Lodge 49 Review: Circles (Season 2 Episode 6)
A sense of disillusion falls on many characters on Lodge 49 Season 2 Episode 6, “Circles,” as the past connects up to the present as the search for answers and purpose brings a revelation, but perhaps not the answers some characters hoped for.
That disillusion comes with the promise of opportunity and the false security that comes with it. The long shadow of Orbis, the before and the after, hangs over both Liz and Jackie Loomis, Larry’s mother, as they seek out their purpose.
The way the episode frames Jackie Loomis’ past with Blaise as a casual observer (and Liz as she travels the halls of the lower levels of Orbis) is illuminating, using the past as a catalyst for the future despite the many decades that pass in between. Orbis has been a large presence on the show, and to see it at its height fills in some gaps.
The aircraft manufacturer has a secret lab, and Werner, Jackie’s boss, is using her to find out the scrolls’ secrets in order to further enrich the Orbis empire. The bitcoin formula returns, decades before it would become a major factor, but what becomes the most interesting clue is that while Wallace takes his concoction and ends up in the secret room in the lodge, Jackie is the one who possesses the scrolls.
This makes her the key to the scrolls’ location now. Blaise reading her thoughts in the diary makes for the biggest lead yet while El Confidente and Daphne are in Mexico, making a potential team-up possible (and bringing the plane moment on Lodge 49 Season 2 Episode 1, “All Circles Vanish,” that much closer).
But this section of the episode is also a place to appreciate a woman’s perspective during a man’s world, Jackie underestimated at every turn while proving herself infinitely more capable than those she’s in league with. She even says as much in her diary. Jackie is a point of view that elevates the episode, a practical mind that also takes great interest in the bigger mysteries at play, the best of both worlds.
Liz’s journey after falling through the Orbis floor finds her uncovering a similar hallucination, or vision, that Dud finds during season one. Is this a potential awakening moment for her, finding some new purpose? She contends earlier on she’s lost, and Champ’s solution of getting more lost does appear to work for her. There’s a light in her eyes during her final scene as she feels the snow in her hair.
Maybe it’s become time for Liz to reclaim her life after searching for something all this time. All it takes is falling into some strange water under Orbis. There are hints that the fumes may be toxic, also mentioned to Dud after his own fall during season one. But regardless, if the toxic fumes help to reach an epiphany, it’s progress.
Scott finds some much-needed heart, Eric Allan Kramer’s performance during the song at open mic night something we have not witnessed for Scott up to this point. There’s been moments of openness that lead to quick shut-downs, but here is the most open his character has been. It’s a tender moment, one Kramer rises to with a hesitation that helps show the conflict in Scott’s heart over Connie.
It would not be an episode of Lodge 49 unless something strange happens, and this time it comes in the form of Blaise inching a shark tooth out of Dud’s infected leg. Their excitement at the discovery is so infectious, not even painfully falling through the floor onto the open mic night stage can stop them from celebrating. It’s such a madcap moment, but works so wonderfully with how happy both of them are.
Lodge 49 Season 2 Episode 6, “Circles,” takes a unique approach of telling dual stories of emotions never quite changing despite the time period, as the need for purpose will always be universal. The 1960’s-set timeline has flashes of Mad Men classic production and costume design that are an exciting addition to a story of drugs, scrolls, and finding the purpose of the true lodge.
But on the edges, there is a sign of some tensions starting to form again. Ernie’s admission of being the reason Dud isn’t in Mexico is another betrayal of their friendship, where Ernie’s more literal about being down-to-earth while Dud seeks answers. If the past is an indicator, looking for answers leads to disappointment and recoiling back to normalcy, like in Jackie Loomis’ case.
But for the Dudley twins, the answers may lie in the strange, as is custom to their lives.
What did you think of this episode of Lodge 49? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Lodge 49 airs Mondays at 10/9c on AMC.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.