“I got femme fataled.” “Well, you certainly have a type.” Winn and Lyra had a bit of a rough go this episode. Initially, everything was swell. They were up to the same old lovey doviness that we’ve seen from them the past few episodes. However, things go a bit south when Lyra convinces Winn to help her break into an art museum after hours…for sexy times. Winn is far too easily motivated by this prospect and agrees. “When a beautiful woman asks you to do something, you do it. You know how it is.” While it is true that Maggie might be sympathetic to Winn’s dilemma (see her helping Alex go rogue to find Cadmus, and Valentines Day prom), at the very least Maggie’s grand gestures haven’t involved her being framed for art theft. Not that we know of anyway. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed to hear that Lyra has been using Winn all along. Winn has been so invested in this relationship, and it was such a cruel way to break his heart. I genuinely felt sad for him. However, given the reason why Lyra does what she does, I don’t think she ever actually wanted to hurt Winn. She puts a guard up, and plays tough, saying that he meant nothing to her, but it doesn’t seem like that’s really the case. I feel like part of her problem is that she still has a very difficult time trusting men. She can’t seem to get past whatever heartbreak she has faced in the past, and she’s projecting those feelings onto Winn, assuming that in the end he’ll be no different. Winn manages to chip away at that mistrust, and ultimately proves to her that he is serious when he says he’s not going anywhere. Even when she completely betrays him, Winn still cares enough to help her, and he believes her to be worth forgiving. She’s genuinely surprised by his kindness. I do hope that Winn learned something from this experience though, and that he maybe thinks about his actions more clearly in the future instead of letting his hormones do the thinking for him. Also, while forgiving Lyra is sweet and a very Winn thing to do, he should at least have a conversation with her about wanting an honest relationship. Given that she’s a self acclaimed con artist, I think that talk is warranted.
“Yes. It’s great that Picasso is intergalacticly adored.” Ultimately, the reason that Lyra cons Winn is to save her brother, Bastian. Bastian works for Mandrax, a gang leader involved in the art trafficking business. Initially, the DEO team is weary of trusting that Lyra is telling the truth about her brother…since everything else in her life is made up. However, Winn has unfailing faith in her, and insists on helping her save him. Given the hesitancy of the rest of the group, for a brief moment, I actually believed that Winn was defying the DEO again in order to help his girlfriend. I guess that in an episode about lies and cons, it should have occurred to me that maybe they might try conning the audience. Congratulations. You got me. In actuality, Winn is conning Lyra in order to help her save her brother. The student becomes the teacher. Huzzah! I’m still not quite sure how he ended up getting the DEO on board, given the fact that J’onn said no, but since when has Alex ever followed J’onn’s orders? This did seem to be an above board operation though, so my guess is that they decided Winn and Lyra could lure Mandrax out, allowing the DEO to capture another Fort Rozz alien. Thusly there was adequate reward for their risk. It’s been awhile since we got mention of their mission to round up the Fort Rozz prisoners. I enjoyed the call back.