Warning: Major spoilers for The Continental episode 2 “Loyalty to the Master” below!
The Continental episode 2 is building towards the miniseries’ big finale, but in doing so, forgot the one critical ingredient the franchise is built upon. Peacock’s prequel gives viewers a more in-depth peek behind the curtain of the titular hotel for assassins. The Continental cast Colin Woodell as young Winston Scott, who seeks revenge against the hotel’s manager Cormac (Mel Gibson) during the late ’70s. The show is also notable for being the first outing from the John Wick franchise without an appearance by Keanu Reeves’ iconic assassin.
The upcoming movie spinoff Ballerina starring Ana de Armas can at least boast about a guest appearance by Reeves’ Wick, but the series is flying solo in this regard. The Continental three episodes at least allow some room to slow down and explore the world a little further. That said, the lukewarm reviews it has faced suggest many critics aren’t taken with its new additions to the lore. “Loyalty to the Master” slows things down even more, where Winston puts together a motley crew to help raid the hotel.
The Continental Episode 2 Forgot To Add John Wick’s Great Action
This amounts to a lot of conversations, some fun soundtrack needle drops and franchise easter eggs. Given that there’s a different creative team behind the prequel, it’s a given they would bring their own style to the show, and try to set it somewhat apart from its big-screen predecessors. That said, this still makes The Continental’s episode 2’s almost total lack of action sequences baffling. Great action – be they one-on-one fights or shootouts – is a staple of the John Wick franchise, but they are largely absent from “Loyalty to the Master.”
The first fight comes early on when the grieving Yen (Nhung Kate) takes down a couple of Cormac’s henchmen. This bout is brief, however, and not terribly memorable. The other big battle comes when Jessica Allain’s Lou has a major brawl in Chinatown, which is admittedly a fun little sequence. Putting together an action scene is tougher on a TV budget, but even the first episode managed to have the opening stairwell battle.
The Continental Overestimates How Interesting Its Story & Lore Is
The Continental episode 2 is, in essence, an Ocean’s 11-style assembling of the team. While a switch in genre is always fun for an established property, “Loyalty to the Master” honestly feels like padding until the show can reach the actual finale. It throws out various subplots like KD’s (Mishel Prada) investigation into the Scott brothers or Miles (Hubert Point-Du Jour) and Yen pulling off a heist, but there’s a lack of urgency or excitement to it all.
Instead, the showrunners are banking on viewers finding the overarching story intriguing enough to compensate. Without a central figure like John Wick at the center to guide audiences through, it’s just not that compelling. If anything, the miniseries is removing some of the mystery behind the saga, and while Winston is a charming character – with Woodell doing a great job capturing the vibe of Ian McShane’s older version – he’s more of a supporting player than a true protagonist. The Continental’s second episode needed to add some action to spice up the story, but unfortunately, that’s one key ingredient it lacks.
