“Blast from the Past” – aired on June 17, 2018
Written by: Lee Ellenberg
Directed by: Cherie Nowlan
Grade: 4 out of 5
Notice: All episode reviews contain spoilers
For a welcomed change, this episode begins with a recap – “Previously, on Instinct…” – of key moments from earlier episodes. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the first time since “Pilot” that an episode began without the testosterone-ridden monologue by the male co-lead beginning with “My name is Dylan Reinhart,” continuing with reminders of how brilliant he is, and finishing with the token mention of the complementary female co-lead (I know, this isn’t my first diatribe against that monologue, sorry).
The new recap is not the only fresh dish that this episode brings to the table though, far from it. The crime plot carries intricacies that bring to light an extraordinary event buried deep (but not forgotten) within the younger years of one of the two leads, justifying the episode’s title. To add spice to the menu, there are two B stories that revolve around the interpersonal dynamics between the main characters. “Blast from the Past” does a decent job of compartmentalizing these narratives, neatly packing a considerable amount of character development into 42 minutes.
One of those fresh takes is the break-away from the image of the perfect couple that “DylAndy” has portrayed since Instinct began. They have their first veritable argument on screen 12 minutes into the episode. The source of the disagreement is complex enough to where you find yourself hesitating as to whose side to take. Is Andy simply against the idea of having his private life publicized or is he keeping secrets from Dylan? Does Dylan have a point that Andy is not as proud of his accomplishments as he is of Andy’s or does his seemingly overblown reaction to Andy’s desire to keep his private life out of the spotlight stem from selfishness?
The disaccord takes place early enough in the episode to allow time for the eventual reconciliation to occur – no make-up sex, don’t hold your breath – but dialogues leading to it are written thoughtfully enough to be taken seriously. It also helps that Alan Cumming and Daniel Ings are two consummate actors who manage to portray the emotional swings that both characters go through with remarkable credibility.
The other B story centers on the concerns of Julian and Lizzie with Dylan’s exposure to the public sphere. Dylan now has a publicist named Ashley (Nikki M. James) and she is gung-ho about having Dylan grace the cover of New York Magazine with his presence. Julian is alarmed. When he talks to Dylan, he brings up a former MI-6 officer named Tony Collins who, as we learn later, wrote a “tell-all” and began discussing his work on TV. According to Julian, he “became so distracted by the attention that he stopped taking proper precautions” and paid for it with his life. Dylan does not heed Julian’s warning which leads him to surprise Lizzie at a pizza parlor and ask for her help in the matter. He also reveals his name to Lizzie and gives her his phone number. “Dylan’s super-special-secret friend,” no more.
The central-crime plot is quite elaborate and involves multiple victims. It is written with care and requires the viewer’s attention (kudos to writer Lee Ellenberg on its lucid flow). Unfortunately, it also contains four blue-hued epiphanies by Dylan, catering to those that seemingly cannot keep up. “Blast from the Past” would have been a lot more efficient if took a leaf out the book of a show like Elementary and counted on its viewers’ intelligence to solve what they see, especially when the episode oozes high-IQ writing like this one does.
For example, was the blue-hued epiphany by the motorcycle necessary? While checking out the motorcycle and the dead body of the supposed suicide bomber, Lizzie asks, “What kind of a bomber gets on a motorcycle, starts it, and blows himself up in the middle of a quiet street?” Zack responds, “I don’t know.” Well, I did, along with probably a ton of other watchers. By then, it was clear that bombs were being planted by someone else. Dylan’s blue-hued epiphany (his third at that point, if I counted correctly) only recited – not revealed – that which was barefaced.
As he looks around the scene of the motorcycle incident, Dylan recognizes a house that brings back bitter memories for him. When he was 15 years old, he participated in a two-week-long program for gifted children there, then-called Meacham Townhouse. It turned out that it was a covert psychological (and unethical) experiment, the Whitford Project, conducted in collaboration with the government on unwilling teens. How do we know this? Why Julian, of course, in a scene that reminds us of his role as a plot device, à-la-first-two-episodes, rather than as a character with a substance.
If you can make it past these little shortcomings and the outré connection that Dylan makes in one of his blue-hued epiphanies when he hears Andy utter the words “childhood dreams,” the richly layered A story of “Blast from the Past” works well. Composer James Levine’s score, once again, adequately complements the suspenseful moments such as the one in the park. Cherie Nowlan’s adroit directing, particularly during the intimate one-on-one dialogues (strongest portions of the episode), helps tremendously.
We are treated to a nice two-scene sequence to conclude the episode, building on the already charming synergy between our main characters. It includes one more stepping stone in the ever-tightening friendship between Dylan and Lizzie and also a major revelation, ripe for exploration in future installments, with regard to the marriage of Dylan and Andy. If someone were to ask me to pick the one area in which Instinct excels, I would have to choose the episodes’ closing sequences.
Last-minute thoughts:
– Lizzie calls Ashley the “lunatic publicist” and she is right. Ashley is annoying and pervasive. Thankfully, we learn before the end of the episode that Dylan fired her. The only good thing about her appearance is its contribution to a funny moment involving Det. Fucci’s “Moroccan red-clay mask.”
– You know that other cop who appears a lot with the team in the precinct, the one not named Fucci? That’s Sergeant Harris (Michael B. Silver). I thought I would throw that in for no reason other than the fact that he makes a token appearance in most episodes.
– Dylan manifests some self-doubt and vulnerability which is nice to see from a creative standpoint.
– I like the way Ellenberg manages to inject the theme of trust into every single storyline of “Blast from the Past.” Each character ends up having to take a leap of faith in some way to build trust with another.
– Another recurring, yet relevant, theme in the episode: numbers.
– A bit lost in the shuffle is an early scene in which Lt. Gooden’s informs Lizzie that she recommended her for a promotion to second-grade detective. Even in this dialogue, which is supposed to be Lizzie’s moment, we get reminded that Dylan is “the genius” of the duo. Oh-kay…
Until next episode…