TV is the New Reading

‘Medium,’ ‘Wives’ come back strong

I wanted to briefly highlight the season six premiere of “Medium” on CBS. The first thing I noticed between the CBS and NBC version was the opening credits. I watch everything I watch on a 4:3 classic ratio screen. Quite a few other people have a 16:9 ratio and the NBC credits were already taking advantage of that. Half the names were cut off. CBS clearly plays to a viewership that hasn’t made a lot of upgrades. I could read everyone’s name just fine.

I’m happy that crime-solving psychic Allison DuBois came out of her coma -- there didn’t seem to be a huge question that she would, in that there wouldn’t be much of a show if she didn’t -- but sadly, her post-surgical brain wasn’t psychic any more. She had no visions for months, no dreams she could recall and certainly none that were saving anyone’s life or leading to anyone’s arrest.

As the physical effects of her stroke subsided over the course of the premiere, she began to have tiny glimmerings of events yet-to-come, sort of like “pre ja vu” of conversations she was about to have. These occurred in her waking state and were not accompanied by any lighting effects or anything.

The effect was disorienting, which I imagine it was for Allison as well. But one hopes the producers and editors at CBS figure out some way to convey to the audience that Allison is having a vision, because otherwise the narrative threads get tangled, the show becomes harder to follow and the storytelling suffers.

That said, I’ll just add that it’s great to see “Medium” back on the grid, Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS, and I look forward to seeing where they take things from here.

‘Desperate Housewives’

Last season I suggested that a “who’s the bride” cliffhanger was boring. And when it turned out to be the once and future Susan Defino I was sure of it.

But as Sunday’s sixth-season premiere of “Desperate Housewives” progressed, I found myself drawn into the storyline of Mike’s recommitment to his ex-wife and the pain it caused jilted fiance Katherine Mayfair.

At the end of season five, Susan and son M.J. were kidnapped by a psycho, Dave, who blamed them for the death of his wife and daughter in a hit-and-run at a suspiciously unmarked intersection. In the wake of that accident, Susan was devastated by grief and it destroyed her marriage to Mike, who, after a few years, hooked up with divorcee Katherine.

Mike and Katherine were heading to Las Vegas to get married when Mike learned that Susan and M.J. were with Dave. He tracked them down, swept in and saved the day and, as so often happens in these situations, left Katherine for Susan.

In the weeks and months leading up to Susan’s wedding, Susan and Katherine weren’t really speaking very much. Susan, already a bit growly with Katherine about her relationship with Mike, had a really momma-bear attitude toward her regarding her son, who Susan felt Katherine was trying to steal away from her. They arrived at a shaky truce, but all of that was before Mike’s change of heart.

So when Susan’s wedding dress arrived and Susan wasn’t home, Katherine was pleased to sign for it. Susan rushed across the street to discover Katherine actually wearing the dress and cooking up a rich, thick spaghetti sauce that was bubbling and spattering in every direction.

That was an amazing scene in itself, topped only by Susan locking Katherine in a closet for the wedding ceremony. Katherine had confronted Susan insisting she apologize to her for stealing Mike away from her, and Susan was just as determined not to. In the end, Katherine did manage to escape and Susan did make a very public apology to her, but ultimately it didn’t matter. Katherine is still plotting her revenge.

So ultimately, yes, Susan once again lands Mike Delfino, a relationship arc that has traced since the pilot episode, and it might be tired, but another word for “tired” may be ... classic.

“Desperate Housewives” airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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