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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: October 6, 2009 Distributor: Paramount Cast: · Patricia Arquette · Jake Weber · Miguel Sandoval · David Cubitt · Sofia Vasillieva Related Sites: · IMDb: Medium Grade: B+

Having gone through multiple shake-ups involving scheduling changes, peculiar hiatuses, mid-season start dates and threats of cancellation, Medium has fought its way through to an unlikely sixth season, flipping from NBC to CBS (a rarity for network television series), where there will hopefully be some consistency in airing. The reason for the show's loyal fan-base cannot simply be attributed to reasonably crafted week-to-week procedurals, much like the many other obnoxious, and creatively retarded, crime investigation shows. Rather, Medium steps up the game by offering a believable family dynamic that grows from week-to-week. The characters and their struggles are believable—aside from the whole psychic visions thing—and the pseudo-feminist template gives the series that edge for educated older women to grasp onto.

You see, it’s not a mistake that Allison Dubois (Patricia Arquette) is a working mother, solving crimes with a bunch of men through unorthodox means; the implication here is of gentle defiance within the solipsistic and psychotically patriarchal construct of legalities and judicial precedent. In earlier seasons, D.A. Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) and Detective Scanlon (David Cubitt) struggled to take Allison’s dreams and visions seriously, given how ludicrous anything outside of their specific worldview seemed. As the seasons have progressed, the boys club has gradually come to embrace—albeit reluctantly—a different point of view and mode of problem resolution.

Things in season five start out relatively low key, with Joe Dubois (Jake Weber) managing a business for the first time, and Allison working her psychic dream thing with increased public awareness. Ariel (Sofia Vassilieva) is 16 now and thinking more of boys and adulthood, eventually having some flirtations and getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time, while Bridget (Maria Lark) does her own grubby lesbian shtick.

Episodically, there is a flow to season five that keeps us engaged from episode-to-episode, as concerns over Joe’s job and Allison’s well-being flow through the season instead of wrapping up at the end of each week. The crimes, on the other hand, tend to be resolved in each episode, given the necessity of hiring guest stars for single episodes. Surprisingly enough, the series continues to deliver engaging mysteries, such as one involving a log cabin slaughter and a kidnapping case that brings back Anjelica Huston for a guest appearance. Allison even explores the corporate life in a brilliant 3-part satire “How to Make a Killing in Business”.

What was perhaps the most intriguing aspect of season five involved religious perception of Allison’s ability, as a Man of God sought to kill the mother-of-three for having “demonic” visions. It’s surprising that this hasn’t come up before, as her interference with fatalistic, religious theory, essentially disproves God, if we boil things down to their simplest fate vs. free will argument. While the show plays the issue carefully, realizing the large portion of churchgoers watching each week, they demonstrate an awareness of the ideological implications involved.

Included with the 5-disc DVD box set are a handful of special features that are surprisingly comical. On the serious side, we have a “From script to screen” supplement, which describes the process of getting a teleplay planned, conceptualized and executed. There is also a brief featurette, wherein Maria Lark interviews various writers, actors and producers, making jokes about firings and cancellations.

In addition, a “Making of Season Five” special feature provides some context on the decisions made throughout the year, while a “Q & A with Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber” reveals a sassy, smart, irreverent and hilarious Arquette and a playful Jake Weber. There is nothing pretentious about their little discussion, as we learn about Arquette’s experience with directing, her feelings on celebrities as fashion icons, her boobs and her teeth.