Part Two of “Tin Man” slowed down the pace a little bit and had that definite “we’re in the middle of this thing” sort of feel to it – until near the end, in which the entire thing spun around with a pretty clever plot twist.
After the seeming destruction of Cain (Neil McDonough), the capture of DG (Zooey Deschanel) and Raw (Raul Trujillo) by Azkedellia, and the battering of Glitch (Alan Cumming), the proceedings winded down for about the first hour. But once the team reformed (with some help from the duplicitous Toto), the group set off their journey to find the Emerald. Boy, the whole thing sure sounds cheesy as hell when it’s typed out, doesn’t it?
Another thing really noticeable in Part Two was a definite upswing in the humor department, thanks to Alan Cumming especially, who shone here. In fact, the whole thing became very character driven with each of the principals finding out more about themselves and what they’re capable of. Cain’s discovery that his wife was indeed dead was heartbreaking, yet it left the door open for a romance between him and DG, which I think is most sure to happen. Glitch’s finding out about his past – that he was an aid to the Queen – was another great moment. And what about the death of the Mystic Man (Richard Dreyfuss)? Surely the great and powerful cannot be toast?
Speaking of “the great and powerful”, this episode seemed to cram in more homages to the original “Oz.” For instance, the scene where Raw was being attacked and chased by the winged monkeys was so reminiscent of the scene from the Garland film where the Lion runs from Oz, down the hallway, that I couldn’t help but smile. Even the way they’ve got Raw dressed is a clear spin on Bert Lahr’s costume. Later in a flashback, when DG and Azkedellia are children, they speak of the time DG tricked a tree into throwing apples at them and then, as they continue their walk through the forest, they worry about lions, tigers and bears.
But everything came to a head when it was revealed to DG that Azkedellia is not who she says she is. Instead, she’s possessed by a witch whom the two girls accidentally freed – and it’s a situation for which DG blames herself.
I’ve no idea where this is all going to end up, but let’s hope it’s somewhere magical.
