'The Purge' season 2 episode 4 glorifies violence and dying for the country as the 'American thing to do'
Warning: This article contains spoilers for season 2, episode 4 of 'Grief box'
In tonight's episode of the Purge's season 2, aka episode 4 titled 'Grief Box', what we see is abhorrent commercialization of the ominous annual celebration of violence where those who are purged are treated as 'martyrs'. While the previous episode touched upon how the NFFA was subtly conditioning people's thought process in favor of the purge, this episode goes into full details through the occasion of a Remembrance Day, where people celebrate the calm after the storm.
The last episode shows how Purge game stations installed at public establishments allow kids as young as five to play the virtual reality game in all its violent glory. This time we see what else the government run by the New Founding Fathers of America go to, to instill the masses' faith in the system of purging. As announcements are made all over the country about the occasion, we overhear an automated system celebrate the lives of those who have been purged. The people who died because of the government's pro-violence system are labeled as martyrs, and their families are given a tiny little urn — the Grief Box — that contains the dead's remains.
The urn is gifted in a box bearing the government's logo, personally delivered to each family by government officials. Cars drive around the streets, blaring the automated voice announcing how those who have been purged died for their country as it's "the American thing to do." The announcement also asks others, who aren't amongst the families of those who have been purged, to be kind to people wearing the government-offered yellow badge as a sign of their commemoration. Meanwhile, malls and other commercial outlets give out offers and discounts for people wearing the badge denoting their loved one has been purged.
There's morbid commercialization of the entire concept of killing without reason that the NFFA promotes and facilitates, thus further boosting violence. By masquerading the grim reality with a facade of martyrdom, the government is not only making the system the norm but also invalidating the grief of those mourning their loved ones because in reality those urns are filled with sand, not mortal remains, at factory outlets that are dedicated to only packaging. And for the rest of the year, when violence emerges, it is snubbed with cover-ups as was evident when farmer Ben was killed in the previous episode. The cause of the poor man's death is reported to be a heat stroke, just the way Drew's only living test subject's murder was ruled as suicide.
'The Purge' season 2 airs on Tuesdays at 9pm only on USA Network.