After the drama of last episode this series takes so time to cool off as we see the aftermath of Corteo’s actions. For the most part it appears to have worked for the Vanettis benefit as without a head the Orco family is essentially finished and thus have incorporated themselves into the Vanettis. This hasn’t caused the Vanettis to be lenient with Corteo as he’s being interrogated in a garage outside the estate. This puts Avilio in an interesting position as his friend that he dragged into this mess is now being tortured for information. It is here that I really would like to know exactly what Avilio is thinking as I can’t discern his exact feelings about this situation. In front of the Vanetti’s, Avilio is as cool as a cucumber, never showing a sign of weakness. Outside he’s a little more aggravated but I question as to exactly why that is.
The obvious reason would be his own guilt over his friend suffering because of his own actions but I happen to see another reason as to why this particular scenario would make him equally flustered. After all Corteo is the only one who knows Avilio’s true name and real agenda for joining up with Nero. If Corteo breaks under the torture or speaks out of revenge then Avilio is completely screwed. It would be debatable as to how much faith the mafia family would put in Corteo’s words but it certainly would light some suspicions about Avilio and make his goal harder to reach. It’s that which has me wonder as to just what is getting Avilio worked up here. Guilt or self preservation? Nero is also made Don in this episode which may be part of Avilio’s plan for all I know. The former Don remarks about how he was never able to protect what really mattered in the end which may be his way of saying the Nero that even as the head of a mafia family, one can be powerless.
However as Avilio goes to rescue/potentially silence Corteo, someone else gets to him first and killed one of his guards while lightly injuring Ganza. Here is the first point of suspicion against Ganza which ultimately justified his reveal of being the man who sent Avilio the letter and likely the fourth man whom Nero mentioned. This doesn’t really stand all the well with me as all the evidence which points towards Ganzo is given in this episode when before he was mainly a background character. For a show that generally puts a lot of subtle visual foreshadowing, I think it as cheating to only just lay groundwork right before the reveal. It feels unplanned and it calls to question as to why Ganzo didn’t get more screen presence for this reveal to get a reaction besides a “Oh, so it was that guy.” I have praised this show for it’s show don’t tell policy of storytelling but I must admit that it is keeping a little too much to itself. Avilio is the obvious example as his plan of revenge has been an enigma for the start and his stoic nature makes it hard to see what he is really thinking. He is now in a position where he can kill Nero easily and take out the don while he’s at it.
Yet Avilio still plays the role of faithful lackey for a large amount of time. Still the series did tease the thought of Avilio killing Nero near the end of the episode as he was given an ultimatum by Ganzo to kill Nero to save Corteo. Sadly this tease holds no tension as we all know that Nero is going to be the finale. They are not going to kill him next because they have been clearly setting him up to be the last man Avilio kills. Even the promotional material right from the start insinuates this. Still the only thing which could be delaying his death from a narrative standpoint is the identity of the fourth man. Which Avilio could have easily gotten either by questioning Nero to a greater degree or even forcing it out of him before killing him. Really, just why is Avilio procrastinating? Has he taken a liking to the Mafia life? Has he come to think of Nero as a friend? Is he just losing his nerve to go through with it? Whether these emotions are swirling inside Avilio or not we do not know, for all we see is a grim faced man who looks like he has a plan..
This may be why 91 Day’s engaged me so much more last episode when Corteo was the focus. You knew what was going on in Corteo’s head which it made him relatable and the situation all the more engrossing. However I never know what’s going on in Avilio’s head and he rarely shows his emotions so I can’t relate to his situation. He is ever stone faced, seemly apathetic of his surroundings. Thus because he isn’t moved by the situation, I too as a viewer is equally unmoved. This may be at the core of why 91 Day’s isn’t as engaging as it by all rights should be. Still with the unveiling of it’s greatest question we may be at the point where Avilio’s nature will be unraveled and his plan finally comes into play. Once Ganzo is taken care of there really will be nothing stopping Avilio from taking his revenge. With so few episodes left I think this slow burn needs to turn into an inferno.
