Perception – Shadow

• Title: Perception – Shadow
• tv.com: link

In the first half of the two-part First Season finale Professor Pierce (Eric McCormack) is presented with information from a former student (Freddy Rodríguez) suggesting a cover-up and conspiracy surrounding the apparently accidental death of a U.S. Senator. After witnessing the death of the student (which may or may not have actually happened, given his tendency to hallucinate), Pierce finds himself lead down the rabbit hole by a hallucination of JFK (Steven Culp) that involves Greek mythology, a star constellation, a secret society, and a shadowy conspiracy.

Although she wants to believe in her friend Kate (Rachael Leigh Cook) is forced to accept the possibility that Pierce may have hallucinated the entire event, as well as his relationship with the student which she can find no evidence of. Although they can’t find the young man’s body, a little investigation does suggest a crime was committed and that it may have been tied to a dead reporter who was also investigating the death of the Senator.

Further investigation uncovers a programmer (Nicole de Boer) who has proof that the head of the company, who the reporter was investigating, tampered with the voting machines in a recent election, but when her proof turns up to be nothing but fantasy and she dies of an apparent suicide Kate’s boss (Jayne Atkinson) closes the case and Kate’s partner (Jonathan Scarfe) arrests Pierce for the murder of his former student. Or does he?

As Daniel’s world spins further and further out of control Max (Arjay Smith) and Kate find him and try to snap him back into reality. After realizing how far gone he has become over the past two days, getting lost in delusional reality, Pierce has no choice but to admit himself into a psychiatric hospital. However, the news Kate receives in the episode’s final scene may mean his episode wasn’t as delusional as it initially first seemed. It will be interesting to see how much of Pierce’s hallucinations prove true in next week’s season finale.