Well… yeah. I mean, look at that episode title. I’m sure this episode will be nothing but wholesome. Let’s dive in.
1. Thank You! Fuck You! The Star is Here!
”The people I love to kill -that really get me jazzed- never see it comin’.”
Ladd. Russo.
Nephew of the the Russo Family Don, Ladd is… a bit of an eccentric. By “eccentric” I mean “Holy shit, this guy is craaaaaaazed!” Seriously, he and his goons are straight up lunatics. Of course, they’re mobsters, but are planning to hold the Flying Pussyfoot hostage and if that doesn’t work, crash the train right into Grand Central Station pretty much for kicks. They are, with some exceptions some of the most evil characters in this show. Also, the reason they’re dressed in white? It’s to make the make the blood look so pretty. And he is so in love with his fiance, Lua, that he promises to kill her last (which she’s actually really okay with. It’s weird!).
And Ladd is easily the second most popular character in the show. And I can see it. He bounces so smoothly between manic laughs and pure sinister and back again. But the biggest reason, at least for me, is the voice actor. Bryan Massey stole the show with his performance as the psycho, and sells the sheer enthusiasm Ladd has for the things he does. The very very bad things he does.
2. Oh Eve, If Only You Were Interesting
I know I harped on this last week, but it gets even more noticeable with Eve’s story. Things around her are more interesting than her, as shown with the brief scene in the Daily Days after she leaves. Employees of the newspaper, Nick and Elean, have a brief conversation regarding Dallas and it ties more into the other stories, and therefore kind of more interesting. I know that the story in 1932 will eventually pick up, but it takes a while.
3. Most Adorable of Robbers
Oh Isaac and Miria! The pair in 1930 are running about New York, ready to pull off that Last Big Score before retirement and their purchasing of disguises somehow manages to be a riot (including a run in with Maiza and Firo). They dance throughout life with mirth and naivete, devotion and aloofness. Every time they are on screen, it’s a delight, even when the scene ends with them getting hit by a car.
4. Szilard Quates
Speaking of! Last episode we got introduced to Ennis from Firo’s POV. This time we’re taking a step back to learn a bit more about Ennis. She is the servant of Szilard Quates, an alchemist and an immortal who is trying to recreate the elixir of life and is the main villain of the 1930 plotline. A bit of a bitter old soul, while the extent of his atrocities will be revealed in episodes to come, his disregard for those he promised immortality to here is shown with him ordering Ennis to kill the distiller Barnes if the man got into the product they had created. Cold, calculating, and remorseless, but he doesn’t have the flare and charisma of the other villain that got the spotlight in this episode.
5. The Crimson Shadow
Well, that last scene back on the Flying Pussyfoot was unnerving, huh? A red and black… thing crawling along the outside of the train, with glowing eyes, leaving bloody handprints on the windows. The Rail Tracer is real, and I cannot wait to share the big reveal with all of you.
