SurrealEstate 2×8 and 2×9 Review: “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” and “Dearly Departed”

With the SurrealEstate season 2 finale all set to air next week, episodes 8 and 9, titled ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ and ‘Dearly Departed’, finally got the Roman Agency to really look into Susan’s disappearance.

‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ involved three storylines. We saw Lomax handle another bizarre case at her new job. Luke decided to meet his long-lost mother. Zooey took things into her own hands to get Susan to talk to her. I was kind of impressed by how the creative team was able to manage all of it without the episode feeling rushed.

Lomax getting to handle a family of four that was showcasing certain animalistic tendencies brought the comedic element. From the growling to the sniffing and more, there’s some nice physical acting going on with the Malachi family imitating dogs.

Now, I had been wondering if the fictional world of SurrealEstate included werewolves or not. And episode 8 provided a somewhat satisfying answer. It made sense for Lomax to think of the Malachi family as werewolves. I would have landed on the same assumption.

However, August let Lomax know that when it came to the supernatural cases the Roman Agency addressed, the cause was more specific. For example, a paranormal being not wanting to pass to the other side, a very old curse, etc. Werewolves, according to August, was a very broad myth.

With Lomax having talked to Phil about the myth surrounding lycanthropes, viewers got to learn that the Malachi family weren’t werewolves. But that didn’t mean werewolves didn’t exist in the world of SurrealEstate. It’s just that the Roman Agency hadn’t had to deal with such canine shapeshifters… yet.

Would I like to see werewolves popping up on this show? Of course! But I also understand the creative team’s need to do something unexpected when coming up with monster-of-the-week scenarios. Werewolves are an easy option. Seeing a family being possessed by the angry spirits of animals buried at an old pet cemetery? Now that’s exciting! I really enjoyed that particular twist.

Poor Lomax had to appease the angry spirits herself. And she did a good job. The only thing that left me confused was how easily she carried around a big statue. Either the statue was deceptively lightweight or Lomax had a level of superstrength she wasn’t aware of. Hmm.

As for Luke, I like how the show had him meet his mother, Victoria, instead of dragging the reunion out for a potential third season. It’s revealed that just like Luke, his mother’s also a real estate agent. It’s also revealed that Victoria knew about him hearing voices as a kid. On top of that, Victoria could hear voices, too. Apparently, she thought distancing herself from Luke would make things better for him.

Their reunion was handled well. Luke was allowed to, understandably, get angry at his mother for leaving him and his father without an explanation. Though Victoria apologized to Luke and shared her regret, at this point, I will leave it up to the viewers when it comes to whether or not they want to forgive her. Luke’s not fully there yet either. But he did mention how talking on the phone every Sunday morning would be a nice start to mend their relationship.

The biggest development that came from the reunion was Luke’s special ability to fully return. The entire thing wasn’t explained. And I think Luke didn’t know the answer either. I guess being in such close proximity to Victoria helped unclog his power source somehow. I mean, do I need an in-depth explanation? Not really. I’m just excited to see Luke using his powers to finally save Susan.

Speaking of Susan, Zooey broke into Susan’s haunted house and was immediately met by the crazy AI that was controlling said house. That piece of technology was relentless when it came to annoying Zooey. He even outright said Zooey should pick up a knife and end it. That house has got some major issues and I’m looking forward to learning more about its backstory. Even though Zooey’s able to survive the house, it’s not without a whole bunch of injuries.

It’s war!

‘Dearly Departed’ opened with Luke learning about Zooey recovering at a hospital. She’ll be fine. But the agency needed to look into Susan’s house ASAP.

The major theme for the penultimate episode was moving on. We got to see Luke help a young ghost girl pass to the other side after being stuck to do so for a very long time. And the case Lomax handled involved the ghost of a client’s dead husband not wanting his wife to start a new life with her new hubby.

With Melanie Scrofano returning to direct another SurrealEstate episode and Varun Saranga playing the dead husband Zayan, ‘Dearly Departed’ served as a little Wynonna Earp reunion, complete with scenes of Zayan reading Wynonna Earp comics.

Luke’s powers served a major role in trying to get Zayan, his wife Joiti, and Joti’s new husband Nasir to try and make peace with the past as they began a new chapter. The dual couples counseling session didn’t bring forth the results Luke anticipated, but I think it still played a part in aiding Zayan to come to terms with the situation he was in. Zayan had to move on. That was the only sensible choice. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Zayan began sounding crazy when he suggested killing Joti so they could live together forever. I’m glad Luke squashed that plan right away by making Zayan realize the darkness of what he was actually saying.

With Zooey’s experience with the haunted house letting the Roman Agency know that Susan’s really in danger, I liked how Luke didn’t barge in. When dealing with such an entity, the team needed to come up with a strategy. They needed to know what they were really up against. This house was capable of tapping into cellphone networks, using Susan’s pyrokinetic powers, trapping people in walls, and throwing around stuff. It was dangerous.

August brought in Rochelle to help him figure out a way to separate an organic being (Susan) from an inorganic paranormal structure (the house) without any harm being done to Susan in the process. Also, August and Rochelle were a romantic couple now which… okay?

Phil was tasked with researching the house, including the mythology about mirrors and how they can trap souls. There were also some banking documents Zooey assisted Phil with. Again, I want to know what’s up with that house.

The major twist in the penultimate episode involved the Roman Agency getting ready to face the house only to be met with a certain someone when the elevator doors opened. I was as shocked as the characters when a smiley Susan stepped out of the elevator and into the office as if nothing had happened.

Was that the real Susan or a version of Susan that’s being controlled by the haunted house? What did she want? The finale is going to be so good! 

Other thoughts and questions:

• The scenes with Phil taking care of his newly adopted daughter at home in ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ were so cute. He even brought her to work to meet August and the rest. I would have liked to see Phil and Anthony share scenes together with their daughter. But oh well.
• I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop when it comes to Rochelle. Am I the only one who doesn’t completely trust her?
• It looks like Zooey’s decided on a new career path. She’s looking into becoming a lawyer. And I think it makes sense with her personality. Being a lawyer will also help her stay connected to the Roman Agency.

What did you think of ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ and ‘Dearly Departed’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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