SANDA Episode 4 Brings Its Themes Together
Episode 4 of SANDA pulls the whole series into focus. In a single chapter it gathers up the show’s ideas and its strongest qualities into one confident piece of television. It may not click for everyone, but after this episode most viewers will know whether SANDA is for them.
The story picks up right where it left off. SANDA has been shot by a Santa Claus hunter and turns into the mythical figure once his blood stains his clothes red. The scene is carried by a darker, moodier take on Joy to the World, which sets an unusual and memorable tone.
As he fights, his large new body still moves in a clumsy, childlike way, a nice reminder that he is not yet comfortable as an adult or sure what adulthood even means for him. The action is woven together with flashbacks to his growing closeness with Ono.
Those quieter moments give the episode its heart. Through the two of them the show looks at how awkward growing up can be and how strongly adults try to manage young people’s lives, even leaning on small untruths to do it. It is thoughtful without getting heavy handed.
SANDA is not mining its themes too deeply yet, but it has made its intentions clear and left me genuinely excited. The question of how much say young people should have over their own lives is a timely one, and there is honestly nothing else quite like this show. SANDA is currently streaming on Amazon Prime, and the community score for the episode was 4.1.
My take: I love a series that is brave enough to be strange and to ask real questions. SANDA is a little too ambitious for its own good at times, and that is part of why I keep watching.
