Gangsta.

Episode 10

After last week's bloodbath, Gangsta. has retreated back into chill mode. Following Erica's failed assassination attempt, Loretta hides out at the Handymen's place. Clinician Nina patches up the injured, while Worick works with the police to identify the many, many bodies. Life is cheap in Ergastulum – especially for Twilights – and the survivors are just relieved to see another day. In the midst of their bittersweet happiness, however, some dangerous new enemies have appeared to wreak havoc on the city. With the Cristiano and Monroe families weakened, will Uranos Corsica triumph in his coup? Or is he underestimating our heroes?

At this point, my feelings on any given Gangsta. episode are entirely dependent on what mood it tries to play into. Does it rely on warmth between the characters and a sense of quiet before/after the storm? Then I'll like it. If its trying to be tense, raucous, and action-packed? Not buying it. Beyond the visual issues, Gangsta.'s consistent Achilles' heel has been its inability to maintain any sort of tension. Whenever it tries, it always comes off as dispassionate, even strangely clinical. I attribute this to a few issues – the limited soundtrack, rough animation, and a storytelling failure to get me invested in the conflict beforehand. But whatever's the cause, it amounts to a show that's torn in two. One half is mature – if not particularly deep – interpersonal melodrama. This leans on a successful melancholic mood. The other is juvenile carnivalesque ultraviolence in the vein of shows like Deadman Wonderland. This leans on an unsuccessful raucous mood. In the past, I wavered on whether this latter aesthetic was actually present in Gangsta., or if I was just seeing things based on flawed expectations. Up to now, Gangsta. was more grounded than the usual faux-grimdark fare, and its violence could've just been an exaggerated take on more gritty street brawls. But the new villains who've just appeared are practically ripped out of something like Black Lagoon, and that sealed the deal for me. Gangsta. will probably be leaning harder into this aspect of itself in the future, and that bodes ill for my enjoyment.

These new villains appear to be Uranos Corsica's anti-Twilight squad. We only see them briefly, but Alex's brother appears to be a member. The other is a girl who checks off all the criteria for “sexy murder clown,” the #1 character indicative of juvenile carnivalesque ultraviolence. She's a vicious murderer who acts like a five-year-old, is super skinny, and dresses in a punk style. She has an eye patch, pigtails, and constantly sucks on a lollipop. The only way she'd fit the bill better is by wielding a scythe instead of a giant axe or wearing a gas mask.

I'm harping on this because it was otherwise a slow episode. Not a bad episode, just slow. Characterization-wise, Alex is forced to confront how difficult it will be for her to make a life in Ergastulum. Worick and Nic are kind people, but their lives are basically a parade of violence, and other people are inevitably caught in the crossfire. As one of the city's leaders, Loretta is resigned to this. She realizes that it's her responsibility to stay alive and keep working to protect Twilights. She can't let setbacks get to her. Alex, however, might not have a place in the city as an entirely kind, maternal person. The revelation that two of her friends (Connie-the-gun-store-owner and Marco-the-scar-faced-bodyguard) are in a relationship also draws attention to her growing attraction to Nic. Alex knows that acting on these feelings will only make her life more difficult. Ultimately, she'll have to choose between remaining a transient guest in the Handymen's lives or accepting a more permanent – and dangerous – position among them.

We also learn a bit about Erica. She is indeed Delico's long-lost twin sister. She was kidnapped at an early age, and this is the first anyone's heard of her in years. I didn't feel anything from the revelation last episode, but this one actually did an alright job at backwriting in some impact. They do this by connecting her to the Handymen, characters who I actually know and care about. The handymen have known the siblings since they were kids, so it's an emotional blow to them too. Gangsta. is best when it's building its large supporting cast into a loose but supportive family. I buy that all of these people have long histories and care about each other. I'm honestly a bit surprised that they haven't already teamed up to overthrow the evil gangsters and start their own happy friendship government. Over half of the characters and some of the most powerful people in town are all chill with each other.

It's hard to imagine that Gangsta. only has two more episodes. We're not close to anything that even resembles a resolution, so I suspect that the show is angling for a second season. For now, we're left on a few cliffhangers. The traitorous Ivan has drawn a gun on Boss Monroe. Doug escapes an encounter with the sexy murder clown. Nic's addiction to expensive bottled water threatens to ruin the Handymen's finances. What will happen next?

Grade: A-

Gangsta. is currently streaming on Funimation.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.