The Tomorrow People: “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (Episode 1.05)

The plot thickens! Blood is spilled! Secrets are revealed! Women are squeezed into low-cut dresses! The Tomorrow People get more, um, tomorrow-er … or something! It’s the ultimate episode!!

I kid The Tomorrow People but, frankly, this is the best episode they’ve done yet in this inaugural season. The writers have made the storyline knottier, the actors manage to leave a little bit of the scenery unchewed, and there is plenty of violence for the bloodthirsty.

The key plot line involves the revealing of another layer of creepy bureaucracy to Stephen. Ultra is only, as his uncle says, “the tip of the spear.” There are larger forces at play, and they want to meet the young charge. But of course (gasp) there’s no one there—it’s another Homo superior feeding dialog into Stephen’s cerebral cortex and digging around in his mind grapes for secrets.

One potential secret is that The Tomorrow People have earned themselves a night above ground, with all of them getting dolled up and spending some time at a nightclub (hence the low-cut dresses). The trick here is that it is a trick. It’s a set up by Ultra to knock off the gang with some heavy firearms. Kind of luckily, John (who has been against this jaunt all along) catches on and starts the retreat when the bullets start flying. They barely make it out—losing three of their crew in the fray—but not before … the big reveal. (gasp) Cara sees John kill someone with a gun! She knows his dirty secret!!

Of course, Stephen helped his little friends escape the bad guys, and is just about to let Cara do her mind meld to reveal that he was the one that gave up the nightclub, when another Tomorrow Person breaks down in tears. (gasp) It’s Kurt Rundle! The young lad they saved in episode #2. He’s been making trips to visit his mom and got caught by Ultra. They threatened to kill his mom if he didn’t go along with their ambush plan. In retaliation, Cara reveals her dangerous side, throwing Kurt into a wall and then injecting him with the power-removing serum. (Stephen stole it earlier in the episode.)

Whew.

If that weren’t enough, Stephen finally reveals to his oldest friend (and possible love interest?!), Astrid, that he has these special powers. No, she’s not (gasp) shocked. But she does look a little charmed and as turned on as a girl can look in prime time.
As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’ve given up all hope of this series being great. At this point, I’m just hoping that it distracts me for about an hour each week and trying to revel in the campier side of the show, like the big fight between Cara and John with the prize being their ill-fated night out, or Aaron Yoo, as Russell, the token Asian character, who overacts every time the camera hits his handsome face. Blessedly, this edition falls on the side of the fence marked “Good,” but just barely. A few more over-the-top line readings and furrowed brows and this could have been quite the train wreck.

(Oh, and I’m not sure if this episode was initially entitled “All Tomorrow’s Parties” or if they switched it at the last minute in tribute to the late Lou Reed. If anyone has the official word, please leave a comment.)