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From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, 1.09, “Boxman”: Oceans 11 with vampires

From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, 1.09, “Boxman”: Oceans 11 with vampires

From dusk two

From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, Season 1, Episode 9, “Boxman”
Written by Matt Morgan and Ian Sobel
Directed by Nick Copus
Airs Tuesdays at 9pm (ET) on El Rey Network

“Sorry brother, things are about to get a little weird”

“La Conquista”, episode eight of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, was a rare misstep for the show whose entire first season has been a great surprise. Even though “La Conquista” had its high points, it was ultimately a flawed and disjointed episode that distracted from how great the show has been from the pilot. “La Conquista” did however end with one heck of a bloody awesome cliffhanger, with Richie (Zane Holtz) seemingly accepting Santanico’s (Eiza Gonzalez) deal.

“Boxman”, the season’s penultimate episode, picks up with a flashback to the fire that we know a young Richie saved Seth (D.J. Cotrona) from. One of the best things about the series has been its deeply creepy imagery. The show has done a great job of creating a campy, unnerving, dark mood. Richie and Seth’s father burning to death is just the first of the night. The “labyrinth” that each of the characters must work through during the episode is another great example. Each of the worlds, particularly Seth’s, is consuming; his face off against his father is one of the best scenes in the episode. Ultimately, “Boxman” acts as a trippy kind of who’s who of the Gecko brothers past. The episode also allows us to see a major point in the brothers’ history and allows Seth to redo a job that went very wrong.

All season, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series has done a great job at building a myth around what we know from the movie. “Boxman” is the first time that we get real answers. We can’t particularly trust Santanico, but we know there is a reason she and Carlos (Wilmer Valderrama) want to get to the heart of the labyrinth.

From dusk one

“Boxman” is a much better episode than “La Conquista”. It’s a little messy and all over the place, but that’s the point. It’s absolutely over the top, bloody, and confusing at times, but those tunnels and visions are meant to be hectic and disorienting. In addition to being nerve-racking, “Boxman” also features some of the creepiest moments from the entire season, in particular the creatures that chase Tanner (Jake Busey), Katie (Madison Davenport), Jacob (Robert Patrick), and Freddie (Jesse Gonzalez).

“Boxman” is one of the finest episodes of the season and an excellent setup for the season finale. Setting aside a few weak episodes, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series has had a great debut season and “Boxman” shows why.

Final Thoughts:

“Holy shit, I’m 20/20”

“I’m not her slave.”
“Then what are you exactly?”
“I’m your brother.”

Somehow Tanner manages to be the creepiest character on a show full of human-sacrificing vampires.

Was the hallucination of Richie and Seth’s father telling the truth about that fire?

We really should have gotten to see more of the heist planning. This is an important aspect of Seth and Richie’s relationship and it shows the great chemistry between Holtz and Cotrona.

How badass was Richie in that restaurant scene?

Tressa Eckermann

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