That Dirty Black Bag – Season 1 Episode 7 “The Plan” Recap and Review

The Plan

Episode 7 of That Dirty Black Bag starts with Bronson preparing to meet up with his old gang and head for Greenvale. Billy has a dream about his mother pushing him to avenge her death. A boy wakes him up and asks for his help. The town has sunk into lawlessness. Without a Sherriff and deputies, the people have run over each other. Thomson gets an ultimatum from the Wilson brothers demanding payment for their services.

McCoy wanders on his own. He has hallucinations of meeting with Bronson. Still a long way from home, he stops at a grocer’s shop and demands utilities. Bill chooses to ride and find the Sherriff, instead of taking the train when it arrives. The girls from Red Lantern decide where they should head next. St. Louis emerges as one of the targets but Symone has other plans. She decides to unhook a horse from the carriage and goes back to the Lantern.

Michelle, who didn’t believe in the crops growing again, sees a hint of green that Dorian slides under her room. Bill finds McCoy and convinces him to help Bill get to Bronson. In return, he asks for Bill’s help. They share a decent meal along with the couple McCoy has taken hostage. The mood becomes a bit lighter as they start to talk about the food and their lives.

Bronson’s men kill the trader and his man in a fit of anger after they accuse them of being voiceless pets to Bronson. The controversy emerges when the trader discovers the gold from the deputies and asks for it to be divided. Bronson is facing the effects of his disease and contemplates taking the last injection before arriving in Greenvale.

One of the most secretive aspects of the show – the Eye – is given some attention here. Bronson’s wife and another staff discuss the prospect of killing Bronson for abandoning them on this night. His wife says the time will come but the day is more important than anyone.

Steve, Dorian, and Michelle stand in an ocean of greenery that seems to give them hope. The family is reunited by this optimism and prepares to defend their land at all costs. Thompson finally discovers gold from a specimen the brothers recover from the land. His thesis was right and now he knows the gold is under Steve’s land. The Wilsons demand payment but Thompson feeling insulted kills them both. Bronson’s household prepares a little girl, Matilde, for the ceremony. By the looks of it, there must be some sacrifice of blood to please the demons.

This tangent was hinted towards first when Aiden Gillen’s character, Butler, was still alive. The final montage shows a glimpse of each of the main characters, soaking in a quiet night before the storm hits the next day.

The Episode Review

‘The Plan’ puts all the storylines together in a haunting last push for redemption. Until now, the inconsistencies were glaring. The attention paid to each moving part of the story proved to be marginally insufficient. This episode arrests the trend to a great extent. The penultimate chapter in the saga sees Greenvale and its inhabitants completely drowned in Western lawlessness. In the Hobbesian reality, it is every man for himself, and the strong rule the weak.

The way this episode ended has also amped the final coming together of Bronson and McCoy/Billy. If there were any doubts as to the duel not living up to its billing, none remain so. Both sets of men come into the scenario with different motivations. As the show comes to an end, there is also a sense of calm that settles over Greenvale. Its fortunes that were earlier tied to rain have now broken free. They now rest on the goodness of its men and women, and some luck to get them out of a tough spot.

The cat and mouse game ‘That Dirty Black Bag’ plays with excellence and mediocrity always keeps you guessing. The gorgeous cinematography picks up again in this episode. The final shot is a summation of how beautiful and nuanced it can be.

Overall, ‘The Plan’ exceeds expectations both as a setup to the finale and summarization of different timelines. All fingers crossed for the finale.