*Light episode-premise spoilers.*
Rounding the corner toward the end of the series here – just a few episodes left. This one, while not quite as narrowly-focused as some of the other centric episodes have been, follows a character who was a major presence in season 1 but has since been less prominent. It’s interesting to see her position amid everything that’s been going on.
In a somewhat timey-wimey episode, we track Laurie through her attempts to keep everyone around her from going off the deep end. All the major action has found its way to Australia, and Laurie variously juggles Kevin Sr.’s plans for averting what he believes to be the end of the world (with said plan posing a serious risk to his son’s life) and Nora’s crusade to expose people who claim (fraudulently, Nora insists,) that they can reunite people with their departed loved ones.
It took me a little while to realize that the two main plots of this episode take place within two different time frames. The scenes with Nora are flashbacks, happening before the scenes with Kevin Sr., and I’m not entirely convinced that it was necessary to do so. To me, the benefits of the time-skipping don’t really outweigh my confusion in the early scenes as I was trying to figure out, not exactly what’s happening when, but more why it’s structured the way it is.
Given that Laurie began her time on the show as a cultist, it’s impressive that we’ve now gotten her to a point where she’s poised to be the voice of reason for other zealous people who are ready to follow their beliefs to extremes. Although they’re coming from two very different viewpoints – Kevin Sr’s adherence to belief in his and Kevin’s supposed gifts of prophecy, Nora’s determined skepticism that’s desperate to prove these people are lying – both are prepared to do almost anything to achieve their goals. That’s where Laurie comes in, attempting to provide a tempering influence. Part of this, I imagine, is just her backstory of having been a therapist, but I wonder if it’s also because she’s already had her post-departures existential crisis through her time in the G.R. She’s on the other side of it now, ready to help other people navigate theirs.
The best part of this story is the opening it gives for Amy Brenneman and Carrie Coon to share meaty scenes together. They’re both interesting characters, both linked to Kevin, and they both present a frequent aura of unflappability to others, but when they go off, they go off. This makes for a neat dynamic between them, and it’s kind of a shame that the two actresses haven’t had more chances to interact throughout the series.
Christopher Eccleston is involved on the flashback side of the plot, joining in on Nora’s mission. The back-and-forth between Laurie and Nora very much takes center stage in these scenes and Matt’s role is more functionary, but we do get a few glimpses that are more specific to his character. The final scene between these three is probably one of the strongest of the episode.
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