Final Space Review: The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed

"Ready, kid?" "I was born ready." "Actually, you were born during the rinse cycle of a hovercarwash." "I was? Oh, well that would explain a lot actually."

It was interesting, over the first season and into the second, that Gary's mom has never really been acknowledged; though Gary idolizes his father, it always felt like his relationship with his mother, Sheryl Goodspeed, was in a sore spot considering her general absence from the series' flashbacks. "The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed" fills us in on their tenuous relationship with a series of interesting revelations, and even if it didn't shake me at my core in the same sense as the episode preceding it, it's an important stepping stone for the season that'll no doubt impact Final Space's narrative as it progresses in interesting ways.

Perhaps the most interesting thing "The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed" reveals is that Sheryl's a notorious criminal; she disappeared out of Gary's life shortly after the death of his father and ultimately ended up on Prison planet Sorbo, considered one of the most dangerous criminals in the star system, now facing public execution. Gary wants to see her again as a means of attaining closure for himself—he despises her and decides it's his turn to "say a lot and abandon her" for strictly retributive purposes—but as soon as he's actually put in front of her, he can't help himself but be won over by her presence.

Since I'm writing this later than usual, I've been able to see how people reacted to the episode's ideas, and there's been a few people unenthused by Gary's conflicting emotions on display here: even though Nightfall warns him of Sheryl being dangerously manipulative, Gary's very much pro-Sheryl up until she walks out of his life again. It's not a great look for his character, but I at least feel like his lack of perceptiveness makes sense; even if he's arguably lying to himself in being so willing to trust her, it's his first time seeing her in years. He matured without a mother or father figure, and Sheryl knows how to twist that to her advantage, currying the crew's approval through acts of generosity and getting Gary to assist her with a robbery between just the two of them (even if Clarence tags along). Sheryl may be toxic, but Gary can't get enough.

Outside of Gary and Sheryl's dynamic, "The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed" is pretty fun, and I feel like it found a better way of using its cast than some of this season's other episodes. For one thing, Clarence gets to be closer to the spotlight for once, having a fun turn as someone attempting (and failing) to seduce Sheryl; it's not particularly exciting or daring character work for him, but at least he's able to get more involved in Final Space's narrative, and as always, Conan O'Brien is perfect for the role, relishing in the grossness of the character with aplomb.

Meanwhile, the B-plot, with Mooncake eating his feelings when Gary goes on the adventure with Sheryl without him, is fairly one-note, but it at least thrives in that note. It's a chance to involve the rest of the ensemble in a fun way, especially Fox; he's been stuck working exclusively in sub-plots, but it's a great opportunity to show his hilariously sweet sense of empathy, talking sense into Mooncake and holding an intervention with the rest of the ship's crew. I really hope that Final Space finds a more involved angle for him sooner than later, as he's pretty much just existed at the outskirts of every episode aside from the season premiere, but at least he's in an environment that allows his personality to register in a light but sincere way.

"The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed" is, for the most part, a ticking time bomb: we know that something's gonna go awry, and that Sheryl's going to screw Gary over, but it takes until the episode's closing two minutes to get to that point. The reveal that Sheryl is leaving Gary again is unsurprising, though still a painful moment; there's even a split second where she smiles thinking about the life that could've been, but she quickly pushes it back down. That she manages to make off with a Dimensional Key, and that her intentions of possessing it are unknown, ensures that this isn't the last we're seeing of her, though, but if the episode's closing segment is any indication—a fantastic, black-and-white series of flashbacks to Gary's adolescence following the death of his father, ending in his mother leaving and him setting his treehouse ablaze—Final Space is building to a devastating emotional crescendo.

Notes and Quotes:
-Sorry this review is getting out later than usual! That's pretty much it, as far as this footnote's concerned: timing can get weird.
-"Why are they after you?" "I wore the skin of their dead mother.. it's a long story, alright? Actually, that's... uh, that's all of it."
-"You feel this?! Feel that. That's fourteen years of just straight calisthenics."
-It increasingly feels like Jane Lynch, in her role as A.V.A., has a lot of wasted potential. Hopefully she'll come to play a more important role in the same way that H.U.E. was a pivotal part of Season 1, though it's hard to say for sure what plans Olan and the writers have for her in the future. That Jane Lynch has been so active in the series' promotional material, though, leads me to believe that we'll seem some interesting things to come out of her, though.
-"Chin up! You are the son of a beloved hero and a notorious criminal!"
-I sort of was hoping to see some difference in Lil Cato's character following the bleak tragedies he endured in "The Other Side," though I suppose that might come more into play in an episode where has a more active role.
-Special shout-out to Shelby Merry, who continues to contribute some of Final Space's most emotionally-piercing music. Her piece during the episode's ending flashback was startling in all of the best ways.

FINAL GRADE: B+. "The Notorious Mrs. Goodspeed" is far from a mind-blowing episode, but it's one rooted in laying out the foundations for greater things through character work, and even in the face of the potential cliches of Gary having a negligent parent, Sheryl feels well-realized. Olan's said that we're in a more episodic stretch for the time being (though we may or may not be going to Final Space next episode), but episodes like this one prove that there's still an end goal, and that every piece of the puzzle will come together, and Sheryl's a legitimately exciting introduction to this season's arc.

For my last Final Space review of "The Other Side," CLICK HERE.

Additionally, you can access every Final Space review I have ever written HERE.

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