What I’m Watching: Avenue 5

Avenue 5: Season 1, Episode 8 “This Is Physically Hurting Me” (B+)

Watching this episode, I hadn’t processed that there’s just one more installment left this season, but fortunately there will be more craziness when this show returns for its second season sometime in the future. It was hard to imagine things getting worse on the ship, but Judd firing Ryan so that he could have a very public meltdown where he freely used his British accent and showed off his (lack of) real hair managed to get the passengers to that point. Decrying that it was all a simulation and that they could just walk out of the airlock since none of it was real created a pretty wild horror show, one that included multiple installments of people walking outside, being immediately killed, and then explained away as VFX to the other passengers. That’s one small victory for Judd that his nemesis Harrison is gone, but it’s going to be hard to put a positive spin on this ill-advised passenger suicide trend. I like that Doug and Mia almost reconciled but then saw it all go to hell when she was mad that he was making him wanting her to live all about him again. Rav didn’t think too hard about what would happen to her when she went to get Judd and bring him back, and I imagine there’s going to be a ferocious battle for that one prized seat back to Earth, which may make the pilot’s very necessary presence a question that means no one will end up getting home.