Liane Moriarty’s 2021 thriller novel, Apples Never Fall, revolves around a dysfunctional family in Sydney, Australia whose lives are turned upside down after a mysterious stranger appears on their doorstep. The Delaneys had been living a pretty decent life so far. Or at least this was the lie that they told themselves and the world around them. Throughout these years, they have been bottling up their emotions in order to avoid confrontation and conflict. Little did they realize that their own ignorance had weakened the very foundation of the family as sometimes sharing the problems do wonders one cannot imagine. 

Spoiler Alert

Who Are The Delaneys?

Apples Never Fall begins with a couple, Joy and Stan Delaney, who have been happily married for the past 50 years now. The couple ran a prestigious Tennis Academy in the country which they eventually sold after their kids failed to achieve fame and their star player Harry Haddad left Stan for a better coach. It was the end of it all, at least for Stan, who stopped being a coach anymore. Their four children, Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke, all tried their luck in the tennis game but failed to have any substantial success. They moved on and finally settled into a profession, which didn’t turn out great either, just like their ongoing relationships with their partners. But we don’t want to go there. The novel fills the pages with their complex dynamics, but we just want to focus on Joy and Stan for now.

Who Is Savannah Pagonis?

One fine night, a bruised woman named Savannah Pagonis appeared at Delaneys’ house and sold them a story that they couldn’t ignore. According to Savannah, she had run away from her abusive boyfriend and needed a place to settle down. Joy sympathized with her plea and wanted to help the poor woman in any way she could. She took her in without any further interrogation, even though Stan had his doubts about her. Slowly, Savannah became a part of the family and was also introduced to the four children, who evidently looked at her with suspicion. While struggling with their personal lives, the four children started investigating Savannah’s background only to find out that she was a compulsive liar who forged a story about her abuse. According to her boyfriend, Dave, she bruised her face and cut her hand after watching the news of Harry Haddad’s comeback, which most likely triggered some childhood traumas.

Why Did Savannah Come To The Delaneys?

Savannah, whose real name was Smith, used to be a promising ballet dancer in Adelaide or at least that was what her mother wanted her to be. To achieve a perfect ballerina figure, Savannah’s mother starved her and traumatized the poor soul. Meanwhile, her brother, Harry Haddad, enjoyed the most expensive meals in the world to beef up for tennis training sessions. When Savannah was just a teenager, she broke into the Delaneys house to steal a banana as her mother had starved her beyond the limits. However, the family treated the little girl awfully and chased her out of the house. The entire incident not only humiliated a young Savannah but also left a deep scar which she never really forgot. 

When Savannah heard the news of her brother’s comeback, she finally decided to come to the Delaneys’ house and take revenge for the humiliation she had suffered years ago. Nevertheless, after such an emotional confrontation with the family, Savannah soon left the house. However, before walking out, she dropped one last missile that destroyed the entire happy family dynamic. She told Stan that it was her wife, Joy, who asked his star player, Harry, to leave the academy and find another coach if he wanted to reach new heights in his career (or win a Grand Slam). Harry’s exit from the academy was the end of Stan’s career as he had to sell the academy after the incident. In the present time, as the new revelation came to light, Stan blamed his wife for destroying his life.

Is Joy Really Dead?

While a major chunk of the book revolves around Savannah’s strange arrival and the mystery around her true intentions, the second part involves Joy’s sudden disappearance from the house without any trace. For anyone looking for any meaty thriller here would be disappointed to find out the truth. Basically, Savannah’s sweet and simple revenge put a dent in Stan and Joy’s long marriage and the couple stopped talking to each other, even though they shared the same roof. On Valentine’s Day, a sixty nine-year old Joy decided to call a truce with her husband. She planned to bake his favorite apple crumble pie and went to the market for the same. We know the series made a fuss out of the broken bicycle but I will let it slide knowing how the mystery is going to be resolved. However, on her return, she got into a heated argument with her husband, who quickly left the house. 

It was at this moment, when Joy, fed up with the toxic environment in the house, got a call from Savannah, who informed her about a 21 Day Off the Grid Challenge. Joy didn’t think twice and quickly left the house, leaving a note behind for Stan and the family. However, the fridge magnet holding the note lost its grip, because of which no one ever found Joy’s note and everyone declared her disappeared. While Joy had been enjoying her three weeks retreat in a remote cabin, back in Sydney, everyone spent their night and day searching for her. Three weeks later, the police eventually decide to arrest Stan for Joy’s murder when suddenly Joy walks into the house. I know, not the kind of twist anyone was expecting.

The incident became a lesson for the Delaney family who decided to talk things out between themselves and share their feelings instead of locking them up in a little box and throwing it at the back of their minds. Each of the siblings made peace with their past traumas and finally found some success in life. Joy, too, made a promise to herself to make her family and marriage work.

What Happened To Savannah?

In the end, Savannah finally realized her mistake and apologized to Joy and Stan for terrorizing their family. She wanted to make peace with her mother as well and therefore decided to fly to her hometown, Adelaide, to meet her. However, while on the flight back home, the novel narrated Savannah’s last few days with her mother which revealed to the readers that Savannah had locked her mother in her own bedroom with the intention of starving her to death. It was her way of taking revenge on her mother for emotionally and physically abusing her in childhood. Throughout the book, Savannah wore an old-timey door key necklace which was the key to her mother’s bedroom so that no one could save her except her. However, Savannah wasn’t bluntly cruel like her mother and left a few bottles of water along with some protein bars which implied the fact that her mother might still be alive. The book, Apples Never Fall, ends on a cliffhanger with an uncertainty over whether Savannah will meet her mother again or will come across her corpse in the same bedroom. Whatever the case might be, Savannah had most likely taught her mother the much-required lesson. We can only wish that she would be alive to realize her mistake.

Bandidos was not entirely inspired by a true story, but the names of certain real-life historical figures were mentioned in the narrative, and they were combined with certain fictional elements. The series follows a group of scammers who were on their way to find the treasure hidden in a place called Calakmul, where the ancient Maya civilization existed. The leader of the gang, Miguel, was quite sure about the fact that Aj Took’s treasure actually existed and that it was not merely a folktale that they were told in their childhood. So, let’s find out how many creative liberties have been taken by the makers and if Aj Took’s treasure actually existed in real life. 

Spoiler Alert

Who was Francisco de Montejo? 

At the beginning of Bandidos, Miguel met a man named Luis Fernandes De Montejo in the hotel, and the latter told him that Francisco De Montejo, the Spanish conqueror from the 1500s, was his ancestor. Miguel was not taking that drunk man seriously, but the mention of De Monetejo caught his attention. Miguel’s father was a renowned archaeologist, and though he always had a flair for the profession, he never pursued it with sincerity. Miguel had accompanied his father on his expeditions back in the day, and he had an idea of how things worked and how to go about chasing a potential lead. All his life, Miguel had believed that Aj Took’s treasure was actually there, though the world considered him to be a delusional man who liked living in his fantasy world. 

In the series, we saw that after taking AJ Took’s treasure, the three Spanish conquerors decided to create a lock that would need three keys to open. The reason for doing so was that they didn’t have any sort of trust between them, and each of them decided to take one key with them so that even if one of them felt like stealing the treasure, they couldn’t. But De Montejo was a shrewd man and deceived both his partners. Though he showed them that the lock could only be opened if all three keys were put together, in reality, it needed only his “moon key” to unlock the treasure. Miguel had figured out that De Montejo was a very greedy and treacherous man. Miguel didn’t have any proof of that fact, but somehow, intuitively, he knew about it. That’s why, when he was asked to give the stones by Ariel and “Burnt-Face,” he only gave them the earth and the sun stones. He gave them a fake moonstone that was created by Wilson, and he kept the original one to himself. Everybody thought that Miguel wouldn’t be able to open the lock, but Miguel proved them wrong. 

Francisco De Montejo, Pedro De Alvarado, and Alonso De Avila (Pedro’s nephew) all three were actually real-life conquerors who joined another conquistador named Juan de Grijalva on his expedition to Yucatan. Bandidos took a few real-life characters and amalgamated them with some fictional plot points to create an intriguing narrative. It is true that they found some gold reserves in Yucatan land, but the fact that a treasure was buried there was not true. 

Was Juan De La Cosa a real-life person? 

Juan de la Cosa was a real-life explorer and cartographer who was one of the first people to represent America on the map. He first represented Europe, and later on, in the 15th century, around the same time when Francisco de Montejo was going on an expedition to Yucatan, he added a few American territories to his map. In Bandidos, we saw that Luis Fernandes De Montejo had tattooed La Cosa’s map on his body, and the original copy was kept in Aerial’s Tavitian Museum. The fact that Juan de la Cosa figured out where the treasure was hidden and found a way to represent it on his map was not true. In Bandidos, Miguel wasn’t able to figure out, for the longest time, what the dots on that old parchment meant. When he was on the boat together with others, all of a sudden it struck him that the dots probably represented stars. He held the map in his hand and looked at the stars from the holes, and he found that the map was actually a star navigation guide. That’s how Miguel, Lily, and the rest of them reached the exact location where the treasure was hidden and then, later on, went on to find it at the bottom of the water body. 

Was Aj Took’s Treasure Real? 

We heard Aj Took’s name when Luis Fernandes told Miguel that his treasure was hidden in some cenote. Though Aj Took was a real-life historical figure, the fact that he had found a treasure was not true. Aj Took was probably the last king of the Calakmul region, as after him there are no records of any king from the Kaan Dynasty. It was said that Calakmul was one of the largest cities in the Maya region. It was probably ruled by the Kanul dynasty, which had a huge snake emblem called the ‘Kaan”, which is why they were often referred to as the snake kingdom, too. It is true that there were huge deposits of gold in the area, which explorers and conquerors got to know in the early 15th century. But the plot where we see Miguel and his co-conspirators finding the treasure and the golden jaguar, referred to as the Kaan Balam, was all a work of fiction. 

At the end of the series, Miguel found the treasure and proved everybody who didn’t believe in him wrong. His father was a proud man that day, but still, somewhere deep down, he was biased towards Aerial. Aerial’s museum got to keep the “Kaan Balam,” and the others divided the treasure among themselves. Aj Took’s treasure was not the end of the road for Miguel, as at the end of Bandidos, we got to know that he had already planned his next heist, and he pitched it to Lili, too, when they were going together. If there is a season 2, we would get to witness another exhilarating ride where Miguel would most probably put his life at stake and try to find the treasure called “The Tear of Fire.”

A beautiful cop from the art department in Interpol learns that her ex, a billionaire, is the art-thieving man she’s been looking for (“Thomas Crowne Affair” much?). You can tell what her plan is to catch the guy, and the rest follows. For a movie titled Art of Love, there actually isn’t much love in it. The chemistry is lacking, the plot is more action-packed, and at the end of the day, nothing really adds up except the twist, which is as predictable as your mother’s answer to “What’s for dinner?” This Turkish action-romance film falls flat on every count, and the only thing that kept me interested was the lead actress and her outfits. I suppose it’s meant to give you the thrill of watching a Bond film, but it feels like a cheap street knock-off. I mean, sure, the film is “inspired,” but there isn’t really anything original about it. It’s a tale as old as time. Man messes with Woman’s heart. Man leaves; woman moves on to making her life perfect without him when he shows up and tries to sweep her off her feet again. So, why Art of Love? Well, the billionaire Güney is stealing paintings that are all about love. Sigh. Whatever adrenaline-fueled action film you’re looking for, this isn’t it. 

I suppose if you’re looking for a “leave your brain behind” kind of film, this one will satisfy your needs. There are some pretty backdrops, nice outfits, and maybe one decent action sequence. The script as a whole, though, is completely senseless. If you do decide to take anything seriously, there’s a chance you’ll turn off your screen in about 5 minutes. When I talk about the Indian Kannada language film Sapata Sagaradaache Ello, I always talk about how, right at the start of the film, you somehow know that these two people have been in love for a really long time. Despite the film picking up from a later stage of their relationship, you can see that they’ve already fit with each other like perfect puzzle pieces. However, I can’t say the same about Art of Love, which tries desperately to make us believe that Alin and Güney used to be a couple. The series of events that follow after Alin realizes that it’s Güney who is the robber she’s looking for becomes even more disconcerting. If you’re only in it for the chase, I hate to disappoint you, but that’s also quite lackluster. 

The other day, I reviewed a romantic film, which would be about a 2-2.5 star rating, and called it predictable. This is because there is a set of tropes that we rom-com fans are willing to give a free pass for. It’s pretty obvious what’s going to happen, and that’s alright because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really ruin the plot; it just pushes it forward. In this film, the big plot reveal or major twist can be seen from miles away. It just leaves no room for entertainment when you know exactly how things are going to pan out because, at the end of the day, it’s meant to give you a “thrill.” But let me stop my rant there for a bit and speak about some positives. Esra Bilgiç as Alin is believable, and since she’s so stunning to look at and wears some fancy diamond jewelry throughout the film, it almost feels like watching one of those Cartier ads or something. Despite the lack of chemistry, I think she does a fine job otherwise for this role. Birkan Sokullu is just fine as a billionaire thief (not sure why this exists), and technically, most of what he has to do is walk quickly and disappear enigmatically from the screen. What I’m trying to say is that Esra Bilgiç deserved better in terms of everything. Even her hair is styled weirdly; what’s with the ends being turned out as if that’s the only part that got messed up by the wind? Odd choice, to say the least. At least, I won’t say the same about her clothing, which actually looks quite nice and compliments her appearance well. Though I’m not quite sure why she did that one scene in gym clothes. Alin has a partner who is essentially a prop. You could have him removed, and nobody would bat an eye. Güney’s team consists of two young and hot individuals, who are basically eye candy. I’m sorry; that’s just how it comes across. Oh, and I completely forgot, there is actually an antagonist, and, to say the least, there’s nothing menacing about him. 

The score is James Bond-esque, as is the overall feel of the film; however, what’s really bothersome is that, every few minutes, there’s a fade to black to cut the scene. The editing room needed help, and the music did the same thing! Why are songs getting cut off abruptly and switching genres at random moments? The movie is already absurd with its choices of making it appear as if art is being stolen in broad daylight and nobody notices. Then there’s a scene where an Interpol officer brings out her gun in a public space, though she’s chasing after an art thief. I’m not sure this would be the best move to make. But what do I know? 

I’m not going to lie; this film didn’t entertain me at all, and I was bored in about 15 minutes. If I wanted to see private jets and helicopter rides, I’d go for 50 Shades of Grey over this any day. I’m not quite sure if there was a conscious choice to make a film that is so unserious; if I didn’t know better, I may have assumed it’s a parody of some kind. But that would mean it was all on purpose, and I’d be giving the film too much credit. If you’ve got the time and are that bored, you could give this one the benefit of the doubt. Personally, I’d rather spend this time watching romance movies than anything that has to do with action, because frankly, this genre is really getting tired. So, should you put this one on your weekend watchlist? I’d say no. I’d give Art of Love 2 out of 5 stars. 

The first part of Invincible Season 2 featured King Lizard becoming the leader of the Lizard League. We learned that the Sequids had taken over the mind of an astronaut who was abandoned on Mars by the Martian, who dubbed himself the Shapesmith, and was heading towards Earth in a giant ship. Thaedus turned off Allen’s life support, probably because he was aware of the fact that there was a hidden Viltrumite in the Coalition of Planets (an anti-Viltrumite organization). Mark reunited with Nolan and learned that he had become the monarch of Thraxa and had a son with his new wife, Andressa. The Viltrumites attacked the planet, killed a major chunk of their population, and arrested Nolan. General Kregg tasked Mark with preparing Earth for the Viltrumite invasion, which, if he failed to do so, would lead to genocide. Debbie came to terms with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to live a normal life or cope with Nolan’s betrayal because the horrors inflicted upon humanity by him were too huge. Yet, Art Rosenbaum gave Debbie the push she needed to move on. Donald realized that he wasn’t human but an android. Atom Eve faced off with Killcannon, and the result was quite disastrous. Since she was quite disturbed by those events, she decided to move back with her parents. A new villain was formed with the help of the Mauler Twins, named Angstrom Levy. He wanted to solve the Viltrumite issue but ended up combining all his versions from the multiverse and then going on a quest to kill or capture every version of Mark Grayson.

Spoiler Alert

Cecil knows everything

Mark is rescued by the Thraxans, and he decides to stay there for a while so that he can rebuild their civilization. A few months later, Mark is informed that a ship that can help him travel all the way to Earth has been made, and he can leave whenever he wants. Mark doesn’t want to go because there’s a lot of repair work left. But the Thraxans insist. In addition to that, Andressa persuades Mark to take his stepbrother with him because Andressa has grown old (Thraxans have a very short lifespan). And she wants Oliver to grow up with someone to whom he is tangentially related by blood. Mark has no other option but to accept her request. So, he takes Oliver and flies back to Earth. Back home, Debbie is working again at her real estate job and shares an amicable relationship with Paul. As she prepares to sit down to have a glass of wine by herself (a decision that she seemingly walks back on because of her brief bout of alcoholism), Mark surprises her and then tells her all about Oliver. 

Debbie is obviously distraught, angry, and confused regarding Mark’s revelations about Nolan. She points out how Nolan has destroyed another species and isn’t around to pick up the pieces again. Mark knows that, but he says they don’t have the luxury of weighing the pros and cons of this whole fiasco; they just have to deal with it. Mark says that he’s open to dropping out of college for one year to take care of Oliver. Since Oliver grows faster than humans, he’ll probably be able to take care of himself within that period of time. Debbie refuses to let him take a break from his academic journey and says that she’s going to take care of Oliver in one way or another. They both kind of agree that Oliver shouldn’t go to Cecil because they don’t know what he is going to do with him. 

Talking about Cecil, Donald confronts him regarding the wiring and metal skeleton in his body. Cecil doesn’t sugarcoat and says that, technically, Donald died when they exploded the safe house to kill Omni-Man. But since they found out that his brain was functional, they put it in a state-of-the-art endoskeleton. Now, why did Cecil, an otherwise emotionless man, go to these lengths to save Cecil’s soul? I don’t know. Maybe he just loves Donald, or maybe it’s something else. Either way, Donald isn’t very pleased about being resurrected. Mark goes back to college and reunites with William. He informs Mark that he is about to be dismissed because of his low attendance (Mark was absent for two months). William wants to know what Mark has been up to, but Mark decides to meet Amber first. On his way to Amber’s room, though, Mark is confronted by Cecil, who reprimands him for disobeying his orders. Cecil apparently knows about Oliver, and he has sent a team to capture him as they speak. Mark tells him to back off and promises to arrive at the Guardians headquarters for debriefing. Cecil obliges but leaves him with a stinger about forcing Debbie to look after her ex-husband’s new kid.

Invincible joins the Guardians to fight the Sequids

Mark updates Amber about everything that has gone down. Amber gives some updates about her life too. We get brief updates on what the Guardians of the Globe have been up to: they’ve been fighting a giant called Omnipotus (during which Black Samson noticed Shapesmith shifting between his Martian and human forms) and then training with each other. Rudy tries to tell The Immortal that pushing Amanda to repeatedly change into her monster form is going to accelerate her de-aging. So, they should reserve that for important occasions. In the meantime, Amanda can fight with an exoskeleton devised by him. This irks Amanda a lot because she thinks that Rudy is trying to control her. Donald suffers a nightmare where he sees a metallic endoskeleton choking him to death. He is woken up by an assistant telling him to check something on their long-range radar. Cecil appears before the Guardians to tell them about the aforementioned Martian ship that’s full of Sequids. Black Samson coaxes Shapesmith to spill the truth, and once Cecil says that everyone knows who Shapesmith is, he tells them everything about the evolution of the Sequids and how his wishes to explore the galaxy have caused the Sequids to grow and become strong enough to invade Earth. 

Cecil and the Guardians agree that Shapesmith is responsible for the doom of Mars and has paved the way for Earth’s demise as well, and he’ll face the consequences of his actions. However, seeing as he is the only person (?) who knows everything about the Sequids and the Martian vessel, he needs to be on the team to guide them through this treacherous path. The Immortal announces the members who are going along with him to space to stop the Martian ship from entering Earth: Bulletproof, Black Samson, Monster Girl, Rudy, and Shapesmith. Dupli-Kate, Rex Splode, and Shrinking Rae are instructed to hold the fort. Shapesmith says that they need more firepower to fight against the Sequids, and Rex Splode takes up the task of convincing Atom Eve to resume her superhero duties. Surprisingly enough, Rex Splode manages to get Eve out of her slump. 

Cecil goes to get Mark, and he interrupts a little bonding session between Mark, Debbie, and Oliver. Mark is a little surprised that Cecil is asking him to don the suit after technically grounding him, but he doesn’t hesitate and goes off to fulfill his duties as a superhero. Even though Debbie and Mark are not interested in paying heed to any family-related opinions from Cecil, he tells Debbie to consider the option of putting Oliver in some kind of superhero creche. Before heading out to save the planet again, Mark informs Amber, and she calls up her friends to check if they have any plans for the night. I know that Amber is hated by a lot of Invincible fans, largely because she acts in a very human way, where she prioritizes herself over everything else. And I have a feeling that her arc in this season is going in that direction, and I hope that viewers actually follow the thinking behind her decisions instead of just rushing to lambast her.

Did Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Shrinking Rae die?

The concluding moments of Invincible Season 2, episode 5, are excellent. Yes, a major chunk of the Guardians blast off into space in a spaceship, while Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Shrinking Rae proceed to get some downtime because Rex Splode thinks that two atrocities can’t happen at the same time. That theory is immediately proven to be wrong as the Lizard League invades a nuclear plant of sorts, and then they wait for the government to deal with them while they hold New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago hostage. Rex Splode, Dupli-Kate, and Shrinking Rae are ordered by Cecil to head over to this facility and take care of the Lizard League, thereby ruining pizza night for Rex. The trio put up a very gory and incredibly bloody fight. However, Komodo Dragon gets the better of Dupli-Kate and tires her out until she can’t make copies of herself anymore. When she does manage to make a copy of herself, Komodo Dragon smashes them into a pile of bones, muscles, and blood. Shrinking Rae gets into Salamander’s head and kills him. Iguana and Komodo Dragon go after Rex Splode. Shrinking Rae tries to explode Komodo Dragon from the inside, but in the most grotesque display of his prowess, Komodo Dragon stops Shrinking Rae from expanding, thereby killing her, too. 

Rex Splode splices Iguana in half and then dukes it out with Komodo Dragon. The latter chews up Rex Splode’s left hand. But since he consumes one of Rex’s explosive devices, his head explodes, and he dies. Rex Splode thinks he has won, but King Lizard shows up behind him, aiming a gun at his head. Mark, Eve, and the rest of their team somehow make it onto the Martian ship. As expected, the Martians are unhappy with Shapesmith because of his stupidity, which has led to this whole debacle. While they argue, Bulletproof kills a Sequid and alerts the Sequid hivemind about their location. The Guardians do their best to keep the Sequids at bay, but their numbers are so overwhelming that they can’t deal with it. Rudy tries out a method to use his suit to stun the Sequids, thereby risking his human body for the Sequids. Before he gets to try out his experiment, Eve breaks her force field barrier that has been protecting the Guardians so far. So, yes, it’s not clear if Rex Splode has been killed by King Lizard or if the Sequids have killed the Guardians. It’s a cliffhanger. However, I can say for sure that Dupli-Kate and Shrinking Rae are very dead. By the way, starting off the second part of Invincible Season 2 with the deaths of two female characters, that too in Women’s History Month, is not a good look. 

Anyway, at the end of Invincible Season 2, episode 5, we see that Allen has surprisingly survived the Viltrumite attack. Thaedus reveals that he is the first Viltrumite to defect against his species. He admits that he did shut off Allen’s ventilator, but he wanted to see if that accelerated Allen’s healing powers or if it killed him. Clearly, his gamble has paid off. Allen, being the good guy that he is, takes all this pretty well, even though it sounds quite disturbing. Thadeus tells Allen to get in touch with Mark and bring him to the Coalition because, apparently, he is the key to turning the tide against the Viltrumite expansion. So, it’s safe to assume that Allen is going to be the one to save Mark and the Guardians from the Sequids, and then he is going to take him to Thaedus. What’s going to happen to Rex Splode? How is Debbie going to deal with Oliver in Mark’s absence? Where is Nolan? Well, I guess we will get the answers to all our questions in the upcoming episodes of Invincible Season 2.

24 hours with Gaspar has a lot of moving parts in it. There’s the case of the titular character’s deteriorating heart problem. Agnes, who runs an underground fight club, wants to eat the rich and support his friend. There is a woman called Bu Tati who thinks her husband is dead, but he is very much alive, and he has been betrayed by a man called Wan Ali. Bu Tati’s son, Yadi, has been wronged by Wan Ali, so he wants revenge. Gaspar’s ex, Kik, and her present boyfriend, Njet, want to get away from the vapid landscape and build a life together. Fuel is a huge issue. Money is scarce. A plague has ramped up the illegal (or maybe it’s legal in a dystopia with hardly any morals or law) organ harvesting business. However, what keeps the film ticking is Gaspar’s quest to find his long-lost childhood friend, Kirana, and his obsession with a black box that Wan Ali possesses. So, let’s talk about it.

Gaspar described himself as an orphan who fell from the sky and was raised by an old man called Babaji. He used to tell him the stories of the villagers who lived on the foothills of the Govardhan mountain and how their lives were influenced by Indra and Krishna. Apparently, the villagers used to pray to Indra for rain, but that caused Indra to become arrogant. In order to teach Indra a lesson, Krishna told the villagers to stop praying to Indra and helped them move to Govardhan Hill because it was the source of all the rainwater. That obviously angered Indra, and he made it rain for seven days and seven nights. So, Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill and used it to shield the villagers from the torrential rain. On the fifth day, a farmer named Achal found a black box that had the power to grant any wish that one wanted. Babaji asked Gaspar what he would do if he found a black box like that, and he said that he’d ask for a friend. That’s where Kirana came into the picture.

Kirana lived in a posh house with her father, Wan Ali, and she befriended Gaspar. They talked about the detective stories Gaspar loved; they wandered around the neighborhood, watching dead bodies being dragged out of houses; and they even welcomed Kik into their group. One day, Gaspar had to go away to get his heart checked (which was on the right side of his body), and when he came back, Kirana was gone. From that day on, Gaspar seemingly dedicated every waking day of his life to searching for Kirana. The running theory was that Kirana was sold away to solve Wan Ali’s financial issues. Now, Gaspar believed that the black box in Wan Ali’s possession, which he had acquired from Bachtiar S. Abdillah (Bu Tati’s husband) after he learned that it gave its owner whatever they wanted, held the clue to Kirana’s whereabouts. So, Gaspar’s goal was to not only bankrupt Wan Ali but also to get hold of this black box and hopefully find Kirana. While 24 Hours with Gaspar was realistic for the most part, it became a little abstract when it came to the contents of the black box.

Essentially, at the end of 24 Hours with Gaspar, the titular character chopped off Wan Ali’s finger and used it to open a warehouse that was filled with children and the organs that had been harvested from the people Wan Ali and his “company” had killed. When he got to the black box and opened it, he saw a miniaturized version of Kirana sitting in it, looking up at Gaspar in a melancholic way. Bachtiar S. Abdillah said that the box had the ability to store one’s “most precious treasure.” So, if you look at it through the lens of magical realism, maybe Wan Ali asked the black box to imprison Kirana in it so that she would be protected from the world that was abducting girls her age and harvesting their organs. The black box fulfilled Wan Ali’s wish and trapped Kirana in it for 23 long years. However, given how we don’t see Gaspar taking out this miniaturized version of Kirana from the box or hear him ask the black box to reverse the curse that it had put on Kirana, I suppose I have to opt for the realistic option: Kirana is dead.

24 hours with Gaspar’s commentary was centered around the notion that if there’s no hope left in the world, people tend to lie to themselves to keep moving forward. Once they begin to believe the lie they are telling themselves, it doesn’t matter if any form of success is waiting for them at the end of their journey. It’s the hollow belief that keeps them alive. Gaspar’s will to live probably died the day Kirana went missing. Deep down, he knew that the despicable Wan Ali had killed his own daughter and sold her body parts, and the black box was merely a thing that fueled his superstitions like a lucky charm. But Gaspar convinced himself that Kirana was alive and that the black box had the key to solving the mystery surrounding her disappearance. When he actually opened the box, maybe what he really saw was an old picture of Kirana, or maybe there was nothing in it. Gaspar was clearly overwhelmed by what he saw, and it triggered his memories of spending time with Kirana, but it’s totally possible that the empty insides of the box made him realize that his quest had been a futile one all along.

That said, instead of simply accepting the truth about the meaningless nature of his journey, Gaspar decided to act on it and freed the girls who were imprisoned by Wan Ali. He was too young to do anything for Kirana. By the time he was old enough to make a difference, the opportunity to save Kirana was gone. But Gaspar realized that he could ensure that girls like his childhood friend wouldn’t have to go through the same ordeal, and he used his last moments to give them a second chance at life. Even though that sounds noble and all, that conclusion has a hint of bitterness to it because, at the end of the day, those girls are walking out into a dystopia. Yes, they have a chance to forge their own future. However, there’s a good chance that some other gang that partakes in organ harvesting will abduct them to another prison, thereby restarting their cycle of misery. Hence, in a roundabout way, 24 Hours with Gaspar sends the message that humans shouldn’t allow things to get so bad that the prospect of a solution becomes a distant reality. We shouldn’t lie to ourselves or resort to mythological stories to deal with the times. We should act in the moment so that kids like Gaspar and Kirana can have a normal and healthy childhood.

Every decade in the history of film has reserved a spot for stories about vengeful men. They were either avenging their girlfriend or their family, and the filmmakers used these loaded emotions to depict all kinds of carnage and gore. Obviously, a certain section of the audience enjoyed it and probably tried to emulate the actions of the characters, thereby leading to a state of panic amongst members of society with some semblance of sanity. Every time this trend ebbed, though, we got movies that commented on the futility of revenge. For example, Christopher Nolan talked about how corrosive vengeance can be for the soul in Memento and The Prestige. James Wan did the same in Death Sentence. Despite the satisfying conclusion, Kim Jee-woon’s I Saw the Devil made viewers question Soo-hyun’s journey into abject darkness. Denis Villeneuve showed the crumbling of a suburban family in Prisoners. Even Bollywood delved into this topic with Sriram Raghavan’s Badlapur. And then, of course, there are the John Wick films, which show how a trigger pulled in anger can have disastrous consequences. 24 Hours with Gaspar squarely falls into this category, but how good is it? Let’s find out.

Based on Sabda Armandio’s 2017 novel, Yosep Anggi Noen’s 24 Hours with Gaspar follows the titular character as he travels through a dystopian Indonesia in search of clues to find his long-lost childhood friend, Kirana. His investigation brings him to the dead body of an informant, and as he tries to find out whether he died by suicide or was killed by someone who is trying to obfuscate the truth, he is attacked by the authorities. This causes him to black out. He is rescued by his friend, Agnes, who brings him to the underground fight club that she runs (which is inspired by Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club). The resident doctor checks Gaspar and tells him that the equipment that has kept his heart (which is on the right side of his body) functional is fried. Since they are living in a world where healthcare doesn’t even exist, Gaspar has 24 hours to live. And he wants to use his final moments to find out what Wan Ali did to Kirana and exact some good old justice. However, since he knows there are people who would want to get even with Wan Ali, he sets out to bring them all together for the final mission of his life.

Mohammad Irfan Ramli’s writing in 24 Hours with Gaspar is quite scattershot. Several ideas are introduced here and there, which rarely lead to anything very substantial. For example, there is an undercurrent of “eating the rich” to talk about the class divide that has been caused by a plague. That’s somehow linked to the practice of organ harvesting. It’s juxtaposed with a story about Indra, Shri Krishna, and a black box. And that is connected to child trafficking. Even if it makes some sense, it fails to have a lot of bearing on the journeys of Agnes, Kik, Njet, Yadi, and Bu Tati. All of these characters have such a variety of motivations to act against Wan Ali that linking it to Gaspar’s cliche journey feels reductive. I guess Ramli is aware of that, and that’s why he makes them repeat their endgame over and over again so that the audience knows why they are aiding Gaspar. But that leads to another problem. With the exception of Kik, nobody really seems to care about the desperation of Gaspar’s mission. They just seem to tag along in the hopes that they’ll get something in the end that will allow them to improve their lifestyle, thereby making the theme of hope the only prominent aspect of the film.

24 Hours with Gaspar is all about finding hope in a dystopian place. It’s essentially like trying to reach the end of a rainbow to find the treasure box while purposefully ignoring the possibility that the treasure box isn’t real because, as long as the pursuit is on, the treasure box exists. Ramli and Noen wonder, via Gaspar, if this little bubble of ignorance that one creates to deal with the times is what leads to wanton violence. The titular character explicitly states that good people are swayed by the lies they tell themselves, and when they start believing in a lie, they justify all the means they employ to get the desired result. That brings up the question of whether or not a desperate good person is a bad person. In addition to that, if a lawless world has blurred the lines between goodness and badness, should a good person not care about being good? This is potent stuff, and Noen uses the slow burn method to tackle it, but that clashes with the ticking time bomb aspect of the film, thereby harming its commentary as well as its sense of urgency. I’m sure the pacing is intentional because I totally felt every second of the movie’s 90-minute-long running time.

24 Hours with Gaspar is a good-looking film, though. Noen, along with cinematographer Gay Hian Teoh, editor Ahmad Fesdi Anggoro, composer Ricky Lionardi, the production design team, the sound design team, and the visual effects team, create a world that feels lived-in and serves as a warning sign towards where humanity is heading. The stunt work at the tail end of the film is quite amazing. The props that are used look decent. All the flashback scenes have a sense of sweetness that makes the present-day narrative feel harsh and grating. And, of course, all of these elements are elevated by the performances of the cast. Reza Rahadian is like a mix of Abe Applebaum from The Kid Detective (because he is a self-proclaimed detective) and Ryan Gosling from Blade Runner 2049. His jaded and bumbling nature is perfect for this kind of story. Shenina Cinnamon’s screen presence is electrifying. Dewi Irawan is the MVP of the film. Her story breaks and her disdain for her son injects some much-needed levity into the gloomy atmosphere. The same can be said about Sal Priadi, who is hilarious in a pathetic way. Laura Basuki and Kristo Immanuel are great. Iswadi Pratama is fantastic, but he needed some more meat on his bones in terms of the writing, as it simply paints him as a despicable and greedy figure. Ali Fikry, Shofia Shireen, and Alleyra Fakhira are excellent.

24 Hours with Gaspar is a decent film. I just think the use of its central gimmick is flawed. If death is around the corner, then the desperation needs to be palpable, or things need to be slowed down so that the aforementioned victim of death gets to milk the last few minutes of their life. Doing both causes the narrative to come apart at the seams, and the final product ends up feeling hollow. So, while I appreciate the concepts that are thrown around, the technical wizardry used to create a dystopian hellscape, and the performances extracted by Yosep Anggi Noen, I will forget about it in the next 24 hours. Who knows? Maybe that’s the whole point of the film, and Noen wants to say that a story with hollow motivations will always be forgotten instead of being inspirational. If that’s the case, then well done, Noen and team. Do I recommend giving it a watch? Yes, absolutely, because even if it fails to make you think about the theme of vengeance, it’ll probably make you ask your leaders what they are doing to make the world a habitable place for you and your children.

Katagari got a glimmer of hope in the previous episode of Tokyo Vice season 2 when he found one of the shooters hiding in his house. The shooter knew that Tozawa, who had ordered the killing, wouldn’t leave him alive. Jake, on the other hand, had decided to go back to the US, as he got very disappointed after Kurihira wrote an article in which he accused Samantha of having ties to the mafia world. So, let’s find out what happened in the seventh episode and if Katagiri and Jake are finally able to build a strong case against the mafia boss.

Spoiler Alert

How was Jessica’s mental health? 

Jake finally, in Tokyo Vice season 2 episode 7, went back to his hometown, Missouri, and he met his sister, Jessica, who had been desperately waiting for her brother to come back. Jake’s flight was delayed, and Jessica waited there anxiously to finally hug her brother. Her brother was her biggest strength, and if it were up to her, she would have dragged him back to the US. But as much as she was suffering, she knew that her brother had created a life for himself and he didn’t want to come back. She missed him; she needed him, but still, she loved him so much that she didn’t want him to do something out of compulsion. Jessica was not doing well, and she had been through the roughest phase of her life. She was trying her level best, but she was just not able to cope with the various mental health issues that she was facing. Jessica, for the first time in a long time, was excited about a project where she had to interview a journalist and ask them questions. She asked her brother to volunteer for it, and Jake eagerly agreed.

It was Jake’s father’s 60th birthday, and Jake gave a heartwarming speech, telling everybody how he had always looked up to his father. He told the guests that he had learned from his father to be passionate about one’s profession. He said that he had learned the value of asking the right questions and how the world would be a much better place if people cared for others. He said that his father had a big heart, and even though he had not been the best son, he knew that his father loved him with all his heart. That night, after the guests left, Jake told his father about how he had fallen in love with a girl and the kind of problems she was encountering in her personal life. Jake’s father told him that in a world where nothing was certain and people didn’t even think once before hurting others, he was glad that he had raised a son who had his heart in the right place and, moreover, who was a good man. Jake’s mother obviously wanted him to come back to the US, but this time around, it seemed like she had made peace with the fact that he probably didn’t want to do so at that point in his life. Jake felt a bit overwhelmed by the kind of understanding his parents showed. After a long time, Jake was away from all the chaos. He loved the tranquility; he loved how there was no sense of urgency and how he could just sit idly and enjoy a chilled beer with his father. 

Why did Hayama banish Sato? 

In the previous episode of Tokyo Vice, we saw that Samantha and Sato got intimate with each other, and they both felt at peace in each other’s company. Samantha asked him if they could continue seeing each other. Sato asked her if she was sure that she wanted to do that, as he knew that she didn’t want any involvement with the mafia world. But Samatha wanted to see him, as he was probably the only person in whom she could confide. In Tokyo Vice episode 7, Sato had a talk with his brother, and he told him that the mafia world was a swamp where, if he entered once, he wouldn’t be able to leave. Sato told his brother how Hayama tricked him into believing that Sato’s life was in danger when, in reality, there was no such thing. A Chihara-Kai member overheard their conversation, and he went and told Hayama about it. Hayama, in front of the members, assaulted Sato and told him that he was being banished from the gang. Hayama made it very clear that Keito, Sato’s brother, would stay in the gang, and he had no intention of letting him go. Hayama made a declaration that he wouldn’t stop before he killed Tozawa, probably even if it came at a huge cost. 

What did Katagari find out about Tozawa? 

Katagari was hopeful at the end of the previous episode of Tokyo Vice, and he knew that he might be able to put Tozawa behind bars. He had one of the shooters, who shot at Ishida, in his custody, and he knew that he could make him a state witness and initiate legal proceedings against Tozawa. He convinced the shooter to testify against Tozawa, and he said that he would make sure that his sentence would be reduced. The shooter agreed, and Katagari and Nahato felt as if they had the case in their pockets. Very discreetly, they were taking the shooter to court when two bikers came and shot at their car. They killed the sole witness to the case, and a frustrated Katagari stood there, knowing that he would have to start from scratch.

Katagari, in Tokyo Vice Episode 7, was once again able to make a breakthrough when he got a call recording of Tozawa’s phone, where a lady was calling him from Southern Minnesota. Katagari got to know that somehow Tozawa had flown to the US, and got his liver surgery done there. Katagari called Jake and told him to go to the doctor and try to find out if Tozawa had actually gone there. Jake went there and met Edward Walker, the head of the organ transplant department. Firstly, Edward did not reveal anything, but then Jake saw the watch he was wearing, and he knew that he had been bribed by Tozawa since it was not possible for anybody to get an organ transplant done in such little time. A commoner generally had to wait for an average of five years to get the transplant done, but Tozawa made sure that he got it in a day’s time.

Jake threatened the doctor, and he told him that if he didn’t cooperate, he would make sure that his name would be mentioned in the article that he would publish. The doctor gave in, and Jake told Katagari that his speculations were right. Katagari wanted Jake to immediately fly back to Japan, and the latter was in a fix as he had promised his sister that he would help her in the school activity. Katagari told Jake that many lives depended upon his decision, and that’s when he decided to fly back to Japan. Jake called his father, and the latter was very disappointed with the decision his son had made. Eddie knew that he couldn’t do anything, but he told Jake that he was being very selfish. In my personal opinion, I think these decisions are going to backfire on Jake in the long run.

Often in life, we give so much importance to the work we do that we forget the people who are a part of our lives. For Jessica, her brother meant the world to her, and she was really looking forward to him coming to her school. But now she would have to make peace with the fact that he wouldn’t be around for a long time. In the subsequent episodes of Tokyo Vice Season 2, we will get to know if Jake and Katagiri are able to procure enough evidence to build a strong case against Tozawa or once again the mafia boss gets the better of them. 

The dystopian cyberpunk Indonesian thriller 24 Hours with Gaspar is a blend of reality, dream, and myth. The ruling class continues to oppress the poor, the world is a gloomy mess, people wear breathing masks, and the National Guard has taken over the entire country. The National Security Agency controls all information, and National Guards are stationed at every corner to ensure that everyone obeys directives and regulations. They had access to the data of every individual, making it easier to control them. Through a television broadcast, we learn about the six mass graves recently discovered, where 251 bodies were found. Civil society was responsible for the discovery, suggesting that the State would have preferred to hide it. This was indicative of perhaps a mass murder conducted by the State. Authoritarian rule prevails, but the growing dissatisfaction among the general public is palpable.

Spoiler Alert

Who was Gaspar searching for?

Gaspar was an orphan, and his only guardian was Babaji, an old man who had adopted him. The stories Babaji told him as a little boy continued to fascinate him even as a grown adult. Gaspar believed he was no ordinary boy; with his heart on the right side, he had reason to believe he was special. Gaspar was convinced that he fell from the sky, and Babaji raised him as his own. He was a father figure to Gaspar, and his stories made the little boy believe in fairytales and myths. He trusted Babaji when he told him that there was a magical black box, much like Aladdin’s lamp, that was found on the Govardhan hills. Gaspar was a lonely boy, and he thought that if he ever chanced upon the box, he would wish for a friend.

Gaspar did find a friend eventually—her name was Kirana. She lived with her father, Wan Ali, in a neighboring house. Gaspar enjoyed her company, and even though he was just a boy, she had faith in his dream of becoming a detective. Gaspar remembered Kirana asking him to promise to find her if she ever went missing. He did not pay heed to the request then, but as he grew up, he regretted not keeping his promise. Kirana was gone one morning when Gaspar returned home from the hospital. He then assumed that her family had relocated, but eventually, he started to doubt it. When Gaspar found out that his heart condition was critical and he would only survive for 24 hours, he made it his life’s motive to find his friend, Kirana. Gaspar had found out from his informants that Wan Ali had sold Kirana, and when she fell sick, she was brought to Hartati Dibyo Clinic. The clinic turned out to be a property handed over to Ali by someone prominent. Gaspar met his sister-in-law, Bu Tati; she lived in the clinic after her husband committed suicide and left her in debt. She was thankful to Wan Ali for looking after her during a time of crisis. He could not gather much information about Kirana, but he learned more about the gold jewelry store Ali owned.

Why was Kirana taken away?

Gaspar doubted that Kirana was one of the many who were sold for organ transplants. In 2025, during Plague 36, those close to the government were vaccinated. The vaccine protected them from the plague, but it had extreme side effects. Gaspar discovered the effect of the vaccine when he closely studied a sample of a man involved in the human trafficking business. The vaccine resulted in organ failures and as a result, the demand for organs increased. His informant had collected the sample, and the National Guard had their eyes on him, and they eventually killed him. According to the information Gaspar had, the man, whose sample the informant collected, maintained close relations with government agencies and ran an organ trafficking network. Gaspar doubted that the man helped National Security clear their image after the failed vaccination drive.

Was Gaspar’s robbery plan a success?

Gaspar gathered a group of people he thought could help him rob Wan Ali’s jewelry store. He was convinced that Ali had the black box he had heard of as a child. After digging deep into Bu Tati’s past, Gaspar found out that her husband, Bachtiar. S. Abdillah, had not committed suicide but was killed by Wan Ali. Bachtiar was a prosperous man, and he helped Ali when he went bankrupt. Bachtiar and Ali started an antique business together. He made the mistake of showing Ali his prized possession, a black box. Ali was suffering from a financial crisis at the time, and when Bachtiar told him how the box had changed the course of his life and brought him immense wealth, he decided to steal it from him. After stealing the box, Wan Ali killed Bachtiar and dumped his body in the river. He took away all of Bachtiar’s fortune and lied to Bu Tati about her husband leaving her a huge debt. When Bu Tati found out about how Wan Ali had fooled her, she made up her mind to help Gaspar rob his shop. Gaspar also won the trust of her son, Yadi, who worked at Ali’s jewelry store. When Yadi found out that Ali was sleeping with his wife, he was furious, and he decided to help Gaspar with his plan. Gaspar also managed to convince his childhood friend/ex-girlfriend, Kik, and her boyfriend, Njet, to join him in the robbery. They were living in poverty, and with their resources drying up, they needed a way to make money. Agnes, a believer in bringing justice to the common people, also joined the quest, and her romantic inclination towards Gaspar became evident in the course of 24 Hours with Gaspar.

Gaspar and his team planned on breaking into the store when Wan Ali would not be present. But to their surprise, Ali was hiding with his men behind closed doors. Maybe he had anticipated an attack, and he chose to wait for it patiently. This was not what they had expected, and they stood there cluelessly for a minute. Gaspar tried to come up with a plan, but he realized that there was no other option left except for running for their lives. The robbery was unsuccessful, and to make matters worse, the car Kik, Njet, Bu Tati, and Yadi were escaping in fell into the river. Gaspar did not have enough time in hand to come up with an alternate plan for another day. He knew he had to act immediately, and Agnes was ready to help him.

What was in the black box?

Agnes, masquerading as Gaspar, rode his bike and grabbed the attention of Wan Ali’s men. They chased her, and she brought them to her ghetto, where hundreds of common people waited to avenge the ruling class. Meanwhile, Gaspar returned to the store and had a one-on-one fight with Wan Ali. Gaspar overpowered him, and Wan Ali was left lying on the floor, helpless. Gaspar asked him to disclose where Kirana was, but he refused to answer him. Gaspar grabbed hold of a scissor and chopped off Ali’s thumb. He had previously followed Ali to his warehouse and watched him carry the black box there. Gaspar was convinced that the secret was hidden in the warehouse.

At the end of the film, Gaspar entered Ali’s warehouse and was devastated upon seeing the faces of the little girls trapped there. The girls were locked up in cages, and in the next room, Gaspar found organs kept in boxes in the freezer. Wan Ali was involved in the human trafficking business, and he was working for the State. Wan Ali sold his daughter to protect himself during his financial crisis. Gaspar entered the final room, and he saw the black box right in front of him. This is where the magical element of 24 Hours with Gaspar is introduced. When Gaspar opened the box, he found Kirana seated inside. He had been yearning to catch a glimpse of his long-lost friend, and the magical box showed him what he craved. Gaspar wanted to be reunited with his friend before he lost his life, and the box made his wish come true. We can assume that Kirana lost her life, and her organs were used by the National Guard to protect their reputation. She lived in a confined space and suffered until her last breath. She hoped for Gaspar to find her, but he was too young to connect the dots. Gaspar was late, but it was his effort that resulted in the freedom of the little girls.

What happened to Gaspar and his crew?

During 24 Hours with Gaspar‘s ending, we find out that Gaspar’s crew survived. Bu Tati, Yadi, Kik, Njet, and Agnes made their way back to Wan Ali’s store. Ali was unresponsive when they entered the store; perhaps he would eventually die of bleeding. The gang finally got their hands on the gold that they had been waiting for. Bu Tati and Yadi had resolved their differences and would finally not have to depend on Wan Ali to survive. Kik and Njet were in love, and they dreamed of a future together. The gold would help them stay out of poverty and live a decent life. Agnes lost the man she loved, and we can assume that she would use the gold she got from the store to help the poor.

Gaspar met with an accident while riding his bike. His body rolled over to the river bank, and he was found by destitute people living in the area. They took away his shoes, clothes, and anything that could be of some value to them. Even in his tragic condition, a handful of people saw hope—hope to fix their lives in some way and not give up for another day. Gaspar helped his crew take home money and gold and live a respectable life. In a world with limited resources and poverty taking the lives of thousands, Gaspar was perhaps pleased to be a ray of hope in the lives of strangers and friends. As a little boy, all he wanted was a friend, and even though he had lost her, in the end, he stuck to his promise and solved the mystery behind her disappearance. His purpose in life was fulfilled, and in the last few minutes before the accident, he experienced a sense of peace. He reminisced about spending hours with Kirana as a child. It is not clear if Gaspar died in the accident, but knowing the condition of his heart, he does not have much time left. He talked about hope and second chances in life, and the only way he could experience all of it was through a miracle, and who knows, maybe Kirana’s spirit will make the miracle possible (the centipede crossing his face is indicative of the friends uniting in some form). Gaspar was still breathing, and maybe he would be spared some time to experience love (Agnes) and happiness.

In the sixth episode of Halo Season 2, Master Chief infiltrated the UNSC base in Onyx to get his armor. He was confronted by a brainwashed Kai and almost beaten to within an inch of his life. By the time Kai learned the truth about what Parangosky and Ackerson had done to survive the Covenant attack on Reach, Master Chief had approached the piece of the Artifact that was kept in Onyx. A Covenant priest, Uto’ Mdama, expressed his doubts regarding Makee’s allegiance to the Covenant, and although the Arbiter backed her up, the priest tried to get her killed. That forced the Arbiter to step in and battle the priest and his soldiers to save Makee. It was revealed that Cortana was working with various people. She was informing Parangosky about everything that Makee was doing. She was helping Makee stay on the path to finding the Halo planet. And she was guiding Master Chief to the Artifact in Onyx, as well as his suit. Kwan Ha and Halsey traversed the caves of Onyx and met Miranda. Soren and Laera tracked Kessler to a place called Thermopylae. Now, let’s find out what Master Chief and Makee saw after touching the Artifact.

Spoiler Alert

Parangosky Sends Spartans To Their Death

Episode 7 of Halo Season 2 begins with a conversation between Makee and Master Chief on a projection of the ring-like planet, and we finally get some confirmation of what it’s going to be used for. Makee says that if the Covenant controls the planet (it’s called The Ring), then they’ll use it to destroy humankind, and if the humans get to it first, they’ll do the same to the Covenant. But Makee theorizes that The Ring is capable of not just destruction, but creation as well. That’s why she doesn’t want it to fall into the hands of the Covenant or the UNSC. She wants Master Chief’s help to wield The Ring as a symbol of peace and life. Since Master Chief doesn’t respond, Makee interprets it as his way of saying that he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Makee. Master Chief doesn’t get the chance to explicitly state what his stance is because he is surrounded by the UNSC soldiers, while Makee is surrounded by Sangheili Elite soldiers. The shockwave of their separation from the Artifacts is felt by everyone on Onyx. The Covenant priest goes after Makee with the intention to kill her, but Cortana distracts him long enough for Makee to sneak up behind him and kill him. Then, Cortana proceeds to show the map to Makee, and she spots The Ring, probably because her powers have been restored. 

Ackerson informs Parangosky about Master Chief’s arrival, and it’s already clear that Margaret wants to push Ackerson under the proverbial bus for the debacle on Reach, thereby making him Master Chief’s target. Before Ackerson can process Margaret’s heel turn into absolute villainy, the UNSC learns that a huge chunk of the Covenant’s Fleet has surrounded the ship Makee is in, who is probably around The Ring, which is in the Soell system. Without giving it much thought, Margaret decides to deploy the newly-trained Spartans. Ackerson protests this decision, because the Spartans are not ready to take on an entire Covenant fleet, but Margaret apparently doesn’t care. She orders Ackerson to find Master Chief, and he storms out of the control room. The first wave of Spartans dies within seconds of engaging with the Covenant. Margaret doesn’t waste a second before sending the second wave, thereby causing Ackerson to wonder what her game plan is. 

Briggs goes in to arrest Master Chief. When he refuses to surrender, Briggs orders the soldiers to shoot him down. Since Master Chief has learned that blindly following orders is a bad practice, he gives the same education to those soldiers. Surprisingly enough, they listen to him and tell Briggs to get her own hands dirty if she wants to do something unethical. As Briggs pulls out her gun to shoot down Master Chief, Kai intervenes and knocks her out. Amidst all this warfare, we see Miranda, Kwan Ha, and Halsey trying to understand what the cave actually is and what is the function of gates that have some kind of puzzle-like lock on it. At Thermopylae, Soren tells Laera that the arena is essentially a Spartan training program where he, Kai, Riz, Vannak, and John went from being kids to being Spartans. He says that Kessler is going to go through the same ordeal, which is why they shouldn’t intervene and allow their son to get beaten up until he learns if he is a fighter or a loser. Laera points out how messed up all this is and tells Soren that he doesn’t actually want to unlearn everything that Halsey has put him through; he actually idolizes her, and that’s why he wants Kessler to become a Spartan and not a normal human being. This is a good way of putting things into perspective and showing how excessive warmongering and machismo can corrupt one’s mind.

How Does Parangosky Intend To Kill The Covenant?

Perez is seen suiting up to face the Covenant. She notices one of her fellow soldiers panicking a lot, and she does her best to calm her down. Kai tries to justify her actions to Master Chief, but he keeps moving towards his suit with the help of Cortana. Halsey gives a little insight into the experiments that she was conducting in the cave. Apparently, she found an alien DNA that was a hybrid of something human and otherworldly. So, she needed someone who had the same DNA structure as that’d help her unlock the doors. That was why she started, as Kwan Ha aptly puts it, collecting kids from all over the galaxy, experimented on them, and then prepared them to be the key that’d unlock these gates. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out the way Halsey wanted them to be. Hence, they have to take the conventional route and unlock the gates by solving the puzzles around them. 

As Kwan Ha proceeds to touch one of the buttons on the puzzle, it begins to glow, thereby indicating that she has the traces of the hybrid DNA that Halsey has been searching for. Maybe that’s why she has those visions of the old lady. Maybe she is one of the ancestors of the species that built these gates. How did this species with the hybrid DNA reach all over the galaxy? I don’t think that’s a big mystery because the answers are intergalactic travel and intercourse. Halsey and Miranda have a brief conversation about Jacob Keyes, and Miranda accepts his death in a pretty mature fashion. Kwan Ha pulls out one of the beads from the puzzle, and a holograph of the stars in space form before their eyes. While Miranda and Halsey think it’s a map of the stars, Kwan Ha comes to the conclusion that it’s actually a clock. She organizes the dots on the holograph according to her “feelings” (which is probably her psychic connection to the cave and those who have built it), and that unlocks the gate, which leads them to a bridge that connects to a chamber of sorts. 

By the way, if you have played some games, you will know that they have these puzzle-based missions. So, Kwan Ha, Halsey, and Miranda’s whole arc in this episode feels like an homage to that. Ackerson is also on a kind of puzzle-solving mission because he is trying to unpack what’s going through Margaret’s mind. When he runs a simulation on the Spike that is supposed to deactivate a Covenant ship (the simulation that the Spartans practice on), it is actually going to create an unimaginable explosion that will destroy everything in its vicinity: The Ring, the Covenant, and the UNSC. Basically, if the humans can’t get the Ring, then Margaret will not only disallow the Covenant from getting the Ring, but she will also stop the Ring from existing. As Ackerson decides to act on it, he is cornered by Kai and Master Chief, and the latter almost chokes him to death. He manages to somehow relay what he has learned to the two Spartans, but Master Chief doesn’t want to trust him; he just wants his suit. When they get to the chamber with the Spartan suits in it, Kai and Master Chief have a brief conversation about Vannak, and how Master Chief feels guilty for making him blindly follow orders and bringing him to his demise. Then, he turns to Ackerson and essentially orders him to go out and tell the truth about Margaret and their involvement in the destruction of Reach.

Master Chief Goes For The Ring

Kai and Master Chief have a conversation about what they need to do to deal with the matter at hand. Kai wants to enter the battlefield with her fellow Spartans, and Master Chief wants to get to the Halo to stop it from being controlled by the Covenant or the UNSC. How? I don’t know. Master Chief wonders what Kai will do if she is the one who has to administer the Spike, thereby killing everyone. What is she going to do? Kai tells him to focus on his mission and let her think about her mission. At Onyx, the unlocked chamber turns out to be a laboratory, and in that laboratory, they see a dead alien body lying there and holding onto a device of some sort. They don’t get the chance to explore the lab because it starts to crumble. Miranda, Halsey, and Kwan Ha make a run for it. While running back to the caves, Halsey notices a whole city underneath the bridge. Kwan sees that all the white dots in the holograph of the space are turning red. She says something vague about “growth” and runs away. What is Kwan up to? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Halsey does that stupid scientist thing with that stupid look on her face where she thinks that she is at the helm of something revolutionary, but there’s a good chance that, like always, she is going to make a big mess of it and then pretend like she is a victim of her own curiosity. Miranda and Halsey head back to the lab and pledge to figure out the history of that city in the caves. Miranda manages to partially unlock the device that they’ve acquired from the corpse of that alien in the lab, but Halsey ghosts her for some reason (Halsey is annoying). The Fleet begins their attack on Makee’s ship, and seeing how the Arbiter is still standing beside her, Makee decides to brand herself with the insignia that the Arbiter uses on himself to prove that both of them are bound to each other and the purpose of taking over the Ring. Kessler enters Thermopylae, but Soren doesn’t allow him to go through the grueling ordeal of fighting a bunch of grown men. Soren takes them all down and tries to save Kessler from any potential trauma. However, that plan backfires as Laera and Kessler are captured by the people conducting the fights in Thermopylae. 

At the end of Halo Season 2, episode 7, Perez tries to convince Master Chief to join them as they face the Covenant. But they go their separate ways because their missions are different. Ackerson confronts Margaret, and it’s clear that she isn’t going to stop sending wave after wave of Spartans to their deaths. Master Chief takes one of the UNSC ships and heads over to the Halo. Ackerson tells Margaret that Master Chief is going to tell the true story of the destruction of Reach and that nobody is going to believe Margaret’s propaganda. Kai leads the Spartans in the general direction of the Covenant, while Master Chief heads towards the Halo. I won’t lie; this episode was a little messy. Except for the revelation that Margaret is truly evil, it mostly spent its time leaving open endings that will hopefully be resolved in a satisfying way in the season finale. Well, next week, we will certainly get to know what happens when Makee, Master Chief, the UNSC, and the Covenant converge on the Halo.

Bandidos is a 2024 Spanish-language action-adventure series streaming on Netflix, set in the Yucatan region of Mexico and involving a combination of real and fictional elements of local history. The show revolves around Miguel Morales, a trickster and hustler who gathers a team of misfits in order to find and retrieve a legendary historical treasure, both for its monetary value and also to prove his worth to his archaeologist father. Bandidos does not make any attempts to be serious, and this style, along with the general comedic tone, makes the series an entertaining light-hearted watch.

Spoiler Alert

Plot Summary: What is the Netflix series about?

Bandidos begins with a quick introduction to the core group at the center of the tale, with Miguel Morales being the self-appointed leader. Despite being the only son of renowned archaeologist Juan Morales, Miguel had no interest in academics, and he did not even finish school. The young man is rather interested in finding the easy way out in life, and his current profession is to cheat and trick tourists with fake replicas of artifacts and take people on fake tours around ancient tombs and temples. Miguel’s partner-in-crime, in most cases, is his uncle Wilson, a retired counterfeit expert who still creates the fake replicas for his nephew’s illegal trade. A young, attractive woman named Lili is also part of the group, although she had suddenly gone away for some time abandoning her romantic relationship with Miguel. Lili’s skill is to charm anyone and get hold of their credit cards, which she easily duplicates and wipes out of their bank accounts. Lastly, a teenager named Lucas works as the hacker in the group and also provides for the very important base of operations for the team, since Lucas’ parents are billionaires who own a luxury hotel in Yucatan. 

Miguel is currently a worker at the same hotel, where he looks for targets to scam, when he suddenly runs into a drunk man at the local bar one night. This man introduces himself as Luis Fernandez de Montejo, a descendant of the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo. In a drunken state, Luis talks about a secret treasure that has still not been found and mentions that his grandfather had revealed that it was still at the same place where Francisco had hidden it. Hearing all this makes Miguel’s eyes light up, for he has heard about this secret treasure of Aj Took ever since his childhood days. Along with enormous gold and jewels, the treasure stash is also supposed to contain an artifact called the Kaan Balam, which is a jaguar statue made of solid gold. Luis mentions that he has the exact location of the treasure tattooed on his chest, since he has been looking for it for quite some time, and he agrees to show Miguel the tattoo as well. The two men return to Luis’ hotel room, but Miguel leaves soon after, having photographed the tattoo, since Luis passes out quickly. 

However, Luis goes missing the next morning, and his dead body is found only some time later by the Mexican police, with the skin on his chest peeled away. This confirms that someone ruthless and violent is also searching for the Aj Took treasure, while on the other side, Miguel gathers his team to look for the same and make themselves rich once and for all.

Who are the new members who joined the group?

Miguel’s efforts at finding the treasure first require him to break into the city’s museum and photograph detailed maps from the Spanish Inquisition. The difficulty in the matter is that the museum belongs to a man named Ariel, who happens to be a famous archaeologist as well and also the favorite student of Juan Morales. Because of Miguel’s choices in life, Juan has always considered Ariel like his son, even adopting him legally, and he is all the more biased towards Ariel at present because of his failing memory and dementia. Therefore, Miguel wants to find the treasure as a means to prove to the world that he is better than his rival, Ariel. The protagonist realizes that the tattoo on Luis’ body was only a part of the real map. Miguel and his group have to find and collect a particular stone from the bottom of a cenote, and so they need a skilled diver.

Incidentally, Miguel’s phone gets stolen by a young woman who casually dives into the nearby river in order to escape, making it clear that she is a very experienced and skilled diver. The protagonist approaches this girl, Citlali, who happens to belong to a poor household where she is the only earning member, and her mother is an alcoholic. Thus, it is not very difficult to convince Citlali to join the group, and although she is initially hired for only one specific job—to retrieve the moon stone from the cenote—she obviously wants more. Citlali ensures to stick with the group against the guarantee that she too will get a share of the wealth from the treasure. Since she and Lucas are of similar age, the boy is immediately smitten by her, and eventually, they have their own romance as well.

Along with the new addition to the group, the main antagonist of Bandidos is also introduced, although he remains unnamed throughout the series. The most distinctive feature about this mobster is that half of his face is burnt, and this is why he is referred to by many names like Burnt-Face and so on. As soon as Miguel gets hold of the important moon stone, Burnt-Face demands it, threatening to kill his friends otherwise, and as a result, Miguel swallows the stone to buy himself some time. This naturally gets the protagonist kidnapped and taken to Burnt-Face’s camp, and the others in the group have to go rescue him. Although Lucas is able to track down the compound with the help of his gadgets and cyberskills, the place is heavily guarded by an armed militia, making it impossible for the others to rescue their friend.

This is when the next new member of the group comes in, as Lili takes them to meet with an old acquaintance and lover of hers. Octavio was once a soldier in the Uruguayan military, but the corruption and general disregard for human lives made him leave the post and become a bandit. After getting involved in a grand heist at the Uruguayan Mint, Octavio now lives a solitary life in a boat but still keeps a whole arsenal of modern weapons at his disposal. It is mainly these weapons and his expertise in combat that the group wants, and since Octavio has been fighting a messy divorce, he agrees to be a part of the gang, all for a share in the treasure.

During this whole time, a police officer named Ines had been investigating the murder of Luis Fernandez, and she was quickly led to Miguel since the protagonist was the last person to visit the Spaniard’s room, according to the hotel security cameras. Ines is made to feel like an outsider in the department, as she is the only female officer, and her life is made worse by her vengeful ex-husband. The ex-husband is a senior officer in the Mexican police, and he kept Ines repressed for all her life, never even allowing her to have male friends. The depressed and desperate wife ended up sleeping with her female friend, and this led to a divorce. However, Ines’ ex-husband now wants to take away their son from her, and this makes her terribly frustrated at present. Knowing that enormous amounts of money can easily solve her current dilemma, Ines also demands to join the group and take a share of the treasure, threatening to incriminate everyone otherwise.

Why is Burnt-Face so vengeful against Miguel?

From the moment he meets Miguel, Burnt-Face suggests that he knows both the Morales father and son, and it is quite clear that he has some history with the two. Although Miguel does not recognize the man, the secret about his extreme vengeance against the family is revealed towards the end. Back when Miguel was a young boy, he would often go out on expeditions and adventures with his father. During one such adventure, Juan took Miguel to the site of an excavation, but the archaeologist started secretly placing detonators around the spot. In fact, the excavation was being conducted by a group of private researchers, as they wanted to get hold of an old Mayan artifact and sell it for large profits. The location was actually a protected archaeological area, as announced by the authorities, and this is why Juan wanted to stop such illegal activities.

However, Juan was found and questioned by the crooked researchers, and Miguel immediately jumped out of the car to protect his father. This led to utter commotion, but even in the frenzied moment, the boy noticed that one of the motorbikes was leaking gas, and he threw a lighter towards it, ensuring that the attackers would be stopped. The place indeed blew up in flames, but one of the men from the group, who was actually about to ride the motorcycle, was not killed. The fire greatly injured and damaged him, and he is the very Burnt Face who returns at present. The treasure of Aj Took was being searched by Ariel as well, also for his own indirect benefit, since he wanted to keep the Kaan Balam artifact at his museum, which would earn him money. Ariel had hired Burnt-Face to keep an eye on Miguel and his friends while also trying to find the treasure. It was Burnt-Face and his goons who had killed Luis, as they wanted to take off the map tattooed on his chest.

However, after realizing that his rival in this treasure hunt was the very Miguel Morales who had caused him so much pain, Burnt-Face disobeys all orders and wants to take revenge. He shoots Ariel when the latter tries to order him to stop, and then the goon also shoots Wilson, which ultimately leads to the beloved uncle’s death.

Who was the traitor in the group?

During their search for the Aj Took treasure, the group suddenly realizes that there is a traitor amongst them who has drugged their alcohol, leading to great trouble. Each of the characters is suspected and scrutinized by the others, and all of them have some secrets of their own. Wilson has been suffering from cancer with very little time left in his life, and he has accumulated a big debt in order to pay for his treatment. Lili is facing trouble from an unmentioned but powerful source, and she is in need of a new passport with a new identity in order to escape the country. In fact, Lili had been attacked by a man the previous night, and it was only because Miguel had been stalking her that she was saved. 

Citlali had gone over to the house of Lucas to steal money, but she did not do so because she had already developed genuine feelings for him. Lucas had realized the intrusion, but he does not tell anyone about it at present since he wants to protect the image of his lover. Ines and Octavio had also been lovers in the past, and now they once again provide support, comfort, and passionate love to each other, and it is revealed that they had spent the previous night together. 

The identity of the traitor is finally revealed, as it is Lili who gets to walk away safely while the others are trapped inside a cavern. Lili meets with Ariel, whom she had convinced that she was working for him, but there is more to the matter than meets the eye. Miguel had figured out that it was Ariel who had kidnapped his father and was, therefore, the main criminal behind the treasure hunt, and so he and Lili made their own counter-plan. Once Lili convinces Ariel that she is working for him, she drugs the archaeologist with the same drink she had used on the others, and this gives Miguel and his friends enough time to travel back to the city and confront the man.

What happens to the Aj Took treasure?

Finally, Ariel and Burnt-Face are both removed from the scene, at least temporarily, as the former has to recover from his gunshot wound, and the latter goes in search of the treasure, believing that he has killed Miguel. But the group is able to survive, and so they, too, head towards the spot where the treasure is supposed to be hidden. The Aj Took treasure, which originally belonged to the Mayan kingdom, had been looted by the Spanish conquistadors Francisco de Montejo, Pedro de Alvarado, and Alonso de Alvarado. The three Spanish knights did not really have faith in each other and had stored all the gold and treasure inside a box that could be opened with three different stone lockets, which were divided among them. At present, Miguel only has the moon stone of Francisco de Montejo, while the two others have been taken away by Burnt-Face.

However, the reality of the conquistadors actually changes the course of this treasure hunt, as Miguel figures out that de Montejo had gone off with the treasure on one of his ships, which was not reported to have arrived at the next port. This meant that the ship had been deliberately sunk somewhere in the middle, and Miguel found the exact spot with the help of an old map being read with reference to the stars in the night sky. The group is finally led to the treasure, and they retrieve the box from the water, too. It is then also revealed that de Montejo actually had plans of keeping the entire treasure for himself, and since he was the one to have proposed the idea of the three keys, the man had ensured that only his key would also be able to open the box very easily. But de Montejo could not ever return to claim the treasure, and it is ultimately Miguel and his friends who find the invaluable gold and jewels, including the legendary Kaan Balam artifact.

Burnt-Face shows up once again, even injuring Octavio, but this time, the villain is shot and killed by another intruder at the place, Ariel. The archaeologist has come to claim the Kaan Balam statue, wanting to take it back to his museum, and he is ready to let the others take all the gold and jewelry for themselves. However, another betrayal follows, as Lili tries to flee with the jaguar statue, abandoning everyone else, and Miguel takes the difficult decision to shoot the woman, making her fall into the water and seemingly die. The Kaan Balam statue is taken by Ariel, who preserves it at the museum, while the rest of the treasure is liquidated into cash and deposited into the tax-free accounts of each of the remaining members, namely, Miguel, Octavio, Ines, Lucas, and Citlali. Each of their personal lives is bettered by the fortune, but Miguel remains heartbroken, having lost two of his closest people.

Does Lili really die?

During Bandidos‘ ending, one last twist is finally pulled, as Lili is seen meeting Miguel in front of the hotel and driving him away in her car. In reality, Lili had not died but had made a secret plan with Miguel, whom she had made her lover once again. As Lili desperately needed to escape the grasp of the dangerous people who were after her, she decided to stage a fake death with the help of Miguel. On that fateful day, Miguel fired his gun but did not hit Lili, while the woman had already prepared some fake blood and dived into the water, which convinced everyone that she was dead. In fact, the body of a different woman is also shown in the morgue to one of Lili’s assailants, who takes a photo of it to confirm that their target is actually dead. Lili had been left a fake passport by Wilson before his death, and she now uses it to change her identity while staying together with her beloved Miguel, who now wants to go on a new treasure hunt.