REVIEW

TV Review: Painkiller Jane - "Breakdown"

Written by Temple Stark
Published May 26, 2007

Let's get to the end of this episode first.

If you (yes, just the two of us, apparently) have been following this show and reading about it, there's been heavy speculation that Painkiller Jane is a neuro. For those who haven't been watching, Jane Vasco is a latecomer to a team that tracks and neutralizes neuros, who are genetically altered or damaged humans.

The malfunction in their brains manifests in a variety of ways we've been seeing in the show so far, from mind control, to being able to raise the dead.

At the end of this episode Dr. Seth Carpenter, the resident doctor of what I've been calling Strikeforce Vicodin tells its leader, Andre McBride, that an analysis of Jane's blood reveals DNA characteristics very similar to that of the neuros.

Jane's body heals itself of bullet holes, electrical frying, falling from great heights or anything. Though she has this talent, she still feels the pain of it all happening so it's not something she enjoys doing. But as part of the team to track neuros, her ability hasn't played much of a part in the last few episodes, including this one. This show is often thought to be stealing from Heroes but the concept for Painkiller Jane started in the comic book of the same name printed years ago.

Andre, though surprise may be outside the realm of his emotional A to Z, tells Dr. Seth to keep that knowledge to himself, for now.

One of the mysteries of the show for the viewer is why the episodes are being aired out of order from how they were scheduled to run. The Painkiller Jane website accidentally gives the answer to which ones are airing when.**  But not why.

Knowing that "Breakdown" was supposed to air as the fourth episode instead of the sixth, the revelation from Dr. Seth causes me to mentally scan over the last two episodes to see if they make more sense imbued with this additional information. In one way it does; it explains Andre getting closer to Vasco, as much more of a confidant than anything else. Maureen Bowers joined SF Vicodin at almost the same time and she and Vasco were close friends. Now? Not so close.

Though the most interesting part of the show is its potential, there was a story to be told in "Breakdown."

I'm not sure what I was doing while watching this, but I realized after it was all over I hadn't detected a plot. Now the show can be criticized for a lot but it always has a plot, however anemic at times. I blame my fugue on a neuro. I did come away with the feeling that this was the second best after "Catch Me If You Can."

Maureen and Jane are interviewing people about weird experiences they've been having. A lot of flashing back and forth of images, of climbing on furniture, of feeling trapped and things floating in the vision: flowers, hats. Two of the interviewees are in a hospital, another is long-time whacko Henry Perkins - identified as Patient Zero - who killed his family and neighbors with a butcher knife. They visit him in Greenmore Psychiatric, a mental hospital. Maureen and Jane are buttoned up and looking business professional beautiful in black. After all, why wouldn't they dress up for the psych ward?

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TV Review: Painkiller Jane - "Breakdown"
Published: May 26, 2007
Type: Review
Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: TV Recap, Video: SF, Video: Television
Part of a feature: Painkiller Jane
Writer: Temple Stark
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