The NBC/CBS procedural showMediumran from 2005 to 2011, revolving around self-proclaimed psychic investigator Allison Dubois (Patricia Arquette), with show creatorGlenn Gordon Caron’swriting pertaining to real-life cases involving the celebrity medium. Arquette portrayed a fictionalized version of her real-life counterpart, with the character working as a consultant for Arizona District Attorney Manuel Devalos (Miguel Sandoval), and utilizing her abilities to solve violent murders. The show injected supernatural realism into a show already grounded in reality. The grisly focus of the show was offset by the normalcy of Allison’s family life, who’d worked hard to keep her private and professional life separate. In the series' three-part Recapitator arc, Allison’s good intentions would result in both worlds colliding with severe consequences — thanks to the duplicity ofNeve Campbell’s ruthless reporter P.D. McCall.
Scream’s most iconic Final Girlappeared in a multi-episode arc onMediumat the end of the third season, staging a minor car rear-ending, insinuating herself into Allison’s life, and claiming she sold pharmaceuticals while referring to herself as Debra. She would serve as the catalyst for changing the course of the show entering its fourth season and derail Allison’s life by exposing the secretive nature of her work with the DA. Unwittingly, P.D. put herself in harm’s way by dismissing Allison’s warnings and describing her as nutty and truly certifiable.
What Was the Recapitator Arc About in ‘Medium’?
The three-episode arc “Head Games,” “Heads Will Roll,” and “Everything Comes to a Head,” concludedMedium’s third season and introduced The Recapitator arc. Walter Paxton (Jason Priestley) is on trial for the murder and decapitation of his wealthy wife and Manuel Davalos’s office is prosecuting him. Paxton’s defense attempts to negotiate a deal with the DA to avoid capital punishment for her client. Paxton dismisses his defense and delivers his own closing argument – the jury sees through his phony act, and he is found guilty and sentenced to death. While in custody, another woman’s remains are found, along with Paxton’s wife’s severed head. Is Allison’s gift completely accurate? This raises doubts among viewers as well as Allison’s work colleagues. Allison’s home life is equally fraught, with her husband Joe (Jake Weber) struggling with PTSD following a mass shooting at his workplace. He is avoiding going back to work, but the possibility of a large payout for what he endured has him interested. It leaves Allison feeling isolated and vulnerable, so when an accidental new friendship happens, it offers some respite from the combination of home and work stress.
Allison has always struggled with personal relationships, and the woman who introduces herself as “Debra” provides a much-needed social outlet. After their drinks, however, Allison dreams of Debra’s beheaded body. Another body is found with the same MO, vindicating Paxton, and the DA says Debra needs to be informed that there’s intelligence that indicates she’s the next intended target. When Debra presses Allison for more information, she reveals she works with the DA as a psychic. However, “Debra” is actually a tabloid reporter, P.D. McCall, who, in an attempt to dig up dirt on both Allison and the DA, puts them both in the line of fire.
After P.D. publishes her expose on Allison and the DA, Joe’s position with his company, as well as the potential lawsuit he’d considered filing against his employers, is ruined and his credibility is damaged. Allison’s dreams signal another killer is on the loose, and she desperately tries to get P.D. to switch hotels, but P.D. calls her crazy and demands the medium leave before she calls the police. Her beheaded remains are discovered later, while Allison gains access to her room in search of something to convict Paxton, who she is convinced is the real killer. She finds P.D.’s phone – which the reporter also used as a voice recorder.
Who Was the Very First Final Girl?
The first final girl arrived just in time for the Holidays.
The Recapitator Arc and Neve Campbell’s Appearance Changed the Course of ‘Medium’
Campbell has been renowned for playing nice characters inParty of FiveandScream, and her Sydney Prescott is considered a favorite Final Girl for many horror fans. InMedium, however, she shares many more personality traits with herScreamco-starCourteney Cox’s Gale Weathers. P.D. is opportunistic, invasive, and even cruel in how she purposely goes out of her way to befriend Allison and doesn’t give a second thought to what damage she is capable of. She might be one of the most reprehensible villains in the show to date – and she doesn’t kill anybody. It’s refreshing to see Campbell playing against type, and she excels in playing such a nasty piece of work, which doesn’t make her character’s horrible demise any less harrowing.
On a bigger level, the Recapitator arc changed the course ofMedium’s trajectory as the show headed into its fourth season. It became a different series altogether, with Allison agreeing to work for the hard-as-nails Cynthia Keener’s (Anjelica Huston) private investigation agency. Keener was an abrupt, rude, and hard woman, and the dynamic between her and Allison made for compelling television. It also took Allison on the road (in a way) so she wasn’t always in the DA’s office, and it made things feel fresh with new possibilities and a fascinating new character for Allison to play off of. We’d always applauded Allison for her stability in the face of depravity and how, even when she was plagued by visions, she still provided security for her family. The fourth season demonstrated that the story could still be shaken up significantly, even this far into the series.
Neve Campbell’s three-episode arc ofMediumwas dark, even by the show’s already grim standards, and the Recapitator was a sickening criminal motivated to carry out their revolting crimes by greed. It changed everything on the show moving forward but also represented a thrilling change of pace for the types of characters we were more accustomed to seeing Campbell play on-screen.
