‘Cloak & Dagger’ Recap: ‘Vikingtown Sound’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I think it is safe to say that the overall fanbase of comic book movies and shows are starting to sour on the idea that every single iteration of these stories need to be dark and gritty in nature. Because we drop in to watch these stories to enjoy a little fun and escape from the world, and while we don’t mind a little commentary here and there, seeing heroes suffer all the time just doesn’t excite us to tune in, and I’m seeing a shift in how these stories are told as time goes on. But, here and there, putting the heroes through hell really is a necessity for the comic book tale in question, especially if a grand payoff is going to occur and that’s why I’m fairly certain Cloak & Dagger is staying in darker territory as of late, as part of a grand plan to push Tandy and Tyrone into becoming magnificent heroes.
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But wow, they are seriously going through a literal hell right now, and for proof, look no further than last week’s episode, ‘Vikingtown Sound’. Because this particular story featured some ugly and twisted experiences for our heroes to go through and really, the toughest journey of the night, belonged to Tandy. For she finally awoke from her demented slumber to find that Andre and Lia planned for her to start a new life as a prostitute at the Viking Motel, something she wasn’t good within the slightest. But, thanks to Andre’s fine work inside her mind, hope eluded Tandy, meaning she couldn’t make use of her weapons, and despite her best efforts to escape, she continually found herself back where she started, and this was a tough sequence to watch to say the least. Because we slowly watched the life drain out of Tandy’s eyes and for a brief moment there, it seemed as though the worst was going to come to fruition for her.

However, this story wasn’t quite done with its bleakness just yet, because just about everyone in this tale dealt with some harrowing and unsettling circumstances, even Connors. Because Tyrone’s mother made him confess to every little detail about what he did to Billy, and while he was honest with her, she made it clear that a vengeful end to his life is still on the table and one even has to question his ‘good intentions’ since escape crossed his mind and it was chilling to know at any given moment, dear mother could have put him down without giving it a second thought, and still might. However, while mom debated the sanctity of Connors’ life, Tyrone had his ugly journey to go on, and his travels in this tale were also fairly hopeless and shattered since he had the unfortunate opportunity to meet Andre, and we came to learn that mere touch allows for Andre to go to the void to exploit his power over despair, and while Mayhem was able to offer up an assist in the void, the damage of rooting around in Tyrone’s mind was already done because it inspired Andre to seek out religion, voodoo specifically.

Because as Tyrone worked to find out where Tandy had been dropped off, Andre found his way to Auntie Chantelle to learn more about the symbol in the record store and his power and she was able to reveal to him that if he pushes hard enough, he will tap into power untold and of course, Andre couldn’t pass up an opportunity such as that, nor could he resist inflicting harm since he took Auntie’s life and well, whatever he’s up to will have some serious repercussions on our heroes. For just when it seemed this episode was going to end on a happier note, since Tandy eventually found her hope once again, and fought back to free the girls, and eventually found herself face to face with Tyrone, proving that Lia and Andre lied to her, the power within her best friend, began to bleed out, for lack of a better term, leaving our heroes in another precarious and awful position…

So, yeah, this one really didn’t mess around, and it went to places few comic book stories or shows, of any kind for that matter, are willing to go. If anything, Cloak & Dagger deserves great praise for not shying away from human trafficking and prostitution, since these are important topics to explore, the kind that don’t get discussed in popular media all that often, and while the show has had this theme present throughout season two, seeing it up close here, and seeing the life Lia and Andre force these girls to lead was powerful to say the least and I really do hope Andre gets his just desserts for being the brains behind this disturbing and terrible outfit. But in the here and the now, the darkness continues, and I’m fairly certain Andre is behind this smoky bleed out, and that may allow for Mayhem to return to the everyday world and that might not be a bad thing. Because with Tyrone’s power fading, Tandy needs a powerful ally and since Mayhem helped out here, she might prove to be just what this duo needs in their darkest hour. Until next time. 

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