91 Days - Episode 10 (Review)
By Rae[yasr_multiset setid=11] Avilio, now discovering just how carefully he was drawn into the Vanetti family, has a talk with Ganzo. It turns out it was Vincent’s order to find Angelo Lagusa, but while Ganzo succeeded, he made sure Vincent believed Angelo was dead. Avilio had unknowingly become Ganzo’s tool against the Vanetti family, whose town he wants for himself.
With the knowledge of who really wrote the letter, Avilio bargains for Corteo’s safety and is allowed to take him back to the apartment he lived in before he received the letter. On their little sleepover adventure, Avilio no longer acts like the hardened killer he’s grown to be. He admits to the crippling emptiness of his existence before the letter, shares too-sweet coffee (apparently Avilio is a big fan of sugar) and even smiles. For the first time, we’re seeing an Avilio who takes in the feeling of a simple life – the joy of a homecooked meal, shopping for dishes, showing someone around town.
Meanwhile, the Vannettis are working on a truce with the Galassias. They’ll be attending an event together, bringing Vincent out of the house for the first time in awhile. Ganzo is sure to remind Avilio of this, sliding him a gun.Barbero, suspicious of Corteo, goes to the pier to try to find out where he has gone. He discovers Corteo was at the pier on the same day as Avilio and, along with Nero, confronts Avilio with the accusation that he allowed Corteo to escape. With the gift of terrible/great timing, Corteo bursts through the door just in time to interrupt Barbero’s inquisition, and Avilio is given one chance – shoot Corteo and clear his name, or go down with him.
This one in particular was a doozy. It’s strange to say that episode after episode, but when it comes to shocking conclusions, the writers for this show deserve medals. We spend about (at least) half of the episode immersed in the hopeful relief that maybe, just maybe, there is a normal life waiting at the end of everything. Neither man is completely healed of their ordeals so far, but for a brief moment, Corteo and Avilio get to experience what it’s like to be brothers in a world where things flow calmly. There is no mafia surrounding them, no family feuds. There is just a quiet neighborhood, coffee in the morning, and a home-cooked meal for two at the end of the day.
While Corteo had a softer edge to him at the beginning, we’ve always known the adult Avilio to be a rough, broken man with a disposition that falls somewhere between serious and just a little insane. This was the first episode where we really came know more about him. Insignificant things, like a taste for sweet coffee, or how he remembers his brother’s wish to someday go to the zoo. For the first time, Avilio seems as if he’s not just moving through life to reach the end goal.The return from this to the mafia drama of Lawless is harsh return to reality, and it all culminates in a shocking ending.
Another great episode for 91 Days, and I have to say my hopes for great episodes have now just turned into an expectation. When we all chose series to write about at the beginning of the season, this one seemed intriguing, but so much could have gone wrong. 10 episodes in, it’s clearly a win.Catch 91 Days on Crunchyroll, Fridays at 2:30PM EDT!
