(413-word review) Given the general 'decent and serviceable but nothing more than that' nature of this season, being a diamond in the rough wouldn't be that difficult to achieve, which the previous episode did, standing out quite clearly as the champion by a long shot – to the point of casting doubt that the follow-up would come close or surpass it. And I'm pleased to say that this one not only followed up nicely but went above and beyond, becoming the season's new champion by a wide margin. I'm reasonably confident this was the season's equivalent of the first two seasons' standalone episodes: the first's Western-influenced episode and the second's martial arts tournament episode – surprisingly, it wasn't much of a standalone this time, possibly due to how so many things are going on in this one.
The two leading plot threads, involving Chao and Lee/the Hop Wei and the Germans, were adequately captivating: undoubtedly the most enjoyable of any plot thread currently. I also liked how Chao came in for the rescue and then stayed to help Lee at the end; that final shot was fantastic.
Another reason for considering this the best episode yet is that it followed in the footsteps of the previous one, structural-wise. Both avoided, as the others have, cramming in every character and plotline (rather than rotating them).
Among the primary plot threads' carrying were the Leary/Strickland scenes, which I couldn't care less about. That's never been the case, and it's still the case here. The only thing I can say in their favor is that the places they were in, in addition to the cinematography, were visually appealing, as were the overall locations and cinematography.
Young Jun's "wrestling match" with Valentina (who is living our dream of "wrestling" with such a gorgeous woman) and the fight sequence against the Germans were my favorite parts. But, starting off the list of things I didn't like, it was a bit slow and telegraphed; there wasn't a natural sense of flow to it, and that slightly impacted it – it was still enjoyable, though; (2.) Shannon Lee's cameo appearance, while a pleasant surprise, had a convenient purpose of her character, Wen, getting involved in the shootout, culminating in peak convenience concerning how she came running into the fray, on top of the slowness, telegraphed corny nature of which she took down the two guys; (3.) Father Jun's injury that'll likely end in his death in the next episode, making his return cheaper.
Review by LineageBlockedParent2023-08-16T18:06:21Z
(413-word review) Given the general 'decent and serviceable but nothing more than that' nature of this season, being a diamond in the rough wouldn't be that difficult to achieve, which the previous episode did, standing out quite clearly as the champion by a long shot – to the point of casting doubt that the follow-up would come close or surpass it. And I'm pleased to say that this one not only followed up nicely but went above and beyond, becoming the season's new champion by a wide margin. I'm reasonably confident this was the season's equivalent of the first two seasons' standalone episodes: the first's Western-influenced episode and the second's martial arts tournament episode – surprisingly, it wasn't much of a standalone this time, possibly due to how so many things are going on in this one.
The two leading plot threads, involving Chao and Lee/the Hop Wei and the Germans, were adequately captivating: undoubtedly the most enjoyable of any plot thread currently. I also liked how Chao came in for the rescue and then stayed to help Lee at the end; that final shot was fantastic.
Another reason for considering this the best episode yet is that it followed in the footsteps of the previous one, structural-wise. Both avoided, as the others have, cramming in every character and plotline (rather than rotating them).
Among the primary plot threads' carrying were the Leary/Strickland scenes, which I couldn't care less about. That's never been the case, and it's still the case here. The only thing I can say in their favor is that the places they were in, in addition to the cinematography, were visually appealing, as were the overall locations and cinematography.
Young Jun's "wrestling match" with Valentina (who is living our dream of "wrestling" with such a gorgeous woman) and the fight sequence against the Germans were my favorite parts. But, starting off the list of things I didn't like, it was a bit slow and telegraphed; there wasn't a natural sense of flow to it, and that slightly impacted it – it was still enjoyable, though; (2.) Shannon Lee's cameo appearance, while a pleasant surprise, had a convenient purpose of her character, Wen, getting involved in the shootout, culminating in peak convenience concerning how she came running into the fray, on top of the slowness, telegraphed corny nature of which she took down the two guys; (3.) Father Jun's injury that'll likely end in his death in the next episode, making his return cheaper.