I liked this second half of the premiere even more than the first. It feels better balanced and better paced, and generally contains more significant events. I do hope that the plots begin to converge at some point this season; they all seem very separate from each other at the moment. Hopefully Elliot will soon make his return to the wide world. As it is, his story-line is high on hallucination and the abstract. It's really good, but also hard to follow and occasionally pretentious. It would serve them some good to perhaps ground his story a little more in some sort of consistent reality, or at least throw him out of his environment, back into the main story. As things are, our main character is completely separated from the action. That can't last forever, and it won't. I'm just saying that it would be good if things were to change sooner rather than later, so this season can really get rolling. The end of the episode makes it seem like this could happen very soon.
The episode focuses heavily on Angela and Joanna respectively, neither of whom appeared in the first part. I was particularly excited to check in with Angela again; the transformation she is undergoing is equal parts satisfying and horrifying to watch. Elliot is dismayed when he meets a stranger who upsets his daily routine. Rami Malek is always fantastic in the role, but he had one scene in particular to shine this episode, and shine he did.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the scene I thought would end this episode ended up opening it; the deal in the park that was set up at the end of the first part. Instead, the ending has a couple small twists and an emotional punch.
The episode focuses heavily on Angela and Joanna respectively, neither of whom appeared in the first part. I was particularly excited to check in with Angela again; the transformation she is undergoing is equal parts satisfying and horrifying to watch. Elliot is dismayed when he meets a stranger who upsets his daily routine. Rami Malek is always fantastic in the role, but he had one scene in particular to shine this episode, and shine he did.
I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that the scene I thought would end this episode ended up opening it; the deal in the park that was set up at the end of the first part. Instead, the ending has a couple small twists and an emotional punch.