Instinct Review: Grey Matter (Season 2 Episode 11)

Instinct Season 2 Episode 11 “Grey Matter” brings the show to a premature end, leaving us with so much we’ll never get to see.

It’s abundantly clear that what winds up being the series finale of Instinct is not meant to fill that role. For every bit of closure, multiple plot threat start, with permanently unanswered questions in their wake.

It’s a disappointing end, though not a surprising one. Given the season one ratings, I put at least some responsibility on the show’s creators for not at least creating something that could stand as a satisfying ending.

Still, knowing how CBS has treated this show—essentially dooming it before the first episode of the season—makes this ending even more frustrating. Everyone involved deserves better.

This isn’t to say the episode itself is bad. As, say, the second-to-last episode of the season for a show that was renewed, it could be very good, with a nice balance of two cases and more character hints to boot.

The case of the week involves several human heads at the bottom of the lake that wind up being the product of a sort of mad scientist studying death for what he declares the greater good. It’s a nice hint of sweeps-week sensationalism, though its not our main focus.

That honor goes to the case that has left Maya dead and brought an enemy back into Dylan and Julian’s lives. It’s here that things get complicated.

For much of the episode, we see Dylan experience symptoms potentially related to exposure to a nerve agent. It’s the kind of storyline that could carry over a season, assuming the blurred vision and haluninations aren’t just psychosomatic.

In one of the few hints of closure we get, though, this winds up explained as an acute stress reaction and is cured by the end of the episode. A stretch of belief? Definitely, but it’s a relief under the circumstances.

The same can’t be said for that mysterious reappearance of a man Dylan shot. He says he wants the help of his old “friends,” which is dubious in countless ways even before he accosts Dylan in the middle of an MRI.

Still, in hinting at a greater enemy, he persuades them to at least start in on his plans. We leave off at the start of what probably should be a morally gray arc to carry us through a nonexistent third season.

The most aggravating gaping holes relate to relationships. As suspected, we’ll never actually see Dylan and Andy become parents. We barely acknowledge that the plot exists, and a pregnant Sam is nowhere to be seen.

Then there’s the other relationship abandoned in infancy. Ryan, supposedly set to return to Nebraska, instead hangs (shirtless) in the NYPD, eventually mentioning to Lizzie that he’s got tickets to a wrestling match in Vegas.

What, then, of Lizzie and Julian? This is likely the final nail in their coffin, and maybe it should be. A relationship rushed in season one has been plagued with issues since. It may be for the best that they’re meant for other people.

That in mind, I think I could get on board with this budding romance. I’d want it to be a slow burn, and properly drawn out. I suppose that’s what fanfiction is for these days.

The final few minutes at least do their best to give us some satisfaction, even if it is rushed. His health assured, Dylan instead focuses on Lizzie confronting her workaholic nature and finally going off on a vacation.

And so she takes his motorcycle while he takes Gary (nice to know our beloved pup is still alive for even one mention this season.) She also assures that while her road trip is unplanned, it will include a stop at a certain wrestling match.

This is where we end, for better and for worse. Save for the extremely slim chance of rescue by another outlet, fans will have to speculate forever on anything they want to see.

What do you think? What will Dylan and Julian’s latest risky ventures mean? Does anything else come up in Dylan and Andy’s path to parenthood? What stories are left to tell for everyone and their love lives?

It’s sad that we must invent this for ourselves, but it speaks to the cruel nature of network TV’s adherence to ratings. At least we’re at a point where we can imagine happiness for everyone, regardless of being able to see it.

 

What did you think of this episode of Instinct? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Instinct aired Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

20 TV Shows Canceled Too Soon and 10 That Overstayed Their Welcome (2009-2019 Edition)