The First Exile” Part I - This is the most powerful episode of the series (IMO), not only because it introduced us to Gogol in his “second life”, but also because we’re shown a true, complete villain for how he was perceived by the public. At the same time, though, he also comes across as a tragic and complicated person, not only in his own right, but as the character who really drove the first half of that arc. “The Second Exile” Part I - Here is where we learn the full extent of Gogol’s crimes in Russia, and how he had to flee due to a scandal and the danger he put him and his family in. We also see one of the first examples of how Gogol might have been a really evil character, a really manipulative and power-hungry, ruthless personality that could very easily have made him into the “bad guy” he feared he would become when thinking about how to avoid it. The Second Exile” Part II - He becomes an ambassador to the king of a nation that borders on an evil empire that threatens everyone. So how does he not act out and risk getting his family killed? How does he deal with the politics and treachery of the city and its rulers? We see a lot more of Gogol’s power in the show and his strength to be very manipulative, but also his ability to use it to do good. We also see how the villain of that arc, the Duke Wuhuan, and others are portrayed (in general), as really nasty, dangerous people, who seem to actually like being villains, but more specifically we learn more about Gogol’s own personal reasons for avoiding it and the reasons he does in this episode. “Lambs” Part I - While Gogol seems to have put aside some of his villainy (it seems to be a bit in the past at this point), we see Gogol’s continued strength and his ability to use his strengths to his advantage, his manipulative nature to save someone he’s connected to. In this episode and from what we see, we get the impression that Gogol probably isn’t a “good” person, but has become a somewhat heroic one. It’s very interesting, because Gogol was definitely a really good character before this, but now he seems to be more noble and he seems to make the right decision more often, as opposed to always making the wrong one. “Lambs” Part II - Here we see Gogol deal with someone who he used his powers for selfish reasons, and really does something truly evil and dangerous, despite the best intentions. And this, though he is not the villain of this episode in itself, leads to him falling into the role of “bad guy” again. This episode seems to have been written as the penultimate piece of evidence against Gogol in the end. And we learn more about Gogol’s weaknesses, and what drives him to make choices that seem to indicate he isn’t truly as good as he thinks he is. “Lambs” Part III - More of Gogol, of both his selfishness and weakness. He lets himself be the tool in someone else’s hands (a man who Gogol may respect and admire as well as befriend, but also one who will do great harm) and, in the end, he loses the people who matter to him most. “Lambs” Part IV - Not much to say, but I think it’s just incredible how it all goes downhill from here. It’s a pretty powerful episode, which tells a story in the most straight-forward and simple way I’ve ever seen. It almost feels as if the writers just say: “Let’s just set this up.” Because then you can see how events are going to unfold, in very short order. But the most powerful thing is that it makes the viewer “suddenly realize” that Gogol is the villain. There is nothing else to really explain it, it’s not anything particularly elaborate or subtle. It’s a case of “Duh.” And here is why this is so powerful: because Gogol could have gone a very different direction, a very different path that could have been considered more acceptable and allowed him to be “heroic” in the end. I think people liked how Gogol was written initially, so it’s this “Duh” moment that ends up being the revelation that reveals Gogol as being evil. And that is why I truly believe this episode is one of the greatest of the whole show. For me, this episode was (and still is) the “most important one” of the whole series. There’s a lot of room to talk about this in-depth in the podcast, if people are interested in it. In “The Lamb” I’m going to cheat a bit here, but this is what I wrote about the whole series: The Lamb So, here we have another “Lamb” episode, though I think it makes some great points about religion, fate and its power to completely change one’s destiny. It also shows Gogol’s character as he seems to “unlearn” some of the villainy he is depicted as having done, though this is again, IMO, not the correct way to take it. Gogol had a choice, to be honest, and he had power and could have made a very different choice, but he chose not to. We also see a bit of how Gogol can manipulate everyone (even his own daughter and wife), and what sort of power and intelligence he has and it’s scary. It also shows the power of his love for everyone, how much of an effect he has on everyone around him, which is, again, what gives the story and Gogol so much of his charm. The Lamb (Part I) While the way the story plays out seems a bit rushed at first, we have a more in-depth look at Gogol’s ability to manipulate, and how he can manipulate events, and this time around he seems to also have taken his “villain” role and just let it happen, making everyone who truly cares about him suffer. The Lamb (Part II) Gogol is just manipulated into doing something and he finds himself in a “role” as the “villain” once again, and this time it’s not to save the day, it’s something more evil than ever before. We see a darker, more evil side of Gogol, in which he is used and manipulated and abused, and what this does to him and to those around him (and especially to Gogol’s daughter and wife), is heartbreaking. We also see Gogol’s inability to feel, to think about anyone other than himself. It is so fascinating to me, how Gogol has no empathy and we can see his “dark side,” but we also see how much he cares for his wife and daughter, and also for everyone else around him, which is even more sad because they do nothing to protect him or help him, and just stand there and watch him suffer. The Lamb (Part III) This is the most depressing of the episodes I’ve talked about so far. It’s so depressing because the entire series was one man trying to be a hero. Gogol makes one choice, that he makes so that he can save his family, but the very same thing that saves them makes them suffer, and Gogol has no idea how to fix it and just wants it to be over, as if somehow it will make it better. The Lamb (Part IV) The “Duh” moment, is a moment that really defines Gogol, and it may be the strongest character moment of all of the show. It’s not even necessarily a dramatic moment, as I said, but it’s when we realize that he had been doing everything he had done all along, which makes Gogol a really interesting character, and gives the ending of the episode a new depth that makes it even more powerful. That’s why I think that “The Lamb” episodes are, perhaps, the most important ones, because they reveal Gogol to be a villain. I also think that’s why I believe “The Lamb” is one of the most crucial episodes in the whole series, because it is the moment when we truly get to see and understand Gogol and his story, the way all these other episodes have done.