LITTLE ROCK — When Medium debuted in 2005, skeptical viewers wondered how long NBC could sustain a show that centered on a psychic mom/ wife/crimesolver.
They needn't have wondered.
Medium's third season, now out on DVD (Paramount Home Video, $61.99), more than adequately sustained the momentum of the previous seasons by revealing more about secondary characters' personal lives and putting lead characters into situations that made them question their identity, sense of self and place in their worlds.
Patricia Arquette, who portrays psychic Allison Dubois (based on real-life psychic Allison Dubois), proves with every episode the brilliance of casting her in the role.Allison, who could have been portrayed with self-importance or as an ethereal kook, comes alive as a devoted mother of three girls and a wife to Joe (Jake Weber), a rocket scientist.
Weber is perfect in the role of the husband who loves his wife but sometimes wishes she'd keep her psychic visions to herself. In Season 3, the actor goes beyond playing the supportive husband and devoted father when his character experiences violence firsthand. Joe's ordeal as a hostage in a bloody standoff shows him the reality of the world in which Allison walks every day - and at night, in her dreams.
Also in this season, Allison faces the nightmare of being outed as a psychic by an unscrupulous reporter, a revelation that the public greets with scorn and disbelief. The unmasking also causes the ouster of district attorney Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) and trouble at work for police detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt), plus makes Allison's children vulnerable to ridicule by their peers.
The six-disc set explores the acting challenges of the third season, as well as reveals the mechanics of a realistic car crash featured in "Be Kind, Rewind" and building a doll-house version of the set for "Very Merry Maggie." Of interest to graphic artists will be the extra detailing the creation of a cartoonfor the season opener, in which middle daughter Bridgette (Maria Lark) dreams of horrifying crimes. In her dreams, the crimes are committed by a band of monkeys; simultaneously, Allison dreams the real version of the same crimes.
Other features are commentaries by Sandoval about the "Whatever Possessed Me" episode and by David Arquette (Patricia's brother) about his stint as guest director. David Arquette directed an episode in which Allison must deal with her fictional brother's inability to accept that he's also psychic.
There is an obligatory gag reel, which isn't funny but does illustrate the congeniality of the cast and others involved in the show. The DVD set also contains a few deleted scenes that are notable for not being notable.
The only complaint about this set is that there are no subtitles, in English or any other language. One of the pleasures in watching DVDs of favorite shows is the opportunity to read dialogue so that not a word is missed or misunderstood.
Style, Pages 63 on 10/28/2007