Blood & Treasure: Observations From “Enter the Dragon Gate”

The fifth episode of the long-awaited second season of Blood & Treasure aired on Paramount+ on Sunday night, moving forward with the story of Danny McNamara and Lexi Vaziri as they are on the hunt for the latest antiquity that is also desired by a dangerous terrorist and his vicious team of killers. Episode five picked up where last week’s episode left off with Danny and Lexi getting back to Hanoi after their Mongolian adventure.

The synopsis for the fifth episode, entitled “Enter the Dragon Gate,” is “In search of the Spirit Banner, Simon attempts to make a deal, unaware that Lexi, Danny and Shaw are on his tail. What they uncover leads them to Hong Kong while Danny becomes increasingly concerned with Violet’s control over Lexi.”

The Good:

I had mentioned earlier that I had hopes of seeing Lexi’s partner in crime Violet again, and that wish was granted. Violet was back, but Danny didn’t seem too happy about it. He made his feelings clear to both Lexi and Violet that he didn’t trust Violet. I have to admit that I was a little concerned about trusting her too especially when she pulled out that gun when she and Lexi were making their escape in the tunnels below Dragon Gate; and then again when she went to get some more drinks at the end of the episode. I expected her to cut and run, but perhaps – for now – we can trust her.

I also loved that Shaw was back! His reaction to the way Lexi and Danny looked at each other after getting back from Mongolia was priceless, and his immediately jumping on the bandwagon of trying to talk Danny into getting Lexi a little piece of jewelry to express his feelings for her. That might be a bit premature, but it sure was fun to watch. I just hope that Shaw won’t disappear from the story altogether now that he said – in the final scene – that he was getting off the wagon and heading back to Hanoi.

I also loved the names of their cons: Winnie the Pooh with a Seabiscut and an Antony. I doubt those are real names for cons, but they sure were fitting and clever.

How about that whole Ocean’s 11-like con that the team put on to get into Chan’s office? The whole Cirque du Soleil acrobatics put on by Lexi and Violet was quite something to behold. At least Violet didn’t let Lexi fall and set off the floor alarm outside Chan’s office door. And then there is Danny’s poor attempt at an English accent. He really does think he sounds just like Jason Statham, but that is SO very far from the truth. God love him for trying, though. At the very least he bought Lexi and Violet a little extra time to get out and to swipe Chan’s cell phone, which led them to their next clue about where the Spirit Banner is since it’s clear that the version of the banner that was in Chan’s office turned out to be a forgery.

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The Bad:

I missed Chuck, and hope that we’ll get to see more of his adventures as a CIA-asset working alongside Kate. I’m not sure how that “partnership” will work out, or whether we can truly trust Kate – that seems to be a theme yet again in this show – but it will be interesting to see what happens next where they are both concerned.

I hated that Lexi had to shoot that guard – whether he was wearing a protective vest or not. I thought for sure they were going to get caught and that Violet was doing that just to set up Lexi given that’s what happened all those years ago when Violet got caught and went to prison. I’m glad I was wrong about that momentary thought, but I sure hope Violet doesn’t prove me wrong. I just really hope we can continue to trust her and that she won’t turn on Lexi and Danny.

Additional Thoughts:

I never expected to feel sorry for Simon, especially given all that he has done; but when the Great Khan held up that branding iron and pressed it against Simon’s chest to teach him a lesson about being loyal, well, I had to stop for a moment. It was only a moment, but I still felt a little sorry for him. He is in way over his head with this guy and his radical group, and I don’t see an easy way out for him. I don’t think any amount of slick talk is going to save Simon this time around.

Make sure to tune in to Paramount+ next Sunday, August 14 for the next new episode.

A new episode of Blood & Treasure will air each Sunday on the streaming service.

You can also rewatch season 1 of Blood & Treasure on Paramount+.