Kyle’s Review

Powers managed to keep me off-balance this week. I liked the use of Pulp Fiction jump cuts: six days ago became two hours ago and then three days ago and then back again. I couldn’t keep up with what happened when – and that was problematic at times – but I knew what Walker wanted and questioned if he was playing Johnny Royalle or his fellow cops or both. Walker chose the latter and that was good but the twist ending was great.

The ending marked the official closing of to the Simons arc and – unfortunately – the Calista one started anew. After the events of “Level 13,” Calista doesn’t have purpose in the world of Powers. Maybe she’ll find her powers and that’ll be something but for now, Krispin is far more interesting.

Walker fails to comfort Krispin and to avenge the death of Krispin’s mother. Walker’s moral grayness accentuates Krispin’s idea that there are no heroes or villains in this world, but while Krispin insists that all powers are a sham, the truth is that they aren’t so much a sham as they are humans with powers. There’s a reason the comic and the show aren’t called “Heroes”—besides the obvious copyright infringement.

“Level 13” stands out from the other episodes of Powers because they had few special effects – What’s with that terrible CGI? – and the script was written by the comic’s creator, Brian Michael Bendis. BMB doesn’t always hit homeruns but Powers is one of his better works and this episode captured its frenetic pace, while showcasing the tone of the source material. I won’t spoil the ending for you here but it’s great and should lead to a satisfying finale.

Verdict:

Just when I thought all hope was lost for the series, Powers delivered its best episode so far. This week’s “Level 13” cranked the series to thirteen in time for its finale.