The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Review: Better Angels (Season 2 Episode 8)

Blood is spilled and Sara Howard rises to the occasion on the exciting finale, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Season 2 Episode 8, “Better Angels.”

The title calls to Sara’s pleas to Libby through her urging to do what’s right, and while Libby has been fairly unruly and unpredictable over the course of the season, it’s Sara who is able to dig deeper and appeal to her better nature.

The big confrontation at the beginning of the episode wraps up a little too easily, but given how the villain of the season is essentially caught at that point, it’s a necessary move unless the episode is all about wrapping things up and finding the Vanderbilt child.

It does allow for Sara and John to finally accept the honesty that though they love each other, they want entirely different things in life. It’s perhaps a harsh truth, but one that both need to hear.

The most important scene of the episode is that simple conversation between Sara and Libby, where they give voice to their pasts and bond on their tragedies.

Dakota Fanning and Rosy McEwen bring such subtle sorrow to every word, where they hold back the pain of their characters so that every downside is met with a slight positive (like Libby’s dancing, or Sara’s closeness to her father before his passing).

It’s perhaps the season’s most impacting moment of cruelty, where it’s not the violence and the torture that catches you off guard, but the way Sara so quickly turns off her emotions as she exits Libby’s cell. The transaction, as she sees it, is done, and she has no more use for Libby Hatch.

There is a coldness to the sudden shift (something Sara herself comments on), but it’s one that serves almost as the ultimate form of catharsis. Libby has been holding the baby’s location as a means of bargaining, and Sara has disarmed her and reversed Libby’s power against her.

It’s a fantastic moment for her, and one that serves as the definitive reason why Sara is the focus of the season over Kreizler and John: her power to disarm.

The slaughter at the police station is certainly a surprise, both from the suddenness of it and from the violence of it. It’s a good thing the insert shots of all the rifles and shotguns is shown early on, as the cops go down without much of a fight.

The fallen are likely the B-team, though, given they are the skeleton crew left behind while the assault on the Duster territory occurs.

As Laszlo and Sara pass through the scene after, it’s an effective form of horror, seeing what Libby’s allies are capable of and hoping that the Kreizler Institute or any others don’t suffer a similar fate.

Marcus and Lucius are not quite as present this season as the previous one, but it’s surprisingly affecting when Lucius holds his brother as he passes away.

Their closeness and deep friendship beyond the fraternal bond has been one of the most endearing relationships on the show, as little as it’s been utilized other than an earlier storyline with Lucius over Angel of Darkness.

But the moment is rather well done with how it holds on their emotions, letting their last time together be one of being together rather than one of desperately trying to save Marcus, as it’s already too late.

Two narratives play out at the end of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness: the power of choice, and the chasm a loved one leaves with their passing. Both are eloquently developed, and just as enrapturing.

The power of choice comes from Libby’s decision to not go through with harming Clara, nearly becoming the very thing she despises; it also comes from Laszlo and Cyrus’ discussion at the bar, about going after the things that mean something to you.

While John’s choice between Violet and Sara may be essentially decided for him, the story is making that choice for him, as he simply cannot make that decision himself. He is torn, and while Violet being pregnant may not be exactly what he wants, it is the life he wants. It’s bittersweet, especially with that final embrace between Sara and himself.

But it’s in Laszlo’s choice to leave with Miss Stratton that comes as the bigger surprise, as he leaves behind not only his friends and his studies, but the institution that he cares so much about. It’s in the name of love, the great motivator. It’s a happy ending for Laszlo Kreizler, something that may be unexpected, but is very welcome.

The emptiness of loss is in each character, in some form or fashion: with Laszlo, it’s Mary from the first season; for John, it’s his brother; for Sara, it’s her father; for Lucius, it’s Marcus; and for Libby, it’s both the absence of her father and the lost time with Clara.

All major players grieve, and it’s that loss that not only drives them, but gives them the depth to feel the pain of those they hunt.

However, there’s an optimism that caps off the episode and the season: the rise of women in the workplace. Sara’s agency gains a new member, and looks to be thriving in this new world. It’s a hopeful ending, and one that caps off a satisfying season of The Alienist.

Some stray observations:

• Though it’s not true to history with Goo Goo Knox’s demise, it’s fitting for Lucius to be the one to strike the blow.
• There are more pointy objects put to people’s necks, something that occurs a few too many times for the story’s sake.

 

What did you think of this episode of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Alienist: Angel of Darkness airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.

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