What I’m Watching: Banshee (Season Premiere)

Banshee: Season 2, Episode 1 “Little Fish” (B+)

I was extremely excited for my #1 new show of 2013 to premiere its second season, and the opener did not disappoint. The arrival of Zeljko Ivanek’s Agent Racine meant a lot of recounting what had happened and some angry judgments about character. Unlike on other shows, the flashbacks used here were extremely productive and supportive, and Racine’s dogged pursuit of Rabbit helps to reframe the show in a different context, introducing Julian Sands as Rabbit’s priest brother and adding that as a dimension to the story. The best part of the episode, for me, was the heist which Job, Carrie, and Lucas opted to do shortly after being under intense federal scrutiny. The mere fact that it happened was awesome enough, but that Lucas thought it wise to go back for the loot while Carrie precisely counted down her turn timing was just fantastic. That sequence felt like it could have been out of one of the “Fast and the Furious” films, albeit in a much less loud context. As if Lucas didn’t have enough enemies in the squirrel-crushing Rabbit, determined Racine, and still-jealous Brock, he and his heist crew got themselves shot at by another assassin, the impressive Nola Longshadow, who is clever enough to sit next to Lucas at a bar and get inside his home during their first meeting. Rebecca’s rejection of her heritage and subsequent viewing of her uncle’s pleasure session suggest that there’s plenty more interesting on the Kai front this season in addition to his clashes with the reservation. This season is going to be furiously interesting, and I can’t wait for it all to play out.