Summary: A flashback shows Dan being blackmailed into laundering money for the Buffalo Society. In the present, Leaphorn interrogates Frank and learns that the mining site accident was likely not an accident. Leaphorn meets with Guy and BJ Vines and gathers more information. Meanwhile, Chee is given his transfer to DC and visits Bernadette on his way out and they have an argument. The witch puts Bernadette to sleep and breaks Frank out of his cell. Bernadette goes to arrest her, and after a fight, the witch seemingly dies in a fire. Wanda wakes up right after. Lester gives some intel to Bernadette who goes to check it out with Whitover. Chee heads out but stops by Devoted Dan's where he uncovers that Dan is working with the Buffalo Society and that Whitover is covering it up. He returns to the precinct to warn Bernadette but she's already gone. Leaphorn finds Frank and Hoski out in the desert and prepares to attack.
The Good: Leaphorn is still the definite heart of the show and the character is the highlight of this episode. He has a number of great scenes throughout the episode as he continues his investigation, and we always have a firm idea of who he is and what he is after. He's desperate to solve this case, but he carries the baggage of his dead son around in every scene, and that makes him emotionally vulnerable, and at times volatile. A number of great scenes highlighted this well. An intense scene with Frank, a sweet moment of connection with Guy, and a sad argument with his wife that highlighted his very real love for his son and his struggles as a father. These scenes were excellent and established an emotional foundation for whatever happens in the season finale. Devoted Dan finally gets explored in this episode, and I appreciated the answers that we got. Dan is a fun character, pretending to be a devout while cheating on his wife at every opportunity. He's wonderfully sleazy and amusing to watch. We also confirm that Dan is being blackmailed by the Buffalo Society so that they could use his business as a money laundering business. Chee gets to the bottom of this, and then also uncovers the episode's big twist, revealing that Whitover is working with the Buffalo Society. It will be interesting to see how Chee and Leaphorn's inevitable reconciliation will lead to them solving this case. Bernadette's plot is decent fun as she has a big confrontation with the witch. This story has some major flaws (see: The Bad), but it is visually compelling and does a good job of portraying the witch in an eerie and unsettling way. The Bad: This is the weakest episode of the show because it tries to hold onto far too many secrets going into the season finale. Every scene teases answers, but we're given very few, and that makes the episode quite unsatisfying. We still don't know the motives of the Buffalo Society, we don't know how the witch is involved or even what she is doing, and we don't know how the murders or the mining site accident connect with all of this. It's fine to save some of these answers, but this episode loses its own identity in teasing answers without providing anything over and over again. It's an exercise in frustration which is very typical of mystery TV shows, which have a tendency to spin their wheels towards the end in order to drag out the climax. That's exactly what is happening here, and it unfortunately makes for a pretty weak set-up episode for the season finale. The witch's powers were very vague (see: The Unknown), and it often felt like she was being used as a plot device without any consistency in what her abilities are. When a character's abilities are so supernatural with no visible limitations, it creates the problem of the viewers becoming confused as to why they don't use their powers more. That's what happened during Bernadette's big confrontation with her. I was left confused as to why she wasn't able to simply put her to sleep again. You could make the argument that her powers are being kept secret to highlight the terrifying supernatural forces at play. But considering how grounded and realistic the rest of the show is, there is a major tonal inconsistency in switching from logical and well-written stories to sloppily written sequences with no consistency in what is and is not feasible. I rolled my eyes at the scene between Bernadette and Chee, which was no more than melodramatic filth. I enjoyed their flirting a few episodes ago, but I don't buy that they grew close enough to have such a major fight here, with Bernadette essentially telling Chee to stay there just because of her. They have known each other for only like a week! This scene was overly dramatic to the point of being bad, and is by far the worst scene in the show so far. After I had thought that the show was building up this relationship slowly and effectively, this was way too big of a leap for me to buy into the emotions at play. The Unknown: What is the purpose of the mining site explosion? How does this all tie in with the current plot? How about BJ Vines, how does he tie in with all of this? How does the witch's magic work? What is she even doing? I found it difficult to comprehend what the requirements of her using her powers were. I thought she needed to have the hair of her victims, yet she was able to control Bernadette and put her to sleep without having any hair. What exactly are the extent of her powers? Is the witch dead? It looks like her control over Wanda has faltered which suggests that she's done for. But it would be a weak conclusion to her story if she died in such a simple way. I'm torn on whether to believe if she's alive or not. Where has Frank been hidden? Where is Bernadette going? Is Whitover going to betray her? What is he going to do with her? What are Whitover's goals? It's clear that he is working with the Buffalo Society and only wanted the cases involved with them so he could cover it up. What kind of deal does he have with them? Why did he visit Dan? Will Joe attack Frank without any back-up? How is this going to go for him? Best Moment: Leaphorn had lots of good scenes in this episode, but I found the scene of Guy reconciling with him to be the most emotionally impactful. Character of the Episode: Leaphorn. Conclusion: This was a fine episode, but it fell into the typical trappings of mystery shows as they approach their conclusion. Score: 56
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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