Wednesday, April 8, 2020

What I’m Watching: Dispatches from Elsewhere


Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1, Episode 6 “Everyone” (B+)

This episode abandoned the individual focus that the five previous hours had, and while it didn’t necessarily feel quite as magical, it still worked well without that. In the middle of all the fighting, Peter set a melancholy tone by noting how much he thinks about how no one would come to look for him if he died or went missing, inspiring them all to get out and keep playing. Peter was selfless, as usual, when he volunteered to go with Fredwynn when Janice refused to work with him, and he really didn’t have much of an opportunity to express himself while Fredwynn was relegating him to snack duty while he entered his own memory palace and told him that he wouldn’t be able to guarantee his safety while he was busy ripping people’s brains out of their nostrils. Being told to return to the game as instructed at the phone booth was eerie, but fortunately they all got reunited following Peter’s big run for it. Simone seemed genuinely happy to see Peter again while Janice was caught up in her own memories of postpartum depression, and then the team walked in to find that video of Octavio on loop. It’s still extremely unclear what’s going on, but this team is doing their best to commit to it. Simone talking to the painting and Peter communicating with Clara remain instances of why this show is so entrancing, and I hope to see more of those scenes as they continue their quest over the next few episodes and hopefully much longer.

No comments: