From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series returned just as good as ever last week with its season 2 premiere. Let’s see how the original story continues with the second episode, “In a Dark Time.”
The episode begins with Santanico reflecting on the centuries that she had been kept captive before jumping around a bit until we return to Carlos’s story. As seen at the conclusion of the premiere, Carlos pulled out his own teeth, presumably in order to emerge from the labyrinth below the Titty Twister. Returning to the world, he is groomed and questioned about a prophecy concerning the Gecko Brothers. This scene gives us a really fun exchange of dialogue as Carlos compares himself to the map from Dora the Explorer. Ignoring the action and mythology in the show, From Dusk Till Dawn, just like the movie on which it’s based, has always had a really dark sense of humor. It’s kept pretty subtle most of the time, but instances such as this one really go a long way to show, in my opinion, how much the creators really try to keep the audience entertained. This same feel continues into the scenes with Freddie that follow, showing a cool lightheartedness despite the really dark content that surrounds him.
These scenes with Freddie, and “In a Dark Time” as a whole, gives us a good indication of how much mythology and Mesoamerican history will play a huge part of this season’s storyline. Season 1 had the crutch (for better or worse) of the first movie in the film series to use as a backbone. As we’ve now moved completely into original material, it’s important to keep a constant stream of world-building going. Luckily, the foundation that was laid out last year puts the show in a great spot with which to begin.
I mentioned this during my review of the previous episode, but I absolutely love the chemistry between Seth and Katie. It’s definitely not a romantic connection (at least not at this stage), but DJ Cotrona and Madison Davenport are just so great whenever they interact on-screen. I’m so happy that the setup of this season has allowed these two characters to be in such close proximity with each other.
Another interesting development in “In a Dark Time” is the return of Jake Busey’s Sex Machine, despite the character’s seeming demise in the previous season. While the character himself was never one of my favorites before, it’s hard to deny just how well Busey fits this role. I haven’t looked into From Dusk Till Dawn‘s production, but I really wouldn’t be surprised if Busey were cast as Sex Machine before any of his storyline last season was written. It’s almost as if Busey is just playing a crazy version of himself, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. With all of that said, I liked his performance in this single episode so much more than anything he did last season. It was much more subdued than the caricature Sex Machine became before, and I appreciated that.
I would be neglectful if I didn’t talk at least a little about Danny Trejo’s The Regulator. Wow. It’s incredible that we’re getting Trejo on television with a collaborator he works so well with and in a role that he fits so perfectly. I made sure to avoid any sort of spoilers on this season aside from casting announcements, but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been looking forward to Danny Trejo ever since I saw his name. Obviously, I wasn’t disappointed. And that final scene with him? One of the best action sequences the show has offered us so far. I’m absolutely thrilled by his character after only two episodes, and I’m hoping that he sticks around forever and ever and ever. Let’s get a spin-off showing The Regulator throughout history, okay?
“In a Dark Time” was directed by The Blair Witch Project‘s Eduardo Sánchez, and you can really feel that a master is at the helm of this episode. The show has always, somewhat surprisingly, had very solid directing, but using the talents of such a skilled craftsman brings the quality up to a completely different level.
It occurred to me at the end of this episode just how interesting it is that this show exists. I don’t watch every television series on the air, but it’s not too often that you get a really great action-oriented show that has just a rich world outside of the superhero genre, but From Dusk Till Dawn is such a huge exception. The El Rey Network really managed to produce a miracle with their first original series, and I don’t know that this one would have worked anywhere else at any other time. I can’t at all say that From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is one of the best shows on television, or even one of my favorite shows on television, but it still manages to be a wonderful little cocktail made up of the exact perfect ingredients that I’m thrilled to enjoy once a week.
Overall, I extremely enjoyed “In a Dark Time.” I can’t really explain exactly why, but everything about this installment seemed to work perfectly. The first two episodes of this season have really upped the quality of an already solid series, and I’m so excited to see where we go for the rest of the season.
What do you think of the second season of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series so far? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Photo via El Rey Network]
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