Lara's Review - 1000 Miles Off Course

Since this is my first review of the new virtual season 7 allow me to preface this by saying I love this idea, it has taken fan fiction writing to a new level, and I think Crossing Jordan is lucky to have such dedicated fans as to take time out from their busy lives to create this season.

That said I feel I am at a loss on how to accurately assess and review these episodes, if I use a standard of fan fiction then I feel as if I undermine the value and the intentions of the virtual season, plus there is a freedom and liberty fanfic writers can take, there is the flexibility to write out of cannon, yet if I look at it as I would a screened episode then I feel I would be too harsh a critic, because pure and simply the season can not provide us with what a regular television series can, as a result this is a new area for me and I will attempt to be as concise as I can.

I didn’t enjoy this episode as much as the first one, although I loved the tie in with lost, Sawyer is on of my favourite bad boy characters so to have a little Sawyer loving is always appreciated. The main reason I didn’t like it is that simply the cases were too easy, something that in the last act Woody points out it was a ‘slam dunk’ case. I was left feeling like I wanted more from the cases, perhaps a bit more complications, more intrigue, instead I felt as if the writer was hurrying through the cases to get to the personal stuff, the sappy love story. This was particularly evident in the Jordan/Woody case. The Lily/Bug storyline was more integrated with their case. Although I do feel as if the Jordan/Woody storyline is setting up for future episodes.

I love reading scripts, and have many at home that I will read regularly, and I like the way these scripts are set out, they are easy to read, and the inclusion of music and pictures create a certain atmosphere. However, something that I personally must overcome is the beats that are missed from not having the ability to have a camera pan around our characters for those unsaid looks, as a result the writers need to be able to create these moments within the text, I felt these were missing in this episode, and once again I feel it was due to the simplicity of the cases and the hurried feeling I got when I read.

I am looking forward to the development of the Jordan/Woody relationship, but I am hoping it is not going to be all an easy road, I want to see the fiery conflict still exist between them when Jordan gets overzealous, like in the first episode when Haley was thrown back into the mix, these episode lacked Jordan’s usual passion and as a result there lacked conflict between Jordan and Woody, for me it is the conflict that make the characters perfect for each other. However, I do feel like this episode was laying the foundation for the future, rather than resolving the relationship.

I have never liked the Bug/Lily relationship, and I am unsure why the relationship was brought back into the mix in season 6, but I am glad the VS7 writers haven’t backed away from dealing with it, I am going to enjoy the relationship if the conflict between  them continues, especially when Jeffery pops up (maybe even Seely… hint hint!). 

The music was awesome, and certainly created the atmosphere for the episode, particularly the opening, it definitely set the mood. Crossing Jordan gave us all a musical education and I am glad to see it continue in VS7, I love being introduced to new tunes, and I am looking forward to my education continuing this year.

I can’t work out yet, but I am sure it will emerge in coming weeks what kind of season we should expect, whether it will be episodic or arc. This episode felt purely episodic, there was no carry over from last week, and although there was a feeling of ‘setting the stage’ with the Jordan/Woody storyline, there was a completion at the end.

There were elements I enjoyed from this episode, however I know that better storylines are on there way, as a result I was left wanting more than what I got from the episode.

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 dead bodies