What I’m Watching: Banshee

Banshee: Season 2, Episode 2 “The Thunder Man” (B+)

This show has so many layers and dynamics to it, best illustrated by Nola taking out the men who were harassing Rebecca and then chloroforming her so that Alex could exercise his latest leverage over Kai. I love that Kai headed straight for Lucas’ when she thought she was missing, and then Lucas went right there and demanded her back. His reaction to seeing Nola was priceless, and I also enjoyed his non-response to Kai pointing out that he had never asked him whether he actually robbed the truck. Kai definitely outdid Alex by pouring bloody animals parts into his hot tub, and that relationship is only going to get worse as time goes on. This episode featured two scenes that combined multiple events in a stellar show of editing, starting with the opening moments that reintroduced where all the characters are and then the end of the episode, where Carrie got herself into a pretty brutal fight in prison and Siobhan went ballistic on Breece in the motel room. I really like the relationship that Siobhan and Lucas have, including an occasionally acted-upon sexual tension and Lucas’ commitment to her not being thrown under the bus. It’s good to see Siobhan take care of her problem so swiftly, given that she had a miserable time last season with her house and doesn’t deserve any more misfortune. I’m not sure what effect it will have now that she’s in prison, but Gordon is seriously not doing well, and I dobut he’ll soon recover.