Warning: This is a full episode recap, so if you don’t want any spoilers, please watch the episode before reading this.
A mysterious man named Shaw is en route to meet Tesler with his Rubik’s Cube-looking box that apparently holds some great secret. Great enough that The Renegade (Beck) attempts to acquire it. Shaw pulls from the box a disc that fits inside his identity disc, which powers him up. They battle and Shaw seems to defeat The Renegade, but he comes back and they scuffle some more. Shaw falls off a ledge and Beck grabs him by his disc, pulling the “weapon” part out. Shaw starts ranting to give him his weapon back, all the while Beck is trying to save him. But Shaw starts slashing at him with his Light Disc and ultimately falls to his doom.
Bartik and Hopper visit Zed at the garage and say Tesler is expecting his tank to be ready soon. Mara and Able both interrupt, but as the bad guys depart, they emphasize that Zed had best get the tank ready as soon as possible.
Tesler is so angry at the loss of Shaw’s weapon that he derezzes the pilot of the craft by flinging his energy fist through his torso and seizing his identity disc. He orders Paige to do whatever she has to to get the weapon back.
Tron analyzes the weapon and states that had Tesler gotten it, his forces would have been unstoppable. Tron is upset that Shaw wasn’t brought in alive. Tron orders Beck to destroy the disc with a high powered energy welder at his garage.
On the way, however, Beck spies fire and smoke in the sky and rushes to the scene of a traffic accident. Yeah… it’s obviously a trap and he finds himself swarmed by Tesler’s men. He defeats them all, but Paige arrives in a helicopter and opens fire. She pursues him into a tunnel and he out-maneuvers her. Her helicopter explodes and Beck escapes. But as he rides to safety, his eyes glow red and he smirks menacingly.
At the garage, Bartik and Hopper intimidate Zed, asking for the tank. Beck interrupts and tells them to leave “before things get embarrassing.” Hopper takes a swing, but Beck quickly has him on the ground, with his Light Disc inches away from Hopper’s forehead. Mara is upset. Zed says Beck made him look like a coward. Beck then tells him to “Stop acting like one.” Able signs off on Tesler’s tank and Beck forms an idea.
Tesler is excited when his tank arrives, but not so much when The Renegade, glowing red, confronts him. They battle, but Beck, utilizing the weapon, seems to have the upper hand. Tesler suits up in battle armor, but Beck quickly destroys it. Things change when Beck spots Able below him, just as Tesler’s laser hands start to give him the advantage. Beck and Tessler battle it out before Tesler evacuates, leaving a bomb behind. It explodes and Able is injured. Outside, Tesler orders the facility be sealed, but Beck and Able escape, although Able is badly hurt.
Back at the garage, Able tells the others that The Renegade saved him, but Zed still regards him as a menace.
Pavel tells Tesler that they should try a new approach to flushing out The Renegade, hostages. Bartick says he knows of the perfect place to find innocent programs to ransom… the garage. Pavel and a small fleet seize the facility.
Tron is angry that Beck didn’t destroy the weapon and instead has fallen under its power, but Beck pleads for his help. When Tron insists that he destroy the weapon, Beck lashes out and they battle, with Beck nearly killing Tron before he snaps to his senses.
The Renegade flies to the garage and attempts to destroy the disc, but it is stolen by Pavel. Now super charged, Pavel and Beck battle and in the course of their actions, the laser welder goes haywire and starts blasting all around them, derezzing most of Pavel’s soldiers and destroying much of the garage. Zed and Mara free themselves, but Mara is nearly killed by a falling vehicle after the laser severs the wires that were supporting it. Zed saves her at the last second, although she is unconscious. He gives her over to Able but when he sees that Bartick is trapped under debris, he rushes to help free him and guides him and Hopper to safety.
Pavel is stalking, looking for The Renegade, when Beck leaps from up high and knocks him down. He seizes the weapon and uses the laser welder to slice the disc in two.
Later, Mara muses that she wishes The Renegade was there so she could thank him for saving her life, when Beck walks in and says it was really Zed that saved her.
Tesler angrily tears into Pavel for allowing the weapon to be destroyed. It’s Paige’s turn to gloat as he angrily stalks off. But back in his quarters, Pavel reveals that he has half the weapon… and it is regenerating itself.
Another exciting, well-acted and well-animated episode! There were a couple of gorgeously animated sequences, for instance Beck leaping over a destroyed bridge in slow motion. The art is really stylized, so it may not be for everyone, but the storytelling and acting are first rate.
One drawback is that there are so many characters! Paige was showcased last episode. Mara is a really basic, optimistic good girl. Zed is arrogant and kind of a failure. His rescuing of Bartick this episode was the first glimpse of bravery and selflessness for him. Able is the wise mentor, but little more than that so far. Pavel and Tesler are also in need of further embellishment.
I’m not complaining! I’m sure they will all get the showcase treatment eventually. I suppose it’s actually nice that I’m intrigued enough to want to knowmore about all of them.
What do you think? Did you enjoy this episode? Comment below!
