Fountainhead
Episode 4 of Django starts with the New Babylon residents preparing their newly acquired oil rig. Slamming into the ground, the mud suddenly sputters to life and a fountain of oil gushes out. They’re in business, and the residents realize that they’re going to make a tidy profit from this.
In the euphoric high of it all, Sarah and Django end up hugging but they’re spied by Seymour from afar, who eyes them both up suspiciously. It’s shrugged off for now, as the group realize they have 3 barrels worth already but if they can try and get a production going properly, they could easily make $100k a year.
With bandits along the way and the whole situation with Elizabeth to contend with, they decide to set up a route along the river to find buyers. Django decides to tag along with Seymour.
Further flashbacks flesh out the past, with Django doing what he can to look after Sarah. She has a nasty fever and they need a doctor before it gets worse. The family only have a few pennies to their name but it’s enough for Django to head out to try and get her help.
He speaks to Elijah and lets him know that his daughter is sick, needing extra cash from him. As we saw from the last episode, Elijah and Django have an intimate bond. He retorts how alone he feels.
Django is not messing about though and grabs him by the scruff of the neck, telling him to get a grip. Reluctantly, Elijah eventually does tag along, and they head up to see a reverend, who used to practice medicine. After paying their way, they ride back to the house.
The reverend manages to give them some medicine to help Sarah, pointing out that it’s lucky they came when they did. Any longer and Sarah could have been in big trouble. In private, he tells Django that Sarah’s right leg is never going to work properly again. He encourages the group to pack up and move on to somewhere more bountiful, even giving back the money they paid as a warning from God.
Over at Elmsdale, Elizabeth tries to teach Adam how to shoot, showing that blindness isn’t an excuse. At the same time, Seymour admits to Django on the barge that he doesn’t trust the guy. Django can tell that he has feelings for Sarah and calls him out indirectly for it.
Eventually they make it to the dock but a big shootout ensues as Elizabeth’s bandits try to get the jump on them. Unfortunately, oil spills over the dock and a fire subsequently breaks out too. Django decides to surrender, realizing that their barge will blow to kingdom come, and they manage to make it out before it’s too late.
As the barge starts to explode, Seymour is captured by Elizabeth while the others break out and head back to New Babylon. Elizabeth tries to bargain with Seymour, who wants her land back and promising that she’ll get it back one way or another. With a bountiful plate full of food, she lets Seymour eat and boasts that they’re not starving like those in New Babylon. She leaves him with the plate and a big choice to make.
John Ellis and Sarah decide to tag along for a meet with Elizabeth to determine their fate going forward – and get Seymour back. Out in the open land, Elizabeth refuses to let Seymour go unless he takes her offer for 100k in exchange for the lot of land.
John Ellis is smart though, knowing that they have oil inside the town worth a whole lot more than that. “You walk away and you’re signing his death warrant,” Elizabeth promises regarding Seymour’s fate. John Ellis refuses to be goaded by her threats and points out that she’s going to need more men next time she comes for them and their family.
As they ride off, Elizabeth turns to one of her men and ungags him, revealing that Seymour actually happens to be riding with them. All of this was a big ruse to show Seymour that John Ellis values the fate of New Babylon over his boy.
During our flashback scenes, Django makes a big decision and decides to head off for war as a way of making a new life for them all. Margaret (his wife) is not happy when she finds out, bitterly calling him out for being afraid and running away. She also knows that he wants to be somewhere else while he’s with them, but whether she knows he has feelings for Elijah or not remains to be seen.
Back in the present, John, Sarah and the others from New Babylon show up at Elizabeth’s place determined to track down Seymour. They eventually do find him but on their way out the house, Ellis and the others are surrounded.
When Django shows and turns the tide of everything, Elizabeth shoots out all the lamps and, with the fate of Adam hanging in the balance, decides to let them all go when face to face with John… again.
Seymour confronts John outside the house, believing that John was going to leave him to die (which obviously isn’t true) while tensions continue to simmer between Sarah and Django as everyone heads back to New Babylon.
The Episode Review
Django returns with a revealing episode that shows wavering loyalties and a lot more of the past, specifically that including Django’s choice with his family and what drove him to abandon Sarah and the others.
The situation with the oil hits fever pitch too and it’s clear now that there’s a big fight coming, although this whole stand-off situation with John Ellis and Elizabeth is growing tired now. We’ve seen the pair against one another every episode and every time they’ve failed to pull the trigger.
The story itself is fine and serviceable but once again the lighting is a consistent problem, with the night scenes in particular standing out as poorly lit.
The ending does hint that next week’s double bill is going to be just as dramatic though, leaving everything hanging in the balance.
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Episode Rating
(3)