The writers are trying to toe the line between the show being dark and a normal action show. As with every other aspect of the show, they can't seem to make up their mind. Is the show funny or dark? Maybe a combination of both?
The entire episode uses the frame of Change talking with Baptiste (Lennie James) to reveal his dark past which still isn't clear. They're just sitting there talking as we see the events prior. The implication is that Emma Barnes (Emmanuelle Vaugier) will die. At one point, Barnes goes running into a building, and Baptiste detonates the bomb in the building. If the show as dark, she would die, but since the writers have made the show fairly light despite the heavy violence, I never thought she would actually die. Chance has a blank look of indifference on his face while talking to Baptiste, so we don't even get to see how he would react to Barnes dying. The result is a fairly boring episode held together by the hope that the writers will do something bold and the usual cool action scenes.
I'm getting tired of the small hints being dropped every episode. Can't we get a straight adventure without some deep inquiry behind Chance's every move? It's not like we learn much anyways.
Autumn Reeser made her second appearance as Layla to help Guererro with the tech support. She learns that Guerrero does whatever the hell he wants, and that the job is stressful. Big whoop.
The usual missions aren't important, and again, the purpose was in a throwaway line. Apparently, the writers think China and Taiwan making peace is a good thing and shouldn't be disrupted. What exactly would this peace entail? Handing over sovereignty to an oppressive government that will surely crackdown on average Taiwanese citizens? Demilitarizing the Taiwan Strait? Sorry, writers, but you kind of failed big time. The fact is, China will never stop coveting Taiwan, and military force is the only thing preventing China from invading.
Score: 8.7/10
