![]() At least Travis’s new partner, Detective Maria Valdez (Miranda Edwards), should be a regular. I doubt Cahill, a more nuanced performer than Wagner, will be a permanent fixture, but perhaps her character will have a lasting impact. In addition to being his intellectual match, she also shares a lingering romantic chemistry with her former lover, and it’s still strong enough to light up a room. She doesn’t just bulk up the investigation side of things or serve as a foil for Amy but brings new depth to Travis’s character as well. Kate allows them to do that by opening the story in several directions. They need to reach out to others if they want to make it through this case. Amy and Travis can’t simply partner up and pick apart one murder to save the day. By dispensing with a few conventions, Killer Timing forces its characters out of a routine. All this contributes to a more exciting film that pushes the series forward. A pair of bickering twins, a storage unit filled with old rental records, and even Amy’s search for a new Dean of Students impacts events in an unexpected way. ![]() It drifts at times, for reasons that become apparent at the end, yet it never gets too far ahead of itself. The case is far from straightforward but is nevertheless and engrossing intersection of murder and other misdeeds that may point to a wider conspiracy involving the Wolfman. Suddenly, the detectives are chasing down several crimes, all while trying to ensure Travis’s safety and pin down a serial killer. The homeowners insist they know nothing about it, but their nosy neighbor Bill (Fred Keating) seems awfully interested. Amy and Travis discover a decayed body while poking through the charred living room of Rita and Mel Goff (Shiraine Haas and Daniel Bacon). In fact, it takes the team some time to connect the dots, and they end up relying on luck as much as they do their keen detection skills. Answers don’t come as easily or quickly this time around. Likewise, the investigation unfolds on a more even playing field. Wagner adjusts her performance accordingly and brings out this unseen side of Amy, one that has her second guessing herself on matters big and small. Still, Amy’s damaged confidence makes her relatable and injects some uncertainty into the story, forcing her to earn her place as a consultant and romantic partner, even as a lead character. ![]() Kate rolls her eyes and lets her be since she’s bunking in the spare room and doesn’t want to get kicked out. Amy insists on tagging along due to her personal stake in the matter, that is her unofficial relationship with Travis. The experience proves humbling, but she isn’t one to stay on the sidelines. For once, the clever lit prof is just that. Besides possessing real investigative credentials, Kate also commands Travis’s respect and can go head-to-head with Amy on Jungian psychology. Suddenly she finds herself helpless and upstaged by the interloper. Amy always takes control of a situation without putting too much on the line, something that changes when Kate waltzes in. That unflappability is admirable trait in an actual person but a dull one when it comes to fake people. Regular readers know I dislike Wagner’s characters, women who never break a sweat in a crisis. Cahill shakes up the dynamic and is the chaos agent this series needs. The appearance of Travis’s ex-wife, FBI Agent Kate Coulson (Erin Cahill), adds another twist. While he escapes serious injury, the search for the Wolfman takes a strange turn, and he and Professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) also find themselves investigating mummified remains inside the burned-out home. Detective Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha), whose testimony all but assures a conviction, becomes an obvious target for revenge and is nearly killed in an explosion when he returns home to Garrison, Washington. The case starts in Chicago where a serial killer dubbed “The Wolfman” escapes mid-trial. Mystery 101 takes some chances with its latest film, Killer Timing, and the bold moves pay off.
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