'The InBetween' Episode 1 review: Seeing the dead is passé, the real story is in the subplots
In the NBC show 'The InBetween', Harriet Dyer plays the role of Cassie Bedford, a young woman with the supernatural power to see and communicate with the dead.
Cassie helps the dead come to terms with their unresolved problems—whether she likes the interference or not.
Cassie can't exactly figure out if this power is a blessing or a curse as she helps her foster father, Detective Tom Hackett (played by Paul Blackthorne), crack murder cases with clues and details that go beyond formal police investigation.
In the pilot episode, Det. Tom and his new partner Det. Damien Asante (played by Justin Cornwell) are investigating a missing person's report. That is, till the time that Cassie's visions make their worst fears come true.
The subplot for the first episode, however, is the one that tugs at your hearts.
Abigail (played by Sarah Abbott) is hanging around with Cassie following her untimely death. She is haunted by the thoughts of why her mother never loved her — perhaps every elder sibling's complex. However, she doesn't get a chance to talk to her mother about it. Distraught, she resorts to a scare tactic that we'll let you discover.
There is also the looming question of how Cassie got her gift in the first place.
Is it even relevant to the larger story on 'The InBetween'? Perhaps this will be explored in the following episodes.
Overall, the premise for NBC's 'The InBetween' is passé. We have seen it in the past with Jennifer Love Hewitt's 'Ghost Whisperer' and in Meg Cabot's very popular 'The Mediator' series.
The show's treatment of the worn-out theme, however, has potential.
While Cassie's gift is nothing new on the screen, there is something different in how 'The InBetween's treats that gift.
The show is in no way extraordinary, but it is a supernatural crime drama that you can easily enjoy after a long day.
It has a certain eerie comfort in its lackluster storytelling and its slow pace, but that's okay because the day has been long.
Watch 'The InBetween' for its mediocrity — it doesn't disappoint. Maybe you don't have to aim high all the time.
Take it easy. Just like NBC did with this drama.