The Truth About Unicorns

Since TV, the medium, arrived, there have been over 500,000 hours of airtime to fill. This challenge has been taken up by 10s of 1000s of broadcast stations all over the world, each picking and choosing among 100s of 1000s of hours of pre-packaged content, as the mood strikes them.

TV drama is only one segment of that mix but proportionately it is the largest. People like to be entertained. Who knew? If you are producing a TV drama there really is only one goal that supersedes all others, the holy grail of drama if you like.

Keep the viewer interested. Keep the viewer wondering what comes next. Let the viewer get so connected with the characters that the viewer jumps when the actors jump.

The irony -- and you can see this is the scatter-pattern of the other reviews for this episode -- is that Banshee prior to this had nothing to prove. It was already known to be one of the most engaging and satisfying dramas on the dial.

But the producers don't do "easy." This is a change of pace episode where the tension builds so well that by the 25:00 mark the viewer is starting to chew the furniture waiting for something to break.

And indeed it does.

It's April 2020 and I'm just now getting on the Banshee wagon. Just finished this episode and it legit made me finally make my IMDb account just so I can hype up how amazing this episode was as far as the visuals go. One of my favorite movies is Drive and near the end it gave off that director's vibe and when the episode was over...I turned and looked at my wife and said, "that was the most artistic episode this series has ever produced." I'm glad that a lot of others share the same thought.

I was relieved to come on this website and confirm I wasn't crazy. This was just a bad episode, trying some new creative direction that simply doesn't work. I sincerely hope this is the first and last episode they attempt this.

This episode is certainly a departure from the regular Banshee formula of violence, sex, crime, and mayhem. Yes there is some violence and a brief bit of nudity, but the episode itself is more of an introspective look at "Lucas", Carrie, and Agent Racine.

This kind of departure is going to receive polarizing reviews - some will love it and some will hate it - as seen by other postings here. Which is it? it is both - the view of the different types of viewers of the show.

In my less-humble opinion, I enjoyed the departure. The fast paced act without thought behavior of Lucas can only go on for so long before he takes a step back and wonders if he is doing the right thing. And this episode is that break. We also learn why Racine has a hard-on for Rabbit.

From a directorial perspective it was a different way of handling the characters struggle with what to do. The mixture of fantasy/dream and reality kept you off guard and also enlightened us to the desires of Lucas an Carrie while externally they were more reserved. It was a nice break from the normal episode craziness to help understand a little bit more of the characters.

So yes, I liked it - not the best of all the episodes, but very good in a different way.

The violence and sex returns in the next episode.

This episode is everything you wouldn't expect in an episode of Banshee - and yet it enhances and reinforces the show's premise and allows a deeper look into the main characters' "what is, what was, and what may never be." Outstanding directing, camera work, color, music, writing (and knowing where verbal communication is to be purposely omitted), and acting. I am a huge fan of intelligent movies and films, and I am in constant search for stories and films that are brilliantly presented to exceed anything I have seen before. I did not see this episode coming, and I love every second of it. Back to Banshee basics next week, but thank you for this week's deviation into not only the characters of Hood and Carrie, but into the depth of their story.