Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger – S1E4 – Call/Response

Previously on Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, “Stained Glass”

MARVEL’S CLOAK & DAGGER – “Call/Response” -Photos: Freeform/Alfonso Bresciani

After a series of chance encounters that led to explosive results, Tandy and Tyrone were finally able to catch their breath and learn more about one another and why their currently unexplainable powers compel them to stick together. Their quiet conversation is interspersed with their respective journeys of self-discovery and how those they believed couldn’t understand their strife or appeared distrustful provided the push they sought to reuse their pain as motivation.

“Character is what you do when no one’s watching.”

Concurrently, Tandy made it known to Greg that she was all in with her mother’s case against Roxxon and wanted to know what info he’s amassed so far. Not one to pass up an extra hand, Pressfield familiarized Tandy with Roxxon’s suspicious activities after the explosion. Rather than scrap her father’s project altogether, the corporation has poorly attempted to scrub its money trail. While Bowen was set up as the scapegoat, his enterprise most certainly was sustained by and under the direct control of Roxxon.

Regrettably, Bowen’s resolve to seek out the worst in everyone finally got to her mother, who suddenly broke it off with Greg due to his lingering concern for his ex. Ironically it was this quality of Pressfield’s that proved he was a honorable man as he wanted to maintain an amicable friendship with his former love in spite of her constant demands. This was further verified by Tandy early on when she touched Greg and saw his hope for the future, as he dreamt of a fresh start for all three of them.

Alas, life seldom turns out as one hoped, and in Greg’s case it ended well before he ever expected. Hoping to resolve issues between him and Melissa, Tandy walked to Greg’s law office only to watch him be executed by a hitwoman. The assassin believed she torched all the evidence Pressfield collected against Roxxon, yet Tandy retrieved the hidden cache via light dagger, expressly determined to fight the corporation that has now taken two honest and sincere men from her family.

“If you can’t control yourself, then you can’t control a damn thing in this world.”

Still aimless in his quest for justice, Tyrone sought Tandy’s expertise on how to learn more about Connors (J.D. Evermore) before somehow taking him down. Bowen helps the best way she knows how and instructs Ty on “creating a narrative” to get himself inside the station as a victim of a robbery instead of being profiled as another statistic. All went according to plan; however, the act of sitting inside a police station surrounded by officers that easily dismissed Billy’s death and would almost certainly back Connors than believe Tyrone was far too much for Johnson to bear.

It also didn’t help that in his fluster, Ty didn’t cover his tracks and his father Otis (Miles Mussenden) found one of his tools in his backpack. Rather than hear his son out on why the bolt cutters were in his possession, Otis demanded Tyrone come with him to the Ninth Ward and meet former compatriots of his, a secretive “tribe” of Mardi Gras Indians. Known as the Redhawks, Otis was virtually raised up by this fraternity of strong yet considerate men who value tradition and honor most of all. Recognizing his son, though improving at home and school, continues to battle his inner demons, Otis hoped revealing his past and William’s involvement with the Redhawk would provide the focus Ty is desperately searching for, and he was right.

Perhaps it was fated Otis introduced Ty to the Redhawks and learn more about his brother’s grooming as their Spy Boy… as he instinctually chose his brother’s incomplete cloak from the “closet of failures” as his personal project. Between his difficulties at home, the developing relationship with Evita and turbulent connection with Tandy, and most especially his ongoing desire to seek revenge for Billy, Tyrone finally found a means to temper his fear and anger. Though from the way he last spoke to Tandy, Ty still requires a lot more time to mature.

“It can’t be that bad. Y’know, it can never be that bad.”

Near the end of the third act, Ty and Tandy’s conversation took a sudden dive after the latter revealed that she has frequently contemplated suicide, much to Tyrone’s chagrin. It was a strange turn after the both of them managed to hit it off fairly well throughout the episode. While the duo are fully aware of each other’s hopes and fears, and shared their experiences and innermost thoughts about their powers, they simply couldn’t keep it civil. It came tumbling down when Ty became overly critical about Tandy’s thoughts about considering killing herself, an act that obviously doesn’t mesh with Tyrone’s upbringing but the idea of Tandy squandering her privilege was most upsetting of all.

What followed was a call and response to “Who Has It Worse?” which put neither teen in a better light. Yes, Tandy is a white woman who by default has the best opportunities to turn her life around, and Ty’s valid limitations as a Black male in America fall in line with the heartbreaking mindset of millions of youth. Despite their shared and respective traumas after the loss of their family members, Tandy and Ty remain woefully narrow in their worldview. They may not suffer on the same level when it comes to how society treats them, but the disdain and contempt is all the same.

Worst of all, Ty straight told Tandy to kill herself if life was so hard for her. Bruh! So much for extending an olive branch after nearly shooting her a few nights ago. In spite of their blow-up the pair used their frustrations to center themselves and regain the confidence they briefly exhibited during “Call/Response”, proving it wasn’t fluke but a gradual shift in their personal growth.