The Mysterious Benedict Society Review: The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery (Season 1 Episode 5)

The answers are coming more and more as the plot thickens with The Mysterious Benedict Society Season 1 Episode 5, “The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery.” These answers couldn’t come at a better time and therefore enhance our enjoyment of the show as a whole.

What is most important about this episode is the focus on Constance as a major player in the game. Up until now, Constance has been mostly an after-thought character, but now she is coming forward with her depth of knowledge and understanding.

This growth for her character allows the show to expand beyond the focus of Reynie and Sticky; while also enhancing Kate as a character beyond her unconventional habits. In short, this move further creates a unified front with the orphans. 

When the season started, Constance and Kate couldn’t stand each other. During “The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery” we get to see Constance take control and Kate step in line with her. They work together to discover the underground lair of Dr. Curtain and his team.

Their unified teamwork really pushes the Benedict Society forward in leaps and bounds. If it had only been Constance at the boulder she never would’ve discovered the underground laboratory and the brain sweeper. 

Constance being the one to discover something her teammates could not is a big revelation and cause for celebration. She is annoying and incorrigible, but clearly still of use for the team. 

This change in her comes as a surprise to Kate, but not to Constance herself. There are still walls up with this young girl, but she’s definitely starting to break a few of them down. 

So far this season, the character with the most growth has been Constance.

She has the hardest time reprogramming her mindset into that of a team. This just makes her evolution that much more rewarding. 

This show’s ability to catch us off-guard even though we are being taught to stay on our toes is astounding. The surprises aren’t as predictable as we would think, which makes the premise that much more exciting. 

The discovery that as Messengers, Reynie and Sticky will be contributing to The Emergency is fascinating and terrifying all at once. We are left wondering if they’ll be caught as spies or if they will slowly turn into one of Curtain’s people. 

Another loose cannon that shouldn’t be underscored is Reynie’s old teacher, Mrs. Perumal. If she can deduce where Benedict and his team are just by making logical conclusions then the mission is severely compromised. 

Especially, considering she isn’t trusting what Benedict has to say about The Emergency and she is continuing her quest to find Reynie. Hopefully, in the episodes to come, she won’t get in the way of this all-important mission. 

If Curtain is moving forward with his final stage of The Emergency, Kate and Constance have to double down. This is to ensure the rest of the team knows everything to enact their final assault on Dr. Curtain. 

The final episodes of this season are bound to be fast-paced and filled with retaliatory action. At this point, we are all rooting for these kids to succeed in their initial mission, but we are supremely concerned for the well-being of Reynie and Sticky. 

After all, as Messengers, they are the ones more at risk of being discovered and mind-swept. And perhaps that is Curtain’s plan all along.

It is a bit suspect that he seems to know way more about these kids than he is letting on. If he is anything like Benedict — which they are brothers so he probably is — he knows ten times more than he is willing to share with others. 

Ultimately, that makes Dr. Curtain extremely dangerous. He hasn’t revealed anything in the way of his master plan so the team has no way of knowing if they are close to defeating him.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is becoming less and less mysterious as we go along. It’s good to know that the early big questions are slowly being answered, while new smaller ones arise and become resolved more quickly.

What did you think of this episode of The Mysterious Benedict Society? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

The Mysterious Benedict Society airs Fridays on Disney+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Adam Korson Gets Sur-Real About the Metaphysical on ‘SurrealEstate’ [Interview]