‘Lodge 49’ Recap: ‘Conjunctio’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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A few weeks back, I made mention of the possibility that this season of Lodge 49 was going to dive into something supremely philosophical when it comes to life in general, specifically, that it was going to explore what comes next for us when we confront some of our biggest issues/problems in life. Which quite frankly, left me excited for certain because few stories ever show us the aftermath, they only provide us with the happy ending in question. But for the most part, the series didn’t quite dive into those matters as season two got underway. Instead the show opted to further build the mystique surrounding the Scrolls and dive back into some of the other unresolved issues that these dynamic characters have been dealing with for ages.
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But it would seem that this deviation was all part of a lovely master plan. For as it turns out, this week’s episode of the series slipped right back into the notion of what comes next for all of us and well, what it explored was quite frankly fascinating to say the least. Because ‘Conjunctio’ more or less showed us that despite achieving our respective goals in Hollywood-esque fashion, the world still keeps on turning, and the life rumbles along and we still have to respond to it. Plus, it also took the time to demonstrate that sometimes, the ending doesn’t quite deliver what we hoped. Take Scott’s journey in this tale for instance, since he found himself in a tough place as people continued to turn their back on him as Sovereign Protector, even going so far as to call him a fraud and that led to further isolation for Scott as he came to realize that leadership isn’t quite all it is cracked up to be and it should be interesting to see if he continues to double down on his leadership style, or if he finally opens up, as Jocelyn suggested Scott do before he returned to London.

Yet while little vignettes like that were fascinating in their own right, much of the exploration of what comes next was handled via our primary trio of characters and Ernie’s segment of the story allowed for us to begin to learn how some people become quite introspective when they reach their respective threshold. Because Ernie slipped into ‘wise sage’ mode in this this story as it was finally made clear that he’s currently feeling nothing but regret for always chasing the next big thing and has never once taken the time to appreciate the little things in life. And while he feels as though his foolishness has now allowed for life to pass him by, that doesn’t mean he can’t lend a hand to others who might be heading down a similar path, which is why he worked with El Confidente to keep Dud from heading out on the next quest for the Scrolls, and it was just fascinating to see that Ernie is now focused on saving others from themselves as penance for a life he feels he’s wasted and one has to wonder as to whether or not Ernie will seek redemption in the weeks to come or stay in this dark world of regret. 

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However, while Ernie’s journey was powerful in its own right, the show wasn’t quite done with its examination of how introspection is part of our next steps following an important moment in our lives and Liz handled the rest of that exploration. Because now that she is debt free and made that happen in the most unique and bold way imaginable, she’s starting to wonder exactly where she gets it from, since that’s something that wasn’t quite a thing for her father. Which prompted her to spend more time with Lenore in order to learn more about her mother and what kind of person she was and this part of the story helped to remind us that sometimes this kind of search can lead to complications since this brought forth Liz’s desire to have a mother figure in her life and Lenore is currently filling that void, which may lead to some interesting conflict down the line, since it would seem that Lenore may not have Liz’s best interests in mind and for proof I offer up one word; fydration.
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But while it seems as though the story seemed to emphasize that looking toward yesterday is all that people are capable of when they reach an important point in their lives, it was also quick to show us that people handle that threshold in other ways as well. For Dud’s journey dug deep into the notion of how the future is sometimes all we can think about once we’ve conquered a particular demon in our lives and that’s precisely where is mind is right now. Because he’s made peace with the death of his father, and he’s on the mend and looking for financial security so he can have a family of his own and pass on the joy and the love that his heart is filled with when it comes to his father, to his children, and this was, such a hopeful place for this story to go since Dud seemingly never thinks about tomorrow. But now we know it’s been on his mind for quite some time now and well, considering the fact that he tied the knot with an old flame in this tale, he’s clearly ready to get started on his plans for the future as soon as humanly possible.

If anything, all of these elements made for one brilliant episode, because everything that was explored here was handled in realistic and humble fashion. There was no preaching to be found here, no judgment or a sense that the characters were doing right or wrong. They were just living, and I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful that is to find within the framework of a television series. For this is about as close to real-life as T.V. gets since our complexities and our insecurities and wonder are all on display in this series and I love that the show is finding a way to explore new corners of the human condition, all while continuing to expand the mythos of the Scrolls since the hunt is back on for those and well, when all is said and done, I really am hungry for more of this series. Because it’s diving into new territory when it comes to our psyche and its wonderfully bittersweet style of storytelling offers comfort and calm since it reminds you that we’re all on this tough journey together and well, I really can’t wait for next Monday to see where this powerful story is headed next.

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