That Dirty Black Bag – Season 1 Episode 6 “To Hell” Recap and Review

“To Hell”

‘That Dirty Black Bag’ returns to screens with its sixth episode, ‘To Hell”, after a long week. The way the fifth episode ended, this chapter was supposed to be a blockbuster. And it does not disappoint. Billy forces McCoy to give up the name of the man who gave him the scars on the back. He learns Bronson’s name and is determined to exact revenge on him.’That Dirty Black Bag’ returns to screens with its sixth episode, ‘To Hell”, after a long week. The way the fifth episode ended, this chapter was supposed to be a blockbuster.

The rain has brought water back into Greenvale’s houses. It gives the farmers a chance to grow their crops; another chance at life. But after the events of the last episode, Michelle is left wondering about the chance their family never had. She confronts Steve over the gold and his decision to keep it a secret. Steve defends his decision by saying the gold is evil but Michelle berates him for making them suffer in despair.

Bronson’s men, led by Blaine, arrive at the Sherriff’s office. They kill all the deputies after learning the Sherriff’s location near the mines. Billy narrates his mother’s death to McCoy and Kurt. He explains how the men entered their house and murdered his mother for being a witness.

Bronson’s “no witnesses” policy means she cannot be left alive. As McCoy tries to do the same to Billy, Bronson’s men catch up. Billy escapes in the tussle but Kurt is killed. Blaine and company are surprised to find Marco, a.k.a. McCoy. Blaine decides to accompany him to retrieve the Federal money.

Symone draws Eve’s body down to give her a proper burial. Since she is gone and there is no one to protect them, the girls at Red Lantern decide to leave the town with the money. Blaine’s men relay the news to Bronson, who decides to leave everything at once and come to Greenvale to pick up his brother. Billy makes his way back to town and takes shelter in Eve’s room the Lantern.

McCoy kills Blaine in order to take the money for himself and leave town before Bronson finds him. But when he reaches the money, he discovers it has all been wiped out in the rain.

The Episode Review

After a long wait, episode six turned out to be a dragger. Halfway through it, the writers seemed to have settled for the tried and tested. The innovation in storytelling and the foundational visual appeal from the previous episodes are glaringly missing. Many great plot points are concluded without courtesy to the buildup. The rain that should’ve marked town-wide celebrations just resulted in one substantial thing: ruining McCoy’s Federal stash.

Other than that, it seemed business as usual for the townsfolk, even so after the shootout and massacre of all the deputies in town. None of the characters got the requisite attention to make a memorable scene. The only compelling outcome from the episode was McCoy and Bronson’s expected meeting. That will be explosive, or at least that’s our sincere hope. One aspect of ‘That Dirty Black Bag’s thematic composition that was augmented by “To Hell” was that of Western lawlessness and savagery.

The open shootout without any fear of consequence gave a scorching reminder of how powerless and unaccountable law enforcement and criminals, respectively, were back then.

The threat Blaine and co carried is a fitting throwback to the show’s treacherous setting and timeline. Overall, the episode proved to be a big disappointment. Given the consistency and quality of content hitherto, “To Hell” seems to have missed the plot. Hopefully, things turn around in the final two episodes, giving the first season a grand sendoff.