'The Lost Symbol' Episode 2: Langdon, Katherine race against time in thriller chapter
Spoilers for 'The Lost Symbol' Episode 2 'The Araf'
The hunt for Peter Solomon (Eddie Izzard) is on, and 'The Araf' sees Robert Langdon (Ashley Zukerman) and Katherine Solomon (Valorie Curry) spring to action mode after the opening chapter of 'The Lost Symbol' focused on their strained relationship. The latest chapter unravels more secrets and justifies why Dan Brown's best-seller needed to be brought to life in the form of a TV series. There's no denying that the episode slows down in the middle but it doesn't go off track.
One of the segments sees Peter attempting to escape and for the longest time, it looks like he's made it out of Mal'akh's place alive. The severed hand may have left him in pain but he does appear to be well on track to pull off a great escape himself. It all seems fine until he makes it out of the building and then collapses on the street while looking for help. The scene then switches to a comatose-looking Peter in a tub filled with water and all sorts of paraphernalia attached to him as Mal'akh describes him to be in the Araf — the borderline between heaven and hell.
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At the other end, Langdon and Katherine get help and shelter from an old friend, Warren Bellamy (Tyrone Benskin) who tells Langdon the stone pyramid is indeed a map. They deduce that a ring that serves as the key to reading the map is still at the Capitol and the duo uses Nunez's (Rick Gonzalez) help. It is refreshing to see Gonzalez back on his feet after being shot in the opening episode. Langdon still has visions of the past, something we hope seriously explores in due course of the season. That storyline would add major depth to the character and set the series apart from the movies.
'The Araf' is not exactly clinical, but it is pacy. New theories seem to spring up and keep you guessing, but the larger picture will always revolve around Langdon. His rescue mission is not a daredevil rescue, but of a man, who while battling his own demons is on a journey to save his mentor. His chemistry with Katherine is yet to be explored, and while we're sure the romance angle will kick in at some point, there's just a lot of puzzle-solving and running around at the moment.
Again, 'The Lost Symbol' isn't for everyone. It doesn't come as a surprise if part of the audience finds the series to be bland but there are all the elements that are needed to make this adaptation a success. Only time will tell if it gets there.
'The Lost Symbol' airs every Thursday on Peacock.
