Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Review: Road Trip (Season 2 Episode 3)
Lord Vexler’s journey from vegetable salesman to Lord marks the start of Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Season 2 Episode 3, “Road Trip,” and gives Karan Soni a more developed and understanding character in doing so.
Vexler’s five-year ascension is one of ambition through natural cleverness and talent, but it’s intriguing that he’s still held back by feelings of inadequacy. He’s more than capable for his position, but there’s this class-based separation, that he isn’t feeling worthy of the heights he has reached.
It’s an angle of his character that the previous two episodes hasn’t shown, and paints the trip into enemy territory for the signing of the treaty. He sees the reminders throughout the trip as signs that he isn’t as informed or well-adjusted as appearances seem, especially with the “dangur” blood mix-up and Chauncley fitting in so well.
Karan Soni is a wonderful reactionary actor, his responses to weird happenings or difficult situations always a source for great laughs. On this episode, Vexler spends a lot of time watching Chauncley getting along with other chuckleheads, feeling out of place and without a way to feel included.
But it’s not that he isn’t capable; it’s that he is far more capable than this setting provides, and therefore out of his depth.
To be fair, though, it’s nice to see Chauncley finally find some of his people. He fits in on this episode so well, his degrees of separation from the enemy a welcome difference to his own failures on Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Season 2 Episode 1, “Graduation,” and a sharp reversal to the success Vexler finds in his usual daily life. Plus, he seems to have created the first version of a playlist, which hopefully takes off.
ph: Stanislav Honzík/TBS.
The shoveling business threatened by innovation and technology (well, a hole) is a fun direction to take both Al and Ed. The shoveling convention keynote unveiling a hole is such an unbelievably silly moment, but it works with how earnest Miracle Workers is about selling the moment. In context, the moment a hole for bathroom needs becomes a thing is likely a tectonic shift of sorts, but for this episode, it’s a simple circle on paper.
Ed’s reaction, and his fear of becoming obsolete, speaks on the broader idea of current day automation taking away jobs as advances go beyond workers. Putting snakes in holes is certainly an overreaction, and it’s a deviation from all of the wonderful things other shovelers have to say about Ed, but his fear is a very real thing. Taking away something so dear to him, something that’s even his surname, is a threat to his livelihood.
Thankfully, Al has a better head for this. Their relationship as father and daughter is a complete one-eighty to the one Chauncley shares with his father, King Cragnoor The Heartless, one where they are there for each other and are happy to help. The many attempts for Ed to understand how to use the hole is proof of that, when Chauncley’s reaction to failing his father is to hide under the bridge for snakes to be thrown on him.
Miracle Workers: Dark Ages Season 2 Episode 3, “Road Trip,” takes a clever role reversal and speaks volumes about its characters and their hangups. Chauncley gaining advantage leaves Vexler feeling powerless, while Al finds herself in the role of responsibility as Ed falls to childish snake games to get his business back.
The role reversals may make Ed and Vexler feel obsolete or inadequate, but the episode helps them realize that kindness can still win the day. Al helping Ed accept hole maintenance as a compromise, and Vexler appreciating Chauncley taking the blame, shows that despite the cruel world they find themselves in, goodness can still win the day.
Some stray thoughts on the episode:
- The episode ends with Chauncley and Al running into each other, which hopefully happens more. Daniel Radcliffe and Geraldine Viswanathan have excellent chemistry on the first season, and so more of that would be most welcome.
- A special shout-out to Brandt, a legend that we, unfortunately, do not get to know. His shrine and the sorrowful montage showing his demise will live on.
What did you think of this episode of Miracle Workers: Dark Ages? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Miracle Workers: Dark Ages airs Tuesdays at 10:30/9:30c on TBS.
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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.