SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Fightland Season 1, Episode 3.
Episode 3 of Fightland doesn’t do anything to make the Starz show easier to follow. “No Innocents” is almost as busy as the episode before it. But this third installment succeeds by giving some great material to characters who need it, even as it hurtles the plot along.
Duke Kilroy is still a little too smart about the criminal game. He comes up with the plan to plant a bomb at the Marshalls’ casino in a matter of minutes. His compatriot Lazaro has a little more to do, though (let’s all be happy Kim’s police partner Lewis is still alive), so at least it doesn’t seem like Duke is entirely running the show. It’s important that Lazaro has a role to play. As much as Fightland is Duke’s story plot-wise, he’s supposed to be part of this cartel operation that existed before him, which is represented by Lazaro. It would make the cartel look toothless, and therefore undercut the general idea of Kingsley Marshall being this drug kingpin they need to topple, if Duke comes in and takes everything over.
The character who really shines in this episode, though, is Jay Hall, as so wonderfully played by Tyler Conti. Jay is elevated from being Duke’s best friend and human resource—it’s a bit amusing that Duke just assumes Jay knows everybody—to becoming his conscience and a voice of reason. Jay is the sanest person in “No Innocents,” and the argument he has with Duke is critically important. For one, it gives him more to do and more depth than being the comic relief and sidekick. But it also reminds the viewer that Duke has a heart. Three episodes in and he’s already talking about bombs; the series is dead in the water if Fightland viewers lose sympathy for him. Jay pointing out that Duke is losing sight of what he’s doing this for (his brother Calvin) is also a reminder of what this show is emotionally supposed to be about.
Elsewhere, Fightland is turning into a show that one needs a flowchart in order to follow. It’s revealed that Cebella is having an affair with the Russian boss Nikolai, also known as the guy Duke wants to blame for everything. It’s too early to tell if this is a plot wrench thrown in for dramatic effect or if she actually has a legitimate relationship with Nikolai; hopefully it’s the latter, as it’s an opportunity to see a more vulnerable side of Cebella that’s gone so far untapped. Beyond that, viewers learn that Kim’s (Tahirah Sharif) stake in the game is that her sister Rina went missing while working for Kingsley. These two plot points could add a lot to the show, or they could end up as complications for the sake of having more complications.
It’s no shock that Duke and Joy rekindle their romantic relationship; that was a foregone conclusion, as was people continuing to try and get Duke back into the boxing ring. And Kim’s approach to flirting with Duke is as subtle as a hammer. There are moments in Fightland Season 1, Episode 3 that feel like they’re blunt instruments simply to get the overarching plot to its next stopping point. The show is still trying to do a lot, and it doesn’t have to push so hard all of the time.
That being said, having more information or more layers for characters like Lazaro, Jay, Lewis and even Nikolai is appreciated. It gives Fightland a chance for characters other than Duke to connect with the audience. He may be a one-man wrecking crew, but this isn’t a one-man show. If Fightland wants to get to Season 2, it has to create a fully formed universe around him to explore. And if nothing else, “No Innocents” reminds the viewer of the human element in the series. Under the bombs and the fights and the sex scenes has to be some reason for the audience to care whether Duke succeeds or not. Episode 3 gets that purpose back, not just for him but for several other characters as well.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
