Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Overview
Trust is a major topic as some synths explore feelings, deal with rejection, and pursue autonomy.
Review (with Spoilers)
Topic 1: New Friends & New Lovers (Leo, Max, and Hester)
Max makes a new friend out of a recently awakened synth and she knows of an old train yard which can be home. As for Leo and Hester, they find the sharpshooter who killed 10 and Hester tortures her for information. Alongside that, Hester discovers desire and sexuality and initiates it with Leo who gives consent.
Commentary
Anyone else getting an X-Men vibe here? Leo is heading a sort of Brotherhood situation with him being a bit more radical and willing to let Hester resort to violence, while Max tries to make a peaceful community for synths? But while things seem good between Hester and Leo now, it is going to be interesting when, likely, she meets Niska and gets jealous. We already saw how she pushed Mia away, and Max, to have Leo to herself. Imagine her and Niska fighting for Leo’s time and attention.
Topic 2: Difficult and Trying Relationships (Mia, Pete, Niska, Toby)
Mia has been betrayed by Ed for money to keep his mom in the home so she seems to have uploaded her consciousness onto the web and has abandoned her body. As for Pete, him and Karen are having a row because he keeps pushing he to acknowledge being synth and doing so reminds her she is Beatrix and not Karen. A problem which, on top of not being able to grow old with Pete and have kids, is a strain on their relationship. As for Toby, Renee continues to be strangely difficult. She seems to want to physically be close to him but doesn’t want him getting emotionally close.
As for Niska, with the realization that the humans won’t give her a fair trial she creates a distraction and bolts.
Commentary
So, is Mia going to prove that you can transfer consciousness? Will her storyline merge with Athena? Then with Niska, her profile has now been raised and she has definitely proved she is conscious now. Leading to the question of, will she seek out Leo or go back to being a loner? Also, she made it seem her getting a trial was humanities last chance, does this mean she may go fully to the dark side and start forging a revolution? We learn Mattie has cracked the code to make the synth consciousness project instant rather than in phases, so perhaps she maybe become an integral part of her team?
Though, all things considered, what may happen to Laura? She was her lawyer, some sort of confidant, so will she be held as some sort of leverage to perhaps draw Niska out? Does she perhaps care about Laura, much less the rest of the Hawkins family, enough to return for their sakes?
Moving to Toby, I think Renee, and even Sophie, are definitely emulating synths for the sake of exerting control over their lives and emotions. It is their means of becoming numb and, in terms of Renee, dealing with an absent father and this loneliness I don’t think she is taking too well.
Topic 3: A New Discovery (Pete and Dr. Athena)
Dr. Athena’s daughter Virginia dies and she has her ex-husband handle things, which he is upset to be doing alone. But Dr. Athena is focused solely on taking V, short for Virginia, Jenny’s full name, from AI to a body. Leading her to ask a doctor to take her to the heart of the silo, which V partly helps her get to through hacking, and then she discovers something. Something Pete also discovers when he goes after that guy who whipped his arse in the last episode. That there are child synths.
Commentary
I feel like this was supposed to be a big twist, that children synths are made, but it fell flat. I mean, can’t you imagine people having children synths to replace their actual child, to give their children a companion and protector, much less for devious reasons? Not to take things there but let’s not pretend that full grown synths aren’t some form of sex slaves.
That thought aside, it was kind of weird how V, the AI, didn’t have much of a moment when it was made clear she was made based off of Virginia’s consciousness. Which, I get, this show isn’t big on theatrical moments, but it would be nice if everyone wasn’t so constrained.
Things to Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered
- The reason Virginia was in a coma was perhaps she fell while trekking around that waterfall area.
- Mattie tells Odi to go out and find his purpose.
- The Niska chase scene and Pete car chase are perhaps the most exciting things done in the series.
Collected Quote(s)
“I thought because I loved you I had to show you the real me. “
— “Season 2/ Episode 5.” Humans
“I’m beginning to understand what I am. I am flawed, damaged. But the clarity I have gives me strength to do what you cannot. “
— “Season 2/ Episode 5.” Humans
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