The 4400

I may have to take back some of what I said in my last 4400 review.  The new series is opening things up quite nicely.  There's Richard, Lily and baby Isabelle on the run, endlessly propelled on their as yet, unknown quest.  Also, we're starting to see Shawn detaching with his past and moving forward with Jordan Collier, of all people; a move that would have been hard to pick from the events of the last season.  

Elsewhere, parental issues dominate.  Baldwin and Kyle's relationship is healing -- or is it?  Are they falling back into the old patterns of their father-son dynamic, and what is happening to Kyle?  All interesting questions, begging answers.  Maia and Skouris reveal the complexity of the parent-child relationship and things aren't always as black and white as they seem.  Would you read your child's diary?  

It was a nice touch in the extended first episode, to see the ripple effect device being used so well, with the restoration of the sanity of the neuroscientist who is destined to be the 'father' of the work on special abilities -- through his research on dormant areas of the brain.  Hopefully, this is something we'll see more of as the series develops.

Last but not least, some nice twists and further dramatics with the rise of Shawn and demise of Collier -- as the interwoven destinies of Isabelle and Kyle with the 4400 grow ever more mysterious and sinister.  

My favourite lines so far came from episode 3 - The Weight of the World:
Shawn:    "You can be a manipulative little pr*ck you know that?"
Collier:    "It helps to use your entire skillset when you're trying to change the world."