Can Danny and Lexi prevent the Great Khan putting her plan into action?

This week gives viewers the perfect combination of action and consequences. Before, during, and after the titular raid, we see everyone at the top of their game and perfectly, delightfully in character.

Simon Hardwick – as always – looks out for Hardwick, a bad guy yet not a bad guy. James Callas shines in this role and appears to be having a blast. Kudos also to the writers for not settling for a tired cliché of a character and instead giving him depth and charm.

Similarly, Michelle Lee’s Violet – a bad guy, an extremely bad guy – rises above the usual cartoony villainy. Her interaction with Lexi gives plenty of insight to explain, but not excuse, her actions and leaves no doubt – not that any doubt existed – as to her ruthlessness and single-mindedness. Plus in one scene she amusingly appeals to Lexi’s love of food, a running joke. Both Lee and Sofia Pernas do a great job of playing their scenes with emotion and frustration without ever getting mired in it.

Chuck Donnelly shows up in brief but absolutely pivotal scenes. His grief over Kate drives home the much needed and appreciated emotional resonance that her loss impacts others. He ups the ante by uncovering vital information, and he greatly ups the suspense at the end of the episode as well.

Aiden Shaw puts his former ‘business’ contacts to good use. More consequences, he also shares a touching scene with Vince and Hahn, very nicely played by all involved. Also, Shaw does a far better accent than Danny. [Editor’s note – not hard!]

Back at their best, Danny and Lexi don’t just react to Violet but get ahead of her in a few instances. The show acknowledges the pair’s rift and resolves it, moving on without angst or soap opera – even if she does almost shoot him and Shaw by accident. Lexi’s history with her former partner benefits their mission to stop her. At several junctures, Danny demonstrates he’s smart and resourceful and good at anticipating their rival’s moves, as expected but also well done. Also refreshing – and equally expected – Lexi rescues herself before the rescue. (The staging of that particular scene does raise one potential quibble, but one fairly easy to explain away, so I’ll ignore it.)

The whole episode moves ahead at a breakneck pace. Lots of stuff happens, all perfectly set up and well executed. The question remains not so much the destination as the journey, far less if the good guys will win, but rather how? And, back to those pesky consequences, at what cost? We see the various threads coming together, plenty of danger, plenty of humor, and a hugely admirable lack of stupidity on all sides.

Verdict: Back in top form, this episode skips the melodrama and races toward the climax. 10/10

Rigel Ailur