After last week’s shocking reveal, episode 7 “Vikingtown Sound” finds Tandy and Ty in a dire need for a reunion. We also explore the effect Connors has had on the rest of Ty’s family.
This episode often plays out like a horror movie, including the beginning where jazz music creates a chilling atmosphere for the reveal of Tandy unconscious at the motel where Andre runs his operation.
Andre’s powers may be superhuman, but his true villainy is all too familiar to the real world. He gaslights Tandy, trying to convince her that she has no one left. Tandy is strong enough to resist even though she can no longer use her powers.
“The world saddled me with so much pain, the only way I can keep on is to share it from time to time,” he tells Tandy.
Fortunately, we know the truth, which is Tyrone is looking for her after discovering the scene at the grow house with Brigid.
Whereas Mayhem’s examination of morality and the gray area of justice was thought-provoking, Andre represents the cliche delusional supervillain who only cares about himself. Unfortunately, this makes his arc with Tandy a little dull despite Olivia Holt’s excellent performance.
Much more interesting are the scenes between Adina and Connors. There’s palpable tension as she hides her rage under a fake calm while cooking in the kitchen with Connors, the same activity she did after Billy’s murder to work through her thoughts. Your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the knives on the table, expecting something more to happen.
She’s drawn between two forces, she tells Connors. But it’s not good and evil, it’s Billy and Tyrone.
“We’ll see if your value to Tyrone outweighs the need for me to end your life for what you did to Billy,” she warns him.
Dilshad Vadsaria’s Lia lets her fangs out as she belittles Tandy and the other victims, claiming they’re better off this way. The show has been inconsistent in balancing a storyline as serious as sex trafficking with some of the other plots, but taking away Tandy’s powers underscore the reality of the situation faced by women in these situations. They are victims who often go unseen and unhelped.
After Ty comes looking for Tandy, Andre uses his powers to plant doubt that a privileged white girl like Tandy actually cares about Ty.
Power and Pain
Connors tries to explain to Adina why he decided to own up to his past. Although you could argue a character like Connors doesn’t deserve anything even resembling a redemption arc, the show uses it more as a way for the Johnsons to work through their trauma than to absolve Connors. And when Connors later tries to make an escape while Adina is distracted by Otis it’s unclear whether its because he’s not really sorry or because he’s just giving into a natural human instinct for self-preservation.
Weirdly Andre shows up at Chantelle’s shop, who he learned about through reading Ty’s memories. It leads to more scenes at Andre’s record store where we see Mayhem stalking him.
When he leaves, she goes in to turn off the record he’s using to manipulate Ty and instead changes it to something that reminds Ty of Tandy and snaps him out of his trance. Tandy tries to make her escape but a guard stops her.
Lia continues to prove she might be the most twisted character on the whole damn show after drugging Tandy for trying to escape and then launching into a villainous monologue about using pain to get power.
Mayhem plays another record, this time the sirens of an ambulance to send a message to Ty about how to find Tandy. She may not have escaped, but she’s still helping out our heroes.
Chantelle reads Andre’s veve symbol for him and tells him he could become a Loa (powerful Voudon spirit), but won’t tell him everything his symbol means because she can’t trust him. He may be able to fool a lot of people, but not a priestess. She follows him into the record store and tells him it’s true a Loa wouldn’t feel pain, but there are other consequences and he can’t be trusted with that level of power.
She spies Mayhem but doesn’t let on even as Andre uses her own memories against her.
The tension heightens as Adina admits she feels powerless in a system she can’t dismantle. All she wants is to bury her son and she can’t even do that. Finally, Connors reveals the location of Billy’s body, something he previously denied knowing. This truth is enough to keep him alive, for now, as Adina sets two plates.
Just as Tandy’s about to be raped, the tides turn in the nick of time. After Tandy tried and failed to convince her fellow captive Del to try to escape, the girl steals a phone and realizes her family has been looking for her. This sets in motion her breaking the hold of Andre’s powers since she’s regained her hope. Meanwhile, Mayhem’s back at the record store busting records apart to also help break the hold. And Tandy gets her powers back just in time to save herself.
Ty also arrives, and the two are reunited in a touching moment. But before they can make a clean getaway something strange happens as Ty’s powers overtake him.
Additional Thoughts:
- With only three episodes left to go, this season of Cloak & Dagger is starting to feel stretched too thin. I’m hopeful things converge in a way that makes sense, but as of now, I’m struggling to see how they’ll wrap up all the storylines they’ve set up in a satisfying way.
- The parents on this show haven’t gotten too many opportunities to shine this season, but Gloria Reuben really knocked it out of the park this episode.
- Auntie Chantelle is one of my favorite supporting characters, I hope she’s OK!!
Cloak & Dagger airs Thursdays on Freeform.