The 4400 – Season 4, Episode 5 – “Try the Pie”

Yes!  Yes!  Yes!  We’re back!  I knew it!  Finally, The 4400 is back on track with a very good episode.  This is the first time I’ve felt suspense while watching this program all season!  Let’s break down the elements that made “Try the Pie” the best episode so far this summer:

1. Tom– The show only works for me when Tom is at the center.  He is the only person who is truly connected to each and every character and can move seamlessly through them.  He is the show’s true hero and, most importantly for viewers at home, he is not P positive (as they are now calling those who have Promicin-induced abilities), and isn’t always clear about what’s going on.  To borrow a tv studies term, Tom is our “textual surrogate,” the person we are supposed to identify with and whose journey represents what our journey might be like were we in his shoes.  I think the show fails miserably when Tom is not involved and his being the focal point of this week’s episode was crucial in its success.

2. Tom/Kyle — I find the strained relationship between these two to be quite interesting and I wish the show delved into it a bit more deeply.  throughout all 4 seasons, it has always been the same: Tom loves Kyle and wants to protect him and be with him at all costs, and while Kyle loves Tom, he has his own 4400-related life to lead and just can’t help but break his father’s heart every fortnight or so.  It’s a very sad pairing and I wish the show spent more time exploring this f-ed up duo.  (SPOILER ALERT)- The end of the episode, where Tom tells Diana to include Kyle in the list of Collier’s followers whom NTAC should hunt, should have been a huge emotional moment.  After years of risking his job and life to protect his only son, Tom has finally given up and chosen his sense of duty over his sense of family.  He loves Kyle, but not enough to take the Promicin and compromise his beliefs.  This is a drastic character-changing moment, and yet it was given very little weight.  I would’ve like to see this betrayal/rift/separation/whatever you want to call it given the attention and emphasis that such a monumental change deserves.

3. Jordan Collier — He’s back!  Finally!  And I love that after all this time, his inner goodness is still so frickin ambiguous.  I want to root for Collier and his men to succeed, but I just can’t because something about him still reeks of bad intentions and evil plots.  I can’t forget the smooth-talking, master schemer that Collier was in the first 2 seasons, and even though he looks more like Jesus, he acts as much like the devil in disguise as he always has.  I don’t know why, but I just can’t trust him.  At least not yet.  We’ll have to wait and see if my gut is right and Collier turns out to be more sinister than he is letting on at the moment.  In the meantime, I’m content with watching Isabelle and Collier interact, for if anything brings out the evil in Collier, its her presence.  I wonder how this will work out…

4. Evanston– Everyone who wants to move to Evanston, say ay!  That place is awesome!  A dude who makes fire with his hands?  A pie that gives you a shared consciousness with everyone in the town?  A chick who helps you crap out your inner anxieties into a smooth green rock?  Awesome.   Where do I sign up?  Plus, when they all banded together around Tom and you thought he was going to take Promicin?  I haven’t been that tense during an episode for ages.  Feels so good…

5. Shawn/Maia/Heather– A new bad guy!  Politician Gabriel Hewitt is, according to Maia’s visions, the next coming of Hitler if he is allowed to continue his political ascension.  Shawn now has a new mission– to beat this douche.  While nothing much happened, it was nice to see Maia involved again, as well as Heather, who I’m guessing is a future love interest for Shawn.  You can quote me on that when they hook it up in the near future.  Believe that.

6. Marco– Does anybody get shit on worse than this guy?  Diana and Tom make him do every favor under the sun, and how do they repay him?  By treating him like dirt.  I would love for Marco to become a bad guy or to take Promicin and join the cause.  LOVE.  Scott Peters, do you hear me?

7. Meghan Doyle– …was not in this episode.  Nice.

And in future news- How dope were Those Scenes???  10 agents from the future who come to stop the 4400?!  Yes!  We’re moving forward!  I knew it!  Huzzah!

Also, some BIG NEWS–I recently learned from a 100% reliable insider source that everyone’s favorite telekinetic and former 4400 regular Richard Tyler, (Maherhash…. Ali, who I’m told goes just by Ali) will be back for 2 episodes later on this season.  Can I get a booyah?

All in all, a great return to form for the series.  Not quite the glory of previous seasons yet, but we are certainly taking the right steps forward.  I give this episode a  high B.

Seen it yet?  What did you think?  Let me know!!!