Contributor: John Keegan
Written by Mike Ostrowski
Directed by Stefan Schwartz
The producers warned us that the season was going to get more intense, and they certainly weren’t kidding. A number of situations take a decidedly ugly turn in this episode, challenging expectations and reminding us that this is a show that is enjoying a creative high point.
Even as the writers delve into the history between Aidan and Henry, they take the disturbing factor to a completely new level. It might have been enough to simply state that Henry was being skinned; seeing the end result is a completely different matter. And seeing how Aidan chooses to facilitate Henry’s restoration with a couple of lovely young women, compelled to ignore the bloody mess that is Henry, adds even more psychological disturbance to the mix.
It’s a very good way to capitalize on what had been mentioned before: when it comes to Henry, much like Suran, Aidan is unable to control his actions. He starts off with a plan to keep things calm, to let Henry get the blood he needs without killing anyone, but things go awry when the girls snap out of the compulsion. Aidan is forced to kill them to contain the situation, but the fact that he’s willing to do that shows how far he’s fallen.
Josh continues to deal with Julia’s return, and as if that wasn’t trouble enough, there’s the appearance of Stu’s ghost. Stu, of course, was the friend that was killed during the same attack that turned Josh into a werewolf. As it turns out, Stu has been crushing on Julia for quite some time, before and after his death, and he’s manipulated events to get Julia back together with Josh.
All that previous business with Sally and sex via possession comes back into the picture, thanks to Stu jumping into a very drunk Josh and leading Julia into bed. Considering the mountain of issues between Josh and Julia, this is not a good sign. We already know how badly this situation can end, and that’s without a wild card like Nora that could come along and misinterpret things.
Of course, it all pales in comparison to the shocking twist involving Sally and the “reaper”. I didn’t see this one coming at all, and it’s a great direction to take the character. It’s certainly a lot more substantial than anything they’ve done with Annie in the original British series! While it’s still not clear what exactly happened to Sally, in terms of when she was hit with that darkness in the doorway earlier in the season, but the consequences are now fairly clear.
What makes this so promising is that we’ve been shown, slowly but surely, just how powerful a ghost can get, and that’s just when they have firm control over their abilities. That gives us a hint of how bad it can get if a ghost goes off the deep end. It also puts Sally in a tenuous position, even as it eliminates this notion of a segment of ghosts charged with maintaining order. There’s really no authority to invoke to fix things, and that means the final solution could be very messy. I wouldn’t be shocked if it leads directly into Sally’s third season character arc.
I am perpetually shocked at how good this series has become, eclipsing the British original in several significant ways. None of the main characters are in a good spot at the moment, and it’s now very clear that they will have to endure quite a bit of pain and trial before they can find peace again.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10