Review by An Honest Fangirl
You know, whenever that kind of line comes from someone who is part of a known racist (speciesist?) hate group, it is never a good thing. Never. Especially for the person who it was said to.
This was a very tightly focused episode, and a very good one to bring us back into the show. Everything related to John's rescue. Or torture. I will say that the loud music was a very creative way to approach this issue. It's something easy to show on TV since it doesn't actually involve any blood or gore, and it makes sense in-universe. It was also a very good visual way to show the difference between Jace's mindset in the beginning of the episode and in the end.
We've done this song and dance with Jace many times. He commits to doing something awful, pulls back due to moral uneasiness, and then recommits himself again once something goes wrong. We've seen his arc this episode before. But for some reason, this felt more real. It felt tangible. I was shocked when I saw the mess that was John's chest and torso. (Very effective SFX there.) I genuinely thought that Jace was going to kill him.
And I'm a little disappointed that he didn't. Is that bad? I really do like John as a character, and he did have a nice moment of growth where he acknowledged that things weren't okay in the Underground and that he felt responsible for this. But I keep wondering what would have happened if John did die. Would it have driven our heroes closer together?
I didn't realize how much I missed everyone working together until I saw it again. The opening pool scene was chock full of the warm, genuine friendship that's been lacking all season, and then the assault of the compound was just badass. Seriously, those shots of Andy and Lauren walking side by side and moving perfectly together? Gorgeous. Just gorgeous. I miss that. I want everyone to stop fighting and be on the same side again.
But, of course, it can't be that easy. Andy's reunion with his family proved that much. This was the one part of the episode that annoyed me. Caitlin and Reed were so excited to see him again, that it made Lauren's more frosty reception seem unreasonable. Except that it wasn't. In the beginning of the season, she admitted that the idea of being around Andy again made her uncomfortable, and that was before he attacked her and gave her a serious concussion. Did her parents just completely forget about that? He's a very different person now, and not just because he can drive or because he bleached his hair. He's angry, ruthless, and more than a little speciesist himself. No matter how much he may want to protect his sister.
At least the reunion between Lorna and Marcos went a little better. I'm not 100% sure if I still support them as a couple or not - there may be way too much baggage there now for a healthy relationship - but the tension between them may have been one of my favorite parts of the episode. You don't just stop loving someone, even if you do end up on two different sides of a very messy war.
Random Thoughts
Clarice came back way quicker than I thought. It kinda makes her leaving last episode feel a bit pointless.
I assume Marcos gave Fade back to Lorna? He's not still in the trunk, is he?
I wanted someone to call "no powers" during the pool scene. Ah well.
So, Jace's close friend (Ted, I think his name is) got very hurt. That won't end well.
Andy's comments about the talk show host felt a little on the nose. Okay, very on the nose.
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An Honest Fangirl loves superheroes, science fiction, fantasy, and really bad horror movies.
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