Summary
Episode 5 is mostly an empty chapter with plenty of small talk and mind games that extinguishes the efforts of the previous two episodes.
This recap of Netflix’s Black Summer season 2, episode 5, “White Horse,” contains major spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous chapter.
Let’s be honest, apart from the ending, what is the point of this episode?
The title screen ‘Meet” pops up. We return to Spears, who is hungry and desperate. He finds an empty packet of crisps and tries to eat the crumbs, but there’s nothing there. A truck then drives by on the road and pulls up, so Spears hides behind a tree. When Spears reaches the road, a man (Braithwaite) finds him and gives him water — he claims to recognize him, but Spears is not sure and tests him, asking what his name is. Braithwaite says he is good with faces, but not names — he calls him Kevin, but that makes Spears even more paranoid.
Braithwaite tells Spears that they need to get off the road quickly and double up like two brothers. After plenty of small talk with each other, Spears finally relaxes and gives his name. He follows Braithwaite.
A new partnership
The title screen “Pale Horse” pops up — the two men make their way through the woods. Suddenly they see a man on a horse, so they get to the ground, and Braithwaite aims with his gun. The horserider keeps riding, and no trouble is caused. Spears tells Braithwaite to stop messing around by giving him different names. Braithwaite tells him that it’s a free country, and he can walk wherever he wants. They come across a struggling zombie, so Braithwaite tells Spears to kill it with a rock. He then provides Spears with alcohol and a gun.
Drinking goes wrong
Braithwaite decides to make a fire, and episode 5 becomes survival 101. Now enjoying the fire, Braithwaite tells Spears that he is Big James’ little brother, and Spears swigs his alcohol. The pair reminisce now they understand where they are both from — they drunkenly enjoy their conversation with each other. Braithwaite then talks about “bygones,” and the conversation dampens slightly. Spears suddenly wheezes, so Braithwaite wants to check out his wound — the men end up fighting each other like dumb, drunken, brawling men.
An infected wound
The title screen, “Exchange Rates,” pops up. Braithwaite wakes Spears up — it’s raining badly, and they can hear a horse galloping nearby. They can hear screaming and growling in the distance, and both men are unsure what to do. Spears is still struggling, and Braithwaite asks again how bad is his wound is. When he looks at it, he tells him it is infected. The men keep moving through the rain, chit-chatting. Braithwaite tells Spears that he’s never ridden a horse before, and he likes how pretty they are when they run.
The strange house
Suddenly, they hear the zombies, so they keep fleeing and shooting them down. The two men finally find a house, head inside, and shut the doors. When they look around the place, there’s writing all over the wall — it’s about an ascension. They noticed blood on the floors. When they go upstairs, there are loads of dead bodies, all in yellow clothing. A man sits in the middle of the dead bodies, and he tells them, “you made it,” and says he has been waiting for them — he passes Spears a pistol. The man thanks him, and Spears shoots him square in the head. Behind him, Braithwaite retches.
The ending of Black Summer season 2, episode 5
The title screen “Little James” pops up. Spears tells Braithwaite that he remembers him and says he killed his sorry ass — he thought what he did was enough. Braithwaite calls it a miracle and tells Spears that he wasn’t expecting him to shoot him twice in the back, but he explains he isn’t a vengeful person. Spears raises that he lost his gun, so it takes the choice out of the situation. Suddenly, the pale horse walks down the river banks, and Braithwaite is mesmerized by it. A single tear leaves his eye, and then Spears points the gun at the back of his head. He doesn’t shoot, and Braithwaite walks off.
Episode 5 is mostly an empty chapter with plenty of small talk and mind games that extinguishes the efforts of the previous two episodes.
