Spoiler Slayer

As if in order to dispute rumors of it's impending doom, information has come out for 'Tru Calling' episode five, titled 'Haunted'.

Before I get into the spoilage, I think this should be perhaps the final nail in the coffin for any idea that 'Tru Calling' won't hit the airwaves during November Sweeps. It's still busily shooting (as there has been location shoot information floating around - though no spoilers) and are obviously working on future episodes.

Though in terms of originality...

Tru Calling: Haunted

The premise of the episode is pretty simple, especially if you've ever seen the movie 'Flatliners'. A young college student arrives in the morgue, her death at first seems to be drug-related (due to the trackmarks on her arm). In the first pass through the day, it also seems that Tru goes out on a date with a guy named Jeremy, but I think he takes more of a liking to Lindsay (this will be important later). As well as the fact that Tru's about to take her MCAT's

(Day Resets)

Tru heads off to the college and watches Paige and her two friends, Dan and Steven. After a class, she approaches them (and notices track marks on Dan's arm). Dan brushes her off, through Steven and Paige are a bit kinder. Tru tells them that she's a transfer student from Harvard, wants to get the skinny on some of the extra-curricular activities in the area. Dan's definitely not interested, and keeps Steven quiet. Tru manages to wrangle Paige into a lunch date.

At the diner, Tru starts trying to figure out what might have caused Paige to die. She figures that it's drugs, and tries to pursue the angle that Paige is doing what she needs to do to get by, with all the stress and pressure of med school. But surprise, when Tru confronts her and grabs her arm to reveal the track marks, there are none.

Paige tells a mystified Tru to stay away from her (which Tru must be getting used to hearing from people by now), and takes off. Tru quiety follows her to an abandoned building and discovers her and the others secret.

In the building, Paige and Dan are experimenting on Steven. They essentially kill him, wait a few minutes, then revive him. They've done this before, but it's a bit trickier this time. However, they manage to bring him back. When they do, Tru walks into the room and wants to know what's up.

The trio confess why they are doing this. Dan has come up with a unique theory. Apparently, when you die, various hormones and chemicals are released that causes repressed memories to resurface. This is the entire 'life flashes before you' concept. By killing someone and reviving them, they can remember things they have forgotten. For Steven, it's the memory of his father. Paige is after the same thing, but her memories of Daddy aren't so pleasant.

In the midst of all of this, Tru misses her MCAT's, learning that she won't have another chance to take them until the following year. Also, Tru manages to get Lindsay to meet Jeremy at a restaurant (the date I mentioned earlier). She asks Lindsay to go there to tell him that she won't make it, but all along she's been playing matchmaker. She knows that Lindsay and Jeremy are going to hit it off.

Tru tries to stop Dan and Steven from putting Paige through the procedure. But not before she talks briefly with Luc (he exists!), getting some info and apologizing for acting so strange lately. She hangs up with him as Steven is coming out of class. She thinks she's reached Steven in time (because of Paige's time of death), but it's no surprise when it turns out she's mis-timed things yet again. Paige is actually going through the procedure hours earlier than she expected, and Steven informs her that it's happening as they speak.

Tru heads off and finds Dan. Paige already went through it, recovered her memories and left. Apparently, Paige was abused as a child and wanted to remember what had happened. Which she did, but she realized that her molester was not whom she thought it was. I get the feeling she thinks it was her father, but it's actually the neighbor across the street.

Paige confronts the neighbor, who not only admits it, but is on the verge of pushing her down a flight of stairs when Tru shows up to save the day. Mystery solved, and Tru and Paige part friends.

On a good note, we at least finally have a sighting of the mysterious 'Luc', and judging from the info he'll have appeared at some point earlier in the series. When, I don't know.

As for the episode, it's again standard fare for the series. Lots of misdirections, incorrect assumptions, and bad timing. While all the series seem to have a good heart, I still think the concept is going to get old pretty quick. Still no sign of a continuing story arc, nor any development of any of the characters. I would love to have an episode where Tru tries to figure out what is going on, and why this is happening to her.