Julie's Review - Yours Truly

When it finally looks like Jordan and Woody will get some alone time, Woody's phone rings, and the two of them, along with Nigel and Kate, are London bound to provide information on the terrorists on the Venezia. While in London, the group is embroiled in a Jack-the-Ripper copycat mystery that hits close to home. Meanwhile, at the morgue, a body arrives, and despite the full autopsy, there is no apparent cause of death, until a nephew reveals a Witch's curse that plagues his family.

Strengths

Storyline: Both storylines in this episode were well written and were sufficiently eerie for a Halloween episode. The final resolution to the curse storyline was truly original, making use of a rare, baffling medical condition. And the Jack-the-Ripper storyline, especially in the context of Jordan's inability to let a good mystery go (and lying about it) was excellent. 

Dialogue: The strongest section of dialogue Garret's delivery of the following line: Uh, Mr. Dupree. William – you know, it’s really all about perception. Some families consider heart disease or cancer a curse. You don’t really know how your particular family got stuck with this genetic time bomb…Though seemingly ordinary, the line captured the essence of Garret. I could see him awkwardly stumbling over the words as he said them. All the characters were written so true-to-form, and it was easy to imagine them saying all their individual lines. Additionally, the chatty landlord was a hoot, and really injected additional humor.  

Artwork: The pictures provided a spooky backdrop and their monochromatic hues added an air of creepiness to the episode. The pictures were well dispersed throughout the text and provided appropriate breaks for readers. In this episode, I even found myself spending more time looking at the pictures.

Music: Well thought out music selections added depth to the episode, and had this been an actual on-television episode, it would be easy to imagine the show's writers selecting the same music. 

Relationship development: One can never go too many steps forward without at least one step back, and in a way, this episode reminded us that no relationship with Jordan can go 100% smoothly. Jordan lies to Woody, and they argue about it, but it was nice to see a sort of resolution, where Jordan acknowledges the fact that she's not used to considering others when she acts.

Continuity: There were several instances where past episodes—both on-air and virtual—were woven into the story. From Woody's mentions of Agent Shiny Shoes and his and Jordan's first date, to Kate desperately searching for her Xanax, to the reference to which planet was in retrograde, elements of past episodes were nicely incorporated. Favorite Quote: This section of this episode review could have several candidates, but I've narrowed it to two: Uh, Jordan? It’s the other way and I'm sorry, but I just don't think I want to put anything in my mouth called "spotted dick."

Areas for Improvement

Storyline: there is very little to report in this department, only perhaps that while the foursome of Jordan, Woody, Nigel and Kate went to London for a specific purpose, they never really got to that purpose. Dialogue: Flawless. Artwork: Only one picture struck me as a bit off…it was the picture of Kate, Nigel, Jordan, and Woody on their tour. Woody just didn’t look like Woody. 

Virtual Season writers bourbon and mecedeme and episode artist Harbor runner have provided a truly entertaining episode filled with intrigue truly appropriate for a Halloween episode. I'll give this episode 4 scalpels out of 4 for a truly outstanding effort.