‘Lodge 49’ Recap: ‘Corpus’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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What I’ve always found interesting about our desire to belong, is that we rarely think about the benefits that come with fitting in, we simply seek it out blindly because perhaps…we don’t need to think about the benefits, we simply know them deep down. We know that being around people that share in our interests and welcome us into their home and their hearts brings peace to the soul and it helps us appreciate the good in life and well, who doesn’t want those kinds of feelings and that kind of peace surrounding them? But sometimes, our desire to belong can have unintended consequences when we expect it to heal issues that it simply cannot, an issue that served as the focus of the next episode of Lodge 49, ‘Corpus’.  
 
Of course, at first glance, one wouldn’t have a clue that anything bad could come about from rushing into a sense of brotherhood because Dud was basically on cloud nine in this episode. After all, he was now a fancy squire, he got his own freakin’ mug to drink beer with and he even found himself working again since Temp Joy found him a job putting together termination packets at the Orbis plant and well, it was all smiles for Dud in this tale and everywhere he went, he kept that grin plastered on his face and well, it really seemed as though joining the Lodge and the Order of the Lynx was exactly what he needed in life and that at long last, he was on the road to recovery.
 
But those that love us and know us best can tell when something is amiss and despite the joy present upon Dud’s face, Liz knew something wasn’t quite right with her brother, and after a hilarious sequence involving some top-notch drugs from Blaise’s shop, and a conversation about closure with the local priest while she ate a massive burrito in church, Liz came to realize that the Padre was right, it was time to properly say goodbye to their father and bring about some closure in their lives at last so the family (more so Dud in this case) could move on and heal and she worked with Monsignor Guzman to put together a memorial service for her beloved father.

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​Which brings us at long last to the dangers of rushing into something that simply cannot fix us. Because at the memorial, where it finally seemed that Dud was indeed using this moment to heal and say farewell, we came to learn that he’s using the Lodge and what it stands for, for all the wrong reasons, as evidenced by his ‘farewell’ speech to his father. For said speech was anything but a farewell, it was a distressing and powerful diatribe on how he believes alchemy, a staple of the Order, can help him see other worlds and realities and help to re-shape time and because of that, he’ll never have to say goodbye to his father, since all that he is learning will help him find a way to contact a dad that in his view, has never left his side in the slightest.
 
If anything, this little twist was heartbreaking to say the least. Because Dud really is a genuinely good guy who is looking for a break from the pain and suffering in his life, but at the same time he also refuses to deal with it or let it go and that’s…powerful and relatable because we’ve either been Dud or known people like him and well, it just adds incredible depth to this series when all is said and done. Yet what was equally as surprising, is that this episode found a way to focus heavily on the Dudley twins since it’s done such a fine job with its ensemble work prior to this. But it didn’t completely forget about the other characters, since we did spend some time with Ernie in this tale, and his quest to get to Captain to enjoy the deal of a lifetime and hell, he came close, since he at least got on a conference call with the man and on a side note, I must say that Captain sounds a lot like one of my favorite actors, Bruce Campbell, so I’m now genuinely hoping that it is Bruce and that he is going to pop up in this tale.
 
But, I digress, because I’m getting ahead of myself and what matters in the here and the now is that this was a powerful and outright incredible episode. Because this is character development at its finest, and it’s clear now we are going to go on quite the emotional journey with Dud and Liz since this episode really showed us how much they’re hurting, and how far they have to go before they heal from the shock of losing their father and at this point, I’m beyond hooked on this series, I’m outright invested. I have to see this to the end to see if all of these characters, who are suffering through some hard times, find the peace they so seek because that’s always inspiring to find in any story. So, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to return to my AMC app, and see where this emotional journey is headed next. Until next time. 

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