Marvels Cloak & Dagger – Call/Response

By: Darryl Ley

The episode opens with Tandy (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph) across from each other agreeing that they need to talk. Tandy wants to know how Tyrone found her home and how he keeps on finding her. As they talk about how things ended up this way the title card rolls.

Tyrone explains his vision quest via the bath and Tandy scoffs at it, but he feels that Auntie was right when she said it would lead to answers but the answers are for Tandy and not him. He tells Tandy he saw her in his vision quest and she surprises him when she says it doesn’t sound crazy. When she asks what the answers he received were Tyrone asks her is she knows of Roxxon. Tyrone explains that in his vision he saw Tandy’s father tortured and killed by Roxxon executives while she kept running away from the scene until the last time when she stayed. She tells Tyrone that her father died, and he questions what it all means.

In another timeframe we see Tyrone coming down from his room getting ready to go school. He has his headphones in and doesn’t hear his mother’s (Gloria Reuben) question before his father (Miles Mussenden) gets his attention and tells him to sit down and have breakfast with them. Tyrone refuses and leaves.

On Tandy’s side we see her at her mom’s place with coffee. Her mother Melissa (Andrea Roth) isn’t necessarily happy to see her. Melissa asks about Detective O’Reilly, but Tandy said she got the wrong girl. Tandy’s there because she wants to know about Roxxon and the case, but Melissa makes it clear that more than money it is about restoring Tandy’s father’s name and reputation. She tells Tandy that he was made the scapegoat of the company and they argue about Greg (Gary Weeks) who interrupts them when he comes in carrying groceries.

Tyrone shows Evita (Noëlle Renée Bercy) around the dark room and his photos. She is surprised when he initiates their make out session and wants to know who this new Tyrone is, Tyrone asks who to say this isn’t the real me?

Back in the church Tyrone tells Tandy that fear has always pushed him, and he saw some of that in his vision of her. He says it was like watching her darkest fear play out. Tandy asks if it has happened before and Tyrone lists once with his mother and once with the man who killed his brother. Tandy correctly says that the man is a cop and reveals that she has a power too.

Tandy is watching Greg prepare dinner listening to him make plans about the house and she questions his intentions and he calls her on her drug and money stash. Back at the church we see her telling Tyrone how her powers work highlighting that she sees hopes instead of fears. At her mom’s place Tandy she uses her powers on Greg and sees that he is genuinely interested in her mother. Later she follows him to his office while she tells Tyrone that people are genuine when they don’t know they are being observed.

Tandy asks for Tyrone’s wallet and explains how she targets people by getting to know them she suggests that he tries that approach to get the corrupt cop. The next day Tyrone fakes the robbery of his bike to have an excuse to get access to the police station but has a panic attack and leaves before anything happens. Tandy quizzes Greg on the Roxxon case and he suggests that they are definitely hiding something. She helps Greg by taking a closer look at the social media account of the younger executives of Roxxon.

When Tyrone gets home his father confronts him about taking the bolt cutters he used to fake his bike theft. His father believes that Tyrone is committing crimes and is worried that he is taking after his brother, but he says they are going somewhere. Back at the church Tyrone is describing his powers, specifically the teleportation side and his difficulty in controlling them. Tandy concludes that the power takes him where he needs to be while Tyrone thinks that it protects him.

He asks about her power and she describes it as activating when she lost all hope since as she was about to crash the car she felt heat and then the dagger appeared. The two then say what they would do with each other’s powers before testing what happens when they get close. As his father drives him to an unknown destination he advises Tyrone to talk to no one unless spoken to. They finally arrive at the location where there is a group of men in a yard in a poor neighbourhood. They are people playing music on instruments that stops as soon as they spot Tyrone and his father.

Initially, it seems hostile but it becomes clear that his father is known to the group the Wild Red Hawks of the 9^th Ward. It seems Otis used to be a “Spyboy” for the troupe, which takes part in Mardi Gras parades. Back at Greg’s offices Tandy is working on the floor with Greg, she asks if he is married and he answers yes and explains that he tried to “rescue” his wife. He then goes on to say that he gets on with her mom very well because he can be honest with her.

While Greg talks to Tandy we hear Tandy’s words from back at the church saying that it is dangerous to get close to people as she moves closer to Tyrone in order to test their powers. As they are next to each other we see Tandy’s light and Tyrone’s dark powers activating. They move their hands closer to each other with their eyes closed, but when they make contact they are both blasted across the room. Apparently, it felt good being in close proximity up until they touched and were blasted apart.

It is night time at Melissa’s house with both Greg and Tandy there having the dinner that Greg and Tandy prepared; however, the night is ruined though when Greg’s wife calls with Melissa quickly excusing herself. Tyrone explores the house and sees the obituary of his brother Big Chief Roland Duplanter (Luray Cooper). His father says that Billy was training to be the next “Spyboy.” He is surprised that Tyrone hasn’t been told what it means. A Spyboy is a person who travels great distances to scout for trouble before the others have to face it. Otis shows Tyrone the bead work of the costumes, which are hand made by the wearers themselves and explains the work that goes into it.

He talks to Tyrone about self-control and why it is so important, and we see Tyrone looking through old unfinished costumes looking for inspiration he finds a stylised black cloak which holds his attention. Back at the church Tyrone and Tandy are laying on the church floor. She says using her dagger feels like a release and reveals that she hasn’t told anyone about it and neither has Tyrone. He admits that he and Evita are involved but doesn’t define the relationship.

Back at the Wild Red Hawks when Tyrone brings out the cloak his father instantly reacts and is clearly upset. He eventually reveals that the cloak is the regalia that Tyrone’s brother was working on before his death soTyrone pledges to finish it for his brother.

Tandy and Melissa talk about Greg with Melissa surprised that now Tandy believes that the attorney is genuine. It seems though that Melissa has given up. Back at the Wild Red Hawks we see Otis training Tyrone in how to do the bead work. Back at the church Tandy calls Tyrone too honest, having his emotions on display for all to say while he suggests that she believes in hope. Tyrone says that the universe is pushing them together while Tandy argues it is pushing them apart.

After the failed dinner Tandy goes to check in with Greg and sees him get assassinated by someone disguised as a water delivery person who also sets fire to all the paperwork she can find. Back at the church Tyrone says that he and Tandy both have survivor’s guilt. Tandy asks if Tyrone feels guilty and he answers yes. She wonders if that is connected to the checks she saw throughout her vision she thinks it is a metaphor for him feeling like he does not deserve anything good. Tyrone feels like he has to be perfect to live the life of himself and his deceased brother.

Tandy instead admits that she wishes that she was the one who died, and we go back to Melissa’s place where Tandy listens to her mother leaving messages to Greg who is of course now dead. We see Tyrone come downstairs on a second morning since the meeting at the church before switching back to Tyrone and Tandy talking. She explains that she was the little girl in his vision handing out roofies to young men and that is how she makes a living. She says she thinks about suicide a great deal and Tyrone reacts angrily leading to a massive fight between the two where they compare their lives. She almost tells him about the attempted rape but stops herself. She says she has to steal what she can get while he argues that it is only because she is white, young and beautiful.

Tyrone says the whole world is trying to killing him and Tandy says he is trying to commit suicide by cop as she brings up what happened in her vision of him and makes the point that her vision showed his hopes. After that he leaves but not before she says he has a death wish. Tandy immediately goes for her pills and is very upset. We switch between her and Tyrone seemingly soon after he leaves the church doing push-ups and eventually we see Tandy throw the drugs away as she is crying.

We see what could be dawn and Tandy at the sea front with a bag. Out of the bag she takes rope and chains and ties herself down before throwing herself into the water. We watch from just above the water line until we see a glowing light move upwards toward the surface. We then see Tandy break the surface and use her light dagger to cut the ropes from her hands. We see Tyrone head back into the police station and this time ask to speak to Detective O’Reilly. Tandy goes into Greg’s burned out office and uses her light dagger to cut through a file cabinet and grab the Roxxon files as we move to the closing credits.