Richie runs into one of his repertory of shady female acquaintances shortly before interrupting a drug deal in which her boyfriend is killed and she ends up with money and drugs belonging to a local crime lord. Duncan gives them all shelter, then learns that said crime lord is an Immortal he has history with.
This episode never really catches light. Nikki isn't exactly an unlikable character but she has a chip on her shoulder that makes her hard to sympathise with. When Voshin's thugs start roughing her up, it's tempting to cheer them on. Instead, she is allowed to wander off for a new life with the money she stole for reasons the episode never quite manages to make sound convincing. And the subplot of Tessa playing mother to her daughter for about half a scene is somewhat underdeveloped.
Meanwhile, we have our evil immortal of the week. The great Stephen Macht is rather wasted as a character who spends most of his screen time sitting on his boat giving orders. We get a flashback to show what a nasty piece of work he is and why Duncan would want to put him down, but by the time the episode puts them in the same room in the present day, it's nearly over and it's time for them to fight to the death. The episode really should have spent more time building to this confrontation rather than just having them bump into each other by coincidence. We get a key detail that an Immortal doesn't need to personally behead another to receive their Quickening, but to be honest, that feels like mythology that's been shoehorned in for the sake of it: Duncan could easily have beheaded Voshin rather than indulging in fisticuffs, and we don't even really see Voshin when he dies.
This episode never really catches light. Nikki isn't exactly an unlikable character but she has a chip on her shoulder that makes her hard to sympathise with. When Voshin's thugs start roughing her up, it's tempting to cheer them on. Instead, she is allowed to wander off for a new life with the money she stole for reasons the episode never quite manages to make sound convincing. And the subplot of Tessa playing mother to her daughter for about half a scene is somewhat underdeveloped.
Meanwhile, we have our evil immortal of the week. The great Stephen Macht is rather wasted as a character who spends most of his screen time sitting on his boat giving orders. We get a flashback to show what a nasty piece of work he is and why Duncan would want to put him down, but by the time the episode puts them in the same room in the present day, it's nearly over and it's time for them to fight to the death. The episode really should have spent more time building to this confrontation rather than just having them bump into each other by coincidence. We get a key detail that an Immortal doesn't need to personally behead another to receive their Quickening, but to be honest, that feels like mythology that's been shoehorned in for the sake of it: Duncan could easily have beheaded Voshin rather than indulging in fisticuffs, and we don't even really see Voshin when he dies.