Cloak & Dagger season 1, episode 9 and 10 finale recap: ‘Back Breaker’ and ‘Colony Collapse’

Kelly Shanaphy

Photo Credit: Freeform

Cloak & Dagger has the heroes regress so they can climb one final hurdle in the season finale.

Easily one of the best series of the summer, Cloak & Dagger finishes on a strong note. While the penultimate episode serves mostly as a mandatory character regression to force the heroes to embrace their destiny, the finale is riveting. There’s no doubt this Marvel series will return with an even more compelling second season next year.

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To recap episode nine, both Tandy and Tyrone are dealing with their own sets of problems. They’re also back to hating each other, which isn’t exactly the best plan of action to take. Despite getting a confession on tape of Connors admitting to the murder of Billy, the police are hesitant to take action. His parents are furious because they correctly believe his pursuit of Connors has made him a target. It doesn’t matter that he was right, because it just confirms their darkest fear that the police covered up the unarmed murder of an African American teenager.

Meanwhile, Tandy finally gets Liam out of jail to try and return to her old life. However, after she messes with his head, he steals her money and trashes her church. While she seems a little ticked off by losing her life savings, she mainly understands why he did it.

O’Reilly isn’t stupid either and she knows Connors is behind the murder of her boyfriend. After tossing back a few drinks, she confronts him at the bar. Naturally, this ends with her getting beat up but it doesn’t make either one feel any better. Unluckily, Tyrone has been framed for the death of the boyfriend and has him out on the run.

Tandy ends up returning to her mother’s house to find her held at gunpoint by a member of the Roxxon Corporation. For the most part, Cloak & Dagger ends the penultimate episode by putting the heroes’ loved ones in jeopardy. Not to mention, one of Mina’s valves exploded and left her running for her life in the woods.

Photo Credit: Freeform

The finale of Cloak & Dagger is a great example of what a modern-day superhero show should be like.

Picking up right where episode nine left off, the supporting cast finds themselves in danger. Cloak & Dagger quickly moves past this to get right back to the root of the story. While the show lagged a bit in the first few episodes, by “Colony Collapse” it’s clear the series is completely aware of the pace they want to maintain and their story-telling style.

The finale is framed around the “divine pairings” of history while Tandy and Tyrone deal with their own struggles. Evita isn’t as interested in her aunt’s stories though since they mean her boyfriend has a chance of dying. However, staying locked inside the house is one of the smartest decisions she’s made in this season.

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Tyrone gets his first dose of the craziness happening outside when he tries to blend into the crowd in Mardi Gras. Despite O’Reilly trying her hardest to get him to safety, the police stop them and throw them into the back of the precinct. Tyrone is wondering what they’ll do to them but O’Reilly is extremely aware that Connors is going to kill them. However, while he can’t use his powers to get them out, he does give a moving speech to the guard which almost works. It’s a common theme in the world these days: ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds hate. Tyrone attempting to bridge the divide is one of the many reasons he’s a hero to root for.

Meanwhile, Tandy saves her mom from the Roxxon assassin but immediately goes to protect Mina. She gets there just in the nick of time to save her from “The Terrors” otherwise known as the crazy Roxxon workers. While Scarborough is incredibly unhelpful, the two try to make their way to the core to shut all the valves down.

They’re too late though because New Orleans is slowly descending into chaos. People are getting infected and eventually, it spreads to the police station where Tyrone is being held. The officers quickly go crazy but it does allow Tyrone and O’Reilly the time to escape to get his cloak. She stays behind to help her fellow officers, even though they probably wouldn’t do the same for her, and he lures them all into an office before transporting away.

He ends up landing to Tandy’s aide, where Mina has gotten infected. The two retreat to Tandy’s church to lick their wounds. They’re ready to give up but Evita comes storming in to tell them to face things head on. Her and Tyrone have a declaration of love before she runs away, but before she does she realizes he’s the one who’s been marked for death. At least Tandy is there to break the tension with a bit of her sarcasm.

Easily one of the best parts of the Cloak & Dagger finale is Tandy giving Tyrone back Billy’s hoodie to wear as a new cloak and calling him a “baller lady-killer”. The two make their way to the core where they get to show off their powers. When things take a turn for the worse, O’Reilly ends up just in the nick of time to free up their path. Of course, Connors ends up taking her down because he can’t just leave things alone.

The Roxxon valve explodes and blasts her and Connors with some of the chemicals. Seems like Mayhem will be rising from the ashes next season based on that post credits scene. But it’s interesting that Connors wasn’t affected. Has he come into contact with the chemicals before or is he naturally immune? Could something have happened to him that night of the original explosion?

Doesn’t look like well be getting an answer anytime soon because Tyrone’s darkness absorbs Connors. Fans of Cloak & Dagger comic books will know that it’s one of his most utilized powers in the comics and it’s awesome to see on-screen. But it also allows him to realize that he’s the one who must die. While he’s trying to make a heroic sacrifice, Tandy comes bursting in to save him. Honestly, their friendship is one of the best pairings on television now.

Luckily, the chemicals inside the Roxxon core are actually the energies within inside the two of them. They absorb everything and manage to end the impending doom with a relaxed smile. In the end, Tandy manages to get retribution against Roxxon and returns home to her Mom’s to try to repair the relationship. Tyrone now ends the series where she started, cradled in Billy’s cloak and hiding at the church. It will be interesting to see how this new dynamic shapes Cloak & Dagger season two. If it means more Tandy bringing care packages to her only friend then next season should be fantastic.

Kelly Shanaphy

Kelly Shanaphy is a superhero nerd and writer still dreaming of joining the X-Men. In her free time, she's either working on her novel or cheering on the New York Giants.