Turn: Washington’s Spies season 4 episode 2 review: Anna’s hope; Brewster’s woe
If you recall the end of this past episode (which shouldn’t be too hard given that it aired just an hour ago), Brewster was found out due to some clever sleuthing. In the process of that, tonight the courier was found, tricked, captured, and then eventually tortured and tormented in one of the bloodiest sequences in the history of this show. Even though this is a reasonably short episode order, they still took a lot of time in this episode focusing on this bloody, rather ghastly sequence.
Was it nonetheless critical to the story? Absolutely, and especially when you consider the show’s presentation of reality. These sort of bloody, garish things did happen. The show may not have to present them, but we prefer them not glossing over the more terrible aspects of the Revolution and this life. While Brewster never said a name, a “look” somehow may still have been valuable in its own right.
The good news is that he’s alive, and being used as a bargaining chip by the Woodhull Family. The bad news? He’s absolutely not in good shape as he gets hauled over to make the exchange (which also includes a little bit of cash).
Nonetheless, it still seems fair to chalk this one up as a victory for the spies. They were the ones to get him free, and recover from what happened in the premiere.
Anna fights on
One of the more interesting plots through two episodes is seeing her efforts to empower the camp and help the Camp Followers. In this episode, she did what she could to try and be an advocate for a mother who wasn’t construed as pulling her weight. She even made a personal plea to Martha Washington to circumvent the rules and allow her to stay after a talk with a General. It went nowhere this time, but we consider this still a valuable sequence as she continues to find her place and figure out the right way for her to operate here. It’s very much about subtlety, but you could say the same thing about almost everything else within this world, as well. You need to know how to play people, what makes them tick, and what may also move them, in the process.
Final verdict
Following the first episode, this one was certainly more challenging to watch just from the bloodshed. You could argue that in terms of the pacing, it could have moved a tad faster. Yet, there was something fascinating about seeing Turn: Washington’s Spies move the pieces on the chess-board. You got another reminder of how loyal the Woodhulls are to their own, and also how disorganized the British may be at times with their own men. Grade: B.
Further news on Turn: Washington’s Spies season 4
Want to get a preview for the third episode of the season, or our full review of the premiere episode? Then be sure to head over to the link here right now! (Photo: AMC.)