Rather than pick up where the last left off, this jumps to the resolution and then proceeds to describe what happened via interviews and flashbacks. It's a little disorienting at first, especially if it has been a while since you sat down to watch the show, but once you get the hang of it, the structure actually works out very well.
Sadly, a lot of Lewis' nuance is gone for most of the episode. He spends a majority of it nonchalantly headshotting random personnel and holding Karen hostage.
Thankfully, this is somewhat mitigated by the final standoff and the dialogue Frank has as he's trying to talk Lewis down. The episode doesn't really have time to analyze Lewis, Frank, or their similarities and differences in great detail, but at least they weren't completely forgotten.
The tragic nature of Lewis' arc is brought to an abrupt, but still somewhat poignant end. It was nice to see that degree of sympathy was still shown at his last moments. Some reviews I read weren't too crazy about the opening scene where he tries to set a man's pet birds free after killing said man,but I thought it was a nice reminder that even in his crazed state, he's not pure evil.
It was also nice to see Frank and Karen's connection shine. The two clearly get each other and care a great deal for one another. Both are able to say a lot with few words and it makes for some great scenes between the two.
Speaking of great scenes, the episode delivers on the action front. There are plenty of shootouts and explosions to keep the tension up. Frank himself also shines. Not only does he get to show off his badassery more than once, but he does so whilst taking quite a bit of punishment himself. It shows just how much willpower the guy has when he has a need to get something done.
While the episode does wrap up the Lewis subplot, it also advances the main plot quite a bit. Both Frank and Madani know about Russo's nefarious exploits. The guy does try to deflect and use his charm (which the episode shows he has in spades while talking to Karen) but it is too little too late. With only a few episodes left in the season and the show's side plot being wrapped up, it'll be interesting to see how things play out.
As noted, this episode does pick up where the last one left off. At the same time, I thought it worked rather well as a stand alone. Sure, Lewis' motivations were established in the last episode, but you can still watch this and pick up on that over the course of the episode. Said self containment also helps if you've been away a while and are just jumping back in.
All in all, this was a solid outing. Both from a technical and from a casual viewer's standpoint, this episode worked well and brought a healthy dose of everything to the table.
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