This episode is going to be difficult for me to classify. I feel like I can list a million things I don't like about it, but at the same time I enjoyed it over-all? Like, my list of complaints is going to give a misleading impression as to my real feelings. I don't know. Let's just dive in.
Cons:
Starting in subplot land... Anatsa feels like a waste of time now that we've seen the end of her story. I get it, she was never going to be endgame with Isobel, but why drag out four episodes were Isobel can't get up the nerve to tell her truth, and then have Anatsa end things right before Isobel actually tells her? Anatsa had so much potential to be an interesting character. Imagine the angst potential, if Anatsa knew the truth and couldn't stop herself from doing her job as a reporter anyway. It would be an interesting parallel to Liz's science putting the aliens at risk. Instead, all the hesitation and Isobel getting a pep talk from Cameron... I don't know. I'm left feeling like a lot of the time we spent with Anatsa was completely pointless, and that's not how I want to feel. Also... Cam saying she still wonders about Max makes me irrationally angry, I really didn't need to know that. Sigh.
So... Mimi is a character with such a confusing place in this show's history. I feel like so much of what was set up with her in season one of the show never came to pass. She was our sympathetic character who nonetheless seemed genuinely afraid of aliens taking over the world. And now she's gone, and her death felt so random, right at the start of the episode. I guess part of my complaint with Mimi's death episode is that I wanted it to be something it was never trying to be. I wanted to understand Mimi more. I wanted Maria to get more of a focus in an episode that should have been all about her, but instead she only gets a sliver of screen-time. I wanted Liz and Maria and Alex and Rosa to all be together to mourn for this woman who took care of all of them in different ways. Instead, we get Dallas comforting Maria, what else is new... I don't know. It just felt kind of cheap for me, to have the whole group together at the start of the episode in the bar, saying they're going to be there for Maria, and then immediately they all scatter to the winds to do alien research stuff. I wish this show spent more time on the friendships! I wish Liz and Alex, who are supposed to be Maria's best friends, could have spent this episode focused on her!
I miss Alex, which is a given... this was an episode where I wish we could have started to ramp up on people realizing something's wrong? It's maybe just a minor pacing thing but Liz and Max are out in the desert, and I thought maybe they'd find a hint of Alex. Eduardo is kidnapped and rescued and mind controlled, etc. etc., you'd think someone would want to check in at Deep Sky, and maybe then realize that Alex hasn't reported in... I don't know. Mimi dies, and Alex never calls anyone back about it? Maria doesn't even get a text from him over it? It just feels like there were opportunities here for someone to start to be slightly suspicious, and none of them were used at all. A bummer.
So... the Bonnie kiss thing. Honestly it doesn't make me that mad, but I wish it hadn't happened because this fandom is so mean to anyone who is perceived as a threat to Malex... I don't know, I feel very torn about the whole situation. On the one hand, I'm glad it happened quickly instead of dragging out. It would have felt insulting and pointless to try and pretend that Bonnie/Michael was a real possibility, so I'm glad we didn't get the narrative trying to push us there. On the other hand, what was the point of giving Bonnie a crush on Michael in this way? If it's a way of building her character, showing how she's lost and looking for comfort, then okay, fine. If it's just there so Michael can reaffirm is love for Alex, then... it's completely unnecessary, we really didn't need the outside confirmation. However, if this moment is the prelude to Bonnie helping Michael on his quest to save Alex later in the season, then I'm okay with it! I guess you could say I feel torn about whether this needed to be there at all, but I'm not furious it happened or anything.
Dallas as a character needs to be more than just Maria's support. So far this season we've mostly had him supporting Maria and Michael on their various issues. We saw some hints of him working with his powers this week, and I hope that continues, because it's not exactly a good look to have basically your only dark skinned character existing to be emotional support for everyone else, and nothing more. Just throwing it out there.
Pros:
Like I said, I actually really liked this episode overall, and my complaints above are not enough to deter me from that! Tezca as a shapeshifter is a twist that really works for me. Much like how season one had the whole "who is the fourth alien" thing going on, now we get the fun of not being able to trust that people are who they say they are. Odds on Alex coming back, but it actually being Tezca? That would be intense and so much fun to play around with! The effects on Tezca shifting between herself and Cam and Eduardo were laughably bad, but in that charming way that I kind of adore. We've got Eduardo and Cam mind-whammied and then seemingly abandoned, and then this third alien running around causing havoc, we've got Jones potentially resurrected (although I hope they fail in that)... basically, lots of fun alien mysteries abound, and I'm ready to see more of it.
I like Liz having that moment to break down about Mimi, that felt really good and cathartic. I do wish Maria had gotten more focus, but for what it was, I really did like it. Shivani's moment of comfort was so sweet. Liz deserves strong maternal friendships in her life!
While I wish we had more of a focus on Maria this episode, I do like that we've got a mystery to solve with her mother. That could be a cool thread to pull, and hopefully she'll find a way to be connected to her powers again without putting herself at further health risk. Maria's story throughout the seasons has always been about finding her sense of identity and community, so I can't wait for more of that.
Kyle is putting together more of the puzzle pieces on a trip to his family's original town in Mexico. I'm glad to see Kyle have a story that's not just about pining after Isobel, but I also did love the moment with her, where he continues to be a totally great guy and the two of them have adorable chemistry... come on, Kybel... I'm rooting for you...
Max and Liz are simply the cutest this whole season? "You are my turquoise", are you kidding? So cute. I wanted Max to pull up some sort of evidence of Alex in the desert, but the scene with the truck was still super cool, and Liz jumping on him and kissing him warmed my heart. These two deserve all the sweet and happy vibes in the world, after what they've been through on the road to get here!
We get two Alex mentions this episode, both from Michael. I like that he calls to tell him about Mimi, although I do wish the show spent more time acknowledging that Alex and Maria are supposed to be good friends. I guess that's what fic is for.
The second mention is the Bonnie kiss situation. Despite my mixed feelings on this even happening, I really do like the time we spent this week with Bonnie, Clyde, and Michael. I think there's a lot of interesting stuff going on there. Clyde is something of a fanatic, a pupil of Jones who doesn't like Michael sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong. I loved the scene with the tracker ring and Michael setting his own hand on fire to destroy that evidence and also reveal who he is. Clyde doesn't seem to fully trust him, but he is intrigued by him and his role in events, given their dead boss, and Michael showing up as his apparent heir.
And then there's Bonnie, who honestly seems like she's spent most of her life not knowing who she could really trust, letting herself be manipulated by Clyde. No wonder she started crushing on Michael, a gentle, kind man who says he's here to help. Honestly, I love what this plot thread does for Michael's character. He's managing to walk the tightrope, find out new information from Bonnie, learn about his home planet, while still doing what he can to help Max and everyone else discover the truth about these new aliens and their plans. He's really matured and grown into a stable person who's comfortable in his skin. Also, of course, my heart did indeed melt to hear Michael say "I have a boyfriend, and I'm kind of completely in love with him." I miss Alex so, so much, but if the episodes he's not in have lines like that, it's hard to complain too much.
So that's where I'll leave things. I can't believe we have nothing new next week, that I have to wait two whole weeks for my next dose of this show! Maybe a glimpse of Alex or Rosa, my missing beloveds?
7.5/10
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