Emerald City continues to make up for lost time in “Everybody Lies.” This week, we were able to gain even more dirt on some of our favorite characters, as well as completely question the dirt we already had.
“Everybody Lies” opens with Dorothy being taken to Mistress West, courtesy of Ojo (Olafur Darri Olafsson). West, still mourning her sister’s death, tortures Dorothy for information on how she was able to kill a Cardinal Witch. Dorothy doesn’t give in, and thanks to Tip’s change of heart, Dorothy is able to escape out of a sewage hatch. She then continues her journey to the Wizard’s palace, where she is somehow able to walk right through the front door and up to his bedroom with no trouble at all.
Elsewhere in Emerald City, Lucas and Sylvie are surprisingly welcomed into Eamonn’s (Mido Hamada) home with open arms. It turns out that the two were good friends pre-amnesia, and Eamonn believes that Lucas has done nothing wrong. It isn’t until the festival that he uncovers that he did, in fact, kill the people of Nimbo, and surrenders himself to punishment for his crimes. Me, being the animal lover that I am, spent most of the episode wondering what the heck happened to Toto. Luckily, my fear was subsided when Toto saves the day and comforts Sylvie after Lucas leaves her all alone in the city after surrendering himself.
Back in the Kingdom of Ev, the king and his daughter plan a trip to Emerald City to discuss the expected arrival of the new beast with Jack in tow. Just like Jack, we are very confused as to why Lady Ev bought Jack in the first place. Turns out, she just wanted a friend because she’s never had one before. However, when Jack rescues Lady Ev in a damsel-in-distress like manner after being harassed by men at the festival, her heart melts and she kisses him, now claiming she does not want to be friends, but something else.
This scene made me mad for two reasons. Firstly, what about Tip! Secondly, Lady Ev has proven that she is a very powerful person who basically rules the Kingdom of Ev due to her father’s dementia. Throughout the episode, she challenges the Wizard and holds her ground as a strong woman with immense authority. This scene of her being helpless at the hands of men then rescued by a knight in shining armor is an insult to her character, and goes against so much of the progressive subject matter the show has highlighted on thus far.
As I have made pretty clear in previous reviews, I am not a huge fan of the Wizard. Not that I dislike the character himself, but rather the dull and uninspired performance portrayed by Vincent D’Onofrio. Nevertheless, the Wizard played a vital role in the culmination of the episode. We first notice that the Wizard has knowledge of Dorothy’s world when he recognizes the bullet, but once Dorothy casually walks into his chambers, it becomes clear that he has been to her world before. While Pink Floyd plays from his radio, Dorothy confronts him about her mother, and it is clear that the Wizard knows her and Dorothy as well.
“Everybody Lies” showed us just that. Whether it be for one’s own agenda or for a means of survival. The question now becomes: is what we know so far really the truth? Just when we think we have a handle on it, Emerald City sucks us into a twister and causes us to question everything, which is precisely what brings us back each week.
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Rating: 8.5/10
Emerald City airs Fridays at 9 PM EST on NBC
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