The psychic ability to foresee future events has been addressed in numerous movies throughout history. Some delve deep into the consequences of such abilities, with "The Dead Zone" being one example. On the other hand, "Medium" tends to refrain from the most controversial aspects. With its compelling title, "Raising Cain" sets itself apart to some degree from the general approach of "Medium", presenting the ethical trolley problem in its own unique way.
In this episode, a mother fails in her attempt to murder her own 7-year-old son. As the story progresses, Allison dreams that the boy will commit a mass murder when he reaches high school. Realizing that the mother is also capable of predicting the future, Allison comes to understand the reason behind the mother's actions. She is then tormented by the dilemma of whether the mother should be arrested or left free, possibly to attempt to kill her son again (in Allison's words: "maybe I am not supposed to stop her"). Following this, the mother takes her own life, and the investigation is closed without any conclusive proof against her. As a result, the son grows up unaware of his mother's attempt on his life, as does the rest of the world. In the end, Allison has a new dream in which she foresees the boy thriving and becoming the valedictorian at his high school graduation. In this manner, the episode does not completely break away from the show's usual approach, and the writers specifically avoid confronting the most grueling consequences of the trolley problem by providing Allison - and, by extension, themselves - way out. This narrative maneuver cleverly removes the burden from Allison of having to decide whether to "pull the lever" or not, effectively resolving the dilemma she faces without directly engaging with the hardest moral questions it poses.
Overall, the episode is a good one, as is its conclusion. However, it also underscores "Medium's" consistent tendency to shy away from fully exploring the most controversial consequences of Allison's abilities.
In this episode, a mother fails in her attempt to murder her own 7-year-old son. As the story progresses, Allison dreams that the boy will commit a mass murder when he reaches high school. Realizing that the mother is also capable of predicting the future, Allison comes to understand the reason behind the mother's actions. She is then tormented by the dilemma of whether the mother should be arrested or left free, possibly to attempt to kill her son again (in Allison's words: "maybe I am not supposed to stop her"). Following this, the mother takes her own life, and the investigation is closed without any conclusive proof against her. As a result, the son grows up unaware of his mother's attempt on his life, as does the rest of the world. In the end, Allison has a new dream in which she foresees the boy thriving and becoming the valedictorian at his high school graduation. In this manner, the episode does not completely break away from the show's usual approach, and the writers specifically avoid confronting the most grueling consequences of the trolley problem by providing Allison - and, by extension, themselves - way out. This narrative maneuver cleverly removes the burden from Allison of having to decide whether to "pull the lever" or not, effectively resolving the dilemma she faces without directly engaging with the hardest moral questions it poses.
Overall, the episode is a good one, as is its conclusion. However, it also underscores "Medium's" consistent tendency to shy away from fully exploring the most controversial consequences of Allison's abilities.
