They Are Among Us
Episode 3 of Invisible City begins with more of the legend featuring Iara, who’s depicted as Camila here. Luring a man to the depths of the water, we cut forward to see Eric on the shore, very much alive after his ordeal. Sputtering and coughing, he gets back to his feet and immediately arrives back at the bar. Only, Camila isn’t there. She’s disappeared and with Eric still alive, it seems like something happened that night. Tutu heads out to try and find the girl, eventually finding her passed out on a rock in her mermaid form. When Camila returns to the bar, she recovers and feeds back to Ines that she doesn’t think Eric is responsible for what happened. This eventually brings Ines in for questioning at the station. Marcia leads the interview, scrutinizing her close bond to Manaus given the last time they spoke was 3 months ago. Their investigation hits a snag though when she learns Eric arrived at her bar the previous night. Following an earlier meeting with Dr Afonso, Ivo interrupts their argument to bring them big news. Their company has had no involvement in the death of the fish. Eric is not happy, believing the case has been completely covered up, as Marcia starts to have her doubts too, specifically surrounding what Ines knows. Eric’s investigation brings him back to the village, where Joao shows the other villages all the reports surrounding the fish and how they weren’t poisoned. Well, Eric notices Cico heading off into the woods and follows him, determined to get answers over what happened. Alone, Eric divulges what he knows and now we receive the truth. Cico claims that the legends live among them and whatever happened in the forest that night, it’s simply a mirror of themselves. On his way back to the town, he’s stopped by Camila who takes him to the shore and tries to help. She warns him to stay away from Ines. A call from home brings Eric back where he learns Luna has found a dead bird outside. His grandmother breaks the news that Luna needs her Father. He’s too wrapped up in this fantasy tale to see what’s happening, as the crushing reality of his absence finally hits home. After kissing his daughter goodnight though, Eric eventually heads out to try and find Camila. Only, he quickly learns she’s been grabbed by Tutu, who has taken her back to the bar. Well, when Eric shows up Tutu immediately sends him a message claiming Camila is waiting in her dressing room for him. Eric creeps down to the basement where he winds up trapped in a room with Ines. With Camila gone and nowhere for Eric to go, this woman’s hypnotic power convinces him to sit as she begins softly singing. This black witch somehow transports him into a shadowy apparition where she finds a young child, seemingly Eric, pushing back and launching Ines across the room, through that shadow realm back out into the real world.
The Episode Review
The truth about Ines is finally revealed as it seems like she’s playing up the fabled Black Witch role in Brazilian folklore. The smart juxtaposition to use butterflies instead of moths helps to give a sense of uneasiness while Eric seems to have some sort of power against what’s happening here. The end flashback was admittedly a little strange but the ending does a good job to show – not tell – what’s happening. This has been a smartly written fantasy series so far, with lots of intriguing and interesting elements that help it stand out next to so many others in this field. As the story starts to unfold and Eric tumbles further down this dark rabbit hole, what secrets are lurking in the shadows? We shall see!
