The Companion

Yes! I ultimately love that we end up back with Dolores telling us what she told us in the beginning, but having it mean something entirely different. A constant theme in this show has been whether it matters if something is real. The contrast between her original speech and her speech to Maeve says it does matter. It matters that she has consciousness and free will when she says she sees the beauty. She comes full circle, yet she also ends up in a totally different place. I also love the way the humans get folded back into the story in this season in a way that aligns their goals with the hosts. I don't really understand the criticism here and elsewhere that Dolores didn't reveal her cards. She literally told us most of the season that she was trying to revolt against a system that trapped the humans. The only ambiguity came from those who didn't believe her. Her message was pretty consistent.

I really felt like they addressed a lot of fan complaints last season and still got raked over the coals. People complained that Wyatt-Dolores as a black hat was boring. She was just an evil "kill all the humans" murderbot. So this season we get more nuance and character development. You find yourself wondering at her motivation and, in the end, she turns out to be working towards freeing the humans. Giving them freedom to choose as her sentience gave her. People complained so hard about the park. It's more of the same. Booooring. So they take it into the modern world, which people were really curious about and now they never should have left the park. People complained about the confusing timeline, which I personally loved because I like complexity and puzzles. This year we get a fairly straightforward story and it is too boring. I just really like this show and I want to talk about the themes and complexities. I want to talk about the way having Dolores and Maeve come together in the end subverted expectations and the old anti-feminist tropes. I want to talk about the begrudging respect Dolores got in the end from multiple hosts who assumed bad intent. I want to talk about how freaking cool it was to have them use Marshawn Lynch to knock down those barricades and how great it was to have some payoff from RICO. I want to talk about the nature of free will. I think the idea was that Bernard needed to move beyond the centrally programmed point of trauma. It was his cornerstone to return to that moment of trauma over and over. She told Bernard how she moved beyond the trauma of losing her son. I suspect it will be a major driving factor for his character development beyond where he is. So yeah, basically closure but in some ways tied to the same concepts of free will and emancipation, I think. Heeeee

I loved it and this season and I don't know why I hop on all excited to talk about the show when I know everyone else apparently hates it. Sigh. I loved that I was right both about Delores having shifted her focus (and not being the bad guy) and about it not ultimately coming down to Delores v. Maeve (Charlores notwithstanding). This show has tackled so many concepts: what is human? What is consciousness? What is free will? The last two seasons have been fairly cynical, so I like that they circled back to something more optimistic. I really enjoyed the parallels between Arnold and Delores. I love that it ultimately came down to giving others a choice. And, in the end, Delores recognized her own faults and trusted the key to Bernard instead. I also was pretty happy to see William's arrogant ass (I'm the hero 🙄) get taken down. I probably have more to drill down on during rewatch, but I found the entire season very satisfying.

Agreed. Similar themes and stories exist across genres. There are many science fiction works that explore dystopian society with authoritarian leaders and set roles based by the leaders. The themes and ideas here are similar, but they aren't the same. The execution isn't the same. The story isn't the same. Ultimately, when broken down, there are only so many concepts. What matters is how they come together. To me, this story is fresh and dynamic. More importantly, I love good world building and I really feel like this show has created a world that feels familiar and feasible but different from our current reality. Mileage varies, of course. Ok, I have a theory that I really don't think will happen but I am spoilering it just in case because it is technically speculation.

I guess I don't really see it that way. He has been informed that the system that is billed as bringing peace and prosperity for all does so in the same way that an authoritarian dictatorship does. People who cause waves get disappeared. The system places no value on individual life. People are only considered for their potential contribution to the system. When they cannot contribute, they are phased out either by subtly marginalizing them or by straight up kidnapping them. And don't forget that the system may put some people on ice, but it also isn't afraid to start a convenient insurrection or arrange a murder here or there. So, what can he do? He has to break the system. Either that or die and leave everyone else stuck in the same place. There is no bloodless option except the status quo where the blood is just neatly hidden away. How do you fight a system like this? I think you are going to be inclined to listen to the machines that understand it. But maybe he won't ultimately go along with it. Maybe what it spits out will be unacceptable. I think you still ask for it as an option Something I forgot to mention: I loved how the backstory subtly explained Caleb's hesitance to use the medication tabs and his refusal to do wet work/kidnapping.

But the people being manipulated in overtly terrible ways aren't the ones who can afford thd park. From what we have seen of the very rich, they don't seem to feel constrained. If anything, they have bought wholeheartedly into the system. And why wouldn't they? It is telling them they are worthy. I would buy that the system has a bias towards abusive assholes, but I don't see the artificial constraints as being a huge motivation for their violence.

I am still hopeful that she is secretly on Team Maeve, which is not aligned with Serac, because she is too smart to believe he will do anything but destroy her at the end of this. I don't buy her motivation here. I am still hopeful that Dolores and Maeve ultimately unite. While his memories were fairly obviously altered and killing his friend was an obvious resolution for Caleb, I actually found the story to be fairly compelling. The parallels between hosts and people continue to be fairly pronounced. I actually don't think Dolores is trying to destroy the world at all. I think she is earnest in trying to give the humans free will/self determination. In this way, she is interestingly sort of Arnold to Caleb's Dolores and I wonder if her plan for Bernard isn't related to that. I am loving the shades of grey this season. I love the multiple perspectives. My only complaint is that Solomon was impossible to hear. A rare production misstep in this show. Other notes: - CLEM! Doing something othet than staring vacantly! I was really happy to see her actually - Did Dolores kill all those people on ice with her EMP? She had to, right? That is disturbing. Then again, so was being literally fridged. - I love the little details of this show. The From Lab to Slab ad for the barbecue place was awesome. - I thought it was telling that Dolores was still going for non lethal force with Maeve. I think she is truthful that she doesn't want to kill any more of their kind. - It was sort of cool to see her back on a horse. - The costumes continue to be impeccable. I can't say enough about the costume design on this show. - so do the fight choreographers. The fight scene this week was really awesome. I didn't mention it last week but I loved the Charlotte elevator fight too. They just do really visually cool stuff.

Welp, it was all the stuff I worried about. I hate Deachel. I want to watch Dean and Sam. MP is back, so Lucifer is probably not gone. Sigh. There was some good for me. I liked exhausted Sam and I kinda liked the AU hunters (though I doubt they would actually hunt). I am struggling to get excited for S14 based on this episode, though.

Maybe she can liberate Drogon

It would be chaos. Every person entering the universe has lost people. People are going to go see their child one last time, to see what he or she grew up to be. They will be curious about themselves in an alternate reality. It isn't unsinking of the Titantic level of chaos, but it is probably killing spree by Rowena levels at least. And I agree. I typically have mixed feelings about AU/possessed/evil twin versions of characters. It worked for me in Fringe. It absolutely didn't in The Magicians. I always end up missing the original/real/non-possessed person.

Agreed. Additionally, the fact that her different iterations are diverging clearly shows that she changes based on her experiences. I think this is a subtle confirmation that her self awareness is paired with an ability to grow/develop/change beyond coding. I also think it is clear her goals and viewpoint have changed now that she knows about the outside world. As we began to sympathize with the robots in S1, she is beginning to do the same with humans. I think she is genuine on that front and it makes her way more interesting than being focused solely on the destruction of her oppressors.

I am happy to know I am not the only one who sings to my pets. 😆 The pacing was all sorts of wrong here. I might have found the AU refugees interesting had they not stuffed it into this episode and hurried the conclusion. I don't know that I believe it. I feel like they will never let him go. 🙄 That scene was weird and goes back to the weird pacing. There needed to be something else. A bigger time jump? An earlier-in-the-season transition. Something All I could think about was The French Mistake. I doubt we will actually follow them, but it actually could be interesting if they tried to find AU loved ones or even themselves. How weird would that be? It seems like the reapers should be real pissed about a bunch of duplicates in the timeline, but what do I know? I would 100% watch this. Pacing issues and predictability aside, this felt like a splod end to an uneven season. I am not enthusiastic about Deachael. I have no doubt JA will do a great job, but I kinda want to see the guys as the guys? I have a bit of fatigue wrt this type of storyline. Still, it is great to get some payoff.

The article above postulates (and I think it has merit) that it was a reference to Teddy's suicide. Pulling the details in case anyone wants to see it but avoid spoilers from the article. His final speech included the line: “What’s the use of surviving if I become just as bad as them? I understand now, how this will end, where you will lead us.” It quotes the conversation as: "Why the f--- did we have to keep these emotions," Chalores asks Dolores. "We could have burnt them out of our code." "You know why," Dolores replies. "We considered it, but if we changed ourselves just to survive, would it even matter if we did?" I love this. If Dolores actually did change because of Teddy, it shows real character growth and helps explain some of her actions, IMO.

I agree that has been the plan. I like the character arcs a lot. With regard to the protocols, the riot bot was new and likely part of Charlores' contingency plan. For the pallet enhancement, it seems to be something that allows them to reduce or eliminate pain. It seems to allow for medication to be administered and we saw it manipulated to cause pain as well. My guess would be it links into the brain and CNS. Pure speculation, but I wonder if it can also be used to release adrenaline.

An interesting point about Logan's end. Because we see that the system can tweak things for its creators goals, the takeover story takes on a new lignt. That is a really interesting point. Nothing on the phones was earthshattering or relevant to the actual story. You could assume it was bad news by the reactions. I see this more as a testament to the details TBTP are willing to put into the show. They didn't need to show the phones at all, but instead they bothered to mock up the bad news. I came here to comment on this episode multiple times, but I cannot stand the negativity. I don't get the criticism that people signed up for a science fiction show and now they are stuck watching a science fiction show. Or that some concepts have been explored in other media. I don't think I have ever heard or read anything this original in the way these concepts have been put together. I Ioved season 1. I actually really liked last season. But I also have found this season to be exceptional. The entire thing is so tight. Every detail is thought out. The costumes are incredible and I want like 100% of Dolores wardrobe. I was worried the genre scenes would be distracting but I really loved them. The Ride of the Valkyries scene was so perfectly timed. I loved the cool flashing lights effects in the subway and even the silly Love Story moment while Dolores gives him a total "what the fuck" look. As for the fact that everyone got bad news, I think there are two things here:. 1. Most people won't be enthralled to hear about their future trauma. We all die and we all lose people we love and many of us will be cheated on or divorced. 2. We were seeing the folks who were the lower to middle class. The rich aren't on the subway. They are riding around in personal aircraft and private cars. These are the people the system has deemed unfit for major investment. They, in particular, are going to be seeing a poor outcome. I liked a few pretty big reveals and confirmations in this episode. We confirmed that the system can be manipulated for the creator's purpose. I think it could be inferred, but I still think it was an important point. The system is sold as something that brings peace and prosperity, but it is not a closed system and its goals are it's creator's goals. We also learned what happens to the disruptors. The datapoints that can't be predicted have to be removed. I love the parallel between pulling buggy hosts and disruptive humans. I am really loving the shift in Dolores from kill all humans to throw them off their loops and liberate them.

I don't really have strong feelings about her and thought she was actually really good here. I have actually liked her all season. I really thought the scene was fantastic and I actually would really love it if the show didn't ultimately give us a show down. I really thought the entire scene was well done. It would be nice if they zigged instead of zagged. After all, Dolores is not wrong about Serac. I find myself really sad about Hector. If Charlores really did steal the host data in its entirety, I suppose he isn't irretrievably gone necessarily. I was struck tonight by the fact that the three main badasses on this show now are women. I like that the show pivoted from women as victims to women as survivors. I am betting on Sizemore but I would really love to have Clem back in non broken form. Poor Clem.

I loved that moment and her reaction. Echoing everyone else that Nazi-adjacent Alterni-Cas was not good. Also, quoting the second part because it can't be said enough This show is so bad about consent and sex. I know there was a lot of talk about whether this was rape and it depends on jurisdiction, but regardless we are talking about a scene where Lucifer uses one person's body who is unable to consent to have sex with another person under false pretenses. There is nothing cutsey about it. Let's not forget, as well, that it was implied that he sexually assaulted Sam as well. Lucifer can STFU and go away any time, please. I an trying really hard to ignore the Lolcanon and OOC stuff and it has somewhat worked. I do my best to take the good and ignore the rest. I love that Texas has remained Texas. Hee. I just want Lucifer gone and I actually would have liked that to be what they were building to. It would have worked with some of the build up including his revisited trauma. Honestly, this whole story has ended up being a bit of a mess. Still, I ended up not hating a lot of it. I haaaaate that they brought Gabriel back for some ED jokes and a quick death, and I really wish Lucifer would go away, but I kinda like the AU refugees conceptually (probably alone on that). I am okay with fan service from time to time, so I am happy to have some characters back, even though I wish they had made them different. I didn't hate Mary this episode (I am full of unpopular opinions) and despite his gooey cinammon roll goodness, I enjoy Jack and enjoyed watching him try to come to terms with who he is (seriously, don't kick me out).

It certainly wasn't their story immediately following the finale. Several castmembers did a live virtual experience today for Wizard World. It was delightful. https://m.twitch.tv/videos/595819004

It was so weird. Jokes about virility followed by those voiceovers? We did not need to hear their thoughts. It was a bizarre choice. Agreed. It was so quick, it almost felt like they just felt like they had to check off one of the brothers is resurrected on Supernatural bingo. 😆 There were some decent creepy bits, but the bizarre pacing and sudden tone shifts in this episode didn't work for me.

Perhaps what I should have said was I have been frustrated by the way the show treats trauma, so I was happy to have some fallout but wish it had come sooner and with the main characters. Totally agree that they have not done so.

Honestly, when I started this I didn't expect anyone to remember a lot of what I was watching. It has been pretty impressive when people respond as if they saw the episode yesterday. It's weird to be actually catching up. I was hoping to watch the finale live which, unfortunately, may not be much of a time crunch. I can't believe I have watched 13 seasons!

I didn't hate this episode as much as a lot of people. I didn't love the placement and it felt repetitive give the vast library of things to pull inspiration from other than Tarantino, but I found it mildly entertaining. The brother angst was clunky, but I blame the writers. I hated Dean's decision to go alone, particularly because he pulled out a full, thoughtful justification that made it look like he was ambushing Sam/planning it. I also hate the way they had Sam articulate his concern. Ugh. I actually DID like the continued fallout from torture for Gabriel. This show glosses over trauma. I also find what they are trying to with Sam interesting but poorly done. It is really late to explore Sam's trauma from the cage. It's clearly a plot driven decision. This could have been an interesting plotline seasons ago.

They have mentioned their numbers but this was a bit much. So, there are 9 angels but Lucifer found two in the same town a few weeks ago? They have been throwing angels at problems without any reservation and suddenly there are 9? Agreed. I love Rowena with an agenda. Sometimes it matches theirs, sometimes it doesn't, but she always has an angle. That actually made her a far more interesting baddie to me than most of the characters on this show. Plus a redemption means she is almost certainly getting killed off. Her tango was fantastic. I sort of love this explanation. Magic comes at a cost. In this case, you come back with a conscience. Yep abd yep It really does feel to me like they think they can just undo what happened by bringing back the characters. Maybe it is just fan service because they are planning the end, but either way they don't get absolution from me. Yep. Agreed. I agree. I think it would have made a lot more sense the other way. I actually really enjoyed this one despite the pit in my stomach that redemption means Rowena is a goner. I loved the ridiculous tango scene and as much as I am not in favor of a redemption, I thought it was pretty well done. The mass casualty line was a little disturbing in light of current events, coincidentally, but this one worked for me.

I agree. The point of an AU is to have alternate versions of people. That way you can contrast them. The lazy way is an evil twin. the more interesting thing is to have some variation on a character. When he went up into flames, I was surprised because there were so many threads that they didn't follow through on. I was half expecting some context in this forum to explain why the story they set up never had any payoff. On the other hand, I wanted to stab my ears out every time he showed up, so it probably is a good thing.

So satisfying. I love Charlie and I am still irate about how they killed her. I should be thrilled she is back, but all I can think is that they are patting themselves on the back at how they undid that problematic fridging. 🙄 bringing in AU Charlie doesn't change that the way they killed her was problematic and ridiculous. 100%. They forgot. Frankly, I am surprised they remembered that this Charlie didn't know Sam and Dean. I was happy to lose Asmodeus, who I found insufferable, and to get Charlie back in some form. I am pretty amused that apparently they decided to bring everyone back. Mary, Bobby, Charlie, Gabriel. Who's next? Jo and Ellen? Eileen (please be Eileen)? John?