Season two finale time folks. Let us quickly talk about the season at a high level.
When the season started it seemed like they were playing down some of the more over-the-top elements of season one. The satanists and cannibals of the first season were toned down to candidates for Prime Minister. By the last few episodes we get back into the silliness though. Just when you think Cyborg Dad would be the peak this episode outdoes it, but don’t worry I’ll get to that later.
The show fell back on a formula of heists or kidnappings every week. This kept the action up, but after so many of them went wrong it was hard to see why Alfred would be brought along for any more.
Alfred spent most of the season behaving selfishly. Only thinking about his own wants and not caring how it hurt the people around him. After hitting rock bottom, he did eventually pull himself up to be the hero we all knew he could be. Although he did have one last go at Sandra last episode.
So where are we now? Alfred and crew is leaving Raven headquarters with Stormcloud ready to celebrate their victory. How do our heroes finish saving London and set us up for season three? Read on and beware spoilers ahead.
1. Plan B
Salt starts off the episode very much in character. Shooting elastics at the heads of the people working for him. He says his plan is working perfectly and I’m reminded of a moment in the last episode that I wrote off. He told Alfred’s father that they would have to go to Plan B. Salt knew he couldn’t rely on the military so he had his own plan for getting Stormcloud into London. He also thinks he’ll be blame free because he offered peace and the League instead broke in and attacked; leaving him no choice but to unleash Stormcloud. Flimsy logic here.
When we see Alfred and crew taking a roadside break my assumption was the bomb is in his dad’s wheelchair. Why else would Salt have been happy with their escape and include dad? Dad even makes it clear he still believes in their cause and hopes London falls. Looks like his redemption last week wasn’t what we thought it was when they were driving home with the top down all smiles.
2. Family Reunion
Gully is running around town looking to make trouble. First stop: Alfred’s house. He has a quick chat with Alfred’s mom where she shames his wife a bit and then lets Gully know Alfred’s been out saving the world. Then he heads over to League headquarters and starts shooting up the place. In the ensuing chaos Stormcloud falls and breaks. It was a decoy. This brings up another flaw in Salt’s plan. He was waiting for them to call him and surrender. How would they ever know the Stormcloud they have is a fake? Salt is just lucky there is a jilted lover on the loose.
Alfred brings dad home to reunite with mom. When trying to break it to her, Alfred references the comic book “no body” rule. For the uninitiated: if you don’t see a body, they aren’t dead. When dad comes in, mom faints. Mom is expectedly pretty peeved. Dad has been alive this whole time and let the family grieve. They’ve been visiting his grave.
In the midst of their reunion Alfred gets the call from Aziz. Their Stormcloud was a fake and Alfred immediately realizes his father knows. He now knows bringing dad home was a mistake. Seeing his family turn on him like this, dad finally finishes his redemption and lets Alfred know where Stormcloud is.
Thinking their time left alive is short, Thomas and Martha get married by Aziz. I liked this moment. It was heartfelt and sweet. Even Gully is there to enjoy it.
3. The Shiny Red Button
Salt decides it’s time for him to relish in his victory and heads for the penthouse. Lucky for us, Bet and crew are there waiting for him. Bet gets to cut loose for the first time since the beginning of the season and beats the living daylights out of Salt.
Continued belowDuring the fight she gets ahold of the Stormcloud button. How can she possibly resist the diabolical urge to push the button? Salt tries to manipulate her into pressing it. During the fight Vicki slips free and grabs a gun, allowing Salt to get to the button and press it. Salt smiles with lots of blood and very few teeth. He thinks he’s won. The army bursts in to arrest him and Gaunt is made leader of the Ravens once again.
4. Swallow a bomb
Alfred and Dave Boy head to a church to save the day. The bomb is in Harwood’s coffin. I remember thinking how suspicious it was that Salt wanted to bring Harwood into London, but it didn’t pay off at the time. I think it would have been better if Alfred’s dad had the bomb and that was the big climactic scene.
Because we can’t have an episode without putting Alfred in mortal danger we have a priest shooting at Alfred and Dave Boy. They take cover long enough for Lucius and Gully to show up and save them.
Lucius begins to try and disarm the bomb, but it’s too late. Salt has hit the button. Alfred suggests swallowing the thing, which I find utterly unbelievable. It could barely fit in your mouth, how would you expect to swallow it? Gully won’t let it happen though, he’s the ranking officer. I thought Gully would come back at the worst possible moment for Alfred, but it turns out he showed up at the best possible moment. He swallows it whole and then it explodes inside him. It isn’t clear why this wouldn’t have just burst him open. It was in a wooden box and the expectation was it could have gotten through that. Lucius assumes there must have been an enzyme reaction. Once they get Gully into a toxic containment truck it looks like he explodes.
Dad knowing he has saved the day pulls the plug on his ventilator. His Vader take off the helmet moment complete he dies in peace. Stormcloud is stopped and London is safe. For now.
5. Six Months Later
So much happens in the Six Month Later epilogue I could almost do five thoughts about that alone.
Martha has the baby and it isn’t Bruce. The midwife tells Thomas and Martha that it’s a girl. I wonder how this will play out in the future? Is she doomed or will this version of Batman have an older sister? Maybe this universe has Batwoman instead of Batman? Not counting the other Batwoman that is.
During the labor, the Raven Union makes their way into London for the final assault. They play some propaganda on the television saying they are there to liberate them. Bet and Katie are in the streets fighting with the resistance. How did this happen? First off Bet just reinstated the leader of the Raven Union? Why would she suddenly be fighting against them? Why would Katie be fighting at all? She was very clear she wasn’t interested in any more violence. I do like having Bet be a hero since she is the best character after all.
Alfred shows up with some reinforcements and Bet greets him as Colonel Pennyworth. He’s all in on defending London it seems. The reinforcements he brings? Gully decked out like Mr. Freeze shooting Stormcloud. This was so over the top I absolutely loved it. I hope he sticks around for season three and we can call him Mr. Stormcloud. It all ends with Alfred leading the charge to some anachronistic Black Sabbath.
Just like that another season of Alfred is finished. Thank you, readers, for following along these past several months. This season had its ups and downs with predictable plots mixed with genuine surprises. I’m in for season three if it happens.
