Cinemax's Jett - Episode 1.03 "Phoenix"
Jett looks back at the origins of her relationship with Phoenix and is ordered by Evans to track down Blair - or else.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Cinemax's Jett.
"Phoenix" was written by Sebastian Gutierrez and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez
This is the first episode that seems to buckle a little bit under the weight of so much plot. There is a lot going on in this world. It isn't collectively coming together in a rewarding way just yet. There is every expectation that the many plot threads will be important in the long term. Right now, there is simply a lot of setup. The first two episodes were like that as well. This one just suffers from not having a central heist that can be fun to see Jett try to pull off. She hasn't really been successful in that endeavor though. As such, her reputation as a master thief may be up for debate. There are many criminals who are willing to employ her talents because they see her as the best in the business. Right now though, she is just desperately trying to survive in a world that seems prone to intimidating her into compliance. She is plotting against these criminal threats. She has so many connections that can help her arm herself in this coming fight. But this hour focuses mostly on her recovering from getting shot. There was never any fear of her actually being killed after Blair goes rogue following the discovery of gold brinks in the club safe. Instead, it just presents as an injury that interrupts her ability to pull off this job successfully. Of course, Evans and his criminal partners believe that Blair ran off with the entire score from this job. Jett is holding onto some of the gold brinks as well. As such, those are a commodity that could come back to hurt her at some point. She is choosing to be very private in who all she brings into her criminal life as well. She counts on Phoenix to stitch her up and tend to her bullet wounds. It's important to Phoenix that her fellow inmate knows that she is now clean and trying to turn her life around. She is working towards the goal of enrolling in school once more. That's a solid aspiration that may not become a reality simply because of the friends she chooses to help and protect. Jett is grateful but doesn't expect more from Phoenix because she knows how complicated everything with Bestic and Evans will become. This gold can be used as leverage at some point. She is choosing to hide it instead of sell it. She knows the value of waiting until the right moment to strike. That just means she goes to several characters hoping they can tell her more about what's going on. That's how Jackie is incorporated here. It may turn out to be fruitful information. Jett is only tentatively connected to this working relationship with the police. But she's also been tasked with hunting down Blair. That too will force her onto a journey of the past because he apparently is still working for the same criminal boss as ten years ago. It was suspicious that Jett and Blair were both brought together for this heist. It made things seem likely that Jett could betray Bestic as he is threatening her into submission. But now, she has to find Frank Sweeney and figure out how to keep herself alive until she can go after Bestic with a fatal blow. All of this is just plot that is consuming the lives of these characters though. Meanwhile, the heart of the drama may come from the bond between Jett and Maria. Now, that is still a mysterious bond. One where Maria is constantly teasing death. She is now shown to have vivid dreams that could suggest something more deadly is to come. That may be too vague at this point. It's mostly just important to know that they all seek comfort in Alice's bed knowing that the strength and love of this unique family unit can defeat anything.
