“What a fun group!”
My thoughts exactly. We’re halfway through the final season of Banshee, and I’m without a doubt going to miss all of these characters that I know and love. What the series also has to do at this point, though, is effectively delve into new characters as it fleshes out its final storylines, and its execution in this regard is a mixed bag. The positive aspects of that bag? 1) Eliza Dushku pretty seamlessly entering the picture as Special Agent Veronica Dawson, and 2) Randall Cody Watts revealed to be Maggie’s father. In the case of the latter, I’m liking how the show is handling Calvin Bunker, making him a three-dimensional character and another worthy antagonist to watch.
However, that brings us to the negative aspect of that mixed bag: the Devil worshipper serial killers. Their inclusion in this episode just seems reminiscent of the bland, exploitative serial killer plots of lesser shows and films. Banshee generally does blood and violence well, but the serial killer scenes in this episode are lacking; they feel empty and gruesome just for the sake of it, and I hope the show can get something more worthwhile out of it over the final stretch.
As for the episode as a whole, it seems like it’s all about navigating the boundaries between individual choice and the desires of other people in your life. Take Rebecca, for example, who responds to Hood’s assertion that the life she’s chosen will end badly by saying “Maybe, but at least it’s my choice.” Later on, she and Proctor look at their situation from different angles, the former talking about no one holding her back and the latter talking about protecting her. “This is a dangerous business,” Proctor tells Rebecca. “I’m fucking dangerous,” Rebecca responds.
On Job’s end, he actually needs someone else, and he expresses that to Carrie when he says “Don’t leave me.” He’s struggling from PTSD, flashing back to his time in captivity and unable to shake the lingering effects of that torture. As for Calvin, he’s “done being Watt’s bitch”, and he’s looking to take the initiative and take control as his own man. It’ll be interesting to see how all these threads converge over the next four episodes.
I will close my review by saying this: the writer who decided to give Carrie a flamethrower in this episode deserves all the awards.
GRADE: B+
Photo credit: Cinemax, Banshee
Polar Bears Watch TV 
Yeah the serial killer stuff is kind of a bummer. Not only do I not care for their whole weird vibe, but it feels like it is taking time away from where it should be with Hood’s crew, Proctor and the Nazis and all their conflicts resolving as the series ends. If there weren’t so little time left, I might be more tolerant of it. Otherwise, I’ve really been enjoying the season.