The Others: Unnamed (1.5)

This was originally the second episode aired, and it's disappointing that the first post-pilot hour was something so conventional. Unnamed begins strong, with a striking series of opening scenes concerning a mother and her lost child, and spirits that are still lingering within her home. There's also some likely-polarizing conflict between the woman and Satori, and you can't help but side with the grieving mother over the intrusive medium trying to get through to her. But Unnamed quickly devolves into something a little too procedural to totally work, thrusting Marian center stage and forcing her to weep in an abandoned warehouse for the last twenty minutes of the episode.

There are obviously some intriguing elements to the story, notably the attention given to a mysterious presence known as 'the unnamed' which will cause all kinds of carnage sometime in the future. Like so many other episodes, there's also some gorgeous visual imagery all over the screen, from the repetitive 'nothingness' symbol to that great shot of the bleeding rag doll.

But the show veers into bland territory by placing Marian in peril, while it feels a little jarring to have a villain who is so clearly insane. There was also something crazily X-Files about the floating boy with powers and the portentous dialogue he was given. J.E. Freeman was reliably menacing as the abductor, but the story lost me once we were given answers.

It's the character points that continue to entertain. The Satori/Mark/Marian triangle is given welcome dimensions with Satori's knowledge about their chemistry and lack of petty jealousy over it. I also loved her asking Marian if Mark had told her certain stories about his past, as if it's a firm sign that he's into her. Similarly, you can't help but be sympathetic to Warren's flailing attempts to become a little more ordinary.

Unnamed sort of bottoms out by the time missing Adrian actually appears, which undermines some of the more subtle work that opens the episode. It's a shame NBC aired this second, though, since it gives a completely incorrect impression of what the show is all about. Blah. C

Credits
Guest stars Jenny Gago (Gloria Munoz); J.T. Larsen (Adrian Munoz); J.E. Freeman (The Servant); John Aylward (Albert McGonagle)
Writers John Brancato, Michael Ferris Director Brian Trenchard-Smith