The scenes and shots in Episode 4 continue to keep the storyline moving forward, while some are more eye-catching than others. Langdon is on an adventure to find the capstone. Sato gathers more information about the killer who killed Zachery and kidnapped Peter and tells Katherine. Katherine makes a deal with Sato to help find her father. Sato agrees in exchange for Zachery’s letters. Mal’akh and his follower work on an experiment on Peter that is related to the meaning of the symbol.
The flashback scene of the conversation between Katherine (a child at the time) and her father at the Stonehenge site is heartwarming. It shows a father and a daughter relationship and a glimpse of his character. He’s a humble father who reads a lot since he tells her different theories. He’s a person who searches for a supernatural power without harming others or himself. She thinks the world of him and vice versa. In the present scene where Katherine is at her parents’ house, she picks up a photo frame that had a photo of her and her father at the site. She remembers the time where they were there as her inner dialogue begins to cut to the flashback scene. She’s confused when her father doesn’t know all the answers. She thought her father knew everything, but no. Peter patiently explained to her why and used a word to describe what she meant to him.
The eyeline match and the music in multiple scenes engages the audience into the characters world. The audience sees what the characters see, think, and feel. In a way, it’s like going to an adventure or a journey with the character. Examples include when Nuñez and Langdon look at the riddle on Nuñez’s laptop, and when Langdon looks at the cliff to get the capstone. An interesting example is when Bellamy shows Langdon the items that the architect left behind. Langdon looks at the items before the shot gives a reverse view of the items. The same is with another scene they lay out the times on the table. Bellamy and Langdon search for clues. Langdon’s mind keeps racing as the shot/reverse shot focus on their emotion and what they’re looking at.
All the scenes before Langdon finds the capstone decreases the level of tension and suspense. There’s little to no conflict, time pressure, or risk. No one is chasing him even when there’s a presumption of him getting in danger when Bellamy forewarned him about some Leviathan individuals. Also, there isn’t any trap or surprise attack when Langdon enters into the cave. The only risk is his cliff-climbing experience.
Episode 4 of Season 1 is fairly okay. It isn’t exciting, but it’s not as boring as the last episode. Ashley Zukerman who portrays as Robert Langdon brings the character to life. Same as Rick Gonzalez who portrays as Alfonso Nuñez. The research, history, and the solution to the riddle along with the shots and music are interesting. It’s like putting two and two together.
Rating: 4.7/10
