The third episode of Eyes of Wakanda, “Lost and Found,” follows Basha, a Wakandan spy with more of a laid-back personality than previously seen, on a mission in 1400 AD. He leaves a woman in the morning and waltzes around the beautifully snowed-in, quaint Chinese village, seeking a Vibranium tongue from a dragon statue. Stealing just the Vibranium proves difficult, so Basha flees with the entire statue. He barely manages to escape back to his ship, where he flies back to Wakanda and is scolded by his superiors for his lack of communication and the stowaway that followed him back. This stowaway, set to steal back the dragon, turns out to be the iconic Iron Fist. All of the agents in Wakanda panic, scramble, or get bested by Iron Fist. Basha discovers that Iron Fist is actually Jorani, the woman from the beginning. They fight in the room of artifacts, and Basha finally admits that all he needed was the Vibranium. Jorani gets the stone dragon, and Basha gets the Vibranium, evading punishment from his superiors.
“Lost and Found” stands out by mostly taking place within Wakanda and, thus, sacrifices the intrigue of the 1400 AD Chinese setting. The artifacts and Wakanda itself are certainly interesting, but Eyes of Wakanda has shone far brighter when it focuses not on the recovery of an item, but on how the spies interact with the time period. Simply put, a much more compelling version of this episode exists within the Chinese village, focusing more on Basha and Jorani’s relationship, or at least a fight scene that focuses more on the powerful Iron Fist abilities. The final fight in the archive room was compelling enough, with creative shot choices, vibrant colors, and a clever use of the environment. However, it felt closer to a standard superhero duel than the previously seen, extremely unique battles that squeezed every drop from the various settings.
Overall, the story works well enough, but ultimately does not deliver as well as previous episodes. The conflict between Basha and Jorani is interesting, but not as interesting as B’Kai and Achilles, and not interesting enough to give the final fight any serious stakes or tension. Both China and Wakanda are compelling and beautiful, but the first episode struck a better balance between the Minoan sea and scenes in Wakanda. Still, the fight scenes and art style remain fantastic, and the dragon with the Vibranium tongue is certainly the most compelling artifact thus far. The conflict of ownership with the dragon statue and Vibranium tongue offered a unique and compelling discussion. Still, it feels like the most interesting parts of the episode, Iron Fist and the Chinese village, should have had more room to grow and breathe. “Lost and Found” was a fine addition to Eyes of Wakanda, but it left a lot to be desired on fronts that made the previous episodes shine.
Rating: 5/10