Lazarus: Season 1 Episode 7 “Almost Blue” – Recap & Review (With Spoilers)
Hope might be on the horizon for Lazarus. While the team may not be any closer to finding Dr. Skinner, they may give you reason to want to be more invested in their stories.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 7 “Almost Blue” Details
- Available On: Adult Swim
- Public Release Date: May 18, 2025
- Director(s): Kahlee Lim, Heichachiro Hitani
- Writer(s): Takahiro Uzawa
Episode 7 “Almost Blue” Recap (With Spoilers)
A Possible Lead?: Doug, Leland, Axel, Hersch, Eleina
As Chris learns, besides Hersch, she might be the oldest in the group, as Leland is 16 and Doug and Axel are 23, Naga’s memory bank produces coordinates to four locations, all submerged after the North Pole melted. One is in the Maldives, Manila Bay, Tuvalu, and the Sakishima Islands. It is hoped that something was left behind there, but hopes aren’t necessarily high.
Can You See What I See: Doug, Leland, Axel, Hersch
Since Lazarus has the budget, it sends Doug, Leland, Axel, and Chris across the world only to find no signs of Dr. Skinner’s presence beyond one notable thing. You see, Dr. Skinner bought these sinking islands so the locals could move, and upon Lazarus’ arrival, they learn most of those locals have the Analgesia gene, which likely is the root of Dr. Skinner’s making Hapna.
To make the science part of the episode simple, the people in the aforementioned areas can’t feel pain, and Dr. Skinner, seemingly, reproduced what allowed that and made it into a drug. In return, it seems he didn’t give the locals a life of luxury, but at least the ability to resettle as the rest of the world destroyed their home via global warming.
Now, for the Lazarus team, this answer isn’t the only benefit. Seeing the world outside of Babylonia City brings them peace and even gets Leland questioning what is going to happen to the team once they find Dr. Skinner. Of course, Doug is matter-of-fact about their association ending, but Leland, who has usually been involved in most of the missions as a central part, would rather they keep in contact somehow, even if not as co-workers. Alongside that, despite the narrative Dr. Skinner has thus far attracted, with following in his footsteps, it seems the team is getting to know and understand him like never before.
A Blast From The Past: Abel, Hersch, Eleina, Chris
While the rest of the team is taking an exotic trip, Eleina is looking into the creation of Hapna further and Dr. Skinner’s work with the Hague Institute, and that’s when she comes across the fact that Hersch is an associate of Dr. Skinner. Now, it isn’t clear if they were truly close, whether she was part of creating Hapna, or maybe just a peer, but as Eleina discovers this information, Hersch and her boss, Abel, speak about Dr. Skinner and it is pushed to seem that Hersch didn’t expect to be iced out like she was.
But, not to be outdone, Chris runs into a familiar face from her past, and it seems this face is someone she was hoping to never see again in her life.
New Cast and Characters
Abel (Akio Otsuka)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Abel is Hersch’s boss, but their relationship, unlike Hersch’s with the Lazarus team, isn’t coerced. However, many details remain unknown as Abel generally only speaks in the time Lazarus has left and the pressure he is under.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Being Given Something That Hints At What’s To Come [82/100]
Lazarus has a habit of ending things at a dead end, where the only way to know what could come next would be watching the teaser for the next episode. This episode was different for between presenting Hersch’s connection to Dr. Skinner, and presenting the idea there is more to come on that, we got a bit of cliffhanger with Chris, who, alongside Leland, is due, potentially overdue, to give us their backstory.
Now, whether Hersch and Chris will present information that blows what we got from Doug and Eleina out of the water, that’s hard to say. But, there has to be hope that Lazarus will stick the landing and not ultimately be a disappointment.
The Best Way Dr. Skinner’s Presence Can Be Felt Without Him Being There [80/100]
We haven’t had Dr. Skinner show up in anything beyond recordings thus far. This comes with some potential issues, but the benefit of it is that you can judge him more by who he associated with and what he did, and make up your own mind beyond the media narrative, as the team of Lazarus is doing. From how he tried to associate with the brightest minds, how he was as much a realist in his work as an optimist for humanity, and how he would just as much help the needy as he’d make money off the privilege, it might be a unconventional way to build up a character, but it slowly but surely is starting to work.
I won’t pretend it may work for everyone who would prefer Dr. Skinner to be a more active character, but there is some desire to appreciate this approach.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [81/100]
While this episode cannot be considered a 180-degree turn for Lazarus, you could submit it is moving in a better direction. As it tries to build Dr. Skinner up while he is completely absent, paired with teasing two characters having their backstories fleshed out in future episodes, Chris likely being first, there is a reason to get excited for the next episode—which hasn’t been consistently true throughout the season.
However, it is hard to say for now whether this may mean Lazarus is going to hit its stride or will end up falling face first in episodes 8 or 9, returning to the point where it attracts notable criticism.
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