The trippy fun continues and adds some Franco-Russian fusion to the Egyptian-American mix.

Blood & Treasure cheerfully plays with tropes and keeps the viewer wondering exactly which one will come next. As long as they keep doing such a great job at it, I won’t complain. Their deft execution keeps the series fresh and light with enough seriousness and menace to give it a little edge. The leads’ charisma and chemistry, mirrored by that of two new characters this week, contribute to the adventures.

In Hanoi, we get some nice character moments between Kate and Chuck as he works hard to get her to return to the light side, or at least come clean that she never left. To do so, he draws on their shared history with Danny. And – of course – on old movies, a running joke in the series.

The episode jaunts from southeast Asia to northwest Russia for the main action. Here – thanks to a tip from last season’s arch enemy Simon Hardwick – we meet André, former brutal criminal and now honest restaurateur with his wife Claudine. Naturally they join Lexi and Danny on the hunt – after André nearly kills Danny until Danny admits that no, he never worked with Hardwick but rather put him in jail. Typical of the series, the scene combines danger and laughs.

While Chuck references his history with Danny and Kate, Lexi bonds with André over their common criminal past – and their current anxiety-inducing situation. This leads to one of the most delightful scenes in the whole series so far, rife with humor, history and character growth. It illuminates several parallels the episode sets up between Lexi and Danny, and André and Claudine.

Skillfully written, directed, and acted, the scene shows that Lexi and André each found the love of their life whom they want to shield from a past which they now regret. They each connected with someone brilliant and knowledgeable about history, art, and culture. Both worry about not living up to their expectations, and desperately fear that if Danny and Claudine find out too much about their respective history, they’ll no longer accept or trust them.

Lexi and André watch as Danny and Claudine examine the vault full of artifacts. Their love and pride shine through in their conversation as they take vicarious joy in Danny and Claudine’s joy at the contents of the vault. Their conversation also echoes ongoing themes of the season: can people truly change, and can someone truly trust anyone else? How would Danny and Claudine react if they truly knew them? Lexi and André fear letting them down, but even more desperately they fear Danny and Claudine will learn too much and let them down by leaving.

Each episode runs over forty minutes and flies by. The pacing flagged a bit in the middle of this one, but it recovered and still ended on a note of ‘done already?” and left one eagerly awaiting the next installment. The main plot barrels full speed ahead with few digressions into subplots or side stories.

Verdict: The story surges ahead and includes nuance that doesn’t detract from or slow it down. One particularly sad – yet not unexpected – scene and a mid-episode pacing hiccup mar this otherwise great episode. 7/10

Rigel Ailur