Netflix's Sacred Games season 2, episode 5 recap: Vikarna

In season 2, episode 5 of Netflix series Sacred Games, Gaitonde moves further up the ranks in Guruji’s doomsday cult. Also, Sartaj gets in trouble again.

Previously on Sacred Games, Inspector Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) got closer to infiltrating the organization of Shahid Khan (Ranvir Shorey). Also, Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) was reborn through additional carnage. Episode 5 begins with Alam (Nilesh Kumar) calling Shahid Khan to deliver criminal goods to the “Military Cafe,” which is basically a setup for Sartaj to infiltrate the organization. However, things go awry and 2 men are shot (and presumably killed).

The episode also has many flashbacks to the world of Gaitonde. We see Zoya Mirza/Jamila (Elnaaz Norouzi) visit Jojo Mascarenas (Surveen Chawla) for protection against Gaitonde. In a flashback-within-a-flashback, it’s hinted that Jojo betrayed Mary Mascarenas (Harshita Gaur), who similarly dreamed of success in the Bollywood acting world. In any case, Jojo is still on speaking terms with Gaitonde in this episode. In fact, Gaitonde has been ordered to be shot on sight if he is seen in India, so he probably needs as many allies as he can dredge up. He says she is “off the hook” for any wrongdoing (and, to Gaitonde’s credit, he’s usually pretty honest for a gangster).

It’s also true that, at this point in time, Gaitonde’s at his most forgiving. Not only did he finally get over his nemesis, Suleiman Isa (Saurabh Sachdeva), but he’s under the apocalyptic spiritual guidance of Khanna Guruji (Pankaj Tripathi). Guruji is a big believer in Satya Yuga, thinking the world needs a great sacrifice in order to be cleansed.

Related Story. Sacred Games season 2, episode 4 recap: Bardo. light

More from Show Snob

He also has his followers hooked on some mind-expanding substance called “gocchi” and lectures them on controlling pain, sexual purity and howling like animals. Gaitonde is so drawn to Guruji that he’s competing with Batya (Kalki Koechlin) for his attention! Knowing of his gangster origins, Guruji asks Gaitonde to take them to Satya Yuga.

Sartaj in trouble (again)

Sacred Games never lets Sartaj have a day off. Here he demands 5 minutes with Bipin Bhosale (Girish Kulkarni), a politician suspected of strong links to Gaitonde (and Guruji). At first, ACIO Markand (Samir Kochhar) interviews Bhosale, but Sartaj insists on taking over. He asks Bhosale about Guruji’s ashram (or religious retreat). Then, while demanding to know his relationship with Gaitonde, Sartaj grabs him by the collar, which registers as an abuse of power. DCP Parulkar (Neeraj Kabi) steps in later to apologize, but the problem doesn’t end there. Mind-altering drugs from the ashram are found in Sartaj’s blood, and he’s suspended from work.

He stays on the case, though, and meets with Inspector Majid Ali Khan (Aamir Bashir). Khan thinks Parulkar may have cleared the trucks earlier, having advanced knowledge that a crime bust was underway. The question is, to what degree is Parulkar in league with Gaitonde and crew? Some moments later, Sartaj chases down the gunman named Markam (Luke Kenny). However, rather than shoot Sartaj when he fully has the chance, Markam shoots himself! Not only is this a callback to Gaitonde’s suicide in the very first episode but it emphasizes the self-destructive nature of apocalyptic cults — which is largely what Sacred Games is about.

Guruji’s philosophy

Guruji, considered a wise and peaceful man, discusses India vs. Pakistan in some detail in “Vikarna.” In so many words, he suggests that such conflicts are necessary results of an impure world. To rebalance things, the human race must sacrifice for renewed purity. He links it all to genetic mutation and likens a nuclear conflagration to a new spark to “evolve” us into Satya Yuga. Though he says some are free to leave his little project, those who leave appear to be killed. In other words, Guruji is very much like the infamous Reverend Jim Jones, only aspiring for a much larger scale.

Next. 12 Netflix originals to ring in the new decade. dark

While these pieces of the puzzle were already known earlier in the series, Sacred Games respectfully spells it out for us while retaining suspense We already know some of what will happen down the line, but not exactly how it will. Also, the question remains about Sartaj: Is he up to the task of stemming this tide of apocalyptic fanaticism or will his (and his department’s) own impurities get in the way?

What are your thoughts on Sacred Games? Let us know in the comments!

Home/Netflix