What I’m Watching: Underground

Underground: Season 1, Episode 9 “Black and Blue” (B+)

The way that this episode ended was full of triumph and joy, and it makes much more sense now that I realize that it’s the penultimate episode of the season. Things seemed like they couldn’t possibly turn out well at the start of the episode with Rosalee captured by August and his new friends, whose numbers were far too daunting for a two-man effort to succeed in pulling off an incredible rescue. Fortunately, all three of them were clever enough to pull it off, even if they didn’t all make it out alive. The hero of the hour was Cato, who played his part well in luring some of the men away from the barn and leaving Noah to save Rosalee. Sacrificing himself with a smile was a great way to go out, and now it’s just Noah and Rosalee, who made it much further to freedom than I thought they had. Rosalee was smart to rub the hallucinogenic flowers on her dress to ensure that no one around her was coherent, and I’m not sure whether her imagined interaction with Tom or August’s tryst with Ernestine was more unsettling. Ben getting stabbed after he let Rosalee go was unfortunate collateral damage, and I assume August is going to let his need for revenge get the better of him. John and Elizabeth have plenty to deal with considering there is a marshal who knows that they run a stop on the Underground Railroad in their basement, but what a wonderful ending this episode had with Noah and Rosalee making it to such an affirming and hopeful destination.