them? Again, Monica Keena is served with the least to chew, which, in hindsight, is a shame. Meredith Monroe, on the other hand, is given a scene to shine in and she excels, no doubt making an impression on both the show-runners and the viewers. One wonders, had they been cast the other way around, how would it have affected the show and their careers? Yes, Abby's role was cast way earlier, but if the Many Worlds Hypothesis holds true, maybe there is a parallel Earth where the roles *were* cast the other way around. Now if I only had that cool window that allows to see to the parallel Earth in that show where Joshua Jackson plays the son of said window's inventor...