Know thy enemy better than he knows himself
Borrowing from the strategic theory “my enemy’s enemy is my friend,” this episode showed how even an assassin hired to kill you may ultimately be a great ally. Goggles (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Hicks (Chad Lindberg) are two brothers hired to assassinate The Cape. Yet in the process of identifying with and tracking The Cape, they not only learn his true identity, they learn that he is already a dead-man — at least to the rest of the world. Getting inside Vince Faraday’s (David Lyons) head, Goggles and Hicks found an intriguing mystery. The Cape is not just someone causing problems for Peter Fleming (James Frain), he has a bonefide grudge against Fleming and he took on a comic-book hero persona to avenge the wrongs Fleming inflicted upon him. However, Goggles and Hicks did not care about Faraday’s crusade. It only made him more understandable to them. The only thing they cared about was collecting their paycheck. It is just unfortunate that they underestimated their prey.
When Faraday turned the tables on Goggles and Hicks, resulting in Goggles being put in prison and Hicks to face Fleming empty handed, the two brothers reevaluated their options and opted to walk away. They did not need an enemy, but they could use Faraday as an ally. If they left and did not return, he would not hunt them down. So Goggles and Hicks made a much safer and wiser choice to align with The Cape, than with Fleming in the end.
The moral of the story could be about the two brothers and choosing their friends and enemies more carefully. But, instead, the moral was about the burden of heroism. It should have been a day-off for the injured Faraday, but at he is slowly learning, heroes do not get days off. When you hold yourself out as the savior of a city on the brink of chaos and dictatorship, the bulls-eye never goes away. Faraday may think of himself as “dead man walking” because he is believed to be dead; but in actually, it is more that he walks the line of death because he chose to stand up and fight. He holds himself out as The Cape — avenger, redeemer and protector. There are no days off, and every minute of your life is in anticipation of death. The bulls-eye never goes away. Choosing to be a hero is not a part-time job. It is a life choice. Once chosen, you can never put it down — not even for a day off.
Points of Interest
1. When inspecting Vince for the sensor tag, it was nice that Orwell (Summer Glau) did not get too flirty with a married man. That she respects the fact that he is a married man and treats him accordingly is refreshing.
2. Another cool development was Tripp (Ryan Wynott) getting a friend who as interested in superheroes and surveillance equipment as he is. Tripp needs to spend time with kids his own age and find healthy hobbies to keep him occupied.
3. Goggles and Hicks were a creepy duo, but they had a fascinating credo of maintaining their victim’s secrets. So when Goggles said, “It’s the secrets we keep for them, that’s what makes it so special” and “Don’t worry Mr. Cape, you’re secrets are safe with us — you’re family now,” it was oddly reassuring that an assassin would have a code of honor.
What Worked
It is good to see that Vince and Orwell are becoming friends and finding ways to socialize and bond outside of their endeavors to take down Fleming. As trivial as it sounded to compare notes on what they would be doing on a normal Saturday, it was a humanizing moment for both. They need to see each other as people and not just partners in crime if they are going to trust each other enough to continue in their long quest to capture and expose Fleming.
It is also great to see that despite their differences regarding the Carnival of Crime’s criminal activities that Max (Keith David) still looks out for Vince. When Max reminded Faraday that being injured makes him easy prey and that he needs to be the hunter, not the hunted, it felt more protective than cautionary. Whatever Max has seen of Vince’s future, he still feels watchful over him. The same with Orwell. She too perhaps senses there is something special about Vince and he needs to be protected at all costs. Vince is not just the lightening rod or catalyst to challenge Chess, Vince may be their savior. In which case, they need to watch his back or there will be no one to save them.
What Didn’t Work
Faraday seems a bit slow to see when he is walking into a trap. Having been trained as a police officer and now being constantly on the run, his protective instincts should be more finely tuned to alert him when something is not right. He seems too willing to trust the wrong people and assume that they are playing fairly. Faraday needs to demonstrate a healthy sense of distrust and heightened survival skills. The time for naiveté and trusting people should have been abandoned the minute Chess stapled that mask on him and left him to die in the explosion.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“Goggles and Hicks” was written by Craig Titley, and directed by Deran Sarafian. “The Cape” stars David Lyons, Summer Glau, Keith David, James Frain, Dorian Missick, Vinnie Jones, Martin Klebba, Jennifer Ferrin and Ryan Wynott. “The Cape” airs Mondays at 9:00 pm on NBC.
