[DreamSword]

Episode 5: Escaping Bogan

This episode is definitely my favorite so far. Things are really picking up!

I think what really helped here was that, with the overall plot of the episode being so simple, it made for alot more time spent on character development.

Mei especially gets alot of highlight here, which in turn made her my current favorite character in the show. She's definitely misguided in her dedication towards Mob Boss(even claiming he's a man of his word, which is laughable), but yet she still has her own code of honor, which helped me really get into her character.

The plot being nothing more than "fix Atlas Destroyer so we can get the hell out of here" also surprisingly helped in expanding on the lore of this universe and showcasing the continuity The Black has with previous films.

Ghost Piloting is now a thing, and while I could see some people calling foul on it due to how dangerous solo Drifting was shown to be in the first movie, I think it still works due to how it not only very obviously takes a toll on Taylor, but also how it was established in Uprising that the PDCC uses a brain in a jar as a training dummy for Drifts.

Really the only thing that I felt as out of place was Joel dying at the end which, I get is to highlight how messed up Mob Boss is, but like, we already had two full episodes showcasing that? Felt like such a waste of a character who could've added alot to the cast dynamics, I feel.

But yeah, overall a great episode. Let's hope the show keeps this momentum up.