Turn - Episode 1.2 - Who By Fire - Review

"He who concealed himself is detected"
- Abe Woodhull

Everyone enjoys a good spy story and everyone enjoys a period drama. Pair them together and you get TURN, the new secret agent series on AMC. The second episode aired Sunday and, so far, is setting up the characters and the first arc very well. The story of Abe Woodhull oozed out of the starting gate and crept ever so slowly through episode one, but near the finish line picked up the pace. Episode two continues that pacing and adds a few more layers to help us understand the key players and where the first season is headed. We now understand what Abe's intentions are, however, a few more questions were raised that I'm sure will be the focus of the upcoming episodes.

Captain Joyce's murderer is still at large and the mystery of who committed the crime is at the forefront. The townspeople suspect it was Abe because he is the Judge's son and he got the charges against him dropped. Abe's father thinks it was Anna who did it and Abe wants so desperately to clear her of any wrongdoing. He tells Anna that she is the major suspect so she can find something in the midst of Joyce's belongings that could be of some use. Anna finds a love letter amongst his things and her and Abe decipher it as a coded message, much like the petticoat that she leaves fro Caleb. They are not exactly sure who wrote it or why at this point.

Robert Rogers, of the Queen's Rangers, gets involved and comes upon Richard and Abe and buys them a drink. Rogers is very good at his job and suspects something is up between Abe and Anna immediately. He instructs Anna to sit right before Abe reveals the letter they found earlier. Rogers is good, but Abe appears to be better. The letter describes a "sound retreat" that the Redcoats drummer needed to play to initiate the meeting between Joyce and the killer. They work together to find Joyce's murderer and Abe discovers it was John Robeson after the "sound retreat" was heard. He who was blamed for the fight in the tavern last episode. The episode concludes with Rogers killing the drummer and telling Robeson he is to spy on the town of Setauket for him. Abe, who was displeased by this, is instructed to keep tabs on Robeson.

Captain Simcoe is saved by General Scott from torture by Ben and Caleb. I really like where that story line is going now that Ben was caught and Simcoe gets to go free. This will be very interesting since Abe wanted Simcoe dead and was his only reason for helping Ben's spy ring in the first place. Abe is already questioning wether or not to help the Rebels spy on the Redcoats and this allowing Simcoe to slip through their hands might not go over well with him.

The episode ends with all the story lines put into place and spies being born everywhere. The series is a little slow going at first, but I am excited to see all these historical characters and their stories come to life on the small screen. Hopefully the pace keeps up to keep people interested.


Thoughts and Discussion

- Did you notice...The play that John Andre went to go see Rogers at was called Guy Fawkes? Fawkes was involved in a failed assassination attempt his story contains elements of espionage.

- Which side is Abe on anyway? Is he a Redcoat or a Rebel? It appears he is helping both sides, doesn't it?

- Do you think we will get to see Benedict Arnold at some point in the series? John Andre on the show was one of the British spies that helped Benedict Arnold.

- Did you notice...The title of the episode is "Who By Fire"? This refers to the song by Leonard Cohen about the Jewish prayer of judgment. Also, Guy Fawkes was associated with the Gunpowder Plot and his effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, commonly accompanied by a firework display.

- How will Abe handle that Simcoe is alive? Will he still help the Rebels?

Thank you for checking out my Review! Please comment below so we can discuss the episode further.

About the Author - Geo N

My name is George and I am from Detroit, MI. My favorite shows are The Blacklist, Hell On Wheels, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, LOST, Sons Of Anarchy, Sleepy Hollow and countless other shows. When I'm not watching tons of TV, I enjoy reading, playing hockey, comic books, weightlifting, and writing. Thanks for checking out my post.