Inner Conflict
Episode 2 of Skylines begins with Jinn cycling to work before settling in for his management job at the Continental Hotel. That is, until he receives a call from Semir. He asks him to take a break as he races toward the hotel to speak to him. Once Jinn gets in Semir’s car, he hears his beat and Azad rapping over the top. With his loyalty to Tonik hanging in the balance, Semir tells him that if he’s honest with himself then Jinn is there for one reason – he’s sick of part-time rappers and wants more for his life. Down by the docks, a shipment comes in and Ardan decides to use the studio space to store it. Reluctantly, Kalifa lets them continue their operation before discussing financial matters with his wife. Using the man she captured last episode as a mole, Sara tries to squeeze information out of him regarding shady operations with the gangs. As they watch from afar, Sara recognizes one of the men arriving in a lavish car. Before she can continue however, she returns home and looks over the photos she’s taken. After her teenage daughter Riana decides she doesn’t want to have dinner, Sara lets her work consume her. She tracks down the car from the photo and learns the Maserati is registered to Skyline Records. The earlier conversation with Semir clearly rattles Jinn too, as a divide between Tonik’s lackadaisical approach toward rapping compared to the professional, slick beats he heard on the Skylines tape causes him to seriously contemplate taking the offer. Back home he receives a package from Skylines which only further stirs the pot; an exclusive producer agreement worth 50,000 euros. Heading back to work, he video calls with his sister Lily and tells her to keep the information to herself as he stresses over what to do. To make matters worse, Lily is currently sleeping with Tonik and as the two discuss Jinn’s behaviour, she pretends to be clueless. As Jinn heads home after work, he spies Tonik’s hat on his sister’s bed before speaking to his Father who tells him he should get a place of his own. Meanwhile, at a family gathering Kalifa is taken aside by Ardan where they discuss his business. Kalifa tells him that Skylines is a legitimate business but, torn over what to do, his brother grabs him and threatens him – he helped Kalifa with his dream and now is the time to return the favour. Falling out over the Lily incident, the episode closes out with Jinn and Tonik going their separate ways as Semir calls him and tells him about the exclusivity deal. They’re happy to adhere to his demands but to do so they want Jinn’s sound for themselves. As Jinn heads to Skylines he signs the deal. With most of the episode taken up with Jinn’s inner conflict over whether to sign the deal with Skylines or not, there isn’t a whole lot else to get excited about here. There’s certainly enough to make for an enjoyable episode though and the characterisation thus far has been strong throughout. Jinn is still the stand-out but even this early, seeing the brotherly conflict between Ardan and Kalifa begin to bubble up looks like it’ll cause some problems further on down the line. For now though, Skylines delivers another good slice of drama.
