Written By: Robert Rodriguez, Marcel Rodriguez
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Jesse Garcia, Robert Patrick, Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo, Adrianne Palicki
Synopsis: The Gecko brothers find the perfect escape as they come face to face with the Fullers.
We now hit the point where the Geckos come face-to-face with the Fuller family. It should be tense and gripping but quite unfortunately it becomes the slowest episode so far.
It begins in the motel room, where Richie and Seth are arguing about what Richie did to the bank teller. They need to get out of there fast and Seth is trying to think of an escape plan, while Richie just wants to talk more of his visions.
With a scene taken directly from the film, the Fullers arrive at the motel and almost hit Seth with the RV, just as Seth realises this what they need for their escape. The kidnap scene from the film was always a favourite part of mine, along with its quick, punchy dialogue. However, after this fast-paced opening, the episode falls flat and doesn’t pick up again until the last few minutes.
Looking at the episode and the bigger picure, it now becomes clear that the knife with the mysterious eye symbol is some kind of amulet. Also, Freddie Gonzalez is having visions of dead criminals from former cases but what they are trying to tell him remains unclear still. This thing with the visions is getting a bit too weird and, to be honest, I hope it starts to make sense soon as otherwise it might be too easy to switch off.
Whilst Kate has gone for a swim, the Geckos take Jacob and Scott hostage. Here the dialogue is seriously lacking and the scene becomes a bit of a mess. It sinks even further when Richie goes to retrieve Kate from the pool. Madison Davenport hasn’t really brought anything to the role yet, she just comes across as bland. Her exchanges with Richie are uninspiring and I have a feeling their relationship will become a little too close, which at the moment makes me cringe.
Next up, after a tip off from Seth’s wife Vanessa, Gonzalez speeds over to the motel. During his search he finds the body of the bank teller and assumes he has just missed the brothers. Fortunately for him as the Geckos are herding the Fullers into the RV they come face to face with Gonzalez.
The episode really picks up here and a nice cat and mouse chase around the motel occurs as a couple of deputies arrive to give back up. Unfortunately for Gonzalez after a scuffle with Seth, the RV speeds off towards the border. It’s unfortunate that this one was let down by some bad dialogue and off-kilter pacing. I think at this point the show can go two ways and here is hoping the next will remind us why this show has just had its second series green-lit.
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