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| The Cluster works together to take down Sun's brother. |
Running Time: Approx. 57 minutes. Written by: Lana Wachowski, J. Michael Straczynski. Directed by: Lana Wachowski.
THE PLOT:
When Detective Mun attempts to arrest Sun's brother, Joong-Ki (Lee Ki-chan), at the Bak Gala, Joong-Ki shoots the detective and flees. Sun is able to catch up with him, but is unable to make herself take revenge. She escapes - But so does her brother, with the aid of a political figure.
Meanwhile, Kala discovers that her husband is cooperating with a major corruption investigation, and has implicated one of his business associates. A major change occurs in the relationship between Nomi and Amanita. And Lila (Valeria Bilello) returns, taking a particularly vicious revenge against Wolfgang for his refusal to join forces with her...
CHARACTERS:
After his lapse in the previous episode, Will is back to acting as the de facto leader of the group. He halts Sun's blind thirst for vengeance at the gala by pointing out Detective Mun's arrival, and it's his "Get the bastard" that sets the stage for the chase that follows. He is also the architect of the plan to turn the tables on BPO at the end of the episode.
The relationship between Nomi and Amanita has gotten a lot of focus this season, to the extent that I've noted that Amanita feels like an honorary member of the Cluster. Their quiet scene that follows the big action piece brings that thread to its climax for the season, as their relationship undergoes a major shift. As has been true of almost all of their scenes together, it's a very well-turned moment, and Jamie Clayton and Freema Agyeman continue to show an absolutely unforced screen chemistry that really sells the relationship.
As in Season One's finale, every character gets a chance to contribute something to the episode, from Capheus' driving skills to Kala's chemical know-how and observational abilities, to Wolfgang's handiness with violence of pretty much all types. Sun, Will, and Wolfgang are the most prominently featured here, but nobody is forgotten.
THOUGHTS:
"Are you serious? My sister is the fucking Terminator?"
Sun's relentless pursuit of Joong-ki is at the center of a breathtaking action set piece that more or less makes up the first half of this episode. The sequence does not feel like something from a television series. It's more in line with the kind of larger-than-life set piece you would find in the Wachowskis' Matrix movies.
I love the sense of geography to this sequence. It starts in the lobby of the gala, when Joong-ki shoots the detective and escapes in the chaos. Sun's pursuit of him takes us through the gala to a shootout in a parking garage. From there, we move to a car chase in the streets of South Korea, and finally to a direct, one-on-one confrontation. It's terrifically kinetic and energetic, but it also maintains a strong sense of where the characters are. This may seem like basic filmmaking competence (and perhaps it is), but it is very refreshing after entirely too many Hollywood action set pieces that have left me wondering when the dust settles: "So how did the characters get here from there?"
The rest of the episode does a good job of keeping the pace going. After the chase, we get a chance to breathe with the Nomi/Amanita scene, and take in some new exposition that was doubtless prepping a Season Three plotline in the scene between Kala and her husband. Then the episode upends expectations during a particularly tender Kala/Wolfgang moment, which kicks us into the final Act.
...And here's where my only issue with the episode is. The last part of the episode remains gripping, but it also feels rushed. Lila takes revenge on Wolfgang and BPO seems to have the Cluster cornered, but Will Has a Plan (TM) - and with almost no transition and frankly too little explanation, the episode ends with the Cluster somehow having turned the tables. An extra 10 minutes or so was badly needed, so that Will's plan could be a little bit better defines. Yes, I know the very end is meant to be a surprise - But it's a surprise that comes out of nowhere, with not enough planted to even retroactively understand what happened. I'll withdraw this complaint if all is explained at the start of the series finale... But as it stands right now, the entire last bit plays as vaguely incomplete, and represents the one factor costing this episode full marks.
That cliffhanger is a beauty, though. And when the episode ends, I'm left very grateful that I wasn't watching at the time... When this cliffhanger would have been presented by Netflix as the final end of the series, before a fan campaign pushed the company to finance a movie-length finale.
It is clear enough that this series was creatively far from over, but I am glad at least that it was afforded the opportunity of a proper ending - an ending I look forward to watching very soon.
Overall Rating: 9/10.
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