Grade: B
Picking up right where “Turn This Mother Out” left off, “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” makes sure to advance the plot forward as much as it can but at the same time forgets to really let the characters breathe after all the punches the episode throws at them. It is hard to say if “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” will be a memorable episode when the season is over or if it was just a huge device episode to set up more mythos rules & storyline to go forward with. Either way the rocket start of season two has really built up high enough expectations that every episode going forward will be a nail biter of a wait with whatever twists & turns end up being thrown at us.
The episode starts off right where we left off with Haggemann taking a shot at Josh while he is transforming & already wolfed out Nora coming to his rescue. The following morning isn’t easy for Josh as he tries retracing his steps only to find the drivers side of Nora’s car torn to shreds & he fears for the worse that he attacked her. Meanwhile, Sally, having no one around, rounds up her newly acquired ghost friends to talk about the wild dream she had about her door the previous night. As all our heroes end up reconvening at the house thankfully Nora shows up but it is obvious that she wolfed out created a whole mess of problems between her & Josh through the episode. In fact one of the best parts from Nora comes when she arrives still in shock & addresses Sally by commenting on how beautiful she is. The ensuing arguments that happen throughout the episode between Josh & Nora are probably the most grounded part of the entire episode as their problems, though having season worry ramifications for the characters, are some of the most immediate and painful to witness as we follow them.
While focus seemed divided up pretty evenly the weight seemed to be put on Sally & Aiden's problems which where very much geared towards season goals & story. As sally learns more & is opened up more to being a ghost & the type of world she inhabits we also see the consequences that come with it. In some ways it did feel a bit rushed as more mythos was piled on-top of itself in her storyline & did not feel as horrifying as it did during season one when she was being exercised & her life laid in the balance. At the same time Aiden’s story just felt a bit lackluster but it also introduced us to the arrival of Suren, Mother’s daughter, played by Dichen Lachman. Most of their story was laid out in current & flashbacks & while it felt reminiscent of Aiden’s interactions with Bishop he was not present in the flashbacks. What really breathed some life into the story was through the coy flashbacks which were not all too revealing making Suren that much more intriguing. Dichen Lachman’s portrayal of Suren also added a great amount of sultry intrigue & probably had fans of hers from previous works like
Dollhouse clamoring for more.
While the episode may not have been the firecracker like its season premiere was it did add up to an awesome 42 minutes with our favorite trio of monsters. As well, the last minutes where of “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?” brought that same amount of eternal tension for another weeks episode.
