Ep 3. Ritual of the Rival Tribes

Strange Angel season 1 episode 3, titled "Ritual of the Rival Tribes," follows Jack Parsons as he attempts to balance his personal life, his involvement in a strange new religion, and his scientific pursuits.

The episode begins with Jack working on a rocket with his fellow Caltech students, but he is quickly distracted by his thoughts of Susan. Meanwhile, Susan is busy studying and practicing Thelema, a new religion that involves rituals and incantations. She is frustrated that Jack does not take her involvement in the religion seriously and believes that it will bring them closer together.

After a fight with Susan, Jack attends a party with his friends only to run into Richard Onsted, a former friend and rival. Richard invites Jack to join his rocket club, which is also experimenting with rocketry. Jack is tempted by the opportunity to work with someone who takes his passion seriously, but he is also wary of Richard's motives.

As Jack struggles to balance his relationships and his scientific pursuits, he slowly becomes more involved in Thelema. He attends a ritual with Susan and her fellow practitioners where they try to summon a spirit, but the experience is unsettling and Jack is left feeling unsure about the religion and its practices.

Meanwhile, Richard becomes increasingly antagonistic towards Jack and begins to sabotage his rocket experiments. Jack is forced to confront Richard and their past history, and he makes a decision about joining Richard's rocket club.

The episode ends with Jack and Susan discussing their divergent paths, as Susan becomes more deeply involved in Thelema and Jack faces the challenges of pursuing rocketry. They both realize that their passions are pulling them in different directions, which may put a strain on their relationship.

Overall, "Ritual of the Rival Tribes" delves deeper into the characters of Jack and Susan, and explores the conflicts that arise when pursuing personal passions. It also highlights the dangers of getting involved with unknown or potentially dangerous religions, and the strain that it can put on relationships.