Review - Medium: Penny for Your Thoughts

You know what they say about a penny saved . . .

In the Medium episode entitled Penny for Your Thoughts, Allison finds herself dreaming of a crime in which a doctor brutally molests and murders his teenage patient. Only problem is that this crime took place 15 years ago. So why is Allison dreaming about this now? She realizes when she is looking through the crime folder in the D.A.’s office that there was only one perpetrator in the file, but in her dream there was two. Also, the girl who was murdered 15 years ago was not the same girl from her dream.

Turns out that Allison is dreaming about a new victim. Apparently the doctor that committed the crime 15 years ago is locked up in an insane asylum 4 hours from her home. Being that he is the only one out of her dreams that is approachable, Allison makes the trek to see him. This leaves hubby, Joe, none too thrilled as he has to become the Mommy-express and shuttle the kids around as well as meet with Ariel’s math teacher. He definitely lets Allison know about his unhappiness in having to do this.

While meeting with the good doctor, Allison finds that he is really possessed by a murderous doctor from long ago who preyed on young women and was ultimately lynched by some townspeople. It seems that he has spent his years since the lynching gaining entry into the minds of doctors and future doctors who have a touch of the gift that Allison possesses. He then uses them to carry on his deviant behavior from beyond.

Allison is convinced that her dreams are of the next victim of this interloper and she is right, to an extent. As the day before the one in her dream unfolds, Detective Scanlon is called off to a crime scene of a doctor who has murdered and dissected one of his young female patients. Allison is shattered as she believes she has gotten everything wrong and it was all for naught. It wasn’t even the same girl from her dreams that was murdered.

Joe comes to her rescue by pointing out that she still has some good to do because she can talk to the doctor who is now spending his life in they asylum thinking that he is either insane or evil. Joe suggest that she explain what she knows to the second victim of the crime 15 years ago. Allison takes him up on this and goes to visit the doctor one last time to explain what happened to him.

After she is done with her explanation, she notices the mother from her dreams being led away from the visiting room in the psychiatric ward. All of a sudden it hits her, Alicia from her dreams is not the next young victim of the interloper’s scalpel, but she is the next doctor he plans to take over. Allison finds Alicia and sure enough, she is confronted by the evil doctor. But she promises him that she will be there everyday to guide Alicia through this and let her know she is not crazy. Finally she convinces the evil doctor to move on to another victim because he cannot have Alicia.

This episode was creepy. The evil doctor with the English accent just puts it over the top. Not to mention his doctor victims speaking in the same accent to let you know it is him. The side story with Ariel and her math teacher was just a glimpse into the fact that the girls also have a portion of their mother’s gifts. If I were Allison, I might be worried that the evil doctor might have been talking about one of my own kids when he said he is watching several others now to take over. Maybe we’ll see him again someday?

Directed by
Jeff Bleckner (episode 1.03 "Couple of Choices, A")
Glenn Gordon Caron (episode 1.01 "Pilot")
Duane Clark (episode 1.11 "I Married a Mind Reader") (episode 1.14 "In the Rough")
Eric Laneuville (episode 1.10 "Other Side of the Tracks, The")
Aaron Lipstadt (episode 1.05 "In Sickness and Adultery") (episode 1.15 "Penny for Your Thoughts") (episode 1.16 "When Push Comes to Shove: Part 1") (episode 2.01 "When Push Comes to Shove: Part 2")
Artie Mandelberg (episode 1.04 "Night of the Wolf") (episode 1.07 "Jump Start")
Robert Duncan McNeill (episode 2.09 "Still Life")
Vince Misiano (episode 1.02 "Suspicions and Certainties") (episode 1.06 "Coming Soon") (episode 2.02 "Song Remains the Same, The")
Bill L. Norton (episode 1.09 "Coded") (episode 1.12 "Priest, a Doctor and a Medium Walk into an Execution Chamber, A")
Ronald L. Schwary (episode 1.13 "Being Mrs. O'Leary's Cow")
Peter Werner (episode 1.08 "Lucky")

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Angeli writer (episode 1.03 "Couple of Choices, A") (episode 1.05 "In Sickness and Adultery")
Glenn Gordon Caron creator
Glenn Gordon Caron writer (episode 1.01 "Pilot") (episode 1.02 "Suspicions and Certainties") (episode 1.03 "Couple of Choices, A") (episode 2.01 "When Push Comes to Shove: Part 2")
Moira Dekker writer (episode 1.06 "Coming Soon") (episode 1.09 "Coded") (episode 1.15 "Penny for Your Thoughts") (as Moira Kirland)
Chris Dingess writer (episode 1.10 "Other Side of the Tracks, The") (episode 1.12 "Priest, a Doctor and a Medium Walk into an Execution Chamber, A") (episode 1.16 "When Push Comes to Shove: Part 1")
René Echevarria writer (episode 1.04 "Night of the Wolf") (episode 1.11 "I Married a Mind Reader") (episode 1.14 "In the Rough")
David Folwell writer (episode 1.08 "Lucky")
Melinda Hsu writer (episode 1.07 "Jump Start") (episode 1.13 "Being Mrs. O'Leary's Cow")
Bruce Miller writer (episode 2.02 "Song Remains the Same, The")

Cast (in credits order)
Patricia Arquette .... Allison Dubois
Miguel Sandoval .... D.A. Manuel Devalos
Sofia Vassilieva .... Ariel Dubois
Maria Lark .... Bridgette Dubois
Jake Weber .... Joe Dubois
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Troy Blendell .... Elliott

Regular guests:
David Cubitt .... Detective Lee Scanlon / Det. Lee Scanlon (13 episodes)
Tina DiJoseph .... Lynn DiNovi - Mayor's Liaison / The Mayor's Liaison / ... (8 episodes)
Kendahl King .... Devalos' Assistant / Devalos's Assistant / ... (8 episodes)
Seth T. Walker .... Detective / Forensic Tech (5 episodes)
Conor O'Farrell .... Larry Watt (4 episodes)