After lighting several fuses,Sweet Toothallows all of its fireworks to go off at once. This episode is packed with action scenes and long-awaited catharsis. Enemies meet on the battlefield, the villain steps into the fray, and the heroes finally begin to make some progress on their escape. As things come to a head,Sweet Toothis quick to remind its audience of the more adult elements of its world.
“What it Takes” was written by Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt. As a duo, Lippoldt and Kim are best known for working on theStar Trekfranchise, with writing credits onDiscovery, Short Treks,andSection 31. The episode’s director, Ciarán Foytragically worked onSinister 2but also delivered the very interesting horror filmEli.
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The fifth episode of seasontwo ofSweet Toothis a sharp conclusion to many of its narrative beats. It’s a bit shocking how much they’re able to pack into an hour. Gus returns to the spotlight after spending some time away. The naive little deer boy has grown up a bit through the typical medium of direct physical trauma. In his first proper meeting with General Abbot, the villain has Gus disfigured. The hybrids are spurred into action with newfound trust for their friend and develop a stellar plan to escape captivity. Much like the heistscene in the first episode, when they’re allowed to act freely, the hybrids come across likeX-Men. They come equipped with a fascinating selection of abilities and personality traits that make them a lot of fun to watch as a group, but Gus is the star of the show.
While Gus and his friends attempt to break free, Dr. Singh finds himself in a different kind of prison. He’s spent so much time and effort trying to cure his wife, only to end up with nothing. When the cure he created starts showing signs of failure, Singh breaks down. Rani pleads with him to abandon his cause and let her go. Instead of killing himself trying to save her, they could escape together. Finally, she points out that Singh’s obsession seems to have less to do with Rani than it used to. With the chance to abandon his post and strike a blow against the general, Dr. Singh simply can’t give up his goals. Watching him waver between the roles of a caring husband anda dictatorial mad scientisthas been interesting over the series, but it seems he’s incapable of picking one and sticking to it.
Both of their stories come together as General Abbot makes his biggest power grab yet. Abbot gathers the heads of several other powerful bands of survivors to organize a new community. With his cure and their resources, they could choose who lives and who dies. Dr. Singh helpfully reminds them and the audience about the new variant. After the Sickwiped out most of the peopleon Earth, new variants continued to pick off the stragglers. The latest one will likely finish off the human race. Abbot claims to have a cure that could prevent that, but the fact that it requires slaughtering innocent children makes it slightly less palatable. The scene in which Gus finally confronts his captors and pleads his case is deeply powerful. It may be Christian Convery’s strongest performance to date. However, suddenly introducing a new villain who may be above the familiar threat is a bit jarring.
This episode is a non-stop rush. Fans who weren’t completelysold on the second seasonwill be back on board when “What it Takes” comes around. There are several well-executed action scenes, multiple fun confrontations, a few big surprises, one or two big character developments, and a ton of cathartic moments packed into 51 minutes. This is likely the most enjoyable episode of the season so far, and it has plenty of room to expand. With three episodes left,Sweet Toothcan continue to deliver its towering conclusions at breakneck speeds. This is also the episode in which Big Manfinally reconnects with Sweet Tooth. If that’s what people have been waiting for, then wait no longer. It’s as adorable as one would expect.
Sweet Toothspends alot of time setting up its unique rules before allowing the audience to play in the space, but viewers will have fun once they get there. The series never delivers empty spectacle, it’s always playing with the emotional back-and-forth of the major characters. A scene may look like a random exchange of blows, but there’s always some deeper element of morality or self-sacrifice just underneath the scenery. AsSweet Toothnears the end of its second season, there’s a lot to recommend about its unique approach to every genre it tackles. The story has ramped up, but there’s still more fun to be had with the all-out war of the following episodes.
