Episode 2 of The Order, entitled Hell Week PT 2, picks things up immediately in the moonlit cemetery. This time around, we get more magic sleeping powder. Throw in some bad dialogue and a new supernatural ‘baddie’, and this episode has a little more life. But does any of this qualify The Order as ‘binge-worthy’?

That’s Golem, Not Gollum

After the werewolf attacks, it quickly disappears. Jack bumps into ‘Order’ members, Sarah and the douchey Kyle, who continues to be a one-dimensional douche. Jack then finds himself tied to a post the next morning, courtesy of some of that magic sleeping powder. Yet for some reason, Jack hasn’t lost his memory. Jack then tries to warn his friend and new ‘Order’ member (not that New Order), Amir, of the beast stalking the campus. It works wonders and Amir is found dead a couple of scenes later. For a campus plagued by a series of mauling deaths, campus security seems light.

…The Order promptly reveals that the golem is in fact Jack’s roommate …

Following some light character development, Jack and Sarah decide to tail ‘Neophyte’ Gabrielle. The off-campus excursion results in a confrontation with a new supernatural ‘baddie’. Though Jack lovingly refers to it as a ‘mud man’, Sarah reveals it’s a mystical entity known as a ‘golem’. Someone else on campus familiar with the dark arts moulded the creature together from clay and mud to do their bidding. Quite the mystery. But The Order promptly reveals that the golem is in fact Jack’s roommate, who is aptly named ‘Clay’. Yes, that’s right. And the re-animated golem that senior ‘Order’ member Margaret Crain was his creator during a secret ceremony crashed by Jack. While the threat of Margaret Crain is quickly remove, she’s replaced by a new threat – Edward Coventry. He seems to be ‘The Order’s’ de facto leader and may be linked to the death of Jack’s mother.

Hell Week PT 2 Makes Small Gains

Though it’s no home run, The Order makes small improvements in its second episode. First, Hell Week PT 2 has more happening in it. No, it doesn’t qualify as taut pacing. But there seems to be a little more urgency in this episode. Most importantly, Hell Week PT 2 offers a little more overall direction to the series outside of its synopsis. With the introduction of Max Martini’s ‘Edward Coventry’, The Order now has some mystery.

What’s Working, What’s Not

We’re now two episodes into The Order. For better or worse, the series is giving us a pretty good indication of what to expect quality-wise from Season 1. On one hand, the quick introduction and resolution of the ‘Golem’ suggests the show’s creators know this isn’t The Haunting of Hill House. Still, The Order will benefit from this type of rapid fire plot twists. A slow psychological burn, this isn’t. And, if the series can build a fun mythology to encompass its supernatural characters, it can serve as an admittedly ‘dumb fun’ diversion.

…the dialogue is seriously stilted.

Unfortunately, The Order is burdened with two big problems. Neither of its lead characters – Jack Morton and Alyssa Drake – are compelling. Additionally, there’s almost no chemistry between them. Worst of all, The Order has some absolutely atrocious writing. Aside from some big leaps of logic, the dialogue is seriously stilted. Nonetheless, if the series can pick up the pace and flesh out some fun mythology, it may prove to be worth investing in.