“And Into the Fire” kicks off a purposeful third season of Final Space

This show is just so… great. I just love it. It rarely stumbles, I simply adore the characters, I appreciate the humor, and I admire the storytelling. It’s one of the most underrated series on television today and I try to alert as many people about it as I can.

Gary and the crew of the Crimson Light have finally reached Final Space and rescues Quinn, but soon find themselves on the run from the big bad of the series, Invictus, and his army of reanimated Gary zombies.

I would explain this, but it’s complicated and I don’t want to.

The result is a major bump in the crew’s day and a new complication that finds them stranded, without a ship, and at the mercy of the planet-sized Titans… and it only gets worse from there.

I appreciate the confidence that practically explodes from every second of this episode. Final Space has a plan and it’s executing that plan with absolutely no timidness. The result is a very tight episode that provides a satisfying continuation of the story laid out over the last two seasons.

Spoilers incoming.

The causality of this determination are the character moments and that is a disappointment. By skipping forward a month in the story, we’re robbed of Little Cato and Avacato’s proper reunion, the processing of Nightfall’s death, and even the more recent loss of the ship. Particularly disappointing is the blink and you miss it loss of Ava. While I fully accept that it could be a fake out death, a five second farewell from Hugh with no emotional impact felt like a cheat.

Also, Fox, Cheryl, and Little Cato are sinfully underused. It just seems that so much needed to be dealt with that wasn’t and, while I understand it may be coming, I felt it was a little more urgent than it was presented.

While I am disappointed by the sidelining of characters and character moments, the episode itself is still immensely enjoyable. It boasts an exciting chase sequence, a grand scale, and some horrific imagery that really does hammer home what a threat Invictus actually is.

Ash had a great moment with the robot with no legs. I found the entire scene unsettling.

I’m happy. I enjoyed it. I’m here for the new season and, if you’ve never heard of this show or you’ve heard of it but never watched it, now is the perfect time.