“We are the Superpower, we take the f**k we want!”
This episode is the first time we get a real peek at the show’s central conceit and core idea, and it is also a turning point in understanding what the hell is going on, even though nothing is really explained.
Starting off, Will is dreaming of the little girl again, this time as a flashback to when he was a child. I’m not entirely sure if this was physically witnessed or perhaps he was connected to the girl and could see what was happening, but a white haired man was seen cutting into her skull (bleh). This sounds an awful lot like what is happening with Nomi and he looks like the mysterious man that showed up antagonizing Angelica and Jonas right before she died. Will then wakes up in a hospital bed, having survived the crash with Jonas, who is now in federal custody. Will has been labeled a hero, although everyone on the force still kind of treats him like crap for saving that boy.
Of course Joaquin shows up to Lito’s set and offers to take him to lunch. Lito, trying to be a good guy for Dani, accepts and they have a very interesting conversation. Joaquin is a fan, going so far as to even quote one of Lito’s movies. Things escalate and it is made fairly plain that Joaquin is a bully and has a stalker-esque claim on Dani to the point where he threatens Lito by knifepoint. Lito doesn’t back down and Joaquin leaves angry. I doubt that will be important later (again with heavy sarcasm).
Capheus is reminiscing about his past, and we get a lengthy flashback of him and his mom walking in the African wilderness. She is very clearly pregnant, and they are also very clearly between homes and haven’t had food in a while. Yet his mother is quite the optimist, at least in front of her son. Their conversion about being a zebra and living off the land, contrasted with the idea that there are always predators waiting to tear them apart, is quite apt for Capheus’s arc for the episode.
Thankfully, Nomi’s surgery is cut short (pun intended) by Amanita setting a fire in the hospital just like she said she would. But Nomi is still locked up in that hospital that seems intent on breaking several laws involving patient rights. Nomi is very much an adult and her family shouldn’t have the ability to force a surgery upon her like this, but I get the impression this is mostly Dr. Metzger pulling the strings, not her horrible deadname-dropping mother.
This is no more evident than when Sun tries to see her father, but is blocked. This makes her angry, so she goes to an underground fight arena. This coincides with the confrontation with Capheus and the Superpower gang who hold him up at gunpoint and steal his mother's AIDS drugs. Then something inside of Capheus breaks and he kicks everyone off of the Van Damme and chases after them. He is very much outmanned and outgunned, with just one passenger who refuses to get off because her ring was stolen, a symbol of her marriage and her husband who had passed.
This acts almost like a proof of concept scene that shows what this connection actually means. They aren’t just connected, they are capable of helping each other across thousands of miles, sharing talents and skills as though each possesses them. The implications of that are a bit terrifying when you consider each character. Nomi is a hacker, Capheus is an excellent driver, Lito is a natural liar and actor, Sun is an incredible hand to hand fighter, Will is a cop who is skilled with a gun and can pick locks with a paperclip, Wolfgang is a gangster with fighting skills and the ability to crack safes, Kala is a scientist who works in a pharmaceutical lab, and Riley understands music in a way that transcends composition bringing creativity and intuition to the table. As individuals they are impressive, but as a collective, they are kind of unstoppable.
Bits:
Wolfgang isn’t seen in this episode at all. Kala has one scene that feels important; her wedding is in two days and her company is trying to figure out the fake drug situation in Africa. Also, her friend casually mentions lobotomy, which is just weird.
Shugs gets a tattoo mark for every time he wakes up in a hospital alive. That’s a whole other level of addiction that makes me feel things for the character, but the fact he is committed enough to his drug of choice to actually get a tattoo every time he ODs is very messed up.
The classical music played by the Underground pianist: Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor.'
Quotes:
Jela: “I'll tell you something my father told me. As long as you're determined, and you work hard, you can be anything you want to be. And if there's one person who can be a zebra in this world, it's you, my friend.”
Sun’s Trainer: “This is where you belong. You can pretend. You can act the way others want you to act. You can bury your heart. But I know you will always come back.”
This was a solid episode, and a real first step into discovering the depths of the intriguing but mildly frustrating premise that's been unfolding so far.
3.5 out of 4 Invasive medical procedures and threats at weapon point.
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
Samantha, thank you so much for filling in these missing reviews! This in particular is such an interesting episode where what is happening to these people is starting to reveal itself.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how any doctor could perform a brain operation on anyone against her will, but I think the situation is that Nomi has been declared incompetent by Dr. Metzger and her mother is legally in charge of Nomi's medical decisions. That's legal, I guess.