Review: Interrogator “The First Rule”

M2 Animation really nailed everything for “The First Rule.” Everything, from the aesthetic, to the sound design, to the dialogue, made me feel just enough out of touch with the world around me, and completely engrossed into what this Imperial hive city is all about. I just hope Inquisitor doesn’t go on another month long hiatus after this week, because there’s a lot to unpack, and wait for.

This was the first episode of the second batch that made me waited with baited breath. “I’ll Owe You a Favour” and “One for the Road” were great. I can’t say anything truly terrible. But “The First Rule” just hit different. There was a lot to take in. Duke Klore’s plan to gain favor in this house war is that he’s looking to bring the two he feels responsible for the Governor’s murder to justice. And of course, that’s Jorgen and Baldur.

The part that got me was when Jorgen took the sample of the drug from the factory in “One for the Road.” If you watch Interrogator with anything that doesn’t have headphones as an option, you’re doing yourself a disservice. If you’re not watching on a higher resolution display, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Interrogator may be in black and white, but god damn, the detailing hits. For the first time, really, you see what the greater Warhammer 40K universe really is. There’s the depths of man, as well as the opulence of man. You see how bad things can get, then you see the epitome of “the rich get richer off the back of the poor.”

However, what I want to get into is the sound design during the scene directly after Jorgen takes that drug. Headphones are necessary to get the full detail of everything going on. The clink of the cap hitting the floor echoed perfectly, and was enhanced by the muted couple of seconds directly after Jorgen takes his hit was louder than the chaos that Interrogator is known for. The soundscape exploding was almost sensory overload. The low rumble while Jorgen is traveling into the neurons mixed with the panning from left to right was downright audio bliss. I replayed this scene multiple times just to take everything in.

This soundscape led into what was the most surprising turn of the series thus far, and that’s Jorgen’s psyker powers going off without restrictions. It was hard for me to differentiate between the drug trip and what was really happening until he finally came down. And that surprise? Well, that’s who got injured in the wake of Jorgen’s power exploding.

Overall, I was so happy with Interrogator’s latest effort. I came back this week, expecting great, but not extraordinary. But “The First Rule” delivered on every level.