Pacing is still a problem, but at least here, the character dialogue exchanges are more interesting and have more purpose than most of what's come before. Even if the plot hasn't advanced a whole lot, there was character growth for several people between the opening and closing credits of this episode.
Again, this episode goes for more of a "Walking Dead" approach, where it's more about the people than about the situation in which they find themselves. If you're a fan of that, than this episode'll work for you. If you're looking for supernatural horror, than this probably this isn't the episode for you.
Credit where it's due, though, Nash probably ranks as the show's best antagonist to date. He comes off as so innocuous in his first scene that his sudden heel turn comes as a genuine surprise. In hindsight, I really should have seen it coming as they are in the psych ward, but it still works really well.
The fact that he's both sympathetic and creepy adds to the whole scenario, as Kevin desperately tries to plead for Adrian's life. When Nash takes him hostage in order to kill the evil out of him..or something. It would have been interesting if their time in the mist did do something to him, but I'm guessing that it's just Nash's delusional psychosis at work
On other fronts, the conflict between the priest and Ms. Raven comes to a head, as the two pit their beliefs against each other in a life or death endeavor to determine the fate of the group. It's a stupid idea that has no real basis in logic, but it is decisive and it allows that particular plot point to wrap up.
Alas, Father Bulldog is no longer with us. It stinks. It's total BS. It, oh never mind. Of course, he was going to be the one to die. Frances Conroy is in the credits and he's a recurring guest star. Even putting that aside, having him die is "symbolic" or whatever. I suppose you could say that it's a nod to the scene when the monsters spared Mrs. Carmody, though this seems much less conclusive.
Moving back a bit, it was nice to see the cop instantly deduce what went down in the last episode just by watching the priest's behavior since. You do feel bad for the father, as the cop rains down his own form of justice, but it could also be seen as satisfying, given what Ms. Raven endured from Link.
I don't understand how the mall is running out of food this quickly. There aren't that many people there and there are lots of stores. Even putting aside an entire freaking food court, there should be convenience stores with drinks and candy bars. It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but they shouldn't be starving. They try to hand wave this when one character accuses Eve and her camp of hoarding food, but even that seems like a stretch.
Speaking of, how long have they been there? It's really hard to gauge the passing of time on this show. It seems like it should have only been a few hours, but it could be days by this point. We honestly have no way of knowing and that hurts the overall narrative as it seems like the devolution of society hasn't been given enough impetus.
The attempt to turn the mob against Eve and Alex also seems forced. I get that the woman has a beef, as the mist killed her daughter and spared Alex, but her big speech was loaded with fallacies and poor arguments.
Even if we're to assume that Alex lied about being raped, how would that draw the mist? Even on a show where several things make no sense, that stands out as one of the most nonsensical things we've seen on the show so far.
I have a feeling that this isn't going to be wrapping up in 3 episodes. I could be wrong, but the way things are going, it seems like they're trying to get a second season. Considering the source material is just a novella, a 10 part mini-series honestly seemed like the better way to go. At least "Under the Dome" was a door stopper, so you could understand how a multi-season plot could develop from that. I don't know if there's enough here to go another 10 episodes, but we'll see.
Hopefully, the final stretch of episodes can allow the show/season(?) to end on a high note. This was a step up. With any luck, the subsequent episodes will keep the momentum going.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
No comments:
Post a Comment