Cloak and Dagger “Stained Glass” Sets the Tone

Cloak and Dagger didn’t give us a whole lot in the way of the story this week, but what we did get was a vision of what’s to come (pun intended, always). In particular, this episode seemed to set the tone for the show and give us a sense of the themes the show will explore.

The episode starts with the car accident that happened when Ty appeared in the road in front of Tandy. Tandytakes off again though, and she quickly learns that Detective O’Reilly is looking for her, but maybe not looking to arrest her.

Ty is trying to understand the anger that he has inside him and is feeling a bit cursed. Evita overhears him praying and offers help. After she takes him on a Voodoo tour of New Orleans, she takes him to her family’s Voodoo gift shop for tourists where her auntie gives him directions for a bath to help him. Side note: I love Evita, but I just know that girl is gonna turn out to be bad news. You know that voodoo doll on her auntie’s mantle is gonna be hers.

The actual action of the episode was really a small part of the whole package because the bulk of the episode was really about visions that Ty and Tandy have. In these visions, we see what’s to come. First, Tandy is on a bus out of town when she has a vision which takes her to young Ty. She sees a glimpse of his past, but eventually witnesses alternative versions of his possible future. All of these versions end in tragedy for Ty, until Tandy intervenes and offers a new possibility.

Ty also sees young Tandy in a vision and encounters her in her own recurring tragedy. Tandy flees over and over, only for Ty to realize that she’s got to stop running away. In the end, both visions bring the two together. Tandy returns to the abandoned church to find Ty waiting.

Religion

Ty goes to Catholic school, and we already had a sense that religion was going to be significant. This week really delved into that with Ty venturing into the world of voodoo. Tandy lives in an abandoned church (metaphor!) filled with miraculously unbroken stained glass. The visions the two had were filled with religious symbolism, particularly Ty’s where pills are given out like the host. The end of both visions brings Ty and Tandy together on opposite sides of a stained glass window, and stained glass is rich with symbolism and spiritual meaning. It seems like the light/dark binary is going to grapple with good and evil and take us into the realm of faith.

Personal Growth

It’s pretty clear, especially after this week, that this show is going to deal with personal growth and redemption. The visions made clear that Tandy’s got to learn to stop running away and face her problems (they’ve pretty much smashed us over the head with that one),and that Ty’s got to learn to deal with his anger in a constructive way. We’ve seen both Ty and Tandy have glimpses of the hopes and fears of their parents, so we’re going to have to see them grapple with their relationships at home too.

The Bigger Picture

The show seems poised to take on big issues like corruption and police brutality, as well as opioid addiction and the opioid epidemic. Detective O’Reilly saw the corruption in the police force first hand this week, and Ty and Tandy have both seen corruption in their personal lives. Given the nature of their powers and the heavy reliance on black/white imagery, the show is also going to have to grapple with race. We saw hints of this early on, particularly with Ty’s mother’s fears of losing Ty. Tandy’s dream of Ty this week had very clear imagery of lynching as well, so the show doesn’t seem to be shying away from issues of race. My one concern is that in both visions Tandy’s light seemed to be the force creating positive change, so that’s an area that I hope is developed with respect and care.

We’re three episodes in and still setting the scene for things and bringing Ty and Tandy together. While part of me wants to see the show get into the meat of things a little more quickly, the show is much more of a character study than an action driven superhero spectacle, so I suppose I can wait for them to take on the bad guys. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t bode well for good ratings and retaining viewers, but we’ll see. I’m also looking forward to seeing more New Orleans (beyond just the tourist attractions) as we move forward. It’s one of my favorite cities, so I was excited just seeing those long Oak branches in Tandy’s vision and I can’t wait to see more.

Cloak and Dagger airs at 8/7c on Freeform.