Episode 3 continues to move the story forward based on the last episode. All the scenes provide insight into the current situation, contrary to the sentiment of the situation. Bellamy is transferred to Southwood for questioning by Sato. With the help of Nuñez, Langdon and Katherine find another piece of evidence that reveals the power of the ancient myth. Nuñez wants to find the shooter while he’s still recovering from an injury. Peter Solomon is still sedated, and Mal’akh unleashes his evil acts again.
The scene transition between Langdon’s and Peter Solomon’s experiences in a resting state are interesting. Using music to fade to the forthcoming scene creates curiosity of what’s going to happen next. Their experiences are all connected to the hidden secret of the mythical portal that has a ripple effect on others who are involved. In his subconscious mind, Peter sees his son taking an oath not to disclose the knowledge of the mythical portal. He’s happy to see his son before Mal’akh appears and slits his son’s throat when it’s him who has the knife in his hand. Langdon, on the other hand, sees what he needs to see to decipher the code. The scene never shows what he sees. It just provides background music while he speaks certain words as if the scene is left to the audience’s imagination to create thoughts and feelings.
An example of where an L cut is used in Bellamy’s explanation of the hidden ancient myths is also interesting. It accentuates the similarities between what Bellamy discloses and what Katherine and Langdon discover in the film. During the interrogation, Sato persuades Bellamy that she isn’t interested in finding the portal. She just wants to find Peter to make things right again after Zachery’s death. When he explains the Leviathan Group’s belief, it cuts to the next scene as he continues his explanation. At the same time, Langdon and Katherine are setting up the motion-picture exhibition device for the film. After that, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
The idea of characters getting away or persuading someone isn’t surprising. It’s expected. There’s no unexpected twist or development that heightens the suspense of the events. There’s little to no time pressure, risk, complications, tension, internal or external conflict between characters. An example is when Langdon and Katherine sneak out of Nuñez’s house, get into the car, and drive off without the CIA agent noticing. Other examples include the interrogation of Bellamy, the incident with Trish, and the expected get away from the cemetery scene.
Episode 3 is boring. Everything seems so easy for characters to go through one event to another. The outcome of the situation is always expected. Although some scenes, along with a flashback, reveal new information, they aren’t very attention-grabbing.
Rating: 3/10
