Ending With A Bang
When it comes to closing out a series on a high, Secret War steps up to the plate and delivers a phenomenal episode to close out this anthology. Set in the heart of Siberia, this snow-covered animated short depicts a secret war between soldiers in the Red Army and alien forces. In many ways, the story draws a lot of parallels to the other last-stand idea seen earlier in the show, Suits. Unlike this farm-orientated, quirky episode, Secret War doubles down on its gritty realism, delivering a stunning episode of heart stopping action and photo-realistic animation. At the head of this resistance are a small band of soldiers, lead by Lt. Nikolai Zakharov. This battle-hardenered veteran finds himself up against overwhelming odds as the true horror of the alien forces stare back at him. As he bands together with his comrades, they make one final stand against the waves of beasts that come at them in a brave display of heroism. The episode itself ends with reinforcements arriving in the sky and the snow-capped valley engulfed in a fiery inferno as bombs are dropped on the area. Given the amount of action here, it’s surprising then that Secret War is a somewhat sombre and reflective episode, one boasting little pockets of uneasy silence and dialogue between the soldiers. This works really well to drive home the emotional weight of the characters before closing out with one final, breathtaking action piece. It’s a great way to end the anthology too and one that really shows off some gorgeous visuals throughout. The various effects with both the snow and facial animations here are sublime and some of the best in the series. Secret War is such a fantastic way to end the series and I truly hope this is renewed for a second season. As a way of showcasing artists and different animation styles, Secret War typifies this with a really impressive visual design. It’s easily one of the best episodes of the series too and could easily be a feature film in its own right. A Great ending for sure, finishing on a literal bang to round out a very impressive series.
