The Mysterious Benedict Society (Season 2) Episode 3 “A Gold Bar in Fort Knox”: Mind control is back in a big way, with Dr. Curtain’s plans being revealed in the first two episodes. It is of no surprise to anyone who saw this as they witnessed his satisfied expression in the season 1 finale. While he has two heroes trapped on his farm, reinforcements were on their way in a blimp and on The Shortcut.
The Mysterious Benedict Society (Season 2) Episode 3: Recap
The episode begins on ‘The Shortcut’ with the gang in blue tracksuits. There is no red herring here as they aren’t from an actual water polo team. This quartet kicked down the door of the room where the children found their clue. Any remaining doubt about mistaken identity was solved when the lead member calls out for the children. Where were they?
Constance Contraire, George ‘Sticky’ Washington, Kate Wetherall, and Reynie Muldoon climbed into a rope and dangled beneath the balcony and above the Atlantic Ocean. Kate berated herself for not recognizing the fake water polo players.
Elements from the previous episode continued with the captain and Cannonball hunting for the stowaways for two reasons. 1. Being stowaways 2. Undermining the vessel’s culinary excellence. They had sneaked on board in the sugar crate, completely destroying the vessel’s reputation in sweet dishes. It was their tiny hand prints within this crate that gave them away.
The quartet made their way to the engine room and had 40 winks. A few hours later, they awoke, saw the shipmates engaged in gambling, and joined in. They did so to fund their travels in Lisbon. Constance and Kate ran riot in Craps, with Sticky ruling in Blackjack. Reynie struggled and won nothing much in poker.
With their winnings in hand, Kate revealed she shaved the dice and Sticky spilled the beans on his counting the cards. Reynie didn’t feel on board with the dishonesty and persuaded his companions to return the money. Sticky saw his point as although math was cool, using it on innocent victims wasn’t.
Reynie returned the chips, and in a surprise twist of events, was rewarded for his honesty. As the children walked away, the water polo gang caught up with them and used an odd metaphor about endings. They did have a point about the ship being finite with no place to hide unless they ran and gave them the slip or a distraction emerged. Cannonball’s arrival ensured the latter happened, and he both saved and captured the children.
Once in the captain’s cabin, the four were seemingly on their way to the brig and the maritime court. However, using their skills, they convinced the captain to give them passage on the ship and help them pass immigration, in exchange for them solving the ship’s speed issues.
Following a minor jump, the captain kept up his end of the bargain, and his actions revealed that the kids excelled in their task. He handed Sticky a card, should he ever wish to seek a job in the maritime engineering field.
In Dr. Curtain’s farm, Mr. Benedict and Number Two speak about the villain’s method to control the masses. Benedict labeled it as a manipulation and a simulation of an artificial state of mind. While he rambled, Number Two came up with two plans to escape.
She discarded one of them, as tunneling wouldn’t be acceptable to Benedict. However, her other idea was mold, i.e. escape via tactical fungal infection.
The next morning, Benedict went for a walk and reached Curtain’s studio. He didn’t seem impressed with his brother’s rhetoric, but he was sold in the end. It appeared to be a setback, but Number Two managed to escape in the back of a supplies truck as it left the farm.
The episode title came from an interaction in the third thread. Miss Perumal, Rhonda, and Milligan continued on their journey to Europe in a blimp. Perumal noticed Milligan’s nervousness in the storm and he responded by saying he feels as safe as a gold bar in this engineering marvel. She gave him a lecture on worry and seemed to calm his nerves as he did voice his concerns about the children.
The Mysterious Benedict Society (Season 2) Episode 3: Ending, Explained
The ending saw The Mysterious Benedict Society reach Lisbon, but Curtain’s man spotted them at the port. In his office, the villain labeled them his best adversaries and instructed his man to deal with them without mercy. The man looked determined to carry out his boss’ orders and moved quickly towards the children. Constance saw him, alerted the other three, and they sped off in a taxi with Reynie trying to communicate in Portuguese. However, Sticky, Kate, and Constance just yelled “Go” in quick succession and they zoomed away. The man stared at their cab with great interest, as though noting down their number.
Did Dr. Curtain manage to break Mr. Benedict?
Mr. Benedict had happiness on his face following his brother’s lecture. Curtain spoke about the incident of their childhood where Benedict got adopted ahead of him. He then spewed lines about the power to be happy and the need to seize it together, with Benedict finally dropping his disinterested look. It seems as though every man has a different breaking point and Benedict will be artificially happy.
Another line of thought is that Benedict is pretending to get Curtain to lower his guard. He couldn’t pretend immediately, as his twin would have seen right through him. Hence, he played the long game, made an escape attempt, and then set up the ruse. While Benedict may be feeble, he is established as a character with an extremely powerful brain. So, no. Curtain has not broken Mr. Benedict.
What is up with Sebastian?
Is this an immediate side effect of manufactured happiness?
Jackson and Jillson investigated Sebastian’s absence and found him paralyzed in that exact position, as in the previous episode. He was just smiling and not responding. The duo called it concerning.
This side effect with one of Curtain’s original victims could be a sign of a large-scale issue over the next few episodes. Dr. Curtain will look to solve it as control over people who think they are doing things of their own free will would be much more appealing than restrictive control. It is clear that he is using the farm, with all the visitors serving as subjects to help him perfect his second plan for world domination.
Where is Number Two heading?
Number Two sneaked out of the farm and ended the episode in the storage truck. Based on Curtain’s line at the end, it seems as though he planned it and wasn’t bothered. Hence, Number Two could just be heading for a ride with her journey ending where it began in the next episode.
The tensions between Reynie and Sticky evaporated
In episode one, Reynie told Miss Perumal about his disappointment at not getting a reply from Sticky. At the Benedict villa, he even questioned his companion about the post at the Boatwright Academy. This underlying tension seemed to be around, but it evaporated in episode 3.
After the voyage, Sticky’s friend came to bid him adieu. He then put the dots together and hailed Reynie, calling him Sticky’s best friend. George shrugged and smiled, with Muldoon giving a surprised smile in return. The question of the non-replies still exists, but the bond between the two is strong, which will be beneficial as the stakes rise.
What could Dr. Curtain mean by no mercy?
Dr. Curtain praised his young adversaries and instructed no mercy toward them. His man approached them rapidly before they hastened into a taxi and sped off. No Mercy here could include the dreaded brain sweeper. Imagine sweeping the brain of the Whisperer destroyer, two Messengers, and one highly resourceful girl. Getting rid of the creative minds of this quartet would be a massive blow and truly signify the approach of no mercy.
However, they will have to be caught first. The children have proven quite effective and evading capture. Courtesy of Constance, they framed the water polo gang quite creatively. Will their luck continue in Portugal?
Find out next week.
<< Previous Episode
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY (SEASON 2), EPISODE 3 SHOW LINKS – IMDB
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY (SEASON 2), EPISODE 3 SHOW CAST – GIA SANDHU, MYSTIC INSCHO, SETH CARR, TONY HALE, RYAN HURST, MAMEEYAA BOAFO
Where to watch The Mysterious Benedict Society
