Review: No Activity “40 Days & 40 Nights”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The FBI continues to investigate The Collective and seek the truth behind the shooting of Agent Risoli. The events that followed are presented as a documentary by Jurgen Leibbrandt (Udo Kier).

Our Take:
It’s not a proper investigation without someone documenting the process. Don’t worry. The FBI approved the filming, thanks to Dustin. With the documentary crew in tow, no secret is safe, especially Dirk’s. Episode four concluded on a shocking note with Dirk shooting Agent Risoli and putting the blame on Terry. This episode saw the truth revealing itself when Risoli finally woke up from her coma, which makes Dirk’s life even more miserable. That poor, poor man. First, he lost his wife, and now he’s going to jail for murder. It sucks to be him right now. In addition to this reveal, the episode offers a comedic and enjoyable take on the docuseries format.
Presented in a documentary series format, the episode sees Jurgen interviewing multiple characters like Cullen, Terry, and Diane Streeton, the witness who discovered a bloody Risoli. Oh, and Kevin Bacon is the member of The Collective now. I’m not a big docuseries fan or anything, but if this show was a real thing, I wouldn’t mind spending countless hours binge-watching it. Part of the episode’s comedy comes from Dustin, who satirizes the format and the weekly episode strategy through dialogue. I especially enjoyed the part where Dustin tells Dirk not to cry offscreen so he can show some real tears for the camera. Documentary shows usually portray the interviewee’s tearful moment for dramatic effect, and I was happy to see that the episode poked fun at that trope effectively.
The episode also saw the return of Tolbeck, who is back from temporary leave. I was hoping that he would make another appearance before the season ends, and the episode miraculously delivered that expectation. This wasn’t another scenario where Tolbeck only appeared once throughout the entire plot, like the “Magnolia” episode. No, he’s officially back in business after saving Cullen and Dustin from Dirk. Of course, it would’ve been even better if they saved Tolbeck for the finale, but the direction they gave this character here was satisfying nonetheless.
Overall, the “40 Days & 40 Nights” episode has enough comedy and satisfying moments to make this docuseries a success. Well, it would’ve been a success if Dustin didn’t fire Jurgen. While some of the jokes didn’t land as hard as others, the episode serves as an entertaining setup for this season’s endgame. With Cullen and Tolbeck back together, I think it’s about time they get this raid started and shut down The Collective once and for all. You want a big finale, Dustin? You’ll get one soon enough.