Last week’s Bedlam got the show off to a great start, especially considering the problems it had during the first series, but sadly this week it’s back to business as usual. Lacey Turner is still a great protagonist and carries the action well, but the plot and character work elsewhere is far too generic for a show in its second year. While many were happy to overlook the problems in the first six episodes, a major shake-up just last week should really have made Bedlam Heights feel fresher. This means that we end up seeing a lot more of Max, and it’s actually becoming harder to get a handle on his personality. I’m not sure whether it’s the writing or a confused performance, but there’s absolutely no consistency in his helpful assistant role. We know he runs the Bedlam Watch website, which was this week discovered by the other side, so we can also assume that he’s been following paranormal goings-on for a long while. It all comes across as a little bit too exciting for him, as if he’s just been waiting for Ellie to come along. I’d like to see him get seduced by the dark side, but that doesn’t look like the way the show wants to go with him. As lovely as Turner is, I’m also frightened she might get grating before the series is out. Though she had many reasons to feel down, we’ve never seen the character in her natural mood. We met her under the strain of her gifts, and she hasn’t cracked a smile yet. Now with the ending of the episode going a way I wasn’t expecting, she’ll have even more reason to scowl. To be fair, though, Jed was never a laugh riot, and she’ll do a good job off centring the show once things inevitably kick off down the line. Read our review of last week’s episode, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
