Welcome back all to another week’s coverage of the teenage assassin show that becomes more bizarre and surreal with each episode. This week, we see the complex side of Lin come out to play again, as his family is once again under threat. Chester takes a backseat as a villain as Gao steps up and embraces her fully sinister role, and Marcus has an all-around bad time thanks to some classically bad decisions he makes.
Venture forth with the warning that there will be spoilers!
1. Lin’s desperation.
Something we’ve seen more than we ever did early on in the comics is a focus on Master Lin’s more human side. Benedict Wong conveys this inner struggle perfectly here. We see him talk early on with Marcus’ rebellious side since Marcus revealed his secrets and situation to him the last episode. There’s more of a power struggle because of this, but Lin still proves his superiority, saying that Marcus’ claims are nothing more than false promises that generations of wannabees before him have given up on. We see what’s causing this imbalance as Lin talks to his family about Gao’s threat, in which he seems truly trepidatious
Later, Lin goes to a Guild meeting, only to find Gao in charge, having overtaken the order. Lin reveals Brandy and Viktor as covert agents, and they collectively fight a group of the Guild’s bizarre assassins, showing how much respect Lin commands in even his most unruly students. We then see the biggest bomb of the episode as Lin arrives home to see his family held hostage by El Diablo. Lin’s badass wife lashes out, and a brawl occurs, resulting in the shocking loss of her life in accidental protection of her daughter Naya. It’s horrifying to watch Lin’s worst fears come to pass, and watching him carry Naya out of the wreckage without having time to look back to their lost family member is truly heartbreaking.
2. Willie’s leaving town.
In a conversation with Saya early on, Willie reveals that he plans to leave King’s Dominion. It’s a development I’m not sure I saw coming, mostly because he seemed to just start fitting in with Marcus and the gang. However, he states some very rational reasons: partially that he can’t “grow up” properly in King’s Dominion (probably fair), and mostly that he can’t cope with being Marcus’ friend anymore, especially if it means potential death threats from twisted, scarred hillbillies.
He convinces Gabby to essentially elope, as they leave town together. We see a little of the older, insecure side of Willie later in the episode when the pair have stopped at a gas station for supplies. They witness an innocent family being mugged and tortured by a gang of strangers. The show lingers on this moment for a while, stretching out the fact that Willie felt the need to intervene, but chose instead to ignore it and leave with Gabby. It’s a shame, but at the same time Willie never made any illusions about trying to be a hero, so it makes sense in retrospect.
3. Marcus’ first mosh.
The main conflict on the episode centers around the group trying to acquire C4 explosives for an assault on Chester’s house. They find this through Lex, who has them meet up with his supplier at an Adolescents punk concert, appropriate considering the episode’s title. Lex smooth talks the edgy veteran into smuggling the C4 into Marcus’ comic shop, leaving the rest of the gang free to enjoy the festivities.
The scene that follows is actually kind of endearing. Saya describes the punk mosh as seemingly violent, but mostly friendly and good-hearted, and we watch as Marcus enters with hesitation, only to find himself having a good time in the scene he most belongs in. Afterward, he talks about the experience with Saya excitedly, in which Saya reveals her apparent wisdom in the different types of mosh pits and music crowds. Regardless, it’s nice to see Marcus finding something he can genuinely enjoy and relish in talking about, something that doesn’t make him so damn unlikeable.
4. The love triangle is back on.
What follows on from the festivities of the Adolescents concert involves an intoxicated Marcus and Saya leaving together. Alone, and separated from the rest of the group. In a mess of hormones and emotions. Yes, Marcus and Saya finally hook up in a moment that feels cathartic from the countless moments of flirtation in episodes prior, yet disgusted that Marcus could betray poor Maria like that. It’s passionate, it’s hazy, and it feels wrong but oh so right.
Continued belowAnd of course, Marcus wakes up the next morning hungover as hell and confused. The show gives us a fantastic sequence as Marcus realizes he’s late to opening the comic shop, the very same one that had boxes of C4 explosives smuggled into it. It’s one of the few times I genuinely enjoyed Marcus’ interior monologue. He bolts to the store in desperation, his mind buzzing with thoughts about the night before, the realization that he confessed his love to Saya, and how much of a piece of shit he is for cheating on Maria. It’s chaotic, it’s fast-paced, but it’s superbly executed.
5. Oh yeah, you forgot this happened in the comics.
Once Marcus arrives at the store, we realize his problems have really only just begun. Beset by a mass of ticked-off children waiting outside the store, we feel for Marcus’ clouded, hungover state. A sped-up sequence takes place, depicting youths making their way through the store and questioning Marcus about neat little comic book easter eggs like why “Paul Smith is better than John Byrne” (he is). One particular kid, Mike, keeps bugging Marcus for a promised sketch of Spider-Man fighting Sabretooth, feeling like the repetitive, annoying brother that Marcus never got the opportunity to have.
To avail himself of this pest, Marcus decides to attempt letting loose a fart in Mike’s face. However, Marcus realizes he signed on for more than he bargained for, flooding his jeans with… I’m sure I don’t have to fill in the blanks. The show quickly capitalizes on this, plus Marcus’ hungover state, giving you a moment of mixed disgust, shock, and terror as Marcus is assaulted by Mike and the swarm of kids ganging up to shame him. It’s a visceral moment, and it caps off a huge sequence of highs and lows for our protagonist.
That’s it for this week’s coverage! Do you have any thoughts of your own to share? Did you also cry for Lin in his moment of despair? Are you part of the mindless horde that worships John Byrne as the one, true X-Men artist? Sound off in the comments, and come back next week for more coverage.
