Lodge 49 season 2 premiere recap: All Circles Vanish

Lodge 49 starts season 2 with “All Circles Vanish!” How’s Dud after the shark attack? Is Liz still depressed? Where’s Ernie? We’ve got answers! And a recap!

Season two of Lodge 49 picks up with Dud (Wyatt Russell) on a plane with his friend and mentor Ernie (Brent Jennings). They’re living the impossible dream until the plane’s pilot, L. Marvin Metz (Paul Giamatti), author of the Prague Paradox, rushes out of the cockpit. The plane is crashing. There are enough parachutes for the three of them until a burning blue-headed mascot jumps out of the plane with one of the parachutes. L. Marvin Metz takes a parachute because who else is going to write Tom Stone novels? So, Dud straps a parachute on and tells Ernie to collect the Scrolls. Dud bear hugs Ernie and promises not to let go as they jump out of the plane.

I thought the mention of impossible dream meant this was a dream, but not on Lodge 49. This was a flash-forward. In the present day, Dud is still in the hospital recovering from the shark attack that ended season one. He’s either lucid dreaming, high, or some magnificent combination of both. He’s rotating as scenes from the past are played out in front of him. They include Liz (Sonya Cassidy) in a business casual holding a shovel in front of a pool. That’s a grim way to clean a pool. As the dream ends, it’s not Dud that wakes up. It’s Connie (Linda Emond). She’s still at Lodge 1 in the UK.

Catching Up with the Dudley’s

Dud is close to being released from the hospital. His leg feels better than ever. There’s going to be a cool scar. After seeing his dad, Dud feels like he’s on the right path. He confides to Blaise (Dave Pasquesi) while he’s on pain killers, but Dud is cool with that. Blaise and Dud have grown closer during Dud’s recovery. Blaise asks Dud to be his apprentice. Dud is stoked. Blaise explains that there are two types of maps for the world. The map that guides you through the physical world of streets and countries. And, the map that guides you through the inner spiritual self. Groovy. Dud is down for whatever. He just wants to know where Ernie is.

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Liz is newly debt free. But she’s also broke and jobless after she jumped off the Omni boat. When she arrives to pick up Dud, a man (Michael Delgado) asks her for some change. Liz gives him $3, but quickly realizes she needs that to pay for parking. When the man won’t give it back, Liz chases him and pretty much mugs him.

Times are tough for Liz. She had to pawn her TV to Burt (Joe Grifasi) for grocery money. Dud tries to console her, but she’s even more depressed than she was last season. The same emotions come back when Liz gets the 100-yard stare and a defeated, scared look. When she goes to Dud’s temp agency for work, she sees her old boss, Jeremy (Daniel Stewart Sherman).

During performance reviews, a swarm of rats overtakes Shamroxx. Gerson (Atkins Estimond) is horrified. Champ (David Ury) is impressed. He picks up a rat, becomes ill, and wishes for the onset of the bubonic plague. Meanwhile, corporate has shut down the Shamroxx and the building is condemned. Jeremy takes this chance opportunity to try to force a reality on Liz where they had an affair. She reluctantly agrees with him as they hug.

Liz does score a temp job working for a doctor of questionable finance. Dr. Kimbrough’s (Bronson Pinchot) only requirement is that Liz knows how to shred. Unless she’s wearing a wire. Then the good doctor is the pillar of financial honesty.

When Liz picks up Dud, they stop at Alice’s (Celia Au) donut shop. Liz warns Dud that a new pool store has opened up in the family’s old storefront. The on the nose Pool Party is run by a family that includes Greta (Beth Felice) and her son Booie (Sam A. Coleman). At first, Dud is cool with this. Eventually, he steals Booie’s pool cleaning equipment with the help of Herman (Sam Puefua) and goes into business for himself.

The most touching Dudley moment is when they watch an old commercial for their pool shop that features both of their parents. The Dudley’s are still emotionally wounded. But, Dud was able to get Liz’s television back from Burt on the promise of an insurance settlement from an ambulance-chasing lawyer by the name of Daphne Benson (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). Oh, Dud.

A Thor vs Star Lord Type Deal

The Lodge is in a bad financial situation. Maybe Dr. Kimbrough will be able to help? But, in the meantime, Sovereign Protector Scott (Eric Allan Kramer) is trying his best to keep the Lodge going. No one seems particularly enthused by his leadership. He’s technically not even leader. While he is in name, all decisions have to be approved by Jocelyn (Adam Godley). And, the rank and file are cool with that.

It’s nice to see Jocelyn all recovered from his nuclear reactor level sunburn. He’s really fitting in at the Lodge now. One of the first things he does is to inform Scott that he will not be able to take a tour of all of the Lodges as new Sovereign Protector. Instead, he can watch an enthralling CD Rom. Nice. Also, at a meeting of members, Scott announces that he has to call in all bar tabs. Based on the drinking witnessed in the first season of Lodge 49, the tabs could fund Google for a quarter.

Ernie

Where’s Ernie? He hasn’t been to the Lodge. He didn’t go to visit Dud in the hospital. It turns out that he’s still not recovered from meeting and being let down by The Captain (Bruce Campbell) in season one. At West Coast Super Sales, Bob (Brian Doyle-Murray) is gushing over his favorite employee, Beautiful Jeff (Michael Lee Kimel) for making the cover of The Flow. He gets on Ernie for having lackluster sales and tells him that if he doesn’t pick up his production he might be relegated to the orders desk. I work in a call center. Prayers up for Ernie, everybody.

Dud shows up at Ernie’s home to confront him. He tells Ernie that he may have checked out on Dud and the Lodge, but Dud hasn’t checked out on him. If Ernie needs Dud, he’s a phone call away. Dud is true blue. When Ernie goes into his house, he listens to a couple of voicemails. One is from El Confidente (Cheech Marin). He’s mad at Ernie for stealing his van and ditching the efforts to find the Scrolls. Ernie raises his shirt to reveal a tattoo. It’s half of a completed T-Rex standing on top of a snail. I think. I. Have. Questions!

Meanwhile, Connie is still at Lodge 1. She confides to Clara (Pollyanna Macintosh) that she sees things that aren’t always there. Clara tells her that it might be good to meet her boss. And I can’t wait for next week!

What did you think of the season premiere of Lodge 49? How will Dud and Ernie get back together? Let’s discuss in the comments!