Mr. Mercedes Season 2 Episode 6: Proximity gets closer to Brady

Mr. Mercedes explores psychological trauma, nostalgic ’80s horror, and the advancing stages of Brady’s psychic power evolution.

With the additional support of DA Antonio Montez (Maximiliano Hernández) on their side, Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson), Holly (Justine Lupe) are about to make Finders Keepers a famous business. Mr. Mercedes can’t physically fight the tightening noose, but Brady’s (Harry Treadaway) new psychological super powers making him nonetheless more dangerous.

With Sadie McDonald (Virginia Kull) out of the way, Brady has now occupied Al (Mike Starr), the hospital simpleton, via video game. Has Dr. Felix Babineau (Jack Huston) made Brady too powerful?

The worst dream ever

Bill dreams of Brady in the ice cream outfit. Unfortunately, Bill’s privates are pinched in a literal knot. Yanking and torturing Bill by the balls, Brady delivers a dissertation about dreams so complex it’s borderline Inception. “Did you make that nurse jump off the ledge?” asks Bill. If so, Brady retorts that he’d basically be god-like, which would be stupid to fight against. The dream ends via visual metaphor and scrotum string, as Brady literally has Bill by the balls.

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Confronting demons

Now that Lou (Breeda Wool) has her own mutant super-strength, she goes to see Brady and calls him pathetic, deformed, and weak. Pot meet kettle. She mentions her surgeries, perforated small intestines and ulcers. She proclaims her ability to see good from bad, despite the obvious haircut and leather jacket proving otherwise. Her fragile psychological doesn’t permit her to remain rational, and she explodes, bringing security.

Unbeknownst to her, Brady is replying with the screen Dr. Bab set up.

"“Mercy was my mistake”"

As Dr. Babineau and his porn-mustache rush in, Brady frantically deletes everything from the screen. He can’t delete it all; the “M” remains. The rumors spread like wildfire through the hospital, and Wilmer (Tammy Arnold) subsequently relays the message at Finders Keepers HQ. Holly points out the Latin phrase “occupandi temporis” is appropriate because Brady is inhabiting people.

Bill later talks to Ida (Holland Taylor) about it the dream, and she gets all Freudian. Bill needs therapy because a vegetative man led Bill to the bathroom by his penis. She mentions body-snatching, crises of mortality, puppeteering, and addiction like a jailhouse psychotherapist. Before Brady, Bill was dead inside, and with the mass murderer he now has life. Bill shuts that BS down when mentions Brady’s communication. He should have just said, “Have you even seen the movie Dreamscape? Huh?!”

Providing Brady’s mental vitality

As if the letter “M” weren’t enough, Dr. Bab wants an fMRI to confirm Brady’s brainpower. He pleads with the patient for help, assuring safety. Brady confirms theories but also denies willingness to help with a simple two-word message: “F#CK OFF.”

Dr. Frankenstein tells his wife Cora (Tessa Ferrer) about the day, and being frightened about it, but she’s ecstatic. She knows this means fame for her husband. So excited about the news, Cora excitedly accompanies her husband to Brady’s hospital room. Where she sultrily coos at Brady and grabs his nether regions. (Brady should stay in a coma. Between Montez and Cora he’s gotten more action than ever before.) Even Brady can’t fight this one off, and his heart rate, among other things, goes up.

Instant Replay

After further review, Montez and Bill see Al (Mike Starr) stab the dog. A confession from Montez reveals “Dr. Frankenstein” (Dr. Bab) has been working on Brady’s brain. With the help of Holly and Jerome, the connection between the Babineau family, a US pharma named Vitalta, and a Chinese pharmaceutical company/financier becomes clear. Additionally, the Chinese were testing experimental drugs on prisoners.

Data in hand, Bill visits Alex and Cora at the hospital cafeteria. He lays it all out, including Cora’s company’s brain regeneration medication, and she basically tells him to leave (GTFO). Bill offers, however, to provoke and awaken Mr. Mercedes. Bill subsequently leaves, and Cora is freaked out. She wants Brady awake now because, “fat smurf is on somebody’s payroll” Big government? But she’s actually upset because the test group in her brain regeneration medication’s test had mind control over the control group.  And the latter group all committed suicide. So kind of like Stephen King’s Firestarter.

Moving forward

Bill meets up with Al and realizes there is blood on the inside of the car door. Since Al’s not that bright, getting a sample is easy. it comes back as canine and Montez is pissed. An investigation then yields bloody gloves, the knife, and a stupefied brother named Reggie who has no clue what’s transpiring.

Later Bill goes to the hospital with Montez. He tries to spur Brady out of the trance by thanking him for the great life, friends, family, etc. It infuriates Brady. Before giving up, Bill says “olly olly oxen free,” as a last resort.

Lackin any real tracking, Bill decides he must make a move. This case is going in the rear view. Revelations are relayed to Ida just before Bill gets a text:

“Olly olly oxen free.” Brady can now move through electricity.

When a visit from Lou elicits an unprecedented response from Brady, Dr. Babineau pushes him to communicate; Holly begins to come around to Hodges’ thinking about Brady; armed with new intel, Hodges reaches out to Babineau and Cora.

Mr. Mercedes airs Wednesdays at 10 PM on Audience.