Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6
Once again, the always excellent Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency takes a step back to examine the aftermath of what came before and lay the groundwork for what’s to come. Set-up episodes are, of course, necessary and shouldn’t always be seen as a drawback, although “Girl Power” does tread water a bit to keep pace across all storylines. In some ways the slowdown allows viewers to catch their breath from last week’s amazing love fest, but viewers are itching for Bart to join in the fun and to learn the fate of Hobbs. Luckily, there were plenty of enjoyable distractions. Bart, on the other hand, is in a prison of her own making, and it was refreshing to have Panto encourage her to find her own path rather than letting the universe decide her fate. As much fun as it was for Bart to point out to Dirk that they were all “grabbing each other’s butts and giving each other compliments,” it’s painful to see the assassin sidelined, especially since Ken is currently unwittingly helping Blackwing: a travesty, even if it is in his best interest to do so. When do we get to have that particular team back together? Meanwhile, Todd and Farah waking up on the couch cushions was a team-up happily confirmed in the previous episode, and although Dirk is still resisting Todd’s focus on Wendimoor, at least he realizes the importance of the prophecy. Revisiting Arnold Cardenas in the hospital made the investigation feel like it was spinning its wheels a bit, but the writers clearly aren’t finished with Dirk’s total disillusionment with the idea of drawing people into danger. Thankfully, Todd took matters into his own hands, and the Murphy bed escape has hopefully put an end to Dirk’s despondence. But Arnold Cardenas wasn’t really “the boy,” was he? Surely the references to Farsen Dengdamoor earlier in the season point to him as the one they seek, and he’s still with the Bofuki Nepoo and Amanda. Although it’s unclear what importance Farsen has beyond the conflict between the two families in Wendimoor, the arrival of Dirk and Todd, assuming the Brotzmans are reunited, will likely shed light on the connection. After all, that’s what set-up episodes are all about. Even Mr. Priest’s brand of evil is more of a personality quirk than a true menace. Sure, he had his run-in with Farah at the Cardenas house, but he also used his hunger for violence to save the group from Suzie’s wrath. It was one thing when Farah shot Suzie in the head only to have her magic the bullet back out; it was quite another to have Mr. Priest mow her down in a hail of bullets sending her crashing to the ground from several stories up. The Blackwing operative’s paradoxical joy is infectious as he sees the absence of a body on the pavement and declares, “Goddammit, baby. I missed Blackwing.”
