'Terra Nova' Season 1, Episode 5 Recap - 'Bylaw'

After a brief hiatus due to the ALCS and the World Series, television's most identity-confused program returns with an all-new episode. "Terra Nova" is back, folks, and it still doesn't know what it is just yet.

So far we've seen "Terra Nova" take stabs at being a family drama, a "Lost"-like mystery show, a sci-fi thriller, a dino version of "The Birds," and lord knows what else. This week, it's a crime procedural.

When you think about it, having this show be a crime procedural actually makes more sense than any other permutation. After all, our hero is a cop. A cop who works with the most inept security force in the history of mankind.

Another week, another death for an unnamed security force soldier, who is mauled to death by a dinosaur when investigating a malfunctioning comm outpost. But detective Shannon doesn't think that this was an ordinary dino attack. No, this was a murder. A dino murder.

I would like to bring everyone's attention to the fact that the line "How do you kill a man with a dinosaur?" is actually spoken in this episode. I'm not sure whether to laugh or weep. Anyway, that's what Jim reports to Taylor, and Jim goes off on the hunt with Washington to find some leads. That leads them, conveniently, to Howard Milner, who immediately confesses to the crime.

The bylaw (title alert!) states that if someone murders a Terra Novan, they will be banished to the jungle. Apparently, this is the first time it has happened, so Taylor's swift justice is met with some dissent, especially from Liz who puts up a big fuss about it to Jim and then proceeds to not care in the slightest for the rest of the episode while she operates on an unhatched dinosaur. Way to stick to your beliefs, Liz.

As it turns out, though, Milner just confessed because he thought his wife, who was sleeping with the soldier in question, did the deed. She didn't, so Jim et al go back on the trail and instead pick up another soldier who owed the now-dead kid a bunch of money. Taylor kicks the crap out of him and he's sent packing.

We also got a little more movement on the front of Josh attempting to get his girlfriend Kara in on the next pilgrimmage thanks to his partnership with Boyland, the bar owner. Josh now has to do some crap or another for Mira... honestly, my brain just shuts down whenever any of those Shannon children are on screen. They have no depth of character or interesting qualities. All I see is rebellious older teen, cartoonishly bookish younger teen, and child who really likes dinosaurs.

We made almost no progress with the side plot of the Sixers, though, and it seems those rocks with markings on them from episode one are a foregone conclusion. Remember those? Not a single mention of them in about four hours of screen time since.

"Terra Nova" had better decide which type of show it is and stick to it. I can't handle watching them try to squeeze dinosaurs into a new genre every week.