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Well the Powell kids are far more tolerable this week, and there is no annoying narration, but some shine is off George (I'll hit that in the weecap), and there wasn't much progress on the new-bilities front, so all in all, No Ordinary Family is holding its own. It retains its likability, pacing and energy, but I'm hoping to see some more depth within the few weeks.
Here's the skinny: Cherry Pie doesn't mention her virginity once this week, so we'll just call her Daphne. She reads JJ's mind and -- whoa -- it's no longer a black hole. After JJ aces some math tests, his teacher accuses him of cheating. JJ doesn't want to tell his parents about his new-bility, because he finally feels like they're proud of him. When the teacher tells Jim that JJ is cheating, Jim doesn't know what to think, because he knows his kid is truthful, but he's suddenly doing post-grad level work. Super-genius doesn't occur to dear old dad. Poor JJ.
Jim and Stephanie promise each other they won't use their powers until they learn more and determine them safe, but Stephanie breaks her promise by zooming to Arizona, in order to get a water sample of the phosphorescent phlebotinum that was sent to the wrong lab. And later, she encourages Jim to break his promise, in order to save George, who is taken hostage during another bank robbery. Detective Yvonne Cho sees Jim leave the scene and confronts him at home. He demonstrates his new-bilities, but Yvonne insists he must stop playing vigilante. Jim warns her -- with a surfeit of foreshadowing -- about the super-powered bad guys running around town and all but begs her to let him help, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.
SCIENCE proves the phosphorescent phlebotinum is just naturally occurring phosphorescent phlebotinum, so Stephanie and Katie decide it can't be responsible for the Powells' powers. I can't help but wonder if wonder-plant Trilsetum Coronis is to blame. At any rate, Stephanie tells Jim that whatever has caused it, she's going to work at a way of curing them all, whether he likes it or not. Across town, Yvonne is shot at home by The Watcher -- Dr. RevCam King's super-powered minion, who calls RevCam after the hit and reports, "It's done." Have they really killed her off this quickly, or is she going to turn out to be a superhero, too? I suspect she's dead, but only time will tell.
I'll be back tomorrow with the full weecap. In the meantime, join the discussion in our show thread.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!The Powell family's new super-powers are nothing if not wish-fulfillment. Now super-strong, Papa Jim used to feel impotent (not sexually, you pervs). Previously harried and hurried, Mama Stephanie has become super-fast. Learning disabled son JJ? He's turned into a super-genius. The Most Blessed Virgin Daughter, a.k.a. Our Maiden of the Hymen, a.k.a. Cherry Pie, a.k.a. Daphne the jealous and insecure -- has become telepathic. This week, since she barely whines and doesn't once mention her sexual status, I'll be good and call her by name, but fair warning, Show: I am not above breaking out the Virgin of Nuremberg, if you drive me to it. Anyhow, in the pilot, the powers were a boon to every Powell but Daphne, who learned her best friend and boyfriend were hooking up behind her back, and was otherwise tormented by all the non-stop thoughts of everyone around her. This week, her parents and brother join Daphne's struggle to adapt to their new-bilities. NOF maintains the quality introduced in the pilot, which is good, but it fails to build much upon it, which is not so good. But since this is only the second week, let's give NOF some time. I mean, what are we -- FOX? Now come on, let's get to it. Here we go. Up, up and awaaaay.
Jim Powell makes a rough jump landing atop one building, but thanks to his inability to feather it out, he skids like an out-of-control half-ton truck on black ice, and ends up on the roof of the . Sidekick George tells him they have to work on that in the future, since George can't be filling in Jim-sized divots all over the city, which -- what? C'mon, don't make awesome George into a dummy, Show. Jim's er... skid marks were not one of the things pestering my mind. But now they are pestering my mind. Don't get me wrong. I'm not pestered by the fact that Jim's jumps have caused road damage that needs to be repaired. I live in New England, birthplace of the pothole. Oh no. I'm pestered by the fact that an A.D.A. can repair roads -- and stealthily, at that (and now, I'm also pestered by my overuse of pester). Anyhow, George is in the Lair With Wifi, directing George to the scene of the current crime-in-progress. The cops are still 3 minutes away, so Jim takes a flying leap and lands in alley near the target-bank, right smack-dab in front of the black get-away van. What's this? He's facing down the van. And? He's failing. SPLAT. Better luck time, Jim. Our cartoon-flat superhero-in-training may not have been able to stop the getaway van, but he did get a good look at the suspect's face.
Powell Pad: As Stephanie zooms around the kitchen, Daphne wears her earbuds to drown out the thoughts of everyone around her. Meanwhile, JJ is doing magical math homework. When Jim returns, Stephanie asks him for help opening the mayo, so of course he busts open the jar. Don't worry, Jim. I bet Stephanie can clean that up in a jiffy. At any rate, the Powells congratulate JJ on his A grade on a recent math test, which he explains by saying, "Something just clicked." Indeed. Once the kids leave for school, Jim notes that he can't remember the last time Stephanie wasn't the first one out the door in the morning. She doesn't take this as criticism, but rather -- a challenge. "Too bad you already took your shower. I was going to ask you to join me." When she hustles off to the bathroom, Jim follows, saying, "Well, I might not be as fast as you are, but there are still some things I'll make time for," giving new meaning to the word "quickie."
Steph's Work: Steph tells Katie that with the extra time, she and Jim even found a few moments to themselves. Katie says the powers are amazing. "Now you're telling me about your morning delight..." The TMI is mercifully interrupted by bossman Dr. RevCam King, who is waiting outside Steph's lab. He wants to discuss her work on wonder plant Trilsetum Coronis. Steph promises to catch him up, tomorrow.
Once the ladies are alone, Katie has a list of questions about the new-bilities. Has it altered their genetic makeup? Will it be hereditary? How long will it last? Where and how did it originate? Steph says they need a water sample from the crash site so they can test the phosphorescent phlebotinum. Katie's already arranged it and a sample is currently winging their way. "It's okay. You can say it. 'Best sidekick ever'." Stephanie doesn't, but I sure will. Katie, you are the best sidekick ever.
School:
Daphne is overwhelmed by the sound of her classmates' thoughts. Her iPod helps some, but it's all very upsetting. My husband and I agree we'd hate that super-power. My daughter isn't sure we're right, because she's young and hasn't yet learned how badly people suck. Meanwhile, in math, JJ is greeted with another A on a test. His teacher is a suspicious, which is understandable, and a dick, which is not. We'll be calling him Professor Dick.Precinct: Some jerk cop mocks Jim's artistry because he's a sketch artist. He'll be Detective Dick (no relation to the professor). I think we're supposed to appreciate that this sort of taunting now bothers Jim less than it would have before he could leap tall buildings in a single bound, but it just makes me think the show is trying too hard to show how hard Jim's had it all these years. Thankfully, Jim ignores it as best he can and then brings a sketch of the bank robber to Detective Yvonne Cho. When Jim claims the sketch is based on a description from an anon, Cho won't use it. Finally, Jim admits he witnessed the robbery. Yvonne: "You've been at a lot of crime scenes lately, pal." Jim: "Just trying to do my part."
Powell Pad: When she arrives at home, Stephanie meets up with a neighbor whose name I didn't catch, so let's call her Mater Meticulous. She's a sneery thing who tries to guilt Steph into volunteering for the school fair, which is coming up this weekend. Oh, no. Steph falls for it. Sucker. She even offers to take charge of one of the committees (which would never happen that late in the game -- sigh). Once she's alone inside, Steph zooms around the house cleaning up and finds Jim's shirt, which was all but destroyed during his confrontation with the black van. When he gets home, she confronts him with it. "Are these tire tracks?" Um, they shouldn't be, not based on the scene we saw, anyhow. Stephanie wants him to explain why he's taking such risks and lying to her about it. Jim says he has to do it. He knows he can help people. His recklessness worries his wife. "What if you die first? [...] Scientifically speaking, today we're faster and stronger, but what if these powers are slowly weakening us?" Jim tells her to look past the science and the fear. "Maybe we were given these gifts for a reason." Right -- so you could be on TV. Apparently all the less-than-ordinary families are doing it, at least until they crash and burn. Yeah, Gosselins, I'm looking at you.
Later, Jim goes off to play Superhero/Sidekick with George. Now, last week, George was all cool, cautious and unpredictable -- encouraging Jim to come clean with Stephanie about his powers, and outing Jim to her when he didn't. This week, in an about-face, George is all about keeping secrets from the little woman, and I fall just a little bit out of love with him. Then George breaks out my Uncle Herbie's car from the '70s and runs Jim over. Repeatedly. He wants Jim to learn how to plant his feet properly, and face down a speeding automobile. George just guns it and runs Jim down time after time, telling him to walk it off and think of himself as Urlacher. My 11-year-old and I think George is driving too fast for this sort of test. You've got to work you way up to VROOOM, fellas. Sadly, the men don't listen.
Steph's work: She frets about Jim playing superhero. Katie, maintaining her awesomeness, points out it's cool. Like Batman. "You're married to Christian Bale... or Michael Keaton, at least."
Library: JJ asks for all the trig books for an "extra credit project" and then there's more beautiful mind stuff. Daphne arrives and tracks him down when she hears his mathy thoughts. JJ's secret is out, at least to his sister. He doesn't want their parents to know though, because this is the first time they've ever been proud of him. Daphne will keep his secret, but will not stroke his ego. "As far as I'm concerned, you're still a dumbass." Aw. I think JJ likes that. I know I do. If this episode accomplishes one thing, it proves this Amber Tamblyn look-alike can be likable when the writers let her be. Hooray.
Bank: Cho and new partner (the one who was shot dead in the pilot is never even referenced this week) arrive and ask to see the security camera footage. Outside, as The Watcher (played by Josh Stewart) watches Cho, he gets a call from Dr. RevCam King. When The Watcher tells him he's seen nothing to indicate Cho is in the know yet, RevCam says, "Keep me posted." Dun dun dun.
School; Fair Committee Meeting: Stephanie tells the other moms she's gotten her firm to donate tickets to the symphony for a Yo Yo Ma concert. Mater Meticulous says, "You're like a secret weapon," just in case we didn't get that Stephanie can now do everything because she's fast. Steph has also lined up real carnival rides, which is so unrealistic, I can't go on. Mater Meticulous enjoys a good sneer when Stephanie is called back to work. Per Katie, Dr. RevCam King is waiting for her. He's meeting with the board about her grant proposal this afternoon. Steph zooms back to work, and almost runs into two kids on bikes, and a car. She then trips on a stray bike as she's admiring her skill at getting around the first near-accident. Super-heroing is hard on the wardrobe.
Powell Pad: Jim tends to Stephanie's wounds, but her cuts are healing at an accelerated rate due to her super-metabolism. This visual effects are a little too obvious, but these are the kind of kinks new shows must work out, so I'll cut them some slack. Stephanie wants to go back to work but Jim orders her to bed on account of the fact that she has just survived what amounts to a car accident without the car. While he tucks her in, he tells her he's now sees her point. Using their powers can be dangerous, so he joins his wife in taking the Powell No-Powers Pledge. As they get snuggly, Stephanie asks to hear her three favorite words. Jim obliges. "You were right." She then says his three favorite words: "I love you." And they wonder why their marriage was on the rocks?
Wifi Lair; George's Garage: George has discovered that all of the robbed banks are within six blocks of a highway on-ramp, but Jim tells George he can't play with him anymore because he has a family, and maybe George would understand if he, too, had a family. Yeeooouch, Jim. George cheesed me off earlier, too, but at least he wasn't trying to be mean. Jim sees my point, but he doesn't know what to say to patch things up with his buddy, so he just leaves George to wonder what he's going to do with all the lair crap.
School: Professor Dick is certain JJ is cheating. This could be solved immediately if only he'd make up a couple of problems off the top of his head and question the kid, but neither he nor super-genius JJ have the brains to think of that. JJ instead mouths off and leaves, while Prof. Dick promises the Powell parentals will be hearing from him.
Powell Pad: Katie arrives to find Steph making 300 muffins for the fair, the old-fashioned way. Huh. Funny, I don't see the bakery boxes. Oh well. Steph wants to know why Katie isn't waiting for the water sample at work. Katie explains it did arrive at GlobalTech, today -- at the Flagstaff, Ariz., office of one Dr. S. Powell, "S" standing for "Sidney." Stephanie asks Katie to procure another sample, and she would if she could, but a tropical storm has since struck Belém, Brazil -- altering the chemical composition of the water at the crash site. So Steph of the Pledging Powells runs the 445-mile route to Flagstaff, with 100 Nut Medley granola bars in her backpack. (Which Katie thoughtfully packed to help Steph stabilize her glucosamine levels, which is all well and good, but doesn't girlfriend need some water, too?)
Precinct: While Jim is on the phone with Professor Dick, he gets more guff from Detective Dick (no relation). Once Jim gets home, he and JJ talk about the math teacher's allegations. Jim doesn't outright proclaim JJ to be a cheater, but he goes on about how the boy feels left out and wants to feel special. This leads to (forgivable) pouty angst on JJ's part. Once he mopes off, Daphne doesn't spill her brother's secret, but she does lay a little guilt on dear old Dad. "He was really excited you were proud of him." When Jim realizes Stephanie isn't home, he calls her. At first, she tries to play it off like she's just at the store, but then admits she's about 500 miles away.
When Stephanie arrives home, she and Jim fight about her breaking the pledge she insisted they make. Stephanie argues that this mission was time-sensitive; she had no choice but to zoom there and back. Jim's angry because they have no idea how much damage a trip like that could do to her. Steph snaps back that he risks his life to protect strangers, so he should at least appreciate that she's risking hers for their family. Stephanie is sorry she broke their promise, but the water could have the answers she needs to keep the family safe. There's no arguing with that, so we cut to commercial.
Home alone later, Stephanie chows down a dozen muffins in a blur. I covet her powers, but if I could eat a dozen muffins, I would eat them more slowly, so that I could enjoy them. When Jim returns, he acknowledges that Stephanie had no choice but to use her speed (on the trip, not the goodies) and says he thinks they need a whole new set of rules. He then looks down at the crumb-covered plate and smiles. "Like if someone happens to have a super metabolism, they shouldn't eat all the muffins." Jim, maybe you'd be better off if she did. Anyhow, reaching a new accord, the couple goes into the family room, to shut off the TV and drag their kids off to the school fair. George arrives just as they're leaving, so Stephanie and the kids give the men a few minutes alone. Feeling badly about sticking his super foot in his super mouth, Jim tells George he was wrong. "You are part of something -- this family." George smiles as he says, "Okay, see that right there? That's pretty damned charming, Mr. Jim Powell. I can see how you got Steph to marry you." Thanks for telling us, Show. Ugh. When Jim invites George to the fair, he refuses though, claiming he has to go to the bank. When Jim isn't looking, George then pockets one of Jim's sketches of the suspect. Oh, George, I was against your new pro-secrets stance, but I don't want you to get killed. You need to marry Katie and have a dozen super-adorable sidekick babies.
Precinct. The Watcher asks Cho about Koblenz (last week's teleporter), claiming he was his friend. Cho makes it clear that Koblenz would have killed her if she hadn't shot him first. When The Watcher asks if she noticed anything unusual about Koblenz, it takes Cho a moment to put on her game face. She then deflects the question and instead tells The Watcher he's welcome to file a grievance with her captain. Oh honey, couldn't you have just said no?
Fair: The Powells run into Mater Meticulous and her husband Pater Prickulous, who take cheap shots at Jim and Steph. [Why does Jim being a sketch artist translate to "Jim doesn't make any money"? He's a full-time police department employee, isn't he? Is it just because he makes less than Steph? Because that's some ridiculously old-fashioned shit. - Zach] To their credit, the Powells just smile, nod and move off in search of some cotton candy. Later, JJ wins a giant panda at the ring toss, but then gives it to a little girl after Daphne mocks him for trotting out his super-genius in order to win it. No, I'm not sure how that works either, but it must have something to do with trajectories, yeah? Anyhow, Daphne warns her little brother that if he wants to keep his powers a secret, he can't get an A on every test. Yeah genius, secrets are the key to having a secret identity.
Once she's on her own in the crowd, Daphne starts hearing voices again and is overwhelmed. Steph, who is working the ticket booth, abandons it when she notices her girl freaking out. We then cut to the top of the ferris wheel, where Daphne gets some space to think. Her mom tells her to try focusing on the one thing that matters most. "Close your eyes. Listen to my voice and focus on the one thing that matters most." The camera closes in on Daphne's face as we hear Steph saying "It's you. You're the most important thing in the world to me." When Daphne tells her mother to stop talking so she can concentrate, Steph reveals she wasn't talking, just thinking. Yes, I saw that coming a mile away, and no I don't get it either, but somehow, this all means that Daphne has learned how to control her telepathy, so, um, yay.
Dunk the Asshole Game: Pater Prickulous calls some little kid a "fatty" because he couldn't dunk him. Now it's Jim's turn. Steph goes up to stop him, though, because they don't want to show off their new-bilities. "Isn't it enough to know you could?" No, no it is not. Um, for me, anyhow. Jim seems to accept Steph's words of wisdom, but then Pater Prickulous takes it too far. When Jim hands Steph the ball, PP yells, "Yeah that's right, pal .Let your wife throw it." Mater Meticulous laughs and adds, "Why not? She does everything else for the family." Stephanie smiles and hands the ball back to Jim. "Just this once." Jim's like a kid in a candy store. He tells his wife he loves her, dunks PP and breaks the target. To his credit, the now-soaked PP only shrugs and laughs, but I still hate him.
Bank: Blathering about budget cuts, George introduces himself as the A.D.A. and gives Jim's sketch to bank guard. Soon thereafter, the bad guys arrive, put on their masks (IN THE BANK!) fire their guns in the air and holler at everyone to get down. George ducks behind a wall and calls Jim.
Fair: Jim is talking to Stephanie about how his powers make him feel like he matters when he gets George's distress call. When Jim explains that George is in the middle of a robbery, Steph insists that Jim go save him.
Bank: The robbers take George hostage. Jim arrives in time, so he jumps in front of the van. Inside, George catches sight of his super-buddy and whispers, "Urlacher," just as Jim does the same outside. And I'm thinking that since last we knew, Jim could "only" lift about 1,100 pounds, and automobiles are around three times that weight (and let's ignore the fact that the van is moving), the Urlacher play is an unrealistic short-term goal. And I'm right. Vroom goes the van. Splat goes Jim. But then, he manages to grab the van's undercarriage and stop it from driving off. Still holding on, Jim works his way out from under the van, flips it, and releases George. When Cho and the other cops arrive, George orders Jim to take off. He does, but since he doesn't have foot-speed, Cho spots him fleeing the scene.
Powell Pad; Exterior: Cho catches Jim outside his house and questions him about how he's always at the scene of the crime lately. He decides to be straight with her and demonstrates his strength by lifting the tail end of his SUV. Cho is more freaked than impressed, and remains pissed. She doesn't care that Jim can do amazing things. He's acting like a dangerous vigilante, and if he doesn't knock it off, she'll haul him in. Jim tells her that the bad guys are super-powered, too, and explains that Koblenz's ability to teleport is what kept Cho from catching him. She is unmoved and makes that clear to Jim. He makes his last pitch: "I understand you feel like that now, but eventually, you're going to need me, because trust me, you can't catch these people without me." And the foreshadow turns into an eclipse.
Powell Pad; Interior: JJ is hiding a copy of Pascal's Theorems inside a comic book when Jim enters and tries to make amends with the boy. "You're not a kid who lies." Well he kind of is, now, Jim. "You just -- surprised me is all, but I know what it's like to have people not believing in you. I never meant for you to feel that way. I'm sorry. It took me a second, but you've got to know how proud I am of you, JJ." JJ says he appreciates it, but I can't imagine how the kid's not drowning in guilt.
Jim finds Stephanie and reports that both he and George are fine. Stephanie has had a change of heart about his super-powers. She won't ask him to stop doing what he's doing. "For so long you were lost, so if doing this gives you something that this marriage or family doesn't, I guess I just have to understand this or at least try. But make no mistake. I don't trust what's happened to us. So first, I'm going to find out how this happened and then I'm going to find a cure. And when I do? I'm going to make you give this all up." So...I'll let you lick your ego, but never forget I'm faster than you, smarter than you, and I will always wield the power in this family. All shall love me and despair. Nice.
School: Daphne takes off the ear buds as she's wandering the hall. At first, her schoolmates' thoughts are unbearable, but she manages to shut them out, and smiles.
Math class. JJ gets back a test on which he earned a B-, but he's not fooling Professor Dick who tells him, "Even this is a stretch for you. I don't know how you're doing it, but I know you're a cheater. I've got my eye on you, pal."
Steph's Lab: She and Katie finish their tests on the phosphorescent phlebotinum. It's just naturally occurring phosphorescent phlebotinum and nothing special, certainly not the source of their powers. My money's on the wonder-plant.
Cho's House; Nighttime: When Cho enters her place, The Watcher is there. He throttles her with his mind, lifts her up in the air and gets her to admit that she knew something was unusual -- special about Koblenz. When questioned, she says no one else was aware of it. Now Cho's on the ground on all fours, catching her breath. The Watcher circles her and makes his way to the door, but he uses his power to levitate Cho's gun and aim it right at her pretty face. When he exits, we hear the gun go off. The Watcher then calls Dr. RevCam King. "It's done." RevCam hangs up the phone and smiles.
Is Cho dead? Probably, but I'm an old soap fan. When I don't see a body, I get suspicious. Maybe she's bullet proof, too. On the one hand, her death would be awfully convenient for Jim, since she's the only person in the know who is actively trying to keep him from fighting crime. Would the writers eliminate an external conflict from their story, this early on? On the other hand, if she doesn't die, she'll probably be more open to the idea of having super-heroic assistance, which also eliminates some conflict. Hmmm. I guess we'll have to turn in week to figure it out. Feel free to shoot an email with your theories to me at CynthiaMcLennan[at]gmail.com or follow me on Twitter. In the meantime, grade the episode up top and join the discussion in our show thread. I'll be back with The Vampire Diaries on Friday morning, and my recaplet of NOF Wednesday.
Watch the episode below, discuss it in our forums, and see why this show seems so familiar.
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