With the last dimensional key on a planet slowly being consumed by the Dark Zone, Gary and the crew of the Crimson Light must work against the clock to not only get it away from Gary’s mom, but retrieve the other stolen keys from an old enemy.
There is an awful lot to unpack from this episode and that’s putting it mildly.
First of all, ignoring the comedy which is always great, you really have to admire the overarching plot that this season has strung out for us. Final Space is, in every measurable sense, a sprawling science fiction epic every bit as ambitious as Babylon 5, Star Trek, or any other science fiction series… the only difference is, Final Space is animated and so, doesn’t get the recognition that it rightfully deserves.
Honestly, folks, Final Space could be the most intricately told American animated science fiction series in history. I’m scouring my brain to think of another, but I just can’t.
I mean, sure… Futurama was amazing, Rick and Morty is genius… but none have told a story this massive. It’s really something to see and every chapter just makes me want to see more and more what is coming next.
With “Decent into Darkness,” we see the a turning point in several fronts: The gathering of the keys, what appears to be the ultimate showdown with Cheryl, and the final confrontation with Todd H. Watson. You would think that an episode this overloaded with plot would be rushed, but somehow or another, the brilliant little animals running this show balanced it perfectly along with a very amusing subplot of H.U.E. and Ava having a romantic rendezvous.
This entire episode was just a delight from beginning to end. The humor was turned up to eleven to break tension when it needed to be broken, but the drama was allowed to unfold as it should without too many interruptions.
Although I wasn’t a fan of Cheryl’s initial episode, I have to admit that she’s grown on me the more of her motivation and bitterness that has been explained to us. She’s gone from a purely despicable character to someone who is actually to be pitied. In a way, much like last week, her and Clarence have more in common than Cheryl would ever admit.
The fight between Gary, Cheryl and Nightfall was both high stakes and high drama. There’s just something so darned sad watching Gary try to desperately connect with his only living parent who obviously does not care in the least bit about him. You know, perhaps that’s another theme of Gary’s character: Unrequited love. He loved Quinn who, at first, didn’t love him back. He loves Little Cato who, at first, didn’t love him back. He loved Avacato who now wants to kill him. He loves his mom, who hates his guts.
I think I just made myself sad.
Can we talk Tribore? He’s been hit and miss with me all season. Certain times, I find him hilarious and other times, he’s like a roadblock in the middle of the plot highway. This time around, though, he’s back on the hilarious side, almost like the writers finally balanced his weird personality and awesomeness perfectly. Just about every scene with him was gold, every punchline was chuckle-inducing, and even his mannerisms and overall animation were sharp and crisp. This is the Tribore I want to see from now on if he makes it through the season.
I wish I could say more, but Final Space is on a massive win-streak lately. Every episode has been great, they’ve run a gamut of emotions, and the humor has been perfect. For a season that started out on shaky and unsure grounds, Final Space is definitely poised to cross the finish line in high fashion.
Jason Gaston 