# Tru Calling series premiere (SPOILERS)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [October 31, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599 "2003-10-31T04:22:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/1 "2003-10-31T04:22:10Z")
Series premiere of Eliza Dushku’s new show, _Tru Calling_ tonight. What did we think?
I thought it was pretty good for an opening episode. We had to get through all the “we know the premise but the characters don’t” stuff in the first twenty minutes but that wasn’t too terrible. I could’ve lived without the instant recap after the first commercial break so I’m hoping that won’t be a regular feature. I almost didn’t recognize Hudson Leick playing Rebecca. Maybe if she’d had some battle armor on…
I liked how in addition to saving Rebecca, Tru also tried to clear up the problems her family members were having. Also liked how she wasn’t able to solve them in a neat little hour-long package.
So, overall I liked it. I’ll watch it again and give it a chance.
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### Author:  [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/2 "2003-10-31T05:54:46Z")
Didn’t think it was very good. I really just watched it for the eye candy and the gun kick which was shown in the commercials. For some reason I find it hilarious.
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### Author:  [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/3 "2003-10-31T07:12:22Z")
I’m giving it a chance too, but I’m not very impressed so far.
On the one hand, I don’t care for shows (there seem to be a lot of them lately) that encourage belief in the supernatural. But then on the plus side, there’s Eliza Dushku. 'Cause, y’know, yum. And that bit at the beginning (also in the opening credits) where she’s running in the skimpy top—that helps.
So on balance, it’ll be good if there’s good writing and interesting stories. We’ll see.
I also thought that mid-show recap was odd. I’ve never seen that done before. The only thing I can figure is that it was for the people who switched over after watching Friends. (?)
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/4 "2003-10-31T12:38:59Z")
After all the scathing reviews I was pleasently surprised.
Not a great show, but I’m willing to give it a chance.
Brian
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### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/5 "2003-10-31T15:02:10Z")
Too much running.
Seriously, I think it would have been better if the brother had still gotten beaten up, regardless of her actions. Implying that the only fate she can change is that of the victim.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/6 "2003-10-31T15:08:04Z")
I think SmackFu and BabeBooey summed it up; lots of running, and the heroine uses a martial arts kick to foil the murderer? Too comical for what’s supposed to be a serious show.
I’ll be shocked if it sees a second season, but that seems to be the fate of most new shows this season. They’re getting slaughtered in the ratings.
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### Author:  [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/7 "2003-10-31T16:00:11Z")
I thought it was pretty lame. I tuned in to see Eliza, and was pleasantly shocked to see Hudson Leick as the guest character (I’d been deleting my Xena mail related to Tru Calling because I’d assumed it was post-Buffy angst…Oops).
But eh… There was nothing gripping. Eliza’s character is too soft and rounded for her hard angle acting style, the subplots were boring, and there was just nothing saying “Hey, this is different!” As a big fan of magical realism shows, I suppose you’d call them, like _Early Edition_ and _Strange Luck_, this one seemed to lack enough weirdness.
I agree with **SmackFu** about the brother. It’d be great if Tru was helping strangers, while unable to help her family. That despondency would give the show more depth.
Or I could just be a sicko.
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### Author:  [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/8 "2003-10-31T16:59:54Z")
I liked it quite a bit, (LOVE Eliza!) although Tru as a character is still all over the map and needs to be a little less Buffy-grounded in actions. Some of the supporting characters interest me, like her boss at the morgue, and her brother, who from this female’s perspective, was a pretty nice addition of male eye candy. 🙂
The overall tone was too **Miracles** for me, but I think it _might_ find a niche if they develop the writing more and focus it better on one element (rather than helping everyone in her path, family included, and leave out the whole “it must be because of mom” constant flashback thing). Oh, and move it away from the double threat of **Friends** and **Survivor** if they want it to make it. That’s help.
I do plan on watching again next week. It looks pretty interesting, especially considering the whole “soulmate” angle. Hmmm. What about the guy she’s living with?
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### Author:  [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/9 "2003-10-31T17:03:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ferrous \*
> \*\*I also thought that mid-show recap was odd. I’ve never seen that done before. The only thing I can figure is that it was for the people who switched over after watching Friends. (?) \*\*
They do it on _Smallville_ on the WB as well. Or they did last season, anyway.
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### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/10 "2003-10-31T17:39:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I think SmackFu and BabeBooey summed it up; lots of running, and the heroine uses a martial arts kick to foil the murderer?
It’s far from clear that he was a “murderer.” He said he brought the gun over for Rebecca’s protection, and the morgue guy figured out she would have been a suicide. He did point the gun at Tru but what would you do if some strange woman had been following around your (ex-) girlfriend all day telling her she was going to die? Still, I agree it was ambiguous adn could have been presented more clearly.
> [@](#):
>
> Seriously, I think it would have been better if the brother had still gotten beaten up, regardless of her actions. Implying that the only fate she can change is that of the victim.
I thought the “save the brother, not the sister” was one of the stronger elements of the ep, actually. Does it mean Tru can affect"immediate consequence" things but not “long-term consequence” things? That could be an interesting avenue to her powers or journey or whatever we’re calling this. It sets up intriguing possibilities; what of her “inconsequential” actions that she takes during her repeated days? The whole “butterfly flaps its wings in Asia leads to a hurricane in Florida” thing.
Remember it’s a first ep (does anyone know if the ep being shown next week was second in production order? That soulmate thing popping up in ep 2 is a bit odd). I cut premieres a good deal of slack.
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/11 "2003-10-31T19:25:24Z")
I dl’d the final cut, so to say, since I saw it in July or whatever. They changed the guy playing her BF and it’s got a glossier finish, as compared to the one I saw (Which also said “NOT FOR AIR” across the screen).
I think it’s OK and of course, there is ED with gratuitous cleavage - running, so it can’t be all bad.
I’ll probably check out the next few eps to see if it catches some momentum.
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### Author:  [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/12 "2003-10-31T19:59:56Z")
I saw most of it, more of the last part than the first, and I thought it was decent.
I imagine they’ll keep the recaps (especially the end of episode one) – I didn’t realize beforehand that it’s “Run Trudy Run” but it really is. At least they’re acknowledging the debt.
The problem is that unless they’ve got some really good ideas for character development (the family stuff may work in) it doesn’t seem like an idea that can last – she has to save a life every episode, and there’s only so many times they can keep adding twists.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/13 "2003-11-28T15:32:39Z")
Resurrecting this thread to announce that Fox has picked up the full season of Tru Calling.
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tru-calling-series-premiere-spoilers/210599/14 "2003-11-28T16:25:10Z")
Why? It must mean they got decent ratings, but I stopped watching. Nothing happens, IMO.