Dirk Gently: Two Sane Guys Doing Normal Things Recap

Synopsis of 1×08: It’s the Season 1 Finale! Will everything come together? Will the universe have it’s way? Did everyone get the ending they deserved? Or is it really just the beginning? 

This was by far the best episode of Dirk Gently. Everything came together, literally. All the pieces fell into place and that’s entirely due to the direction, the style, and the writing. Even Riggins and Friedkin, who been MIA for several episodes, make another appearance. But more on that later. 

In this episode, we finally get Lydia back into her body. She’s as sassy as you would expect a teenage girl to be. But considering she’s been through a lot, she seems pretty well-adjusted. She even makes nice with Dirk and Todd after “they threw [her] over a bridge.” 

Bart, after having an existential crisis, learns her true purpose in the Dirk Gently scheme. She’s meant to protect, not harm, Dirk. And protect she does. She enters just in time to kill the bald men and practically saves the day.

I say practically because that honor belongs to Ken. Ken, who had a moment of epiphany in the desert, realizes his destiny is to fix the time machine. It’s why he was hired in the first place, when Bart found him and killed his partner. In the entire universe, only Ken would be able to send the time machine back where it came from. This starting the loop over. 

Gordon and the bald men are defeated, thanks to Bart, Farah, and Estevez, and the time machine is sent back to Zachariah Webb in the 1800s. Everything is resolved, right? Well, not quite. 

First, we have relationships to mend. Amanda, who isn’t ready to forgive Todd, is at least ready to say good-bye. She goes off with the Rowdy 3. And she finally gets a cool jacket. I mean, everyone else had one, right? 

Todd is ready forgive Dirk, because frankly before him, Todd’s life was boring and mundane. With Dirk, they can form their new detective agency. And thanks for Farah, who got a financial boost from Lydia, they’re able to start right away. Or so they think. 

The end of this episode is a perfect cliff hanger for season two. We think everyone is about to go on their own little adventures and next season will start anew. But that’s when Friedkin, back with millions of government spending money, comes back into the picture.

He shoots Estevez for no reason, right after he’s killed the police chief. And he comes across as just as stupid, but now, he’s also in charge. Next season, stupidity will meet righteous violence and I’m not sure how well that will play out. 

Friedkin is coming after Dirk, the Rowdy 3, and Bart as well. It feels like Friedkin is hunting down our supernatural compadres. But he’s forgetting one important thing: they have the universe on their side. While a massive cliffhanger leaves us with questions, I have no doubt that no matter what happens, our friends will escape. It’s their destiny. 

Todd, however, has a different destiny. Having finally reconciled with himself about being an asshole, and about the meaning of friendship, and after finally being truthful to Amanda about his lying over the year, Todd breaks down with none other than pararibulitisis.

Neon Tree’s song “First thing first” leads us into the credits, sounding off over Todd’s screaming pleas for help. “You are never going to get everything you want in this world./First things first, you get what you deserve.”

We already know this show is getting a second season, so that directly impacts how we view this episode. It solves one mystery only to begin another. Hopefully the next season will be a little more balanced and focused, with a better understanding on how to use violence to its advantage instead of detriment. Gordon Rimmer may be dead, but Friedkin could just as easily be his reckless, power hungry substitute. Guess we’ll have wait til 2017 to see. 

P.S. – One last question. What happened to the shark/kitten?