On Monday, it was difficult not to be disappointed with the second episode of "Medium," titled "But For The Grace Of God," during its fourth season.

Last week gave us just a peek of what Allison Dubois and her family are going through now that her path as a psychic is common knowledge, and they were struggling to make ends meet. Allison met Cynthia Keener, played by Anjelica Huston, who pays her now to help her find missing person's in secret.

This week, Allison dreams of a dead deer next to a wrecked car and a young girl who tries to get to her phone. When the face is shown, it turns out to be her daughter, Ariel. As she panics over what this could mean, she also struggles to help find a missing teenager for her new boss, with very few results, which frustrates them both. Ariel is asked out on a date, but her parents refuse to let her go, and through her own prophetic dreams she sees her mother as a teenager. Could this be tied to Allison's case? Well, if you watch "Medium" you know that everything is connected!

There were several things disappointing or missing in this episode. There is still no sign of former District Attorney Devalos, and Detective Scanion is seen for only a brief time. The show is changing, and although not necessarily for the worse, it's a shame to miss two of the best characters on this show.

Last week, Huston's character seemed interesting, but she seems rather quick to offense and for all her open mindedness about Allison's ability, she showed herself to be as ignorant as the rest. When the psychic ability did not yield immediate results, she brushed it off and only regained faith when proof was found toward the end. Perhaps I'm getting spoiled by Devalos' grudging respect and kindness toward Allison, but the aggressive behavior of Keener is alarming.

Also, the acting by Sofia Vassilieva as Ariel Dubois was overdone and downright annoying. There were glimpses of real ability, like when she was in the car during her flashback, and the soft 'I think I want to wake up now' was truly heart-wrenching. I think the best advice the director could give the young actress is, "Less is more." When she goes overboard, it makes everything feel melodramatic and takes away from the genuine intrigue of the story. Child actresses do not get a pass merely for being young; there are 12 year olds in Hollywood with more professional experience than a great deal of the adults.

A new direction for a show can make it fresh, but it has to be careful not to lose the elements that made it popular in the first place. "Medium" has a great deal of potential, especially with the way it can now express the day-to-day life of an exposed psychic. I would like to see more of a lasting effect than just Ariel being teased at school or Allison losing her job. She is noticeable enough now that Keener could not take her on a job, so why is she not accosted more often in public?

It does not need to go overboard, but I feel like the show is violating the first writing rule of "show not tell." We are told they are having problems and Joe can't get a job, and everyone thinks Allison is a joke. I would like to see a little more of it, yet not to the extent of feeling self-pitying. That is a very thin line to walk on, but "Medium" is capable of it.

The season has just begun, and there are endless possibilities of where it could go. I guess we'll just have to keep tuning in to see if it lives up to the promise!

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Story by Chelsea 'Dee' Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer