‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Fans of Wet Circles

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency season 2
Samuel Barnett, Elijah Wood, and Jade Eshete in ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ season 2 episode 2 (Photo Credit: Ed Araquel / AMC)

BBC America’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency season two episode one began in the fantastical world of Wendimoor, and so does episode two. Inside a castle in Wendimoor, Silas Dengdamor (Lee Majdoub) kneels before his mother and lies that Panto Trost (Christopher Russell) has been killed. Silas describes in too much detail a gruesome death, and his mother is surprised Silas was able to duel the greatest swordsman in the land and come out the victor. (The Trosts don’t like the Dengdamors because the Dengdamors want to mine the land.)

Quickly figuring out Silas’ mom isn’t buying his story, Silas’ guard, Wygar Oak (Aleks Paunovic), takes the blame and says Panto slipped away from him. His mother demands the Trost lands be burned down, but Silas believes they have to unite with their enemy and that there’s still time to fulfill the prophecy. The mom says there is no such thing as Dirk Gently.

And now we catch up with Todd (Elijah Wood) and Farah (Jade Eshete) standing by the mysterious car that fell out of a tree. The car flips onto its hood and Todd thinks maybe aliens did it. They discover a burned female body inside and that the car only had 42 miles on it, even though it’s an older car. (Of course, it’s 42 since that’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything!) “So, it’s a brand new old car?” asks Todd. As they’re examining it, they hear banging in the trunk. Farah covers Todd as he opens the trunk and out falls Dirk Gently. Dirk (Samuel Barnett) can’t believe he’s free and then he and Todd break out into a happy dance ending in a hug.

Farah believes the car’s at least 50 years old, but Dirk’s not sure about that because if that’s true then he would look much older. He’s also soaking wet because Mona splashed him with water and told him to find the boy right before he wound up in the trunk of the car. He also reveals he was in Blackwing and Todd wonders if Amanda is at Blackwing, but then the conversation devolves into a normal Todd/Dirk type of conversation. Dirk has no idea why Amanda would be in Blackwing and Todd keeps demanding to know who Mona is.

Their reunion’s broken up by a siren approaching. They all put their hands in the air and Sheriff Hobbs (Tyler Labine) uses his PA to inform them from a distance they’re all under arrest. Dirk can’t believe Todd and Farah are wanted by the FBI, and Sheriff Hobbs – gun drawn – admits he’s never arrested anyone before. Farah drops her gun, and Hobbs thanks her for being cool.

Back at Blackwing, Hugo Friedkin (Dustin Milligan) discovers Dirk has escaped. Friedkin’s told he disappeared but he wonders if actually Dirk might be invisible, feeling around Dirk’s room in case he’s still there. All they really know is that the bed is wet and there was a glitch that jumped two seconds ahead. One minute he was asleep in bed, the next he was gone. Friedkin asks, “Is it possible he peed himself invisible?”

Friedkin demands his assistant fetch Mr. Priest.

Suzie Boreton (Amanda Walsh) is sick in bed and her husband, Bob, wants her to get up and walk the dog. She refuses, and he warns her if the dog poops on the floor she has to clean it up. After he leaves, Suzie fetches the spell book The Mage left behind. The images on the page change from symbols she doesn’t understand into English instructions on using the wand, complete with info on what each spell is used for.

Suzie tries a spell on her dress and is shocked/pleased that it cleans her clothes.

Deputy Tina Tevetino (Izzie Steele) arrives at the police station to find Dirk handcuffed outside. He claims he’s not under arrest but his friends are, saying he’s just a person who needs to use the toilet. Just then Hobbs rushes out of the station, describing one of the prisoners as real grumpy and one as weird. And, he’s not at all sure what’s up with the British guy (Dirk). He also reveals he found them with Marina Cardenas’ body which has been missing for decades. Hobbs has Cardenas’ driver’s license as proof, and the license expired back in 1968. Tina and Hobbs are weirdly excited the body was found at the old farmhouse that was seized by the government back in the ‘60s. Both realize this is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to them.

Elsewhere, Vogel (Osric Chau) acts like he’s going to hit Amanda (Hannah Marks) with a golf club, but unfortunately it doesn’t cause her to have an attack. She’s too used to it and Vogel just doesn’t scare her anymore. He promises to get way scarier. Amanda decides they should try something crazy.

Suzie zaps herself with the wand and it heals her hurt leg. She runs and jumps to prove it to herself, even giddily jumping on a trampoline.

Sheriff Hobbs is interrogating Farah and she claims they are only responsible for the death of one person – and that one person is responsible for all the other deaths. Farah’s coming clean with her past wrongdoings while organizing the pens on Hobbs’ desk by color. She wonders if she’s destined to be a failure, and freaks out about his disorganized pens.

Todd demands Tina Teventino read him his rights or let him go, and he’s shocked when Tina asks if he’s from Mexican Funeral. He is, and she calls him a god of the Seattle mid-2000 alt scene. He can’t believe she’s a fan, and Tina proclaims this the coolest day of her life.

Meanwhile, Dirk is attempting to explain their adventures in time travel to a very patient Sheriff Sherlock Hobbs who’s taking notes. Dirk admits this is the longest conversation he’s had with a police officer. When Dirk explains he’s a holistic detective, Hobbs asks, “Holistic? You mean like the interconnectedness of all things?” Dirk answers by saying, “I love you.”

Hobbs puts Dirk back in his cell with Todd, and Todd begs him not to call the FBI or whoever. Farah’s in the next cell and Dirk says this must be where they’re meant to be. It must be part of the new case. Todd wants to find Amanda first but Dirk says first he has to find the boy. Todd and Farah pepper him with questions, and Dirk has absolutely no answers. Not a name, age, or location. Or, even what “the boy” looks like.

Todd reaches his limit and yells, “Who is Mona Wilder?!” Dirk explains she’s a Blackwing subject who probably doesn’t have the ability to pay them. Dirk also demotes Todd back to assistant because of his attitude.

Amanda and Vogel head to the tracks and Amanda lies down on them as a train approaches. She had a vision of a train and Vogel screams like a madman as the train passes over Amanda.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 2
Elijah Wood, Samuel Barnett and Tyler Labine in ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ (Photo by Katie Yu)

Todd tries to escape, no longer calm. Dirk promises everything will work out just like last time. Todd admits he’s out of his medication for Pararibulitis, revealing he had his first attack the day Dirk was taken. He also believes the universe is punishing them all, not rewarding them. Dirk says it might not be easy, but it will all work out in the end. Or, they’ll die. He promises Todd he won’t die and he’ll find his sister.

Just as Todd says they’re never getting out of jail, Hobbs arrives and releases them. He even brings Dirk a jacket. Hobbs and Tina aren’t going to report them yet, but they will use the threesome to help figure out what’s going on. Basically, Hobbs and Tina are bored and want to investigate the reappearance of Marina Cardenas who disappeared 50 years ago along with her husband. The husband is still missing and Hobbs wants to go poke around that old house. “Maybe do a holistic,” adds Hobbs, and Dirk believes he’s in heaven.

Hobbs even has some pills that might help Todd. Dirk, sarcastically, says it’s a weird coincidence Hobbs’ cat uses the same medication that Todd needs. Dirk and Todd might not agree on everything right now, but they do agree Hobbs and Tina are both crazy.

The train scare worked and Amanda has a vision that includes the old house and a Welcome to Montana sign. She knows where to go.

Suzie’s having a lot of fun with the magic book, giving herself new hair and a gorgeous body.

Back at Blackwing, Friedkin – clad in a full hazmat suit – returns to ask Ken (Mpho Koaho) what he knows about Dirk Gently. The Corgi (Bentley) looks on as Ken convinces Friedkin he doesn’t need to wear the suit. Friedkin zaps Ken for no reason and Ken admits he met Dirk once. Friedkin also wants to know the range on teleportation, and then reluctantly admits he lost Dirk. He doesn’t have anyone else to turn to except Ken and the Corgi.

Ken’s willing to make a deal. He’ll help Friedkin find Dirk if Friedkin lets them out of the taxi. Friedkin gets all excited about the offer but leaves without letting Ken go free.

Hobbs snips the lock on the gate and the group makes it to the front door. It’s been ripped off its hinges from the inside, and there’s a set of footprints inside. Tina and Todd follow Dirk toward the second building while Farah and Hobbs venture inside the house. The Mage watches everything from a second-floor window.

Farah thinks there was a fire in the house, but Hobbs explains the burn marks happened all over town after the power surge of 1967. The electrical pulse fried everything, and most of the citizens wound up leaving Bergsberg. Marina and Hector went missing before it happened. Farah asks about the beached boat, but that happened 10 years prior to the power surge.

They find one phone jack still in the wall, while all the others have been ripped out. They wonder why anyone would leave just one phone and then follow the footprints to a bedroom door where they discover they begin in the middle of the room. As they’re investigating, Farah reveals to Hobbs her whole family is in law enforcement. As they talk, The Mage is standing literally inches behind Farah without her noticing.

Farah finally feels something and turns around quickly, but The Mage disappears.

Suzie goes through the house zapping the messiness into cleanness. She then turns the wand on a $1 bill and makes it turn into multiple dollar bills. She’s having a blast and rolls around on her bed covered in cash.

Todd points out the wet circle in the outer building and Dirk says it’s just a circle. Tina thinks she’s figured out how Dirk works. “So, basically he ignores whatever you say and then does some random shit for no reason?” Nailed it!

Dirk has made it into the rafters, but Tina sidetracks Todd to ask if he and Farah are together. Todd admits they’ve gotten close, and Tina asks if she’s his Yoko or if Dirk is. “Is that the reason Mexican Funeral broke up?” asks Tina. Todd says he was his own Yoko before Dirk or Farah. As they’ve been chitchatting, Dirk has found a strange gun.

Back at Blackwing, Friedkin has the Rowdy 3 zapped awake. They scream at each other about how happy they are to finally be reunited, but Friedkin quickly sends the two back to sleep so he can talk to Martin. Martin (Michael Eklund) remembers Friedkin and reminds him they eat neurological energy. He also reveals feeding off normal people can be bad for those people, and Friedkin confesses he needs his help finding Dirk Gently. Martin eats Friedkin’s energy, and Friedkin is only saved when Mr. Priest (Alan Tudyk) arrives.

Dirk finds a good spot in the woods and Tina tries out the gun. It sends out a short burst of energy rather than a bullet. Dirk’s excited about it and when he goes to check out a tree they shot, Tina admits to Todd she’s freaking out and really losing her sh*t right now. Todd confesses it’s only his second case and it’s bound to get weirder.

Tina doesn’t think the weirdness level can increase. She’s proved wrong when Dirk points out there’s a person in the tree they were shooting. Farah joins them, says it’s an adult male, but has no idea how the man got mummified in the tree. Dirk wonders if maybe he ate some tree seeds or a baby tree and the tree sprouted. They think maybe this man might be Hector Cardenas. Farah believes that means there’s a missing child since she saw scratch marks on the door frame in the house marking a kid’s height.

Dirk exclaims, “Yes, of course! The Cardenas’ had a child and that child could have been a boy – the boy! Find the boy! Solved it!” Dirk hugs Hobbs, proclaiming that he solved it. He didn’t, and Todd and Farah point that out. Dirk asks them to just let him have this moment.

Friedkin comes to and Mr. Priest tells him not to get that close to Project Incubus if he’s going to starve them out. Mr. Priest says Friedkin has to find people to let them feed on and when Friedkin hesitates, Mr. Priest calls him soft. He says he brought in 30 of the 42 Blackwing subjects and it was the most fun he’s ever had. He wonders why Friedkin only called him in now, admitting he’s a bad person, a scary monster, and troubled. He reminds Friedkin that Blackwing has empty rooms that need filling and someone in charge will notice the situation is out of control. Mr. Priest warns Friedkin he’ll be replaced, but that he can help him. He shows Friedkin a photo of Incubus #4 and Amanda, saying he can bring them in.

A man drives down a dark road at night. He takes his eyes off the road for a second and runs into Panto who appears out of nowhere. Panto runs off, seemingly unharmed.

Bob arrives home and it barely registers that the house is cleaned up. It doesn’t register at all that his wife has transformed her hair and body. He tells her he needs her help, and she suggests he comment on how amazing she looks. He doesn’t think whatever she did to herself will fix what happened in the accident. He thinks she’s on a niceness self-improvement kick but no matter what she seems like, she can’t change who she really is. Suzie zaps him with the wand and it freezes Bob in place. She apologizes, saying he pushed her buttons. All he can say is, “Yep.” When she orders him around, he does things without hesitation. She tells him to get rid of the dog and he kills it immediately.

More on Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2:
Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood Interview
Hannah Marks and Jade Eshete Interview
Fiona Dourif and Mpho Koaho Interview
Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine Interview
Max Landis and Robert Cooper Interview

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Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 5
Recap of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Season 2 Episode 6
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