Most people may remember Aaron Ashmore most as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville, but I remember him most from his brief stint as Troy Vandegraff on Veronica Mars. I’m really happy to see him make his way to another series. At first I wasn’t so sure about the way he interacted with Pete, since the latter really didn’t want anything to do with the former, and they shared little in common to boot. That quickly changed as the episode progressed, and while I initially thought Jinks was a one-shot for the series, I’m thinking he may be around for the long haul.
One nice detail and call-back to the series premiere was Claudia greeting Jinks when he first arrived at the warehouse. I’m not sure how identical that scene was to when Artie greeted Pete and Myka for the first time, but it was damn-near close. Deb was sitting here not knowing why I was laughing at that scene until I pointed it out, so I wonder how many others caught on.
I compared Jinks’ abilities of knowing when someone’s lying to Lie to Me because it really did remind me of the earlier episodes of that show, when Cal Lightman would flat-out tell someone he’s talking to that they’re lying. Imagine having a casual conversation with a guy like that, and he’s always snapping you with, “No, you’re lying.” What a drag! At least he’s not explaining his reasons for knowing the person’s lying, like a drip of sweat running out of the top-left corner of his temple and a 45-degree shift of the eyes to the right. But, it is going to be an interesting ability for the team to have. What I wonder, though, is whether this ability is something that’s come naturally to Jinks … or if he’s getting it from a so-far undiscovered artifact. Maybe he’s carrying William Marston‘s pen in his pocket?
I wonder a bit whether the brief scene we had with a … holograph? … of H.G. Wells was a way of hinting that the rumored spin-off WH13 series carries some weight. Is that a series you could get behind? I’m not so sure I could stomach an hour a week watching the character, but I’m definitely curious. I just wouldn’t want it to turn out to be that idiotic thing that happened on Lois & Clark.
How do you like the new member to the team, now that it it means the team got bigger with Myka coming back?
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Jul 11, 2011 @ 22:23 EST5EDT
Jinx’s gift is probably natural. All of the warehouse agents have some kind of gift. which is part of the reason they were recruited. (Pete has hunches and Myka has nearly eidetic memory and super keen observationall skills – Claudia isn’t technically an agent and wasn’t recruited by Ms. Frederick, she just kinda happened.)
I really like the new character. I am of course thrilled that Myka is back and that they didn’t drag it out for half the season like I feared, but Jinx was great and his character seemed to mesh well with the rest of the team. I hope he sticks around for the long haul. I’m guessing that’s the case given Pete’s “the only way you leave the warehouse is feet first” response to Jinx’s question about the status of his job. Claudia seems eager to get out in the field; he might make a good partner for her if that ever happens. Or they might just have Jinx along with Myka and Pete as a team approach for awhile.
Either way, this was a great season opener. I loved the reveal at the end about Agent Sally. I was a bit relieved because I was afraid she was going to be another love interest for Pete. Also favorite line: “You know what? It feels a little like my old dog just got sent to the farm, and you guys are already shoving a new puppy down my throat.” – Pete
I was ready to hate Jinx because Myca and Pete always had such amazing chemistry, and I don’t usually enjoy “forced” extra characters into the dynamic, but he won me over so fast! I think it’s because he seems just so pragmatic, not the “shortfuse valiant smartass” that I’d have expected.
I really liked this season starter episode, and I hope Jinx sticks around for a long while.