Fightland Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Brick by Brick Just Raised the Stakes for Duke’s Revenge Plan

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

Off the top, one thing I’ll say about Fightland is this show wastes no time getting straight to the action.

Fightland Season 2 Episode 2’s Brick by Brick picks up right where the Fightland premiere left off, with Jay walking in on Duke standing over a dead body.

Whew! I need Duke to slow this revenge thing down because he’s making my nerves bad. He had eight years to plan, but now that he’s out, he’s just ready to go.

(Courtesy Starz)

Duke’s Revenge Is Already Going Left

Duke is no dummy, but his payback plan is blinding him. 

Stealing the Marshall family’s drug haul was already risky. Accidentally killing Simeon after he catches him with it turns one bold move into a full-blown mess.

The idea behind stealing the drugs makes sense. 

Duke wants to plant them on the Marshall family’s Albanian partners and make it look like they betrayed Kingsley.

The problem is that Duke is piling up bodies and creating new problems.

Good grief. Get it together, Duke!

(Courtesy of Starz)

Let’s go back to one of those bodies. 

When it gets dumped, that thing looks like a mannequin wrapped in garbage bags. So fake!

Who thought that was a good idea?

I know, they could have found something better to use for a body. The whole thing looked crazy and was actually quite comical. 

But keeping Simeon’s phone eventually leads to one of the episode’s best surprises. 

We find out Kim is more than a ring girl. She’s 5-0. Plot twist!

(Courtesy Starz)

Jay Is Making Me Nervous

For some reason, Jay grew on me immediately. There’s just something about him.

He’s from the streets, but he doesn’t seem particularly street smart.

Duke is pretty much the only family Jay has. He’s just back in London, and Jay is already standing beside a dead body and a table full of stolen drugs.

Jay could have run. He could have called the police. Instead, he sticks by Duke.

He seems like the kind of person who has had a hard life and very little peace.

(Courtesy of Starz)

I found myself sympathizing with him and wanting something good to happen for him.

But now he’s caught up in Duke’s mess, and I can’t help thinking the other shoe is going to drop.

I’ll be watching every scene Jay is in with one eye open because I really feel like something could happen to him. And if it does, he doesn’t deserve it. 

Duke Wants Some Joy in His Life

Duke’s father wants him back in the ring, but that’s not happening, so he tells his son to find something he loves outside of boxing.

It seems like that might be a turning point for them because their relationship is so complicated.

(Courtesy of Starz)

His father cared enough to give him some useful advice, and it’s obvious it came from a genuine place.

Then Duke immediately picks up his phone and starts texting Joy.

Oh, snap! He clearly wants Kingsley’s wife, who just so happens to be the love of his life.

Here’s what I don’t understand. Jay is Duke’s best friend, and he still doesn’t know about Joy.

So, are they saying that it’s okay for him to see the drugs, the bodies, and everything else, but he can’t know about Joy?

Make it make sense.

(Courtesy Starz)

This rubs me the wrong way. Jay has already proven he’s Duke’s ride-or-die.

If anybody has earned the full truth, it’s him.

The Marshall Family Is Complicated. Very Complicated.

The hour gives us more insight into the Marshall family, and boy, is it messy.

Joy is CeCe and Zeke’s stepmother, but she also happens to be the same age as CeCe.

Zeke doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with her, but sister dear ain’t feeling Joy at all.

(Courtesy Starz)

CeCe calls Joy a “leech” and can’t understand why her father can spot trouble everywhere else, but apparently can’t see the problem with his own wife.

I don’t get the gold digger or leech vibe from Joy yet, though.

There’s clearly more to her marriage, her relationship with CeCe, and her history with Duke than we know right now.

Aside from CeCe and Joy’s dynamic, we also get some interesting content with the Marshall kids.

The siblings handle the family business very differently.

Zeke is a hothead, flying off the handle at every little thing and loudly. Meanwhile, CeCe is calm. She’s very much in control, not just business-wise, but in her demeanor.

CeCe Marshall Has Beauty and Brains

(Courtesy Starz)

CeCe is cutthroat. She’s dangerous. She is her father’s daughter.

And I like her. I really like her.

CeCe is brilliant. She knows the ins and outs of her father’s business, thinks before she speaks, and never appears rattled.

She also dresses the part. Her hair is always laid, the accessories are great, and her clothes are gorgeous.

CeCe has the bad-girl-with-brains thing down. 

She’s already one of my favorite characters, and I really want to see where Fightland takes her.

(Courtesy Starz)

Overall, Fightland remains a solid show to grab your snacks and escape for an hour.

There are plenty of twists, turns, and action, and it’s enjoyable.

The thick accents and British slang can still be hard to understand at times, but closed captioning is my friend. It really helps.

Fightland airs Fridays on STARZ and streams on the STARZ app.

If you’re watching, share your thoughts in the comments.

• Fightland Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Duke’s revenge goes off the rails as Jay gets dragged in and CeCe proves she’s the real power player.

• One boxer scores the biggest win of his life, then loses everything before the night is over.

• Fightland brings boxing, crime, and revenge to STARZ. Meet the dangerous players entering the ring in our spoiler-free preview.

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