Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Girl Power

This Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency review contains spoilers.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6

Once again, the always excellent Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency takes a step back to examine the aftermath of what came before and lay the groundwork for what’s to come. Set-up episodes are, of course, necessary and shouldn’t always be seen as a drawback, although “Girl Power” does tread water a bit to keep pace across all storylines. In some ways the slowdown allows viewers to catch their breath from last week’s amazing love fest, but viewers are itching for Bart to join in the fun and to learn the fate of Hobbs. Luckily, there were plenty of enjoyable distractions.

But first, let it be said that Amanda hasn’t slowed down for a moment, even though she technically has nowhere to go. Her training with Wakti Wapnasi has a wonderfully philosophical feel to it, and the fact that she is able to control reality through her pararibulitis attack and essentially create a knife out of thin air is just as euphoric as her earlier rescue of the Rowdy 3. Martin is such a perfect father figure for Amanda, and his unquestioning allegiance to her as the reunited vampires head off to scout the Kellum army gives her storyline some direction since she currently has no way to go back home.

Bart, on the other hand, is in a prison of her own making, and it was refreshing to have Panto encourage her to find her own path rather than letting the universe decide her fate. As much fun as it was for Bart to point out to Dirk that they were all “grabbing each other’s butts and giving each other compliments,” it’s painful to see the assassin sidelined, especially since Ken is currently unwittingly helping Blackwing: a travesty, even if it is in his best interest to do so. When do we get to have that particular team back together?

Meanwhile, Todd and Farah waking up on the couch cushions was a team-up happily confirmed in the previous episode, and although Dirk is still resisting Todd’s focus on Wendimoor, at least he realizes the importance of the prophecy. Revisiting Arnold Cardenas in the hospital made the investigation feel like it was spinning its wheels a bit, but the writers clearly aren’t finished with Dirk’s total disillusionment with the idea of drawing people into danger. Thankfully, Todd took matters into his own hands, and the Murphy bed escape has hopefully put an end to Dirk’s despondence.

The mood shift was needed, though; there’s no doubt about that. Bringing Suzie to the forefront as the Mage mourns the fact that he “was built to lose by a child” brings a darkness that was lacking with the Mage’s scheme of fueling the feud between the Trosts and the Dengdamoors (and putting thumbtacks in Bob’s forehead). Now, it’s not only likely the Mage will infiltrate our world more directly, but it’s also clear Suzie Borten has her sights set on ruling as queen in Wendimoor. The fact that she killed Arnold and others in the hospital with flaming shapes speaks to her determination.

But Arnold Cardenas wasn’t really “the boy,” was he? Surely the references to Farsen Dengdamoor earlier in the season point to him as the one they seek, and he’s still with the Bofuki Nepoo and Amanda. Although it’s unclear what importance Farsen has beyond the conflict between the two families in Wendimoor, the arrival of Dirk and Todd, assuming the Brotzmans are reunited, will likely shed light on the connection. After all, that’s what set-up episodes are all about.

Even Mr. Priest’s brand of evil is more of a personality quirk than a true menace. Sure, he had his run-in with Farah at the Cardenas house, but he also used his hunger for violence to save the group from Suzie’s wrath. It was one thing when Farah shot Suzie in the head only to have her magic the bullet back out; it was quite another to have Mr. Priest mow her down in a hail of bullets sending her crashing to the ground from several stories up. The Blackwing operative’s paradoxical joy is infectious as he sees the absence of a body on the pavement and declares, “Goddammit, baby. I missed Blackwing.”

The moments of fun and the lovable characters are still there in this week’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. We’re just so hungry for them to be doing things that move the story forward all the time that a change in pace can be a bit jarring. The consistent greatness of this series creates plenty of trust that more excitement is to come, but one thing’s for sure. Like Bart tells Dirk: “I’m starting to get a feeling this all ends badly.” It’s definitely going to get worse before it gets better, but in this case, the dark turn is just the storm the show needs so that the sun can gloriously emerge once more.