Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Trouble Is Bad

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

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 9

Being such a huge fan of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency makes it difficult to review an episode like this, which disappointed on some levels but not necessarily in ways that deserve criticism. As the story moves towards a deserved Dirk-centric conclusion, death and destruction litter the field so completely that it makes it difficult to process whether or not a lack of enjoyment comes from a narrative flaw or the overwhelming sense of loss. Tragedy can be enjoyable on its own, or the hope of renewal can make death more poignant; here it just feels wrong and far too complete.

Perhaps the sheer amount of Wendimoor natives who have died, especially given the senseless manner in which we lost Silas and Panto right after they were reunited, means we’re due for some sort of magical resurrection of all who have been lost. After all, it was bad enough that Wakti died so meaninglessly even as she defiantly stared down Suzie two episodes ago. But in this case, whether the tragedy is undone or left alone, it will still feel pointless and cavalier given the development of the characters who have died, from Wygar to Farsen and beyond.

And of course all we can do as we watch the Mage laugh at Farah and Tina’s ineffective ambush is watch in horror as they turn their guns on each other. As Hobbs shoots them and they shoot each other, the image of everyone dying just won’t process as anything real or lasting. So why make us suffer? Wendimoor may undergo a magical resurrection if Project Moloch is revived, but what can save those lying dead or dying in the quarry?

Meanwhile, when Bart and Panto showed up at the Blackwing-occupied Cardenas house, hopes were high for a battle scene extraordinaire, and we certainly got that from Panto. Bart’s appreciative reaction to his scissor skills was wonderful to behold, and although we know “Bartine” is trying to avoid killing people, it was hard not to wish for her to join in the mayhem. Which is why there was a lot of unresolved tension when she pulled out the chainsaw upon Panto’s death, dodging bullets along the way, and it was painful not to see what happens next.

Bart’s dialogue, including telling Panto, “I’m starting to think you’re a little weird, you know that?” has been masterful this season, which is why it’s difficult to watch her reunion with Ken go so badly. Why does Ken try to talk her into coming back to Blackwing? For her protection? No, Ken! Is the power getting to his head even as he tells Friedkin they’re on equal footing? His expert handling of Mona Wilder shows he has compassion, but his secret agent side has also become quite troubling.

Mona Wilder herself was a welcome addition to the season, and her self-styled identification as a “holistic actress” was satisfyingly apt given her special skill set. The scene where Ken realizes Friedkin’s gun is still in the holster was spine tingling and applause worthy. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency may be a bit overloaded on the cutesy high voice quotient, but Alexia Fast gives Mona’s innocence a supernatural twist that distinguishes her baby-talk from Emily Tennant’s more feral boogle chatter and Agam Darshi’s slightly alien Wakti Wapnasi speech.

Perhaps healing can come from Todd joining Amanda as a pararibulitis-suffering reality changer! Seeing him create barbed wire from an attack and having him alongside his sister as they create the portal to Blackwing was very moving, and with the Rowdy 3 off slowing down “bad shapes lady,” the perfect situation was created for Dirk to fulfill the prophecy alone. And for him to end the episode with the words, “Don’t panic,” which Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency author Douglas Adams immortalized in his magnum opus, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was simply perfect.

It was a hopeful ending for an episode devoid of hope, almost as if the writers of the show were telling viewers not to panic about all the death. Well, it’s not that easy, and it’s uncertain that undoing everything, fixing some of it, or leaving the tragedy as is will repair the damage done. Like Bart says, “We just want to go to Wendimoor for the big happy ending.” Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency isn’t above going beyond our expectations, and the show has earned our trust. Here’s hoping for a surprise ending that cannot be predicted or conceived of as this review is written in the afterglow of despair.