Dispatches From Elsewhere suggests the end is nigh, while delivering a key moment of joy
TV Reviews Recap
It’s the end of the game of Dispatches From Elsewhere—theoretically. Certainly the public-facing event has been concluded, bringing with it the confirmation that Octavio Coleman and Commander 14 were being played by identical twins, and that this is actually a game. But then there are the episode’s final moments, acknowledging that there’s something bigger beneath the surface, and our gang has the chance to learn the answer to the big question of who Clara is. Or, um, was?
Before digging into that issue, let’s deal with the substance of the episode, which was largely about confronting our gang of puzzle-solvers about their difficulties in engaging with the outside world. After the events of last week, the gang is struggling to decide whether or not to alert to the authorities as to what they found in the penthouse apartment; that decision gets pushed aside when a man comes up in the elevator, fleeing as soon as he sees Our Heroes.
Chasing the man, known as the milk man because that was what he was drinking when Peter and his friends started chasing him, brings the gang first to a wardrobe closet for the game, and then eventually to what appears to be the endgame—a showdown between Octavio Coleman and Commander 14, accompanied by a live performance by an actress playing Clara.
This scene is all about celebrating the duality that has been a key aspect of the game from the beginning: the battle between chaos and order, and so many other qualities, as exemplified by how the Jejune Institute presents its ideas opposite the Elsewhere Society.
It is a war which the show, at least for now, reveals to be an artificial construct. It also gets ruined by Peter, as he interrupts the “fake” Clara’s karaoke rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” which was part of the finale—leaving Peter humiliated in front of all the other gameplayers.
Once the game is over and the after-party for the game has begun, the team tries to take stock, with Fredwynn pushing the actor behind Octavio for more information, and both Peter and Simone chatting with the yeti, who identifies himself here as the “Elegant Squatch,” and feels free to admit that he’s horny for Simone.
However, he doesn’t get his chance, because the after-party is one that brings with it a few important reveals, most important of which was the big climatic moment that yes, literally had me yelling “YAY!” when I watched: Peter and Simone, after the Elegant Squatch taunted them over their obvious mutual attraction, finally kissed. And it was a good kiss, too, preluded by Peter serenading Simone with “On My Own” from Les Miserables—maybe not the most romantic of songs, but remember that Peter’s musical repertoire is limited to the Les Mis soundtrack… and end of list.
It’s a long-awaited moment, and a lovely one (not kidding, really did yell “YAY!” in my quiet apartment while watching). The groundbreaking nature of this feels almost rude to hang a hat on, but it does feel important to mention how beautiful it is, the casual way in which this show presents a romance between a cis male and a trans woman, because what matters, in the long run, is how they feel, not who they are.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Fredwynn is having an extreme series of recollections that pinpointed how past interactions have only ensured his isolation, while Janice’s younger self reminded her that she’s a bit out of place in this scene (not cool, Young Janice!). The unexpected effect of this is that it’s Janice, ready to go home, who ends up encountering The Architect—a woman who admits that “the truth is that Clara is dead and it’s all my fault.”
So maybe there’s more mystery yet to come. But in the meantime, here are some moments of joy, followed by some intrigue. The world is hard to handle right now. Thank you, Dispatches From Elsewhere, for doing your best to help.
Stray observations
- Janice breaking that beer bottle was one of her most badass moments to date.
- Fredwynn’s very real knife came initially as a surprise, but did end up making sense.
- Richard E. Grant as Dirtbag Actor is one of his greatest types. He really should have won the Oscar for Can You Ever Forgive Me?
- Peter is sometimes a bit hard to grok as a character, but his embarrassed admission that “I never want to talk about it ever again” is perhaps him at his most relatable.
- “You told me I was special.” “I said that to everyone.” Such a brutal response.
- Such a perfectly observed line about Peter, from Simone: “When he leans on something, he does it all careful like, to make sure he’s not going to break it.” There is no doubt, with moments like this, how much of a love story this show is.
- Fredwynn playing vocal coach to Peter as he struggles to find his chest voice… This show is truly capable of beauty sometimes.
28 Comments
That was beautiful and unexpected. I feel like the show did a good job of earning the moment with Peter and Simone. I also really love the character development of Fredwynn. And Janice is amazing. The “end of the game” here is based I think on a tiny bit of an event in the original game where participants went to a mausoleum and had to put blindfolds on and learned the truth about Clara (with the truth of Clara in the original game being very different from what occurred in this episode) and mostly based on the actual last event of the game. I’m very curious where the show goes from here – there are a lot of things that seem to exist outside of the game, like Clara being real (I wondered when someone was going to bring up that they found an actual newspaper article; I wasn’t sure at first if the show was going to pass that off as something planted as part of the game), the clown boy that only we the audience saw at first and then Fredwynn saw in his memories but did not seem to notice the significance of, the mind-to-media stuff (Peter’s flash to watching several TVs in episode one is identical to Fredwynn’s moment in this episode; in Peter’s version, he actually watched future events, which makes me wonder now how the mind-to-media thing and The I.D.E.A. will come into play again, and if we’re seeing moments “outside of the show”). I also wonder if the show will pull a Joe Pesci in Casino and no longer have Octavio address the audience from here on out – the cut to black at the end of the episode here suggests that may be the case as I think usually they have Octavio address the audience at the end or at least show up to snap his fingers. I hope, though, that we haven’t seen the last of him. The 4th-wall breaking Octavio doesn’t match up to him being Chuck the identical twin actor, unless he’s just been acting for us too. Also: There’s a long, lingering shot of a white van with a blue rotating light on top – that is part of the ARG connected to this show. I think it was in Fredwynn’s episode where the New Noology Network is mentioned; that is the ARG that began a few months before the show premiered and the white van was part of it. I don’t remember exactly now the purpose of the van, but in the ARG it seemed to be following “players” and perhaps collecting people’s memories or some such. It’s weird stuff that I am wondering whether or not it will play into the show more – maybe that’s where The Architect comes from or some such. I’m super excited for the last 3 episodes.
I don’t think they were going for the event at Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes here. As you said we all put on blindfolds, and there’s no way to represent what happened next visually without ruining the magic.
Yeah, it’s a pretty big stretch – I’d hoped the show would touch on that in some way as it is my favorite part of the original game.
I agree about Fredwynn’s character development. I was starting to really dislike him and find him the weakest part of the show, but his moment of realisation about what how selfish he could be was super well-done and well-earned. Andre killed it in this episode overall – his knife reveal and vocal coaching Peter were absolutely hilarious
I almost fell on to the floor with laughter when he pulled out the knife and said something to the effect of, “None of you could possibly be surprised by this.”
Remember Octavio’s message in the induction center? He told Peter (and everyone else, we can assume) they “belong with the special ones.” In simpler terms he was offering a chance to make some new friends, and that’s exactly what happened with Peter and the gang. Somehow the jerk who tried to tell Janice otherwise didn’t get the message.
Potential nod to the original game: The gathering at the end mirrors the events of the Jejune Institute’s final act, the Socio-Rengineering Seminar. It will have been nine years ago as of this Friday. Instead of singing there were a lot of weird team building exercises in a hotel conference room. At the end everyone was pretty confused and we all gathered around to chat with “the architect.” IRL he’s one of the executive producers of this show.Oh and people who met during the events of this game did occasionally date. At least one couple got hitched.
1) We all need an Elegant Squach to tell us the straight dope. Also, every time I just wear a tie (and nothing else?) I’m going to describe myself as Elegant.2) Is the moment with Peter/Simone basically our generation’s Kirk/Uhura taboo-breaking on-screen kiss? I’m not hip to all the current TV, but has there been as mainstream an actor on a major network show having a passionate kiss with a trans woman? Genuinely asking. If not, bravo Mr. Segal. They didn’t even need to have it be forced on them like the Trek one, it was full on top-shelf romantic payoff (with Les Mis!)
Also there is a notable switch in gender of the singer/object from the original song. I can’t imagine that was an accident.
1) the cops may not buy that.2) yes.
Last night I looked at my husband and said I think this is actually a show about delusion and mental illness, or rather, the way we delude ourselves when we’re depressed. With the game being “over”, it seems like we’re shifting to the characters having to deal with what’s inside them and what drew them to the game in the first place. Peter’s visions of Clara, Clown Boy, and Past Janice all just seem like manifestations of their own psychological issues, well, except for the whole bit with Clown Boy watching Janice.My own stray thoughts:- It friggin killed me when Little Fredwyn corrected the grammar in that valentine. OUCH.- Did anyone else who watched A Series of Unfortunate Events get a total Carmelita Spats vibe from “Clara”? (Especially when she was on stage before Peter took her mic!)- FINALLY Clara and Peter!
I really got the A Series of Unfortunate Events in the episode where Clara was painting the blue mural and swings down. It brought it to mind for me instantly. It was the same kind of twee that is bordering on too much without going all the way over.
This show has managed to surprise and delight me every episode. I’m sure it’ll join Lodge 49 in the “too pure for this world” scrap heap 🙁
God I miss Lodge 49. I’m pretty sure this is intended to be a one-and-done, though. They keep using the term “anthology” I think so they could bring it back if it’s a success, but I’m pretty sure this is getting even lower numbers than Lodge 49. In any case, I think at least this season will likely wrap up the story and not end on a cliffhanger, unlike Lodge 49, which ended in such a way that it’s almost painful to think about.
Yes, on reflection, I’m not sure this story can really support a Season 2. That said, they could absolutely follow “Miracle Workers” and make an unrelated story with the same cast.
What Cliffhanger?
The last episode of Lodge 49 saw Liz finally enter the Lodge and be welcomed by the members. She was waiting to pick Dud up, but it started to pour, and he wasn’t there. Instead, Dud was at the trailer digging in the yard. The same moment Liz approaches the main hall, a kind of shock wave hits Liz and sort of takes her legs out from under her. Dud, still digging in the pouring rain, gets struck by lightning and falls into the hole. The mud and water slowly covers his unconscious body. You think he is going to drown. But, the final scene takes place out back of the Lodge. The door high up on the brick wall opens outward, and Dud’s prone form falls a story and a half to the ground in a shower of dirt and water. End
Now I remember. Sure that would have been explored in the next season, maybe with him in a coma for part of it, but I still think it was a fine ending to the series. Believe me, I really wanted more,
If you watch it *just* up the final ad break it’s a fairly satisfying conclusion… after that it’s maddeningly abrupt how it cuts off & ends
Liz, have you seen Whitnail and I? Richard E. Grant has looooong deserved an Oscar.
I just can’t get into this show, even w AMC tricking me by attaching to BCS
I think it’s been years since I yelled “Kiss! Kiss! KISS!!” at my TV machine since I did for Simeter (Or is it Pemone?).
I, too, want to salute what seems (to me) to be a groundbreaking depiction of a Cis/Trans ‘ship, and a Transwoman in general. Unlike a show (FTR, I love) like “Pose”, Simone’s Trans-ness has certainly been a complication, but FAR from defining her (I recognize that 30 years of hard-won progress—-amidst continuing backlash losses—-has benefitted someone like Simone, compared to the Transwomen of “Pose”. And, well, white middle-class privilege too. Of course.)But speaking of sexual minority communities: might the Furries be bothered that “Elegant Squatch” was depicted as sort of a bog-standard straight male douchebag? (who nevertheless served as something of Greek Chorus and/or Deus Ex Machina, in terms of advancing the Simeter—-I think I prefer “Simeter”—-storyline)
Boy, was Peter’s Les Miz playlist a gun-over-the-mantle or what? Agreed w/ how hysterical Fredwynn’s coaching was [Peter, sing out like this: “Hey ya! He-ey-ey ya-a!”] When Young Fredwynn handed back the note, TOTALLY called that he corrected the crushing lil’ girl’s spelling!Why is Young Janice SUCH a biotch?!
I think in the way that Not-Clara has nevertheless represented an Actual Clara, perhaps Not-Octavio does also? I know we’re moving onto “Lee”, aka The Architect…but I don’t think we’re done w/ Octavio (at least, I hope not!)
This show has been a continuing delight.
FYI, those (like me) not from Philly: re the title “Cave of Kelpius”. Historic (nearly ancient!) Philly-based Doomsday Cult!
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cave-of-kelpius[Actually, this group sounds far more interesting than that]Anyone want to speculate as to why this was the ep’s title? Foreshadowing? [Eek.]OK, who can tell us what the *Latin* was that the various game-players {cough cult members cough} were saying, berobed, as they streamed in for the “game’s” finale?
The Peter/Simone moment was great but this was Fredwynn’s episode. He’s a character I love and a person I despise, but he had the “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice” moment. He realized these people are his friends, not his support staff. It is going to take a little time to figure out what that means to him, but that’s really huge for him and arguably a bigger step than Simone and Peter getting on the same page.I think this was only the first level and I hope there are many more to come. The best shows, like the best cover stories, are like onions.
I love all of the performances the main cast is putting on, but in many ways Fredwynn’s is my favorite. Remarked to a friend while watching that I can go entire episodes with forgetting that’s actually Andre 3000, something that I never quite got to with Gaga in A Star Is Born, for comparison. Of course now I feel bad for not professing my love for Janice!
There were some very funny moments, but for the most part this episode felt very raw emotionally, painful to watch. For me it was seeing that moment for Janice, when she looks around at all these people and realizes that, even though they’ve been through this big thing together that felt like it was so important, so cementing them all together, perhaps she can’t actually relate to any of them. Sort of reminded me of college.
Actually, Janice had no trouble relating to younger people. None at all. To the contrary. She was wide open to anyone’s story. What happened was that those people erased her from their shared experience. It kind of horrifies me to see that point misunderstood.
Yaaaaay!!!! It was very Jason Segel to have Peter find his way to Simone in the most embarrassing, totally over his head followed by a musical number way possible. And AMC is just going to have to decide whether they want to put on excellent programming as Limited Events, or back ratings-challenged but critically acclaimed fare until it gains and audience. … and what’s wrong with cult followings? Advertisers don’t like knowing down to a tee a specific audience type?! How does the CW exist then?!
I’m going to miss Janice squealing Freewynn’s name. At first it annoyed me because it was so incessant, but as the episodes went on, it happened less. I think she simply *said* his name once during the latest episode. That made me sad.