Thursday, October 1, 2015

From Dusk Till Dawn, Season 2, Episode 6: Bizarre Tales



Back to Dr. Aiden Turner, (Sex Machine, alas). Having sex with and biting a woman before Narcisco catches up with him and isn’t a big fan of the delay. Aiden explains why he is so sex obsessed – because he lost his genitals in an accident as a child and has been over-compensating on an epic level ever since. Anyway, he’s still missing 4 bonds with the clues to the treasure – and he can’t find it without them

Narcisco kills the woman Aiden just turned.

Time for a flash back with Feddie and his old mentor Earl, and his-less-than-stellar moment defending the rangers’ brutally violent past. Then on to the autopsy of the bodies he found (he has invited Katie along which is apparently ok) – and learning that a similar grave was found back in 87 as well.

Freddie also has the missing bonds. He tries the blood-sharing-memory trick with blood under the fingernails of one of the victims – and gets little info but a lot of very horrific images of the mass killing. It is not pleasant – especially since he sees a whole lot more than the deaths they’ve seen, thousands of people killed by one of the Nine Lords.

Of course, the ranger who was investigated the case back in 87 was Earl. Chasing the paperwork finds a surprising lack of information – and Freddie’s boss is also irritated/concerned that Tony (the range killed by Aiden) is missing. Freddie ducks all knowledge (and his boss doesn’t seem to care that Freddie has brought a teenaged girl along for investigation. Because reasons). Back to chasing after Earl’s notes which leads to an oil company.

Time to arm up and go “investigate” finding and incapacitating a Calebros. Which gets them an introduction of sorts to see a guy with a lot of books, a typewriter and ominously long fingernails (the victims were all marked by human fingernails). They introduce themselves to the man, Ceslestino Oculto, at gunpoint. He’s ominous, scary, cryptic (he talks about “arriving in this realm”. Freddie finds the ominous obsidian club that was used to incapacitate the victims. Celestino is their “serial killer.” And a Calebros. And one of the Nine Lords.

Celestinos is very very dramatic and he worked with Earl in the past – he threatened Earl’s family, which apparently convinced him to back off


And while they were listening to Celestino talk they didn’t see the guards with guns come in. Now having his guests subdued, Celestino can get to the exposition. He does have one of the pieces to the bond map. He reveals how he keeps himself fed (Malvado has the Twister) by conning a whole village into vicious suicide (to cure themselves of Calebro-ness) to give him a huge stash of extra-nasty blood buried under ground and tapped like a well. And, yes, that’s why he owns an oil company to hide his… blood well.

And here I thought the guy with the gun strapped to his crotch would be the most ridiculous element of this show.

Anyway, the blood is so super-duper powerful that it’s best it doesn’t end up in another Calebro’s mouth. He is still killing his mass graves of migrants- but that’s because of his ancient obsidian club.

More exposition – Freddie’s father was one of Celestino’s victims who escaped and left his kid (Freddie) in Earl’s keeping. Why he thinks revealing all this will endear him to Freddie I don’t know.

Anyway Freddie can’t look away because he has a whole lot of visions about the Blood Well… which worries Celestino because it means someone put them there

Which is when one of his men is attacked by the Regulator. Celestino has Freddie run because he’s too important (apparently). The Regulator is followed by Malvado – led to Celestino by Feddie after he put the visions in his head. Malvado claims the scary obsidian club (which he calls “the key” – which now needs the map so is a key to the treasure

Malvado attacks Celestino – and kills him by pulling something out of his throat.

Santanico and Richie are back together and free. Richie tries to be solicitous and urge Santanico to take it easy. That’s not going to happen. They’re going to meet Seth and Sonja and Seth isn’t happy about it at all. It’s going to be a tense dinner

Especially when Seth does that nasty misogynist ordering-for-his-date thing (there are fewer things that makes me think a woman should repeatedly stab her date in the head with any available utensil than this) with Sonja who quickly overrules everything he’s tried to make her eat (especially since she’s vegetarian).

They’re discussing hitting the Malvado’s organisation – except no-one gets along with anyone else despite uncle Eddie believing eating together solves all conflict and gives lots of ideas (clearly Eddie has never eaten with someone who salts their food before even tasting it – though it does give me lots of violent inspiration). Santanico doesn’t know why they’re bothering with the humans and Seth points out they have very different goals – Seth and Sonja want money while Richie and Santanico are out for death and vengeance. And lots of family issues. And snarking.

Sonja goes to the bar for a drink (and illicitly calling someone). Santanico is suspicious and when she conveniently breaks a glass, Santanico tastes her blood.

This leaves the brothers to eat – and to apply condiments to each other’s foods because they know each other so well even when hating each other. After eating a big meal they’re both much more mellow. They go looking for the women and interrupt Santanico who has followed Sonja to the bathroom and is now strangling her, demanding to know who she made a deal with. No-one is that interested in Santanico’s warning that Sonja is hiding something.

The Regulator has taken Carlos back to The Twister, dragging him behind his car (which is, indeed, just mean). Apparently the Regulator also beat the Labyrinth not that the Regulator cares. Carlos and Narcisco have a drink – and we learn that Carlos actually made Narcisco who is now acting like the boss/senior partner.

Scott also arrives at the Twister, killing one of Narcisco’s drivers and comes in to back up Carlos with a blade at Narcisco’s throat. They lead Narcisco out in chains and when Narcisco won’t submit, Carlos kills him. And blows up the Titty Twister after an anecdote about his first commander, Cortes (“sometimes you have to burn your ships.” – something Cortes allegedly did to ensure he and his men had no choice but to go home, meaning they couldn’t turn back)





I am so bemused by TVlandia’s habit of letting police bring random civilians into any police case, no matter how classified or how inappropriate the civilian is. We’re reaching a stage where a 4 year old in a wolverine costume will be invited into a morgue.


Ok Seth and Richie ordering/passing condiments was a nice touch.

Celestino… why? Ok, I’m not against another Nine Lord, in fact I definitely like the idea of another Nine Lord, another way to live as a Calebros (and showing vampires that don’t revolve around naked women) and more of their mythos and development. But it was all just a bit much. Fine, have Earl look the other way – but then have Freddie’s father be one of his old victims? Too much of a stretched narrative. And why go to all this effort anyway to convince Freddie to look the other way? Why is Freddie so important? I’m curious and intrigued, yet wary of clumsy exposition


I did worry that we were going to see another spin off storyline, but when the Regulator and Malvado arrived we’re still in a place where all the storylines are connected. That’s pretty well done – too many shows splinter off, but with Scott returning to Carlos, Carlos taking out the Twister and Malvado going for Celestino we are keeping the plot lines relatively focused.