‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ Season 2 Episode 8 Recap: Little Guy, Black Hair

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency season 2 episode 8
Amanda Brotzman (Hannah Marks), Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett), and Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood) in ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ season 2 episode 8 (Photo by Katie Yu / BBC America)

We begin BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency season two episode eight with a flashback to a young Arnold Cardenas. He watches from the doorway as his parents get into a heated argument that results in the vase breaking and his mom stabbing his dad in the forehead with scissors.

It turns out there is another boy and both children watch as Marina Cardenas drives away. The younger boy’s eyes roll back in his head and he passes out. Arnold continues watching as his mom’s car begins flying into the night sky away from their home. When he returns to the kitchen, his father’s blood is on the floor but his dad’s body is missing.

Fast forward to current events and Mr. Priest (Alan Tudyk) and his Blackwing men crawl all over the Cardenas house. Mr. Priest alerts Friedkin (Dustin Milligan) of the fact there’s a portal in the upstairs bedroom, labeling it a “pocket dimension.” Friedkin isn’t even capable of pretending he understands, so Ken (Mpho Koaho) takes over the conversation.

Mr. Priest has the flying purple people eater locked up and reports there are no signs of Dirk or Todd in the house. Farah Black is also missing. Ken tells him to lock down the entire county as a convergence is likely coming soon.

Ken, who’s now cleaned up and wearing a suit, tries to explain things to Friedkin but Friedkin is about ready to explode. He doesn’t understand how seven people have just disappeared.

Farah (Jade Eshete) makes her way back to the sheriff’s station and she’s immediately shot at by Tina (Izzie Steele) who doesn’t realize it’s Farah coming through the door. Tina’s frazzled and confused as to how Suzie Boreton could have been a witch. “She shot flying guillotine shapes out of a stick,” says Tina, demanding to know how that happened. Tina also reveals the prisoners have all disappeared, the internet’s down, and the radio is just spewing government sh*t.

Tina’s not even close to calming down as she explains the scissor sword is missing and there were scary military dudes at the hospital. Farah finally gets her to breathe, but when Tina tries to leave Farah stops her. Farah believes Todd and Dirk went to Wendimoor so now they’ll have to stop Suzie on their own. She suggests they go to her home, get her wand, and arrest her.

Tina’s incredibly worried about Hobbs who’s still missing. She admits he’s her best friend and the only reason she took the job in the first place.

Meanwhile in Wendimoor, Dirk (Samuel Barnett) is being chased through the woods by his “girlfriend.” He spots a Kellum truck that’s totally out of place but keeps running. Then he spots a horse-drawn carriage and jumps in the back.

Elsewhere in Wendimoor, Todd (Elijah Wood) and Amanda (Hannah Marks) are chained up in a horse stall. Amanda’s still mad at him and Todd apologizes for Wakti being killed. Todd explains all he’s done is try and rescue her, but Amanda’s still not happy with him. Todd then reveals he has Pararibulitis. Amanda’s shocked, and Todd says he thought it meant he couldn’t give up and had to make things right with his sister. Only then could life be normal again.

Frija Dengdamor (Karin Konoval) and Wygar Oak (Aleks Paunovic) arrive and interrupt the siblings’ conversation.

Back at the Blackwing facility, Friedkin and Ken return to Ken’s taxi where he attempts to explain everything to Friedkin. Mona Wilder is Project Lamia, a variable physical non-constant. She can become anything. Ken reveals she’s most comfortable as an inanimate object. She was a chair for six years. Ken plays the tape that shows the Panic Pete squeeze toy is probably Mona Wilder.

Suzie (Amanda Walsh) is learning the ropes in Wendimoor, trying to read from the spell book and not having any luck. She wants to control Wakti’s pool (the one Amanda was using to hone her special skills) because controlling the pool will allow her to control the world. Her eyes bleed as she stabs her wand into the pool while cackling uncontrollably.

The carriage containing Dirk arrives in town and he leaps out. He pretends to be a normal guy but does a horrible job at it. He tries out different accents while helping the driver remove large, sharp blades. The driver explains the blades are meant to bring justice to two witch-a-coo-coos, a brother and sister from another world.

The driver, who’s also the executioner, sets up the blades and they form a large pair of lethal scissors.

Wygar questions Todd, asking if he works for the Trosts or The Mage. Todd tries his best to explain, saying the weapons the Trosts had are called guns and they’re from his world. Frija doesn’t believe they are from another world, and Todd goes off about how he’s having a hard time believing he’s in her world.

Amanda takes the angry energy level down a notch or two by apologizing to Frija about the loss of her son, Farson. She calls Farson a great person but adds Farson was never kidnapped. Amanda explains Farson ran away because of all the fighting and got captured by the Kellum knights. Amanda warns the Kellum knights are coming and Frija needs to make peace with the Trosts before they’re all wiped out.

Frija is having none of it and tells Amanda to stop lying. She orders the siblings to be executed. Hidden outside, Dirk overhears the order.

Farah and Tina arrive at Suzie’s house but she’s not there. Scott the frog is, but they don’t know he’s really Suzie’s son. They find Suzie’s husband, Bob, sitting in front of the TV with a videotape of Suzie telling him to remain seated. Tina discovers the TV isn’t plugged in.

Back in Wendimoor, Todd tries to take his pills but Amanda knocks them away. She explains Wakti was teaching her to “weaponize her attacks.” Maybe Todd is capable of that, too. Unfortunately, he swallowed a pill before she explained this.

Amanda demands Todd hit her, but he refuses so she hits him. She thinks if he hits her it will trigger an attack. She keeps hitting him until finally he does hit her back. It doesn’t trigger an attack of anything but giggles. They remember something funny from their childhood and then get into a slap fight.

Dirk is once again on the run from his girlfriend.

Todd explains he and Farah were on the run and that’s why he dyed his hair black. Amanda’s happy to learn he and Farah hooked up, and he admits he was really worried about her. He knows he hurt her and Amanda admits she wants her brother back. When she looks at him now, she’s not sure she knows him. He apologizes again.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency season 2 episode 8
Deputy Tina Tevetino (Izzie Steele) and Farah Black (Jade Eshete) in ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ Season 2 Episode 8 (Photo by Katie Yu / BBC America)

Back at the Boreton place, Farah and Tina remove thumbtacks from Bob’s face. They think the magical TV has kept Bob in a trance, and then The Mage shocks them by speaking to them from the TV. Farah says they want to talk to Suzie, but he explains she’s in Wendimoor.

The TV images of The Mage and Suzie instruct Bob to kill Farah and Tina. He attacks and the women fight back. Bob gets the upper hand and is strangling Tina when Farah shoots the TV. He drops Tina and stops fighting.

Dirk’s still on the run through Wendimoor when he runs smack dab into The Rowdy 3. He screams at them to leave and then his girlfriend arrives to make things even more confusing. Dirk punches Martin (Michael Eklund) and immediately confesses he’s never hit anyone before in his life. He’s completely confused and his hand might be broken. He asks them not to hit him and then reveals Amanda and Todd have been captured and are about to be executed. The Rowdy 3 want to immediately leave to rescue Amanda and Todd, but Dirk reminds them they don’t even know where to go. He adds that there are too many people for them to take on alone, and Vogel (Osric Chau) – at Martin’s urging – asks if Dirk has a better idea. He does, of course.

The Rowdy 3 agree Dirk is now in charge.

Todd and Amanda wear dunce caps as they’re walked through a screaming crowd. Soft puffy things are thrown at them, and Todd and Amanda respond by flipping off the crowd.

Farah tries to get the location of The Mage out of Bob but he just grunts. Tina attempts to get the answer by making him grunt for a yes or stay silent for a no. Bob indicates Suzie isn’t coming back from Wendimoor and The Mage is still here on Earth. Bob reveals he knows where Hobbs is and Tina can barely control herself as she tries to get answers from him. She reminds him she’s a good friend and asks him to reach deep down to tell her where Hobbs is. Bob struggles and says Hobbs is at the quarry.

Todd and Dirk are on the stage, minutes from their execution. They’re standing on blocks with their hands in cuffs over their heads. Frija takes the stage and says everything is the Trosts’ fault. She assures her people the chaos ends today, just as The Rowdy 3 arrive in the Kellum truck.

Dirk takes off his executioner hood and Amanda and Todd couldn’t be happier to see him. The Rowdy 3 continue to beat up the crowd as Dirk frees his friends. They hug but then Silas Dengdamor (Lee Majdoub) breaks up the happy reunion by holding them at scissor point. Dirk decides now’s his time to be brave and challenges Silas to a scissor duel.

Martin’s also found a worthy foe in Wygar. Dirk and Silas fight as do Wygar and Martin, and there’s lots of tossing of bodies and scissor action. The Rowdy 3 team up to take on Wygar but he’s not an easy enemy to get the better of.

Silas and Dirk continue to fight and then suddenly Dirk is able to cut Silas’ arm. Dirk, who’s a novice at this whole fighting thing, believes that means he won. Unfortunately, Dirk’s wrong and Silas cuts his arm. Amanda rushes to him, calling out, “Dirk!” Silas had no idea he was fighting Dirk Gently!

Amanda and Todd attack Silas and then make a run for it with Dirk. Wygar sees Silas go down, which gives Dirk’s girlfriend a chance to attack Wygar. The Rowdy 3, Todd, Dirk, Amanda, and the girlfriend make it into the truck along with a kidnapped Silas.

Silas comes to and Dirk says, “As I always say, any boyfriend of Panto’s is someone I might meet in another dimension.” They get Silas to his feet and Dirk asks how long the feud between the Dengdamors and the Trosts has been going on. It turns out the answer is three generations which is the beginning of time in Wendimoor.

Todd realizes that Dirk has solved the case!

Dirk explains the whole thing, beginning with the Cardenas’, Arnold, and the baby in the boat. They raised the baby boy but he had “god-like, reality-warping powers that activated whenever he fell asleep.” His dreams would come true but in a bad way.

The weirdness in Bergsberg attracted a predecessor to Blackwing. The Cardenas’ couldn’t handle all this and didn’t know if they should sell the farm to the Kellum Corporation. Silas recognizes the name Kellum – it’s The Mage’s name.

The Rowdy 3 don’t get it but they love it.

Dirk continues, explaining Marina Cardenas sold the farm, bought a car, and accidentally killed her husband with scissors. The boy freaked out, retreated into a dream state, launched his mom into space, and put his dad in a tree.

Amanda stops all this to ask if there’s a new case going on. Dirk says the case they were working on at home is the same one they’re working in Wendimoor.

Arnold was left alone with the boy and, scared, he called the government. He turned in the boy, betraying his brother. However, the boy was so stressed by the government agents that he tried to make his fantasy real. He created Wendimoor in an instant, just from his mind.

Silas figures out that means the people of Wendimoor are just “figments of a scared child’s mind.” Dirk disagrees, saying they are real people. The boy’s dream was like a big bang – the 1967 event – and because the boy fell into a coma, Wendimoor’s been falling into chaos without its rightful ruler. The boy must be returned to Wendimoor to set everything right.

Dirk does his “Did it!” move, explaining he’s making it a thing. He’s quite pleased with himself. The Rowdy 3 believe all this because it’s nerdy bullsh*t.

Todd still doesn’t understand who Suzie Boreton is and neither does Dirk. However, Dirk does admit he hates her. But the most important thing is that Dirk knows who and where the boy is. He’s Project Moloch and he’s locked up in Blackwing. That’s where he was taken as a kid and where he remains.

Amanda remembers Wakti saying she had a friend in Blackwing. Dirk gets super excited because he knows Wakti’s friend must be Mona Wilder!

Silas asks if Dirk can fulfill the prophecy by returning the boy and saving Wendimoor, and Dirk enthusiastically says he can. But, they have to get to Blackwing to do that. Vogel shouts that Amanda can do that, and she admits she did learn how to do that just yesterday.

Dirk does a happy dance and Todd says, “Everything is connected.” The gang laugh until Suzie appears with her wand.

Tina and Farah head to the quarry to search for Hobbs. They find his car, but The Mage has beat them to it. The Mage zaps them both with his wand.

More on Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2:
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 1
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 2
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 3
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 4
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 5
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 7
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 9
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 10

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