Two-part episodes are usually packed full with action, answers, and character development, otherwise it could all be done in one episode. They can either be paced well and bleed one into the other without trouble, or they can seem unnecessary, too long, and pointless.

The second part of "Burn Baby Burn" for the NBC show "Medium" fell somewhere in between the spectrum. Perhaps it is wrong to hope for a big change or an epic battle to take place in a story that spreads across two hours. Considering the season finale last year had Allison Dubois outed as a psychic, her boss fired and replaced with an evil Scrooge-like figure, and both her and Joe unemployed, she can probably get a pass this time.

Instead of stirring up trouble, this episode seemed to bring everyone together, and for that reason alone it was successful. Ariel and Allison proved to be a great mother-daughter psychic duo, who put their visions together to come up with the correct answer. In part one, Ariel had dreams of Mary Stacy who burned to death -- Devalos represented her accused husband and Scanlon was investigating him -- while Allison dreamed of a runaway being tortured by a dentist. That seems very unconnected, doesn't it? Well, on "Medium" everything is connected.

The cases were brought together, and the evil District Attorney was humiliated. The dentist worked together with Mary to fake her death; the kidnapped girl was altered to fit her dental record. Her $7 million life insurance policy went to a charity fund that the dentist was in charge of. With the help of Cynthia Keener, the guilty parties were brought back to the US, and Devalos' client was found innocent. Scanlon is no longer welcome in the DA office, but he seemed perfectly happy about that, since he is back with the Dream Team. All's well that ends well.

On a more personal front, last week Joe's mother came to visit and revealed to Allison that she is very ill. She wanted Allison to have a dream about her and give reassurance that she would survive. As the audience knows by now because Allison says it every episode, it doesn't really work that way, but Joe's dead father persuades her that hope is all his wife needs. Allison lies and gives the ill woman that small amount of comfort to fight. Whether his mother will die is unclear, but it would be a shame to lose the possibility of such a talented guest star. Then again, when the main character is a psychic, death is hardly the end of any guest star!

The cases were played out well, and it was interesting to see everyone working together for a change. Ariel, Allison, Scanlon, Cynthia and Devalos played a part in finding out the truth, and it is safe to say now that with Devalos on his way back to the District Attorney's office, Allison will have a steady paycheck again. Dare the family hope? With the original cast back again, it just serves as a clear contrast so some of the weaker episodes earlier in the season. This group of actors work beautifully together and have a genuine connection; it was necessary for the story to break them apart in the beginning, but it is good to see the show back on track now.

Next week will be all about Cynthia, Anjelica Huston's character, and her reasons for doing the work that she does. Yawn. Huston is a fine actor, and there is nothing wrong with her performance, but the character has not been terribly interesting or grabbing. One day she is supportive of Allison, and the next she is biting at her for not being a Magic 8 ball. The next episode will show a little more of her softer side, since it involves the kidnapping of her own child some years ago, and hopefully that will give a more human element to an otherwise stiff performance.

There is another two-parter starting next week. Phew. Tune in for "Wicked Games Part 1!" Can you handle it?

Story by Chelsea 'Dee' Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer