Turn Season 2 Episode 9 Review: “The Prodigal”

It seems like it has come extremely quickly, but we’ve now reached the penultimate episode of the season, and Turn is really gearing up for a big finish. The beginning of this episode felt like a normal, moderately paced episode. By the end, however, it had become one of the most exciting episodes of the season.

This week on Turn: Washington’s Spies: Abraham is released from prison and returns home, but not without making a few pit stops. Robert Townsend chooses a side after his father is attacked. The “courtship” between Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold continues. Tallmadge works to stop Washington from making a bad decision. Tensions rise between Simcoe and Hewlett. Abe, Anna, and Caleb get themselves into a sticky situation that doesn’t end well.

First of all, I should preface with this: I liked this episode a lot. Especially at the end. Wow! What a wonderful battle scene from our heroes. I would be lying if I said that the entire episode had me riveted (it took awhile to get going, methinks), but it sure ended well. Knowing Turn, I know that I cannot be gripped and riveted by every minute of every episode. The way that Turn is designed, it builds slowly but the payoffs are dramatic, and totally worth it. This episode was a prime example. There were even unresolved stories, but I know that the payoff will be that much greater across multiple episodes. So I do acknowledge that, on occasion, Turn moves slowly, but I wouldn’t speed it up to risk sacrificing the truly great moments that the (clearly intentional) pacing creates.

I love “The Prodigal” as a theme. Not only did it refer to Abraham’s return home (and Simcoe’s quip), but it generated a theme throughout the episode. Peggy Shippen was aligning ever-so-slightly more with what her father wanted for her. Robert Townsend acquiesced to his fathers wishes and became a spy for Abraham and Washington. Even though none of these was as direct an homage to the biblical parable that Abraham’s was, it still generated an interesting theme that I picked up on. Yes, they still had “daddy issues” in the revolutionary war.

I have been hoping, for some time, to see Abraham’s situation as a spy escalate. I was impressed when he was thrown in prison for it, and even more impressed when he stayed there for an extended period of time. This week’s episode took it to a whole other level. I loved that Abraham was struggling to get down to his hideout, and ended up attracting a tail. Of course, that led to Anna and Abe (with an assist from Caleb) overpowering and killing two of Simcoe’s men. What a brilliant and tense scene. This show is SO good at tension, so when they couple it with action, and the talents of Daniel Henshall, Heather Lind, and Jamie Bell (they’re all FANTASTIC in this episode), there is a really great product. Especially Heather Lind, who barely has to say anything to get you invested in her character.

Speaking of tension, I still think that my current favorite element of the show is the Simcoe/Hewlett tension. I can’t get enough of the dynamic they’ve created. Simcoe feels betrayed by his former commanding officer, and he will stop at nothing to destroy him. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but I would really like to see Simcoe be the one to lose this fight. I LOVE Samuel Roukin, and he’s doing wonderful work. He’s delightfully creepy. However, I just really sympathize with Major Hewlett. However, I can be okay with either outcome. Simcoe being the last man standing would create a lot more tension for just about everyone on the show, particularly Abe and Anna. Hewlett wouldn’t, necessarily, but his character still has plenty of compelling stories to tell. I tend to think, however, that both will come out unscathed in the season finale. Who really knows, though?

The dramatic tension on this show is what makes it worthwhile. Everywhere you look there is some sort of tension. The conflicts slowly simmer and burn and, like they did at the end of the episode, reach a boiling point. Turn put forth a (mostly) exciting penultimate hour, and I cannot wait to see what comes in the finale.

What did you guys think? Did you enjoy this episode? Sad that the season is almost over? Let us know!

The season finale of Turn: Washington’s Spies will air Monday, June 8th at 10/9c on AMC.

[Photo via AMC]