What I’m Watching: Banshee

Banshee: Season 1, Episodes 5 and 6 “The Kindred” and “Wicks” (A-/B+)

These last two episodes were even more brutal and disturbing than the ones that came before them, yet the show remains enormously compelling, especially as it moves closer to Lucas getting handed to Rabbit by Carrie, an event I don’t think will ultimately come to fruition. The biker gang in episode five arrived in an unsettling manner, and their actions were even more horrific, particularly the way in which they terrorized the town during the festival as an effort to get revenge on Siobhan for killing one of their own. Burning down her home was a terrifying and devastating move, and Trieste Dunn turned in a fantastic performance in that hour as Siobhan. Telling Lucas that when he spends the night, it won’t be to protect her was the best line of the night. Episode six was immensely violent, and what Lucas has done and been through in Banshee can’t even compare to what he endured in prison. It’s hard to decide which was more awful, what the Albino did to Lucas or what Lucas did to him to ensure that he would be able to survive in prison. Wicks showing up was bad news, especially since he tipped Brock off to something being up, and the way in which his fate was revealed by showcasing the closing conversation between Sugar and Lucas was moody and brilliant. Proctor’s latest power play was cruel, and Carrie’s family problems are clearly getting the best of her and compelling her to make a desperate play to ensure her family’s safety.