This episode of Quantico amped up the excitement and the thrill but it also mercilessly axed one of the characters. *Expect spoilers.* The narrative unfolds from the point of view of Jocelyn, the most intriguing and formidable character of the show.
Jocelyn shares her very personal story of how she lost her sense of hearing when she finds herself face-to-face with the adversary responsible for the bomb explosion that changed her life forever. Meanwhile, the team works together to take him down and infiltrates an illegal, underground operation that has deadly consequences.
In many tense moments, the episode purely relies on silence to crank up the enigma.
A worthy nemesis elevates the storytelling. Most episodes that came before suffered severely due to the lack of a menacing baddie who raises the stakes. Chukwudi Iwuji delivers as the ferocious foe.
It’s a testament to Marlee Matlin’s acting prowess that with nearly no dialogue, she effectively channels the pain of Jocelyn. A breakdown little later in the show amply resonates her survivor’s guilt. The first half of the episode scores well on the Bechdel test. The relationship talk has not really taken centre-stage in any of the episodes. But the backstory fails Jocelyn again with its banal twists. A formidable history sans a romantic involvement would have done justice to the assured genius of Marlee Matlin.
When the crew is trying to pull off a ‘triangle’ at Dante’s club, the episode comes alive with a soaring track. It makes you wonder why the show has not utilised music in the narrative. It also gives you a visual break what with the squad dressed to the nines in their ‘costume’ finery.
Priyanka Chopra takes a backseat in this episode and lets Jocelyn have her moment in the sun. It’s in the club scene and the climax, that she swerves into section.
All Bets Are Off
This being officially the last season, one does not know who’s going to be annihilated on screen. You will not be prepared for the death in this episode. Wait for it....It’s Celine. She’s unceremoniously knocked off in the show without affording us a glimpse into her demise. She was the vociferous, opinionated and passionate rookie. Celine is not coming back, fans, at least not in the ‘Game of Thrones’ style.
Dear makers, if you have to kill more people, this season, let them not go gently into the night. Let it be more humane.
The only poetic explanation that we are given is - We do what we do and sometimes the heavens fall. So much for getting a newbie on board. We are not even shown how she and Alex land up in the cages rendering the climax unsatisfactory.
We are hoping that the rest of the episodes of Quantico don’t arbitrarily sacrifice characters at the altar of sensational twists.
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