The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown" episode of the ABC Family cable network show, "The Middleman."

Old murder mystery show cliche #1 states that the actor or actress playing the detective/murder-solver gets top billing, but the person getting second billing is the murderer. That person will get more screen time than the other cast members because he/she has to appear as one of the suspects, then get extra screen time at the end to explain how and why he/she did the dirty deed.

Sadly, this episode of "The Middleman" falls prey to this decades-old cliche. It was the first plot in nine episodes I was unhappy with.

Here's what happened this week:

A previous Middleman, Guy Goddard (Kevin Sorbo), is revived from his cryogenic slumber begun in 1969 to do battle with his arch-foe, The Candle. As the episode progresses, he flirts with Wendy and Ida, but not The Middleman, thankfully.

Turns out that the Candle is really-and-for-true dead, and once the member of the Candle's family pretending to be him is revealed, Guy ("my friends call me 'God' for short") ends up behind the problems the rest of the way. In the end, Guy sees the error of his ways thanks to Wendy and is just in time to save The Middleman by sacrificing himself.

What Worked

There are still lots of good things in this week's episode. Tyler Ford, Wendy's love interest, is back, and he fits in with the rest of the cast extremely well. The former Middleman-to-be has carved out a nice place in the show, delivering complex lines effortlessly and appealingly.

Then, the place Wendy and Tyler eat is called "The Batter of the Bulge Pancake House," so truth in advertising reigns supreme.

My favorite line in the show comes when the group is discussing how to get to Snake Island. Guy says, "'Beam Me Up, Scotty.' That's a reference from an old television show you've probably never heard of."

Along the way, there are allusions to "Dr. Strangelove," the founder of Atari Inc., "Doctor Who," the original "Flash Gordon" and even a quote from "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back."

What Didn't Work

I know that when a "name" actor guest-stars on a show, the temptation is to give that person as much "face" time as possible. In this case, it was a mistake.

This episode gives Kevin Sorbo loads of face (and chest) exposure. The bad thing is that he seemed like he didn't belong with the rest of the actors, and not in a good way.

His attempts to seem "less-than-moral" came out very flat and uninteresting to me. He didn't deliver the dialogue with that kind of cadence, "wink" or "sparkle" that the other actors have, and so I just couldn't buy it. Then he gets a hook on his hand (Was that an obvious clue that he'd gone bad or what?) before he tries to take over for the current Middleman.

Next, Guy goes the traditional route of "hero goes bad when replaced, tries to take out replacement, is convinced what he's doing is wrong, then jumps in front of the device intended to kill the new hero" rut. That last part, sacrificing oneself after betraying humanity and/or everything you once believed in, is a long-lived "Doctor Who" staple. Please let it stay there.

And by the way, Hollywood, thanks to Mr. Sorbo and the barrage of other attempts to "realistically" portray that kind of person as Satan, we get it -- all Conservatives and Republicans are evil, twisted, immoral bad guys. There has never been and will never be a Conservative or a Republican who has even one redeeming value -- that is, unless he kills himself. Sheesh, folks. Cliche alert! Cliche alert! Can someone actually try something new now, please?

We also barely see Noser or Lacey this week. I would rather have seen more of them even if they had to interact with Guy more.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown" was written by Tracey Stern and directed by Michael Grossman. "The Middleman" airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on the ABC Family cable network. It stars Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Brit Morgan and Mary Pat Gleason.

Wayne Hall, news editor for Airlock Alpha, thinks that Kevin Sorbo graduated from the Sly Stallone School of Acting, where one goes without a shirt and pretends that no one notices. Wayne's also chief of security/publications editor/webmaster for the U.S.S. Chesapeake, a local Star Trek and science-fiction club in the Washington, D.C., area.

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