SurrealEstate 2×6 Review: “Set Your Flag on Fire”

SurrealEstate season 2 episode 6, ‘Set Your Flag on Fire’, had the Roman Agency try to stop a couple of neighbors from killing each other. And Phil got a visit from his sister to talk about their parents’ will.

The main conflict in ‘Set Your Flag on Fire’ was enjoyable as two families, the Hasans and the Masseys, dealt with an old curse that was making them fight each other. I liked how the episode built toward a much bigger confrontation as the curse increased in power. Also, I think this is the first time we have seen two properties being affected by a single curse simultaneously.

Of course, Phil came through at the last moment to explain the history behind the curse and why the fence separating the two houses was to blame. The backstory dealt with an event that occurred a 100 years ago between neighboring farms. Luke had the right idea to destroy the fence to end the curse once and for all.

The dynamic between the Hasans and Masseys, while troublesome, still managed to lead to a bunch of comedic moments. There was a whole lot of cursing and name-calling. Also, Rita got involved in the drama along with her new assistant, Alvin. Is Rita putting her assistants in danger going to be a running gag? If it is, I’ll be here for it.

Talking about Alvin, was it just me or were there some flirtatious vibes between him and Zooey? Hmmm.

Even though the current episode had some humor, it also offered a bunch of emotionally heavy moments. The toxic yelling match between Zooey and August (after both got influenced by the curse) was handled well. While it was tough to see the two be vile toward each other in such a manner, I liked how that particular interaction helped explain their current relationship. August was indeed a father figure to Zooey.

I hope the creative team continues to explore their relationship. Was August father-like to Zooey because he felt it could, in some way, make up for how his own daughters weren’t in contact with him?

August gave Zooey some very good advice about the importance of finding some kind of direction. He shared that it was understandable for young people to be unsure about what they wanted to do. However, sooner or later, they had to pick a path. And while I’m disappointed that Zooey decided to not pursue a career as a real estate agent, I’m looking forward to seeing what she finds to be her true calling as long as it doesn’t take her away from the Roman Agency.

My fan theory is that Zooey has latent magical potential that she should consider tapping into. We need a witch on the team!

I had been waiting for Anthony to show up ever since the premiere of SurrealEstate season 2 and I’m glad he finally appeared in ‘Set Your Flag on Fire’ to offer support to Phil. We got introduced to Phil’s sister Abigail and her visit brought back some unpleasant memories for our resident researcher.

It’s revealed that Phil and Abigail’s parents left some property to be donated to the church. Abigail decided that Phil should be the one to sign off on officially donating the land to the church. And we all know Phil’s history with churches. Anthony encouraged Phil to come clean about his feelings in front of Abigail, and I liked how that led to Phil receiving some important information about his parents.

I have to say I was a bit worried about Phil and Abigail’s conversation over dinner at a restaurant. The vibes seemed to veer a bit too close to homophobic with Abigail bringing up how Phil broke their mother’s heart. However, the entire thing ended on a somewhat positive note when Abigail revealed that even though Phil went against what their parents had taught them, he was still their favorite child.

Relationships with parents can be very tricky. There’s a lot that can be left unsaid, with children finding out about how their parents felt decades down the line. Though still having Phil as their favorite child didn’t excuse his parents’ behavior toward him or his husband, I think it helped Phil recognize the “love” his parents had for him and that allowed him to fulfill their wish of donating the land regardless of what he thought about the organized religious institution he grew up in. Phil’s line about how he wasn’t good enough for the church yet his inheritance was was a good one.

The current episode also took a moment to have Phil and Anthony talk about the ongoing adoption process. We knew things weren’t looking great for the couple due to (I would assume) adoption agencies not keen on giving a gay couple a child to raise. I loved how Phil assured Anthony during the conversation. According to Phil, the two didn’t need a child to be a complete family. They were enough for each other and the family they had created was far better than what some other people had to deal with. The way the scene was shot and the lines were delivered… my heart!

I’m still holding out on the hope that Phil and Anthony will come across a random child under some weird circumstances and said child will end up having supernatural abilities.

The episode ended with Luke continuing to be emotional about Susan’s absence. He finally felt sorry about how he treated her. However, he still couldn’t manage to say those words to her face. Nopes. He verbalized them alone in his office and took out his frustration by breaking a couple of glass bottles. It’s clear Luke needed Susan to be part of the Roman Agency, but he’s also a prideful man. Also, I think he didn’t appreciate Susan finding it so easy to leave the team upon his return.

Sigh! If only he knew that Susan’s currently trapped inside the walls of her creepy AI house. Like, when the heck is the Roman Agency going to do a wellness check on her?

I don’t know if Sarah Levy was busy or there were certain scheduling conflicts during the filming of the second season, but having Susan be absent over the past few episodes and Luke and the rest not doing anything about it doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, why hasn’t Zooey reached out to Susan by showing up at her front door?

Hopefully, Susan can be rescued soon. From what I can tell, there are only four more episodes to go.

What did you think of ‘Set Your Flag on Fire’?

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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