City On Fire: Season 1/ Episode 7 “The Demon Brother” – Recap and Review (with Spoilers)
As there is a slight bit of hope for Sam, Amory’s world begins crashing down as William connects the rest of the dots.
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Plot Recap
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Happy Birthday Sam – Joe, Sam, William, Keith, Charlie
It’s Sam’s birthday, yet Joe, her father, ends up with the gift of seeing her eyes flutter. She doesn’t do this again for the nurses to see, and it isn’t enough for the machines she is connected to, to catch, but it is something. Especially since there increasingly are conversations about pulling the plug on Sam, who seems stuck in an Ex Post Facto concert.
But, while Sam is at the concert, where William is the lead singer, Keith and Charlie sneak in to see her. Charlie to say goodbye since he plans to turn himself in and do the right thing. Keith? He just wanted to see her, and with Charlie connecting the dots and realizing who Keith is, he confronts him, learns about Amory, and so begins a complete unraveling of Amory’s protection by a handful of people he perhaps underestimated.
This Is The End – Bill Sr., William, Regan, Mercer, Amory, Detective Parsa, Keith
As Bill Sr. realizes he is being set up, he steps away from where any of Amory’s goons can watch him to prep for an overdue conversation. As this happens, William and Mercer wake up in Regan’s house, get acquainted with her kids, and come off as a far happier family than they ever have. William even gets some alone time with Regan to address her first child, who, like then, she doesn’t want to talk about and tries to live in denial of their existence.
But, while that kid is a topic best left avoided, Amory is not, and when William, Detective Parsa, Regan, Bill Sr., and Mercer meet, William finishes connecting most of the dots. Especially once the freshly brought in Keith arrives, who helps finishes William’s tale by illuminating how the arson is connected to Nicky, the LH Project, Amory, and with Bill Sr. producing a Blight decree, while none of this may solve Sam’s murder, outside the potential Amory knew she was aware of something, it does pin him for a lot of which could vindicate Bill Sr.
Which leads to, once again, with no police present, Amory being confronted by William, and, at first, it seems like Amory planned to kill himself by jumping off a building than face charges. However, with a member of his security stabbing William, he is able to get away. But, with his car getting hit after a sudden citywide blackout, it seems karma decided, “Not today Satan.”
Tick Tick… – Sewer Girl, Charlie, Detective Parsa, Detective McFadden, Sol, DT, Nicky
As the Hamilton-Sweeney family deal with their issues, Charlie is trying to save their building from a bomb Nicky, DT, and Sol planted. Detectives Parsa and McFadden are aware of it, but as McFadden learns enough to get a warrant for Amory, Parsa is with Charlie at the building. At least until Charlie spots Sewer Girl, who has been feeling guilty about everything for a while now.
Because of this, she stands outside Amory’s office, on the other side of where the bomb is, ready to die, and Charlie is trying to convince her this doesn’t have to be it. So, with the bomb in sight, even if it requires a jump, Charlie plays over the last message his father sent him and makes a leap.
Other Noteworthy Information
- Charlie’s mom is told he is in custody and is on her way to the police station.
- Detective Parsa is on his way to where Lorraine, aka Sewer Girl, and Charlie are
Review
Highlights
Amory’s Comeuppance
While Amory’s downfall is a little too swift for our taste, it still is worthy of a character like him. He is confronted, a surprise attack allows him to escape, and rather than let him get away, he gets into a car accident. Mind you, one which may not kill him, just leave him in a similar state to Detective Parsa, but this is technically perfect. Amory is injured but not dead, so it leaves him able to fight another day and potentially use what secrets he knows to beat the case.
Hope For Sam
Despite Sam becoming less and less focused on as the season continued, that doesn’t mean her fluttering her eyes wasn’t a major thing. Never mind, while Amory screwing over Bill Sr. is clear, who killed Sam has become a backburner topic. So her waking up feels like something that has to happen, but I just hope it isn’t something that is done as a cliffhanger after the whole bomb situation is handled. For as much as the show has improved, I really don’t see this as something that should spill over into two seasons.
Charlie Trying To Be A Hero
Charlie’s leap of faith, being the man Lorraine knew he could be, it is all very inspiring and adorable. However, I would be lying to you if I didn’t say a part of me wants to see him fail. I know it won’t happen because, if they wouldn’t kill William, I doubt they’d kill off Charlie, never mind, let a bomb go off. But, stepping out of my wishes to see a hero fall, figuratively and literally, it is a nice arc for Charlie to go from this mousey kid, with minimal life experience, to him now jumping out of windows, onto a boom, and determined to disable a bomb that could potentially wipe out a city block – with no experience.
General Information
This section Includes information about the Director, Writer, and Cast.
| More From The Series | |
| Previous Episode: Season 1/ Episode 6 “Annus Horribilis” | Next Episode: Episode 8 – Season Finale |
| Release Date (Apple TV+) | June 9, 2023 |
| Director(s) | Jesse Peretz |
| Writer(s) | Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage |
| Previously Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Joe | Michael Tow |
| Sam | Chase Sui Wonders |
| William | Nico Tortorella |
| Keith | Ashley Zukerman |
| Charlie | Wyatt Oleff |
| Bill Sr. | Geoff Pierson |
| Regan | Jemima Kirke |
| Mercer | Xavier Clyde |
| Amory | John Cameron Mitchell |
| Detective Parsa | Omid Abtahi |
| Detective McFadden | Kathleen Munroe |
| Sol | Alexander Pineiro |
| DT | Dylan T Jackson |
| Nicky | Max Milner |
| Sewer Girl | Alexandra Doke |
FAQs
For More, Check Out The Character Guide
Why Is The Episode Called “The Demon Brother?”
It’s named after the bomb Nicky and his crew made
How Did Nicky’s Crew Get Their Bomb At The Hamilton-Sweeney Building?
Nicky, Sol, and DT because window cleaners to plant the bomb right outside of Amory’s office
What Is The LH Project?
It’s the “Liberty Heights” project which was Amory’s focus, in terms of using arson to lower the prices throughout the Bronx to buy the property for cheap and basically build the equivalent of a small town. The project formerly went dead due to the original cost to buy properties. Hence, Nicky is used to drive them down through arson and make the area less appealing. In doing so, Nicky would help justify the issuance of a blight decree from the city, where the Hamilton-Sweeney group could buy the property for cheap.
