Dragon's Dogma Netflix Episode 2: Gluttony

Cross loamless plains

So it's been a decent chunk of time since I last touched on this review-esque blog type, such to the point where I'm starting to feel like a tardy delinquent, so it's about time I got around to fixing that. In my defence, it was because even watching Dragon's Dogma spurred me on to start the game once more and power through to the end over the space of about a week, so now I've just got a bunch of completely refreshed memories about what that game was really about. I know the dragon was actually Grigori, as opposed to whom I though it was last blog, I know that the Arisen from the prologue, Savan, is not the guy portrayed in this anime despite the similarities that they share. I also remember a whole lot that the Arisen is supposed to be put up against, and I'm unsure of how the Netflix series is going to handle it. Ethan had his entire life burned away in the first episode, which sort of comes at odd with the traditional Arisen journey. I won't raise my specific concerns right now, but rather wait and see if they solve themselves. In the meanwhile, let me get back into the show itself.

So Episode 2 is entitled 'Gluttony', and it was here that I realised we were doing the Seven Deadly Sins with this. Somehow the first episode entitled 'Wrath' didn't tip me off, I know... Still, I both get excited and concerned when I see a story that wears it's convictions and lessons so freely on it's sleeve. On one hand it shows straight-up that there's a direction and purpose behind the stories being presented, so I can take solace that the show isn't just going to waste time until the Dragon pops up. On the otherhand going this route does portend exactly what to expect from the story and also opens up some hefty expectations that need to be met. "How is this story going to portray the concept of Gluttony to it's fullest; what are it's lessons, examples, resolutions" etc. Heck, even looking back I feel like they could have leaned heavier into the concept of Wrath, perhaps during the moments before the dragon showed up. (They could have switched up the pointless wolfhunt for something more thematically appropriate, for example) Because otherwise the show is invoking the name of 'Wrath' in it's most bland and boring sense, anger. When I feel like the sin aspect could open up the consequence of wrath and vengeance overtaking justice. And yes, you could argue how that's the story the entire series is telling, but then why not call the last episode 'Wrath'? Why not call the whole series 'Wrath'? Am I getting caught up in insignificant topics again? I am; onto the episode. 

Gluttony begins by scoring immediate rapport with fans of the game like myself, by showing our Pawn make her way through the rift in search of the newly arisen. Perfect lifting of concepts from the game, nailed the sound, look, presentation; everything. What they didn't nail, however, was the city which was burnt down around our protagonist. Is that meant to be Cassardis? I think it is. But Cassardis is a fishing village in the games, built atop the slope of a hill that effects the shape of the whole location and makes it stand out as weirdly unique. There aren't a great many towns that slope down a hill in such awkward fashion, afterall, so that serves as kind of it's instant visual flair. Not sure why the Netflix show decided to turn it into a flat pancake generic city. I didn't even see a single fishing boat or anything. Again, you may argue 'Small details.' But those are the details that make the world breath. Without that we've haven't got a world, just a backdrop, and the show's starting to feel like its in front of a backdrop right now.

Our Pawn lady picks up unconscious Ethan, tucks him into bed and then is there in the morning to tell him all about what he is, as an arisen, and set him on his merry way. To which I must say, my Pawn never carried me to bed after a stressful day! How supremely courteous, I wish my pawn thought enough about me give a piggyback ride every now and then, it would save me some back-ache that's for sure. I also thought it was funny that, after hearing all this exposition, Ethan suddenly hears the voice of the dragon out of freakin' nowhere explaining all the important details he glossed over last night. "Oh yeah- crap- listen dude; you kinda should hunt me down and beat me if you want your heart back or something. No pressure and all but, it's sort of your duty. Nuts, the Seneschal is going kill me!" Didn't know that the Dragon could use long-distance mind phone to call you up. That's a new one.

That night Ethan is camping in the woods and ends up having a heart-to-heart with his Pawn where he discovers that she doesn't have a name. Touching on a curious topic I never really thought about where Pawns aren't just given their personalities by their masters, but their identities too. It's a wonder that some can still persist after their master's death. It also makes me wonder how Pawn's both observe the wider world and seem oblivious to it, where they can identify character traits of monsters but don't know what the concept of 'kidding' is. (Maybe that's just the script trying to have its cake and eat it at the same time) Ethan calls her Hannah, after the child he would have had with Olivia, which I suppose creates a parent and child bond with this woman of the same age that's going to become his murder-buddy over the course of this journey. Not sure I understood what was supposed to be thematically appropriate about that, but there it is. It isn't long, however, before the plot rears its head and gets our story focused once again.

A cyclops is getting ready to chow down on a woman who's been tied to a rock, rather obviously deliberately and Ethan decides he's not about that thus  he thrusts himself into the hero role like any good generic protagonist would. (Hannah almost seemed reluctant to get involved. Odd detail to throw in there, wonder if it'll pay of.) From here on the themes start to stand out in the plot, but in very plain and simple definitions, kind of how they did with 'Wrath'. The Cyclops is a hungry monster that the villagers need to feed every year with sacrifices. The local town (which is unnammed and doesn't relate to any location in the game) has a system where they elect out their own children to be eaten so that the family who 'donates' will be given extra rations. The leader of the town hoards all of the food to himself and divvies it out sparingly in order to keep the starving populace desperate. It's all very surface level hunger-related topics which is certainly fitting in a story named 'gluttony', but once again; there's more to the concept than it's face value.

There's no real surprises in the narrative to speak of. Ethan and Hannah go to hunt down the cyclops and free the town of the sacrificial ritual, during which they learn that the town's mayor is in contract with the cyclops to feed it villagers. (Not really sure how that works, given that cyclops' are incapable of higher thought) The pair showcase uncanny levels of teamwork considering they just started fighting together, and manage to fell the Cyclops with a bit of elemental magic ("Take my fire!") and a stab directly in the eye. Which killed it, oddly, instead of just sending it swinging blindly like what happens in the game. The Mayor storyline also manages to wrap itself up in the same fight, because apparently this show is on speed mode to do one story an episode on a 24 minute constraint. (Not wise.) The only twist, and I'm glad this angle was addressed, is that when Ethan shows the people their Mayor for what he is, the starving masses store his citadel and tear each other apart to get at his food. Showing desperation mixed with greed and human folly. Yes, it isn't the most unique message in the world, but it just about saved this episode from narrative mediocrity.

I actually enjoyed this episode a lot more than the first one, with the actual task of travelling the world and becoming the Arisen taking centre stage. I will bemoan that the villain was painfully cliched and obvious in this episode, and the dialogue (Are we sure that this was written in English first?) feels like it was sleep-written, it's so by-the-numbers. But the action was fun, the story has a point, and I'm actually coming around to liking one of the main characters. I mean, that character I like is actually Hannah rather than Ethan, because she wields that bow like a god, but at least there's someone I find interesting. Ethan lacks huge amounts of character, but that is in keeping with the game so I can't deride him too hard for that. Given that this is only the second episode, and nothing outside of the animation stood out as exemplary, I'm only comfortable rating this episode with a C. Better than the intro, still not enough to make this series shine like it absolutely can do.