Ben leaps into a sixteen-year-old escapee, one of four students fleeing from a brutal youth camp in the southwest.

I love nothing more than formula done well. OK, unique and surprising beats it, but that doesn’t apply at the moment. Sticking to formula done well: predictable can be comforting, be it a well-known roller coaster ride or a leisurely stroll. Sometimes kicking back and enjoying the trip can be fun and relaxing.

Alas this episode gives us formula done badly, and conversely sometimes follows a bad formula all too well. It lacks sparkle and warmth, and never gets off the ground. Not fun; just annoying. The teenage cast does their best but can’t elevate the mundane script. The characters – caricatures, really – never rise above archetypes. While not awful, it pretty much fails to engage.

Also, geniuses keep making really stupid choices.

First and second cases in point: After crashing their getaway vehicle, the kids initially decide to take off into the wilderness. Naturally someone breaks a bone. When they realize that isn’t the best idea, they take shelter in a secluded cabin they inexplicably expect to – and do – find both deserted and fully stocked. Huh?

The team back at home base provide the third, fourth, and fifth examples. The battle/chess game against Janice continues. Right after Ian announces Janice is finally locked out of the system, and Jenn and Magic set out to apprehend her (call for backup, anyone?), Janice promptly crashes the entire installation around their ears. Evidently not only can she still access the entire Leap system, she taps into the security and surveillance systems as well and knows they’re coming for her. Hence, Jenn and Magic trapped in an elevator that evidently only Addison can open the roof access door to. Huh? And triple Huh?

Jenn and Magic share a heartfelt (and oh-so-clichéd) discussion about her estranged father and why she should forgive him. They also remain able to communicate with Ian, who keeps them up-to-date on how he’s unable to reverse the lockdown by Jenn’s security system. Magic and Jenn encourage him to keep at the valiant attempts while apparently unable to tell him how to reset her – as they call it – system. Sigh.

The resolution to the youth camp dilemma works just fine and, if not for the rest of the episode, would qualify as formula done well rather than poorly.

The show returns January 2. We’ll need to wait that long to see the outcome of the breakthrough Ben has just before he leaps. It definitely changes the stakes. We’ll have to wait to find out whether this expands or alters their ultimate goal. The former could be most excellent; the latter, a set-up for a total cop-out.

Verdict: “Because you’re you; You never give up.” refers to Jenn but applies equally to all the characters. Likewise, viewers shouldn’t give up on the show yet despite the marked lack of consistency. 6/10

Rigel Ailur