“A monumental conclusion!”
I immediately agreed with the above statement made by a character in the second half of the season finale of “The Continental”, right after he witnesses a grisly end of an assassin’s life. Titled “Theater of Pain,” episode three of the mini-series is packed with blood, deaths, gloom, and doom, so expect a lot of guns and gore. It’s indeed a theatrical affair that takes the entire ensemble cast to deliver an entertaining curtain call.
Read: The Continental Season 1 Episode 1 Review for plot overview
Like the first two episodes, this one to begins with a brief black-and-white flashback featuring the younger versions of the Scott brothers, which serves as both proof of their strong bond and foreshadows a very crucial revelation. To avenge his older brother Frankie’s death, Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) is all geared up to storm The Continental, the hotel housing countless assassins and the primary villain of the tale – Cormac O’Connor.
If, like me, you were also bugged by the sub-plot involving KD (Mishel Prada), the cop hell-bent on finding the Scott brothers because it didn’t quite fit with the rest of the story, rejoice, because we are also given a pretty solid explanation about her agenda. She even arrives at the Dojo belonging to siblings Miles and Lou in Chinatown while looking for Winston and tries to intimidate Lou for information on her case. Jessica Allain who plays Lou, gets to show off some kick-ass karate moves again and despite her apprehensions about backing Winston & Miles’ suicide-mission, she has her brother’s back when needed. Ray McKinnon is amusing as Jenkins, the sharpshooter who was introduced in episode 2, and is tasked with having eyes on The Continental to help Winston in the final showdown.
Nhung Kate, who plays Yen, Frankie’s Vietnamese girlfriend, engages in a fantastic face-off with Gretel (Marina Mazepa), one of the twins responsible for Frankie’s murder. In a comical action-film moment, the two women decide to drop their weapons and fight each other with bare hands, and their combat was riveting. Marina Mazepa, a real-life contortionist, showcases some incredible moves, resembling a mutant from X-Men. “Woah, this woman should play Elastigirl,” I thought to myself as the flexible Gretel cracked her knuckles and bones, rising effortlessly from each fall like a superhuman.
The special effects in the action scenes are well-executed, and while the cinematography maintains the same moody, retro, and nostalgic feel as the first two episodes, some of the fight sequences could have benefited from better lighting. Admittedly, the warm and dim lighting aligns with the moody ambiance of this 70s action-crime story, but a touch more color and a bit of brightness would’ve been nice. The background music was laden with astutely chosen hits again, each track serving to heighten the flavor of the tale. The rock song “Barracuda” befittingly plays when Winston finds a new stash of weapons and is all pumped up to mark Cormac’s final chapter.
Mel Gibson is comically devious as the despicable Cormac, the kind of villain who shamelessly strikes deals with ‘God’. While Winston Scott is busy preparing his game plan, Cormac goes to his private church, does drugs, and hopes God will solve all his problems. And if God doesn’t bail him out, there’s always a hotel full of serial killers, unlimited arms and sneaky secrets at his disposal. Colin Woodell as Winston Scott was the only weak link in this finale for me; he doesn’t exude the aura of a ‘main character’ in this show. While some of the other characters might begin to grow on you, Woodell’s portrayal feels a bit wooden and boring for a man who goes up against a dreaded syndicate of criminals that even the cops avoid. Thankfully, the writers don’t heavily rely on Winston’s character and provide ample space for all the other actors to shine, which significantly contributes to keeping the last episode thrilling and fast-paced.
“The Continental” is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
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