From Dusk Till Dawn - S01E02 Blood Runs Thick (2014)

Review

The Gecko brothers are on the run with Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez tooled up and in hot pursuit. Avoiding immediate roadblocks following the liquor store shambles Seth is still uncertain how they are going to get across the border and into Mexico with law enforcement out in numbers and gunning for them. Richie's visions are getting worse which directly leads to conflict between the brothers, seems Richie is obsessed with freeing people and drawing a weird symbol. Freddie is not only on the Gecko Bros trail for killing his partner, but also due to Richie being the Cartel hit man he had been hunting down previously. The Geckos remain one step ahead of him, but for how long?

Meanwhile the Fuller family, dad Jacob and siblings Kate and Scott, are taking a family vacation in a camper van, Dad is planning to visit Mexico. Seems the holiday was a sudden decision following the death of Jacob's wife in a car accident, and complicating matters Kate isn't pleased with what she thinks is pretty much kidnapping. While the family vacation is problematic, just what did happen in that car accident? - along comes the Gecko Bros main man Carlos to make it even more of a nightmare, thankfully the Fullers escape but Carlos just might have found an answer to how to get the Geckos across the border.

The episode kicks off with the Gecko Bros having lunch and naturally Richie complaining about the food he has received, Seth not doing a lot during his time in prison, and the general state of the Gecko Nation. We gradually learn this is a flashback to the day the Geckos robbed the Abilene Mutual Bank and took the deputy bank manager hostage. Okay slight confusion on my part, the woman the Bros took hostage wasn't a teller and she has been locked in the Gecko brothers' car boot since the Boys fled the robbery. Nice retro 1940s shot just to ensure we know she's tied up in the boot.

The show has already found its voice, and is using that voice in loud and proud fashion

We are introduced to the Fuller family, which comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched the original movie. I was initially concerned by this but by episode end am happy with the casting and tensions immediately shown between the family members. Jacob Fuller is taking time out after his wife's death in a car accident and is taking his kids down south of the border. I'm actually wondering if there's a bit more to the car accident, Jacob was driving on the fateful night, swerved to avoid a deer apparently, but seems evasive when daughter Kate asks him about what it. We later learn Jacob was a Paster but has since resigned his position as he no longer believes in God. Okay daughter Kate is at this stage pretty Mary Jane, teenage high schooler more worried about her friends and the upcoming Prom. While Kate is certainly no "valley girl", she seems ill equip to deal with the RV holiday from hell, perhaps her character will develop as the season progresses. And finally Scott, the adopted Chinese son, is a typical male teenager going with the flow. After initially meeting the Fuller family we travel with them to the now smouldering Benny's World of Liquor where the Gecko brothers had their last clash with the authorities.

Later the Fullers will run into a disguised Carlos as Jacob and Scott partake of the delights of Bob's Brisket just off 83 and Katie does a runner, hoping to meet up with boyfriend Kyle and put an end to the trip. As surmised last episode Carlos is a vampire who doesn't sparkle in the sunlight, yay, and who clearly has the Fullers marked in as the mechanism for getting the Geckos across the border and into Mexico.

Okay we have the first indications of our vampire mythology. In the first episode there was a prologue piece which saw some unknown Indian chick being thrown into a pit full of snakes while a Priest recited the usual weirdness, seems this may have been the beginning of the vampire clan down in tequila land. Carlos shows snake eyes, and that's not pleasant, wipes into a meal with very snake like fangs, awesome, and moves his neck like a snake. Yes we're talking vampires that have more in common with snakes than bats, excellent change up on the usual blood sucking game plan. Equally awesome was Carlos' ability to change his appearance to match someone else, his latest victim, whether or not this extends to living people remains a mystery at this point. Almost forgot, we also get the standard vampire skin issue of fierce sunburn in direct sunlight, hence the title From Dusk Till Dawn. Think we are going to be talking some awesome vampires folks, this show could get disturbingly good by season's end.

Freddie is quickly developing into my favourite Texas Ranger, he's told to stick clear of the case but decides instead to tool up and track down the Gecko brothers. Seems Richie is a Cartel killer who Freddie was hunting prior to the latest Gecko rampage. While we now know Freddie has a wife and young son, there does need to be some fleshing out of the character's background in the next few episodes. Thus far not much meat on the bone as the first two episodes have contented themselves with painting in the immediate background of the Gecko brothers.

There's a slight interlude in the episode when Richie demands Seth pull over and he goes to look for a dead body he believed was in the nearby desert. The Bros animosity comes to a head after which Richie ends up drawing a symbol, (which looms large through both this and the first episode), in the sand using the body of a dead dog he found. Freddie will later find that symbol, so I guess besides getting the Bros sorted we know the Ranger isn't that far behind them.

In a final flashback we get to find out what happened during the bank robbery, and marvel at how bumbling Richie can be. Firstly Richie cold cocks a bank employee, who we learn is the only person who knows the combination to the safe. Richie then completely forgets to get the backdoor open, which is the logical escape route for the Gecko team if things go pearshapped, which they naturally do. And in a final demonstration of how off the planet he has become Richie is unable to break the safe combination, something he was previously an expert at. I put it down to the visions of some chick he keeps happening and other supernatural shite he has to deal with. Thankfully Seth is up to the job and drills the safe lock, seemed slightly too easy but whatever, and is able to liberate the $30 million in bonds. On the bright side of the handcuffs the Geckos do need to shot their way out of the bank, and prove to be the desperados we had expected them to be. I'm actually seeing parallels between the Geckos and the two mob dudes in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.

Another excellent episode, loving the flashbacks, which is doing full justice to the original movie. We now have all our major players on the table and for lovers of the movie we know where things are heading, don't worry those who haven't seen the original movie no spoilers y'all. I'm now pretty pleased with the casting choices and am humming along waiting for some more exposé, which should have us really supporting some characters and waiting on other character to join the growing body count. This is one series you really must watch folks, we're talking excellent characterisations, an evolving plot, and one hell of an entertaining show. When I was initially presented with reviewing From Dusk to Dawn: The Series I was somewhat sceptical, but it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite current shows. Full recommendation Kids, though I would warn the T&A and violence content is going to be progressively more notable during the course of the rest of the first season.

News to hand, there are going to be 10 episodes in the first season. That seems slightly light, but considering we're talking just under an hour for each episode, acceptable. Robert Rodriguez has announced a second season of 16 shows is planned, so that's more good news.