Almost Human S1 Ep 7

This episode could have been utterly amazing – it could have been a fantastic mixture of suspense and hilarity. It didn’t quite hit the mark, but it still easily held my attention, and Dorian’s personality hijinx were pretty funny. Now that I think about it, it’s sort of like Data and his personality chip, only Data’s was meant to function that way and Dorian’s was malfunctioning due to a power shortage. Michael Ealy probably didn’t get to have as much fun as I imagine Brent Spiner did in those episodes. Anyway, the main actors played their parts excellently, as usual, and carried the episode over the weaknesses in the script.

The bomb shield thingy was nifty (too bad I couldn’t get a decent screen shot of it).

I liked the main plot, but as I mentioned, it didn’t have quite the suspense that it should have. We knew Kennex would be targeted almost immediately, even before learning crazy guy Simon’s back story. (And by the way, didn’t Simon look a bit like a sadder, creepier Jim Caviezel?) Still, the guest stars did a decent job and the internet voyeurism angle was a little bit new, at least. Oh, excuse me, I mean, “Dark Net,” not internet. That’s kind of a ridiculous name, but if the government is supposed to have named it, I guess that makes sense.

Despite the fact that this was another episode aired out of order, we got some continuity. Simon mentioned John’s past, his failed psych eval, and hinted at his tendency to break rules and be violent. That’s on the right track with what I’ve been asking for. Hopefully we’ll get more, especially since the show badly needs a story arc – even just a little bit of one.

Along those lines, it makes perfect sense that once Dorian was going to be complaining freely due to his personality glitches, he’d bring up his cramped and awkward living space at the precinct again. And I enjoyed Rudy’s clumsy attempts to bond with Dorian over the issue, leading directly to John’s solution at the end. Ha! I still think that Dorian and John are going to end up rooming together at some point, though.

Aw, c’mon, Dorian, it’s gotta be better than the room full of creepy Ken dolls, right?

Speaking of the two of them, I appreciate their continued loyalty to each other. It’s laid out more subtly than it could be, but it’s still the backbone of the show. I like that. I do hope we get a chance to see what John would do if Dorian really malfunctioned in a major way, or what Dorian would do if John really went off the rails.

What about you? Craving a little more depth, or is it just the right amount of light entertainment for you? Let us know below.

You can watch “Simon Says” on Amazon Instant Video.