The former vet's mental instability hits an all time high as he wages his own war against the system. He sets off a series of bombs at government buildings, as well as the Bulletin, the newspaper where Karen Page works.
Not only does this give us another always welcome appearance from Deborah Ann Woll, but it pisses Frank off and puts the two in direct conflict.
Not surprisingly, the episode draws parallels between Lewis and Frank. Both have similar backgrounds and both see themselves as taking matters into their own hands to right perceived wrongs. Karen and even Lewis himself acknowledge the similarity at different points throughout the episode.
Like Jessica Jones did in the second season with her own dark mirror antagonist, Frank doesn't take kindly to the comparison and is adamant that the two are nothing alike. Oddly enough, the best counter he can come up with is that he faces his enemies head on, where Lewis hides behind bombs. Looking at it from a warrior standpoint, you can see the point that Frank is trying to make, but from an everyday joe/jane standpoint, that's a little flimsy.
Having the episode make the issue of gun control a plot point was an odd choice. It's topical, sure, and you can see how it would fit given Frank's usual MO, but the fact that Lewis was a bomber kind of undercuts the relevance. The episode itself hangs a lampshade on this fact at one point.
To the episode's credit, it doesn't become too heavy handed and preachy in either side's favor. There are parts where Lewis does start to feel like he's being reduced to a straw political figure, but overall, I think both viewpoints were presented pretty fairly. The radio debate scene may have been a little on the nose, but it could have ended up much worse, remember that episode of "Arrow" that tried to do it? Yeah.
While there's no "ticking clock", this was one of the season's more exhilarating episodes. It never felt like it dragged and I think it pulls you closer to the edge of your seat much more than prior episodes have.
Even with that perk, the episode still did a great job depicting character. Frank shined, Karen got some great moments. Curtis is also able to do a lot with the fairly small amount of screen time that he has. His effort to help Lewis ends up being in vain, but it was still a solid effort. He also got a great fight scene and some character developing time with Frank.
Nadani spends most of the episode in a heroic BSOD following Sam's death. It's probably the closest thing the episode comes to padding, but it's a logical inclusion. It makes for a nice epilogue to Sam's story, you can't help but sympathize with her as she's grappling with grief and a dash of survivor's guilt, and we get to see Nadani snap out of it and decide to continue her quest to reveal the truth.
Speaking of reveal, that last sequence sure was a doozy. It's now known to the general public that Frank is alive and well. This does work in Nadani's favor to some extent, but it is still hardly a good thing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Not only did it benefit from prior episodes' development, but it works pretty well as a "one and done". Admittedly, Lewis is still out there, though perhaps starting on a turn for the better; but it still stands on its own quite well. Hopefully, the final few episodes can keep the momentum going. It would be a shame to let this energy boost go to waste.
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