Cult vibes and power grabs abound as Y: The Last Man moves into its latter half
The series’ best episode so far crystallizes the unexpected flaws of best-laid plans.
TV Reviews Y: The Last Man
If dystopian narratives have taught us anything, it’s that you gotta trust the ones with you’re with. The Walking Dead, The Road, The Handmaid’s Tale—they each draw tension from the distance between who you think you are and who those other people might be, and it seems like Y: The Last Man is committing to that methodology for the remainder of its first season.
355, Dr. Mann, and Yorick are splitting apart as their trip to San Francisco becomes an escape. Hero and Sam are splitting apart as Hero becomes enthralled with Roxanne’s “fuck men, all of them” mindset and Sam realizes that he might be in danger at the heavily stocked PriceMax. And while Jennifer and Kimberly were never allies to begin with, Regina’s ascendancy is broadening that gulf—and showing the harder edge of Jennifer Brown. Diane Lane losing her temper? Yes, please, give it to me!
We’re now past the halfway point of season one with the sixth episode, “Weird Al Is Dead,” and things are contentious everywhere. I suppose that’s not news in the world of Y: The Last Man. As we’ve discussed many times in preceding recaps, people have been protesting since the beginning, conspiracy theories are spreading, and the country’s leaders are infighting about who gets to lead this mess. Regina wants to send the military out to crush dissent? Of course she does! Kimberly wants to raise Christine’s baby? Of course she does! Hero continues to make a series of choices that cement her as the worst? Of course she does! And finally, Yorick might have a crush on 355? Of course he does, and I’m putting that in the “contentious” column because I’m going to assume that 355 is not into it!
“Weird Al Is Dead” is a solid episode, and perhaps the series’ best so far, because Catya McMullen’s screenplay crystallizes the various factions at play, and the unexpected flaws of their best-laid plains. This installment pays off a number of narrative developments introduced in preceding episodes, and kept them at the forefront: 355’s sleep walking, Kimberly’s grief over her children’s deaths, Hero’s secret about how Mike died. We’ve seen the kind of dreams 355 has while she’s sleep walking, and we’ve now seen the tears she sheds while in the middle of them.
I can’t quite get a handle on how much of Kimberly’s “conservative values” talk is posturing for power and how much of it is genuine, but I think her sadness over the loss of her sons is the realest thing about her. And Hero’s emotions are haywire, exploding out from her in all different directions as she’s desperate for some kind of rebirth/renewal/rejuvenation to let go of the guilt caused by killing Mike. There’s no closure for any of those elements, and I’m not sure there can be closure. But they’re out there, they’re informing these characters, and they’re pushing Y: The Last Man forward. The writing keeps building on itself, and I can appreciate that deliberation.
We get the full Brown family treatment this week, with Yorick, Hero, and Jennifer all sharing the stage. I’m going to assume “Weird Al Is Dead” is set about 10 days after fifth episode “Mann Hunt,” since Yorick, Dr. Mann, and 355 are in Pennsylvania, 300 or so miles from Boston, and are trying to set a pace of 20 miles a day. In that time, Yorick and 355 seem to have grown closer, while Dr. Mann has set her sights on befriending Amp.
That hesitation from Dr. Mann is because she feels on the outside of whatever bond is brewing between our favorite spy and our favorite hapless man, but I’m not sure 355 is comfortable with their developing relationship, either. She doesn’t want to be the person who tells Yorick to masturbate, because her primary responsibility to see Yorick as a job (and, well, because that’s awkward as hell). But she’s also not totally heartless, and she’s also not entirely without a conscience—at least when it comes to Yorick.
I think she was ashamed about having to admit never speaking with Jennifer, and I think she was purposeful in disabling Captain Nguyen (Marianna Phung) and the team following them rather than killing them. And to Yorick’s credit, although he cannot stop wandering into places and taking off his mask, he finally seems to realize that he has a part to play in all this, too. (The fact that Weird Al is dead seemed to really hit hard.) Yorick guides 355 off that loft while she’s sleep walking, and he demands answers from her about the satellite phone lie.
Dr. Mann might never understand why Yorick and Amp survived when so many others didn’t, but it’s on Yorick to pick a side. He has a responsibility to stay alive, and to making decisions on his own, and to protecting the women he’s with. Maybe that means sparring against 355 sometimes, or sparring against Dr. Mann sometimes. But I’m a fan of Yorick being involved in his own life, and inching his way toward some equality in this trio—and maybe toward some answers about which, or whose, instructions 355 is following.
Because I’m not sure she’s really following Jennifer’s instructions, although that’s certainly how Regina is trying to spin things back at the Pentagon. Regina has an ally in Kimberly, who passed along her theory that Jennifer sent “Sarah,” the pilots, and the choppers out to find Hero. (So close, yet so far, Kimberly!) And of course Regina moves on that information, which allows us to see Jennifer finally enter “Don’t fuck with me” mode. This is why you cast Diane Lane, so she can read her scene partner for filth. Lane has done well with Jennifer’s steadily increasing anxiety and defensiveness, and it’s impressive how she swings from the apprehension of “Proceed with caution” to the anger of “Maybe you just play one on TV. Whatever sells catheters, right?” to the final sneering KO “You do that. I’d be fucking grateful” in response to Regina’s threat to “show them who you really are.” Maybe people would respect this version of Jennifer more? Maybe she should lean into this more brusque, more direct persona? It certainly seems to work for Roxanne.
Ah, Roxanne, Roxanne. I did not anticipate Missi Pyle to be such a great cult leader, but here we are! She is giving her followers what they want, which is an opportunity to start again in a world she thinks is rightfully without men, and giving girls trauma, which is fueled by an ideology that insists men were always abusers. Think of how she questions/berates both Laura and Mack—and also think of how she positions other women as her followers’ enemies. She doesn’t let in a mother/daughter duo, because I think Roxanne wants people who are alone so she can manipulate them easier; Nora and Mack were an exception because they were with Hero. (The same goes for Sam, who is very clearly Not Welcome Here.)
Roxanne is making these women and girls believe that she is their only savior, and they do her bidding. They swarm on Hero at the bath to convince her to stay; they go full Midsommar flower crowns at that funeral for Laura/naming ceremony for Athena; they make Sam feel like an other; and they evoke that Winter’s Bone beatdown of Jennifer Lawrence’s Ree Dolly with their attack on Kelsey (Samantha Brown), who dared speak to Sam.
Does Sam have any allies in this place? You would think Hero, who is doing her same ol’ “flirt with my best friend because I’m a mess” thing, and who said to Sam earlier, “They’re staring at you because you’re a sight for sore eyes. … You’re fucking dreamy. I’m the lucky bitch that didn’t lose the man she loves,” would be there for him. But no! Hero has found absolution and forgiveness in Roxanne, to whom she admits her killing of Mike before the Event.
Roxanne doesn’t offer Hero forgiveness, because it’s not hers to give. A fresh start, though, is certainly appealing, as is Roxanne’s spinning of Hero’s choice as self-defense and self-actualization: “You kick an animal enough times, it’s going to bite back. … You can be whoever you want here. It’s up to you.” Is Hero going to be a person who has her best friend’s back, or who abandons Sam when a “better” partner comes along? Maybe Sam needs to reassess who he trusts, and whether he stays. If I were him? Grab the testosterone and run.
Stray observations
- I am not shipping Yorick and 355, but her little butt bump against him during that “Great Dead Men” vigil was cute. And for the people who are shipping Yorick and 355, have fun writing some slash fic with that “Wander off again, I’ll get you a leash!” line.
- I am very emotional at this current moment, and the cover of “Karma Police” made me cry!
- Re: Dr. Mann’s “Yummy, body of Christ!” Do you think she would like Midnight Mass?
- A nod to the source material: Roxanne’s mastectomy. I’ll be honest, though, I expected the Laura-becoming-Athena ritual to be less religious and more along the lines of the ritualistic rite the Daughters of the Amazon perform in the comic.
- A moment that didn’t sit right: Why would Sam, who surely knows the power of being your true self, be so surprised by what Laura/Athena does in that funeral ceremony? It wasn’t that “fucking weird,” was it?
- Regina really has an encyclopedic memory of every insult everyone has ever leveled at her, doesn’t she?
- Don’t mind me, I’m just laughing and laughing about “I’m not sure what you’ve heard about Christians, but we’re actually pretty understanding.”
- So what did happen to Kate?
- Director Destiny Ekaragha had some great shots this episode: Amber Tamblyn and Jennifer Wigmore’s blond heads conspiratorially leaning toward each other; Laura/Athena’s foot in that bathwater; those guns in the PriceMax mannequins’ hands.
- How did the PriceMax not get looted before Roxanne and her crew set up shop there?
- Nora is playing the game by trying to worm her way toward Roxanne’s side, and I’m wondering if that sets up drama between her and Hero, who already seems to be there. What does “Stop apologizing for who you are” look like for Nora?
28 Comments
I only knew Missi Pyle through her comedic roles, but I am already impressed with her work in this much darker and more forceful role. I hope she remains a part of the series for a long time.
Missy Pyle is the best thing about the show, and maybe the only thing keeping me watching at this point. I’m getting sick of Hero being terrible, Yorick wandering off like a lost puppy and showing his face to everyone, Jennifer doing nothing. Everyone in this show is a drag.
Same. She’s killing it, and it’s great to watch.
Argh. I tried, really tried, to get through the first four episodes of this show but dear Christ, Yorick and Hero are the fucking dumbest and most gigantically selfish fuckers. I know it’s supposed to get better as far as Yorick’s behaviour goes, but no, he’s a dickhead. A giant, selfish, whiny, eternally-punchable dickhead. As for Hero? Meh. Just meh.
I’ve known a lot of very understanding Christians. But I don’t know if Kimberly is actually one of them.
I’ve talked to a few “political Christians” who are super nice until the Supreme Court/Roe enters the conversation.
I was hoping that Christine would point out that there are plenty of christians on the left, the right only has a monopoly on the racist anti-choice ones.
I had to laugh at that moment, because I feel like I’ve been there. It’s wild how often Christians of a certain stripe seems to think people respond to them negatively because they’ve never met one before.
I don’t think Sam was weirded out by the renaming. I think Sam was weirded out by ‘this is obviously a cult and they clearly have it out for me’.
Yeah. He’s surrounded by women who have full on group therapy sessions about how men have abused them, and then one of the women giggles about how there’s going to be a “funeral” later. I’d be outta there.
You said it before I could. It’s not about the name, it’s about the cult. A violent cult that is obviously not OK with Sam’s existence.
That was a beautiful Radiohead cover, and by listening to it at the end I just found out Charlie Jane Anders (old io9 founding editor, author, etc.) was in the writers room, which is cool too.
Oh good! I really enjoyed that cover as well, and am glad I wasn’t alone.
Sam does know the power of being your true self. But that is not what Laura/Athena is doing or going through. She’s getting brainwashed and radicalized to serve the wants of Roxanne.
While there were some lovely shots (like the altar one mentioned), I am very, very tired of night scenes so dark it’s nearly impossible to tell what’s going on.
How did the PriceMax not get looted before Roxanne and her crew set up shop there?
The best explanation I can think of is that the original group included some PriceMax employees.
Or her character drove straight there when she realized what was happening the day of the event.
In the early Walking Dead days, a friend and I had a discussion about the best place to hold up. He said a nuclear sub – a power source, defendable, lots of supplies and food with a long shelf life. I disagreed for a number of reasons and suggested a Costco or BJ’s. Again, lots of supplies including food and water, huge walk in freezers to store bodies if necessary (even without power, they’re pretty air tight), a distinct lack of windows to worry about, an exhaust system for cooking and possibly even for running a generator, and probably roof access for some sunlight and keeping guard. Roxanne probably had the same thought. Luckily in her area, PriceMax also carries assault rifles.
I honestly think they were there when it happened as well. They grabbed the pajamas and hunkered down. I am joking. Roxanne would never let them all stay. She needs to split the group up to regain control. If you remember, even from the moment they met Hero, she told them they needed to keep everyone together or no one at all. So I think inviting groups is not the Amazon way. I think they made an exception for Hero.We will see what happens when the rest overstay the welcome right? Eeek.
Yes I wonder if some went there or were there the day of the event shopping in their pajamas. I love the show for including this detail of what they wear. The Amazon’s all basically hang out in Costco in their PJs. If you have not shopped in Costco or Aldi in your PJs you have not truly lived.
I really wish this show captured the tone of the comics. Feels like they used the character names and general events from the source material and abandoned the tone completely. It’s too danged dreary, man.
Totally agree. I really enjoyed the comics, but the show is just way too soul-crushing. I think the books moved at such a clip that you didn’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about what rang true and what was absurd. Here, we get to see a political power struggle that we didn’t need to see. We get to see an origin story for the Amazons (didn’t need to see that either) and just a generally wider array of women being shitty to each other.I think what’s ironic here for me is that in the books, if I had one question, it was ‘how did things get so bad, so quickly?’ I don’t feel like that was really addressed – it was much more ‘this is what the world looks like now.’ Now we have a show that could really spend the time getting into that aspect (because they’re certainly spending the time getting into other things that weren’t explored in the books) but they’re not doing it either. So the question actually ends up sticking out more. 51% of the population, filled with capable and qualified people (and others who can like, read) are still walking the earth. And while they’ve obviously experienced trauma and are staring down the literal end of the species, I feel like there would be plenty of women who would be focused on getting the power back on rather than joining a cult.
Exactly. This was my least favorite episode so far. It’s been a long time since I read the comics, but if they had been this dark, I don’t think I would’ve kept reading for the whole run.
I thought the funeral/renaming was beautiful.
Tragically, it’s wrapped up in a really fucking unhealthy and dangerous situation.
“You’re fucking dreamy.” Well, that is the truth, Sam is fucking dreamy. Even though Hero is just saying that to be manipulative… I have been crushing on Elliot Fletcher since The Fosters, always glad to see him, whereever he pop’s up. He is simply gorgeous! Sam is really the ONLY character I am concerned for at any given moment.
Yorick is in absolutely no danger whatsoever, he is such an ass, but he will last the entirety of the run of the show, so nothing is going to happen to him. His constant wandering off, his earnestness and belief in his worth (beyond being the last man) as an escape artist and “teacher” pisses me off. I obviously don’t like him, he is a useless sack of meat.
“Why would Sam, who surely knows the
power of being your true self, be so surprised by what Laura/Athena does
in that funeral ceremony? It wasn’t that “fucking weird,” was it?” YES! Yes it was insanely weird! Are you kidding me?!? Every bit of it was weird, and as soon as I got a hold of the T, I would be out the door as quickly and safely as could be managed. Roxanne is a lunatic, who full on behaves exactly like the men she imagines all of us to be. FUCK! Gone. She is danger.
The moment when 355 is walking down the stairs to the basement of the church, moving her hands like she is trying to practice talking to Yorick and Dr. Mann after she lashed out at Yorick is so understated and amazingly well played. I love Ashley Romas for that moment.
agree, as a reader of the graphic novel, I thought we were headed for a gruesome amateur mastectomy ceremony there. I even thought I was seeing them preferentially cleaning off her right breast in preparation. I guess that aspect won’t be in the TV series
This episode was probably the best so far, at least since the pilot, since Yorick didn’t do anything insanely stupid and annoying.However, I couldn’t stop giggling at the Radiohead cover. It was beautiful, yet somehow the idea that after the apocalypse happens, all these people are going to work really hard on their ethereal chanting in order to make covers suitable for pseudo-edgy movie trailers just struck me as really funny.