‘Cloak & Dagger’ Recap: ‘Two Player’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I’ve come to learn over the years that the reasons as to why people either tune into superhero themed shows or pick up comic books are supremely personal in nature. Sometimes it is simply due to the fact that the story in question reminds them of their youth and every time they tune in or turn the page, they’re transported back in time. Or it could be due to the fact that they outright love what the hero is capable of, or they flat out found the story at a period in their life when they needed something uplifting or relatable. But of the many reasons as to why we pick up these stories and return to them time and time again, I do believe there is one common thread that draws us to the superhero genre in that, these men and woman outright inspire us when all is said and done.
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Because they teach us to be fearless when the universe throws tough challenges our way, and they remind us to be better people in general so that we engender good in others. But those lessons don’t just drop out of the sky in these stories, they come forth by way of incredibly harrowing journeys and all of this is on my mind today, simply due to the fact that this was in essence the focus of last week’s episode of Cloak & Dagger. For ‘Two Player’ saw Tryone and Tandy at their lowest points with Tyrone ‘bleeding out’ and Tandy desperate to save him, and it quickly became apparent during this particular tale that the only way for this duo to find strength to move forward once again was to go through complete and utter hell, and fight their way out of the darkness in inspiring and beautiful fashion.

Which meant, we were headed back to that strange void where Tryone draws his power from, and this time around, Tandy brought a friend into the darkness since Brigid didn’t want her heading in there alone and well, this place is what allowed for the inspiring part of this tale to take place. Because Tandy fought alongside her best friend not only to save him from the clutches of death, but to remind him of what he has been fighting for all this time and how important it is to stay strong when the going gets tough, and while she taught him those particular lessons, Brigid learned her own as well. For she came to discover that we all have a dark side and whether we like it or not we have to figure out how to properly live with it and it was quite incredible to see Brigid make peace with Mayhem and find a way to coexist in the same body once everyone left the void.

But, while I do appreciate the messages present here involving unity and an examination of the outright importance of the special people in our lives, a genuine happy ending to a series this intelligent and complex would be quite the cop out. Which is why I was so appreciative of the fact that this story found ways to remind us of the sacrifices we sometimes make for the people we love since Evita dedicated her life to replacing Auntie as Mambo in order to bring Tyrone back from the void and it also took the time to remind us that even the best of people can lose their way when they’re pressed hard enough since it was revealed that Tyrone’s mother killed Connors in cold blood once she got exactly what she needed from him and really, the brilliance of this episode lies within its presentation of humanity as a whole.

For there is great beauty to be found from us when we rally together, and great sadness to be found when we give in to revenge and that yin and yang present here made this episode bittersweet at best and well, that’s just fine. Because this really was an incredible story when all is said and done, one that saw our heroes reunite and jell together once again as they prepare to search for Tandy’s mom and deal with Andre and as we barrel toward the season two finale of this magnificent series, I get the funny feeling that the ending to this adventure will be as equally as bittersweet. Because this series, while inspiring more often than not, is grounded in the harsh realities of life, in part to humble its characters but also to remind us that the hero’s fight is never done, since the challenges the world presents to us, never quite end. Until next time.  

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