My Own Worst Enemy: This is Not My Son

I did get the big reveal that Dr. Skinner is actually a Systems Analyst for Janus, which makes total sense since someone had to assign her to be Henry's shrink in the first place. What was unexpected was her love affair with Edward - an affair that makes her feel the need to protect and save Henry as he bumbles his way through the entire deal. After she saved Henry from the phony FBI Agent, she then helped Edward pass a lie-detector test with regards to the agent's disappearance. It was only a moderately clever scene, since it solely relied upon the existence of a made up future-tech penlight/audio transmitter that provided Edward with alternate questions to answer.

Edward has really taken on a Tyler Durden-esque role - as extremely over-sexualized bruiser. There's no real reason given for Skinner's devotion to him other than the fact that he treats her like crap and gives her out-of-this-world sex. But, but by the end, Mavis figures out that Edward is definitely being protected by someone.

Some interesting developments came into light. One is that if Edward is ever discovered by boss-man Tromboll, he won't be executed like I originally thought. The Edward personality will just get erased, and Henry will live on. This seems to butt heads with the fact that the Systems Analyst agent was about to shoot him dead before he was saved by Skinner. There needs to be a bit of clarification around this. This is a very twisty plotline, and it can get muddled very easily. Agent Tom was taken prisoner in "Hello, Henry" and now Edward must head over to Beijing with a new Janus partner, Paula, to rescue him. The mission goes haywire when Henry appears in the middle of a gunfight and gets Paula all shot to hell. Tromboll seems so desperate to expose Edward that it seems a little far-fetched that he continues to accept the last minute saves and excuses that just manage to keep Edward off the chopping block. This organization seems like one that would actually just kill you if they suspected something was wrong.

While Paula lies in a coma, Mavis and Edward must make a decision about her dangerous knowledge of Henry, and Henry must try and figure out how to protect her from Edward and Mavis. In the best moment of the episode, Henry actually convinces Raymond that he's Edward, and makes Raymond leave the hospital without killing Paula. And that just leaves Skinner, to help Paula's normal alter-ego "Ellen" decide that she wants to snap and break into Janus and expose herself as being the broken operative. In the end, I find myself in a strange emotional moment when Paula is unjustly erased from existence, but the happy family gal Ellen lives on in her place.

Meanwhile, Janus must make it look like Tom had an affair to actually cover for the fact that Raymond was taken prisoner by the Chinese. And Henry discovers that his son has actually become secretly proficient in the martial arts and stick fighting. It's a revelation that he can't fully accept, since it means that Edward's genes are the actual DNA that's he's passed along. Edward is able to save the day by actually bonding with his son over the violent tournament fighting that he's been participating in.

I like this series, but I'm also waiting for both Edward and Henry to start acting smart in order to thrive, not just survive. The pettiness needs to get torched, and a new comradery needs to arise from the ashes.