Poker Face
Episode 3 of Zero begins with Omar organizing the group into their first mission. They’re going to head up to the poker game and win the jackpot of 30,000 euros. The only trouble is, Omar doesn’t know how to play. He also can’t control his invisibility on command either. Together, the group realize Omar’s powers seem to be linked directly to emotion. As Omar focuses on something positive, he manages to control his powers and turn invisible on a whim. Shariff believes this is enough to shift the power in Barrio but Inno is not so enthused. He heads off ready to play football. Back on the rooftop, it turns out Omar’s power does have limitations. His invisibility can’t be recorded and he also can’t turn other people invisible either. Well, the big night arrives and the group show up at the VIP table and prepare to play. Of course, Omar also happens to be there, overseeing and controlling the power long enough to mess with the cards. How anyone hasn’t seen these cards magically appearing or disappearing however, remains to be seen. While Momo entertains the masses with his singing, the casino owner arrives and seems to see straight through Omar’s disguise. As he looks up, he notices Anna standing from afar and starts to lose control of his powers. As Omar bolts, Shariff and Sara manage to win fairly. At least on the last hand anyway. It’s not the 30,000 they expected but it is just shy of 15000. This amount will allow them to pay off the debts and have enough left over for the group. Meanwhile, Omar heads over to talk to Anna. Well, they don’t talk for long as things become intimate. As they make love, Omar starts to turn invisible.
The Episode Review
As Omar’s powers start to show up more, the whole casino plot throws up some serious plot contrivances. If Omar can turn invisible and has a hand in making other items appear invisible and reappear again, wouldn’t the other people at the table notice cards shifting? How did Omar control his power long enough to play poker for that length of time? Some games can go on for hours and it seems like Omar’s sudden ability to control his gifts were a bit sudden. Then there’s the subject of the casino owner too. She seems to have seen Omar while he was standing at the table. Could she also have powers too? The tattoo on the back of her head definitely hints that way but we’ll have to wait and see if that holds any weight. For now though, Zero continues to deliver a decent enough slice of superhero drama, even if it is just starting to show some cracks in its continuity and world-building.
