It seems that the titular characters split up just as quickly as they were brought together.  The episode begins in the immediate aftermath of Tyrone accidentally shooting at Tandy.  She’s initially a bit suspicious of Tyrone, but gets back in the car to avoid the police rapidly approaching.   They part ways and we get a bit more from Detective O’Reilly as she questions the guy who attacked Tandy.  Later, she visits Tandy’s mother and reveals that she believes Tandy is a victim and is trying to help.  Tyrone gets closer with Evita, played by Noëlle Renée Bercy.  She takes him on a tour of Voodoo in New Orleans and introduces him to her mystical aunt.  Tyrone is convinced to take a vision magical bath which causes both him and Tandy to have strange visions.  

The immediate aftermath of the car crash played out okay.  It was nice that Tandy wasn’t immediately freaked out and angry, but was still concerned.  She was just shot at.  And since she’s going through all these weird changes, Tyrone’s explanation is somewhat believable.  Also, it wasn’t very clear why Tandy went back to her mother’s house after the car accident.  The two had a falling out and she was in the process of leaving New Orleans.  Why go back?  Tandy then hears Detective O’Reilly questioning her mom who covers for her.

In the last episode, it seemed somewhat strange that Detective O’Reilly was searching for Tandy.  There really wasn’t anything connecting her to the crime scene.  But the reveal in this episode that she believes Tandy was attacked makes more sense.  But it would have been nice to establish that before, rather than build tension with police who aren’t actually searching for her.  Also, it wasn’t very clear why Tandy went back to her mother’s house after the car accident.  The two had a falling out and she was in the process of leaving New Orleans.  Why go back?  But when Tandy commits to leaving and gets on a bus, she wakes up in a strange vision.

We then see how things played out for Tyrone following the car crash and see the scene from his point-of-view.  The next day he prays to God asking why he has these powers and how to control them.  When Evita invites him to go on a voodoo tour of the city.  Tyrone is initially very skeptical, but he becomes more intrigued when introduced to Evita’s aunt.  So far, their relationship has seemed very natural.There are definitely examples from other shows, but it’s not all that often we see a girl pursuing a boy, which brings a uniqueness to their relationship.  Evita also had a really cool answer when Tyrone asks if she believes in Voodoo.  She says, “As much as I believe in the stories we hear in Chapel I suppose.  The good news is you don’t actually have to believe in it to give a tour.”

When Tyrone takes the herb bath it triggers both him and Tandy to have some very strange visions.  Tandy initially sees a young Tyrone playing basketball with his brother.  This scene seems to illustrate Tyrones feelings of abandonment and not being able to live up to the memory his brother left behind.  Tandy then sees an older Tyrone, wearing revolutionary-era clothes, kill the redheaded cop in a variety of different ways.  He then get chased and killed by the police.  It seems that he’s stuck in a loop where his vengeance lead him and his family to ruin.  She tells him, “You can’t keep doing the same thing, the end will always be the same!” The only way out of the loop is when Tandy gives him her light dagger as a weapon.

Tyrone sees Tandy as a young girl practicing ballet on top of the Roxxon Corp building.  He notices that the Roxxon sign is electrifying the puddles of water near Tandy and picks her up.  This is probably referring to the accident that caused her father to die.  The scene then changes and Tyrone sees Tandy’s father get repeatedly drowned by people in a boardroom while Tandy runs away from what’s happening.  Once Tyrone figures out what’s going on he tells her, “Please stop running.  You have to try something else!”  He then uses his powers to prevent Tandy from running and face her demons head on.  They both open a door and enter into a church and see the other through the stained glass before waking up.

What these visions seem to be highlighting is that they both need each other.  They can’t accomplish their problems alone and that if they keep running away or seeking revenge they’ll never find what they want.  We also find out at the end of the episode that Evita’s aunt has been printing a doll of Tyrone to add to her collection.  This could mean that Tandy and Tyrone are a reincarnation of the people who were involved in the duel that Evita mentioned on the tour.  She said that it caused a storm to end when one brother sacrificed himself for the other.  Could this be related to their powers?  I guess we’ll have to keep watching to find out.

VERDICT

3 Voodoo dolls out of 5.  It feels like the last episode and this one could have been combined.  Especially since the characters were brought together, then went their separate ways, only to meet up again.  As other Marvel shows can attest to, having filler can really make a season drag.  So far, Cloak and Dagger hasn’t been too guilty, but if they continue to drag things out it may start to suffer.  The visions did help move things along, but they were a mix of intriguing and blatantly on the nose.  They also didn’t need the heavy handed dialogue that explains their purpose.  When Tandy gives Tyrone the dagger, it’s clear that that’s what is breaking the loop.  We don’t need her to tell us.  So far the show hasn’t done anything amazing, but it’s also been more entertaining than a lot of other teen dramas.

ONE-SHOTS

  • I can’t help the eye-roll every time the overly dramatic music starts playing.
  • Tandy’s visions were brightly lit while Tyrone’s were very dark; a very cool choice that continues to play on their duality.  But it didn’t do any favors for Tyrone’s old-timey costume.
  • If the relationship between Tyrone, Evita, and Tandy turns into a love triangle I’ll be really annoyed.
  • Not sure we needed the to see the car crash scene twice.  I get they were trying to show it from Tyrone’s perspective, but that didn’t change the scene and didn’t really add anything.
  • Evita’s an interesting character and I hope she sticks around for a while.