Banshee: Evil for Evil, review

Nothing funny about tonight’s episode, fellow action fanatics, no levity to be found here. Instead, what we find on the blood-stained streets of Banshee is utter and absolute heartbreak. Sometimes a man must make some tough choices—and sometimes the choice is all but decided for him. Sure, there’s a lot to digest here, a lot to talk about. Of course, I’m talking about Emmett. But more on him in a bit.

Gordon extends an olive branch to Carrie that likely has nothing to do with the ill-gotten cash she leaves for Max. She only stays for dinner, but at least it’s a step towards rebuilding their fractured family.

As for Hood and Siobhan, it’s interesting to see the slow unraveling of their tenuous romance (I hinted at their relationship’s expiration in my last review). Hood can never be completely honest with her, and on some level Siobhan knows this.

And, of course, Proctor’s arrest on possible gun trafficking (I accidentally just typed “fun trafficking”—don’t know if that’s some sort of Freudian slip); unfortunately, this latest wrinkle in Hood’s war on Proctor is not the episode’s biggest development, not by a long shot, no.

Instead, we are sucker-punched by Emmett’s tragedy.

The white supremacists from “Ways to Bury a Man” are back, and they decide a bit of payback is in order after Hood and his deputies shook Pat Sharp down for info on Proctor’s meth lab. That Emmett’s pregnant wife is white only fuels the white supremacists’ intolerance and anger. Their confrontation with her quickly escalates into violence, causing her to miscarry. His wife survives, but Emmett’s ability to forgive does not. Though his wife suggests that losing the baby is a test, Emmett has only vengeance in his heart. Sharp and his associates are locked up at the station, which proves to be an inescapable temptation for Emmett to bear with Christian grace.

And so it is that “Evil for Evil” is Emmett’s story. What part of himself is he willing to sacrifice, in the name of loss and love? What part of himself is he willing to surrender to the sudden darkness in his troubled heart?

The moment Emmett appears with a box of seized weapons and begins opening the evidence bags, not only are the white supremacists’ fates sealed, but Emmett’s fate as well. He’s made his choice. He offers the prisoners a deal they can’t refuse: if they can make it past him, they’re in the clear. Emmett quickly dispatches two of them, but it’s Sharp he really wants. In the ensuing violence, both men reach their breaking points. For Sharp, his is literal (and brutal); for Emmett, it’s spiritual (and just as brutal). And here, in this pivotal moment, Demetrius Grosse’s performance truly drives home the utter shock and disbelief in the savage justice Emmett has delivered. He may not have killed the prisoners, but something inside of him broke off and died. Emmett has become a man without moral boundaries, a man who has willingly forsaken his faith. The blood on his badge says it all—his current life as he understands it is over.

Some closing thoughts:

-I feel bad for saying this, but I’m not Team Gordon. This is not to say he’s a bad person, per se; while I’m sympathetic to his domestic problems, I’m not sympathetic to his handling of said problems. Time to man up, Gordon, but getting into a pissing contest with Hood isn’t the right way to do it—especially not in front of the crackerjack assistant D.A.

-Yes, Job finally tracking down Rabbit is big news. That the trail leads to the priest in New York City (the same priest FBI agent Racine taunted earlier in the season) is interesting but not surprising.

-Will approaching Alex Longshadow bear fruit for Hood in the way he hopes or needs in case the charges against Proctor won’t stick?

-Siobhan was right—Hood’s illegally obtained search warrant has put Juliet, their confidential informant, at risk. But who is Rebecca trying to protect by outing the informant?

-As for Hood, he’s turning out to be a halfway decent sheriff, all things considered. But we all know the truth will eventually catch up to him—and it’s looking more and more like Brock who will eventually force the issue.

-That last, lingering shot of Emmett’s desk, with its knick-knacks, photos, and especially the sonogram, wordlessly sums up this episode in a way that no recap like this ever could.

-This show is really starting to wear its heart on its sleeve; it suggests an emotional vulnerability that belies its action-fueled roots. I’ll take that sort of inspired honesty over levity any day.

Den of Geek Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

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