“Well, look what the Wi-Fi dragged in.”
A deadlock is a stalemate or impasse. And by my count we had at least four in this episode. Five if you include Vision and Thomas at the end.
The first and foremost is Ultron and Jocasta. She needs the biomarker he possesses. And Ultron, as Thomas so aptly diagnosed in the previous episode, doesn’t want to be alone.
I’m beginning to think that Ultron’s antipathy towards humans is actually envy. They have something he doesn’t. He can appreciate their art, and even admire their will to survive in the face of despair but he can’t feel any of it.
Whereas, Jocasta remembers what it’s like to be human but the further removed she becomes the more she believes that their humanity needs to be perfected by making them more like synths, which she believes would cure them of their chaos and greed.
The problem is that synths were made in their gods’ image. She ignores the fact that their individual wants and desires have already brought synths into conflict with each other on multiple occasions. If every human had their own pet AI in their brain, they would be inviting, as Thor once said, a higher order of war.
In theory, their deadlock ends with a meeting of the minds. Sharing Jocasta’s pain has allowed Ultron to feel real. And being seen and understood by Ultron has restored a sense of Jocasta’s humanity.
It may have also introduced the seeds of a future conflict. In seeing what her nanobot did to Lisa she realized that it removed something vital, though she did not quite name it.
On a side note, did Ultron really spare Thomas because it would have sent Vision on a rampage? Ultron’s comment implied that if he took on Vision mano a mano, he’d lose. While that may be true, I’d be surprised if Ultron believes that. So, could it be that he just doesn’t want to anger Vision? Or that he, too, has an attachment to Tommy. Is Ultron’s desire for family his Achilles’ heel?
The second deadlock was Paladin vs. Vision. This was the battle of the admittedly poor father figures. Neither is quite the villain they imagine themselves to be. Paladin’s decision to use Thomas to get to Vision makes so much sense now that we know he has a daughter. So does the fact that he couldn’t actually implant a bomb in Tommy’s arm. And nothing will convince me that Vision would actually kill Tilly. Though they both sold it well.
Their stalemate is broken by the third deadlock. Paladin vs. Raza. Regardless of how Paladin feels about his contracts, it’s clear that his client has moved on. They have resurrected the MCU’s OG villain. Oh, how have the mighty fallen. From running his own private version of the Ten Rings to cleaning up Paladin’s scraps.
Raza’s arrival in Madripoor has created a temporary truce between Paladin and Vision. The enemy of my enemy and all that. It also provides them with the space for each to acknowledge how much they care about the “children” in their lives, as well as the danger they themselves pose to them.
Then there’s the deadlock between Vision and our mysterious Client. Someone who offers Vision his soul in return for his freedom. I doubt it’s S.W.O.R.D. They might have hired Paladin but they wouldn’t lower themselves to hiring a terrorist like Raza. I might have guessed Wanda if not for the implied threat against Tommy. Who else would have the power to darken all of Madripoor? Or care if the Tin Man got his heart?
Which leaves us with Thomas and Vision. This deadlock has more to do with desire and obligation than any actual antagonism. At least not yet. Thomas clearly wants to give Vision the benefit of every doubt. And as much as he wants Vision to be the father he remembers, I think part of that is based on observation. Thomas is a con man and you can’t be successful if you aren’t a good judge of character. Thomas sees the good in Vision.
On Vision’s side, he felt obligated to the original Vision to ensure Thomas’ safety. However, given that he’s already loosed Ultron on the unsuspecting world to make that happen, I’d say that his feelings for the boy have deepened.
But family is complicated. This one more than most. How does Vision explain that he arrived in Westview to kill Wanda, and left with the memories of the synth who loved her? He is all that is left of Vision. Is that enough to make him Thomas’s father?
With the exception of Paladin and Raza (killing Raza is a pretty good way to end a stalemate), none of these deadlocks are truly resolved. Paladin’s sense of self is tied to his creed. In theory that would demand that he and Vision will meet again, but narratively what would be the point? I suspect that Ultron and Jocasta are more of a temporary reprieve than true mutual understanding. And I’d be shocked if the conflicts between Vision and the Client or Vision and Thomas are truly resolved before the final episode.
But it does make for an interesting ride.
4 out of 5 adamantium slugs
Bits:
I got my wish for more Mary McDonnell. If I ask that she’s given something worthy of her talent, will they do that, too?
Oedipus married his mother, Jocasta. Jocasta’s brain scans served as the basis for the first AI. Making her the mother of synths. So yes, it is as twisted as she claims.
I giggled when they stopped the show to physically point to Raza’s jamming device.
They never did answer who created Jocasta’s synth body and put her in it. My money’s on Katerina.
I should have known that as soon as Lisa admitted her feelings for Tommy, she’d be in danger. They didn’t outright kill her, so that’s a plus.
Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty API-Tactical.M510-90_/*M596284 is free at last.
Quotes:
Ultron: “This isn’t my first barbecue, darling.”
Ultron: “I want to know you.”
Jocasta: “I want to be known. But it will be painful.”
Ultron: “Then hurt me.”
Thomas: “How many murder vans do you have?”
Vision: “He’ll want for nothing.”
Lisa: “Except for a father.”
Lisa: “You should have told me you get kidnapped a lot.”
Thomas: “It’s just this week. I swear.”
Client: “Surrender yourself or I will take you. There is no life I will spare for this to be.”
Lisa: “You’re an idiot.”
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