Extant: S02E06: "You Say You Want an Evolution"

Rating: 5
OK

In A Nutshell

This week was a lot easier to get through than last week's drag, but only marginally. The stupidity and simpleness of some of the dialogue and plot is like a piece of bread missing it's margarine; it's blander.

This week's episode can be brought to you by the words "DNA" and "DULL".

Things kick off with Molly talking a lot of DNA-WTF babble and asking JD to extract her bone marrow using a long pointy thing. JD highlights the stupidity of doing such a procedure, as we all agree, but nevertheless she needs it so that a minute later we can watch the most cheese infested graphic of various coloured dots of DNA on a screen. The blue ones are alien DNA. Oh right, that's useful to know ... but Molly needs more. Don't ask me why and what sort of logic she had for this, but she wanted those alien spores as a way of finding out if her mutation can be reverse. So, she heads back to the government company and literally nicks a chunk of data off the science lab computers before it stops her, due to her not having authorisation. Why it allowed her to take any should be a concern for whoever looks after data security at that place. She absconded quickly, thanks to her alien mindtrick, and off she goes with JD to hide out in the wilderness. There she invents the idea of transmitting the alien communication in the DNA across the city, as she now wants to speak to her son, and get a copy of his DNA to help her get better. Great. So, JD and Molly have a nice chat around a campfire, before she gets alien signals in her head, and we cut to them walking through the woods to where the aliens have been holding up in what passes as a nice holiday camp setting. Here, Adhu (that's Molly's alien son) talks all cryptically and blandly about how she should understand and that they aren't trying to hurt anyone. He shows Molly a great CGI graphic that will "explain everything" but just mostly shows us a planet blowing up. That's enough for Molly to get the big picture and start joining the alien camp, who never wanted to kill the pregnant women, and have now evolved so that doesn't happen. They see Molly as their new leader and Molly seems ready to do everything she can now to protect them from the soon to be released virus, much to JD's realistic despair.

Meanwhile, this week Julie develops a spine; she's had a nightmare about John's death. She begins to warm to Molly it seems also, whilst she helps transfer Lucy's "brain" to a room full of tens of robots ready to be unleashed on the hybrid aliens. Why they need them, when they say they have a virus, I don't know. Does anyone understand all this?

Lucy's also done more evil robot stuff on Ethan it seems, getting him to believe all humans lie. As if! Of course we don't. Do we? Ahh, who cares. But it leads to Ethan creating some rather basic spider robots with webcams to spy on people, of which he captures at the end Julie sobbing. Nice detective work. She's bawling her eyes out after confronting her boss over John's death and having a rather scary (to her) ride up and down in a lift. Quite how she stayed grounded when it went up and down so fast, is beyond me.

What I liked

JD adds realism and conviction to a show that seems to be full of robot acting. His ex-wife makes an appearance and actually seems to also be quite dramatic with genuine emotions, unlike all the puppet stuff everyone else performs like.

Grasping at straws here, but Lucy's bad ass evil robot ways might pay off for some tension eventually, especially as there's likely to be tens more of her going around soon. The robot manufacturing room reminded me of cylon robots, but rather less threatening.

What I Didn't Like

So, the alien's come in peace? They've been misunderstood? It's hard to care really. For the sake of this show, they should be the bad guys. Making them even remotely misunderstood is going to lead to a rather awful frantic Molly strutting about and some rather bland resolution I reckon.

Lucy, although looking untrustworthy and evil, is dull. She looked expressionless and really could bore a lawnmower.

Huh?

JD is about the only person to question some of the absurdity on this show.

Does Ethan care or not? Sounds like he doesn't, but then he gives Molly a hug at end. Their relationship is rubbish, but not because of the plot.

Julie finally feels upset and inmorale over what's gone down with John and challenges her boss ... which I suppose leads to the lift thing later.

... yet Molly steals most of the data before it stops her. Probably the worst security ever.

I guess they are all lying on beds joined up on columns, but why is this the typical view of mass production of robots these days?

Yes, she was. Sadly for us, she came back JD.

Indeed. And it's likely to lead to some hybrids getting killed. Seems this whole season could have been one big alien misunderstanding, much like the decision to give this show a second season.

The lift going crazy scene. Despite going up very fast, and then down very fast, Julie maintained impeccable balance.

And Finally

Dull and dry stuff throughout, only made better by JD's wit and realism to question everything that's ridiculous about Molly and the show.