Ep 3. Rain

Brandon Heat is back in episode three! The episode’s setting is in a dingy room that has not seen the light of day for ages. Here, we find Brandon hallucinating and mumbling about a promise made to Harry McDowell. He can barely stand and seems to be on the verge of passing out just as a woman carrying an umbrella comes in to disrupt his moment of trance.

The woman introduces herself as Maria the caretaker and points out the mess in the room is as a result of an insane man that Brandon shared the room with before he arrived there. The woman thinks Brandon is a runaway from home but after observing him, she concludes that he is a victim of injustice and violence.

Brandon overhears Maria calling out to the old man downstairs and quickly shields himself and the woman behind a door. The old man, Bob Poundmax, enters and unloads his wrath on Maria for talking to strangers and revealing details of his business to outsiders. He goes into a long speech on the necessity of being discreet when dealing with strangers.

Brandon, on the other hand, is in pain and experiencing intense hallucinations as a result of the Overdosing of the Necrolizer drug. He is trying to remember his past or if his meeting Bob was just another encounter for his job as a hitman. Through the scenes in his head, we see Harry’s memories, showing him and Brandon's first meeting.

Later in the episode, we watch a peculiar scene where Brandon visits an old warehouse where he meets with some of his colleagues who have been instructed by Harry to lay low. Amidst the warm welcome from his friends is a feeling of unease brewing within him. He is feeling dizzy and confused with every ticking of time, and his vision is getting blurry.

As the men make their way out of the warehouse, a group of gangsters appears alongside their leader, Randy, who eventually reveals his true intentions to them. They wish to be led by Brandon in their incoming war. Brandon is in no place to make a clear decision, so a fight ensues. He faces off Randy's team and comes out victorious with a few cuts and bruises along the way.

Back in his grubby room, Brandon's life takes a different turn as Maria treats Brandon to some home-made porridge. Brandon is touched by her kindness, and she suggests he stays with her for some time till he recovers. Brandon opens up to Maria about his dark past, and we see an emotional side to him. The experience of having another person care for him is a new one for Brandon who has only known violence, gunfights, and shady dealings.

In the concluding scenes of the episode, we see Bob Poundmax lamenting about the loss of his sister many years ago. However, he is not alone in his sorrow as we soon realize that Harry is listening to the old man's story. Harry, in turn, shares his own story, and that of Brandon, the hitman he created in his image.

Episode three, "Rain," shares a tale of vulnerability from two aspects of human life: where Brandon is an emotional wreck after overdosing on drugs and where Harry shares a dark past and a softer side of him. Despite his continuous attempts to put up a persona of an unaffected and unemotional leader, we see Harry’s human side where he mourns the loss of people and reminisces about his past. This side of him is not unfamiliar to us as we see it replicate in different scenes of the series.

This episode highlights the aftermath of Brandon’s work as a hitman. The physical and emotional turmoil that comes with the job is brought to light. He is a broken soul whose only function is to complete hits and get paid. However, his encounter with a caring Maria brings a newfound feeling of warmth and protection.

Gangsters, emotional bonds, and remorse for a lost love are the themes brought to life in "Rain" as promised by the series teaser. It is a rejuvenation of a worn-out assassin whose body and mind are worn out from the hunting and killing he has seen and perpetrated. Through the soft talks with Maria and the memories the Overdose awakens, we see a side of Brandon that is human, empathetic, and vulnerable.