Final Space Review: Forgiveness

 

"We can't change the past,
but we can write a new future."

--

Off the heels of one of the most intense episodes of Final Space ever, I had a lot of curiosity for where the show could possibly go from here. Would it delve into an even deeper chamber of darkness, or would it turn its attention towards mending conflict in light of the new status quo? As it turns out, "Forgiveness" delicately does both, digging through darkness to find the good underneath, into the souls of the show's most pained crew members and tying them together closer than ever before.

It's important that, after a moment of emotional destruction, Final Space is able to document, in equal parts, the act of emotional healing. It's a rare sentiment to see the show really dig its heels into, but that makes it all the more impactful for this episode to reel in its circumstances and focus on its characters and their innermost struggles. (The only tasty plot detail really pushing "Forgiveness" forward is a call from Kevin van Newton telling everyone to head to Earth as soon as they can, in hopes of escaping Final Space.) Similarly, it's an episode scant on the show's usual, occasonally-distracting comedic material, a decision that plays greatly to the episode's benefit; we get a nice smattering of well-deserved K.V.N. slams, but there's nothing to pull you out of the moment all of the characters involved are going through. Emotions are raw.

 Gary probably endures the weight of the situation the most, and his pain across "Forgiveness," in light of his usually-optimistic demeanor, feels particularly gut-wrenching. He makes no attempt to stop Ash from leaving when she declares that she needs to go anywhere but the Galaxy Two. He makes no pleas to anyone about what he's done. He's not in any control of this episode or the turmoil that he's experiencing, and that hopelessness stings and bubbles into the episode's dramatic climax, when Avocato reveals the pain in his life of assassinating Little Cato's parents.

I feel like, since "The Ventrexian," Avocato is a character who's sort of... been hanging around, as a lot of the show's extensive crew is privy to do. But with his back-story being cruelly unearthed this season, it was only a matter of time before it reared back around, and "Forgiveness" does so to magnificent effect. It's both Gary and Avocato at their lowest points, so low that Gary's shock at Avocato laying himself flat turns to hostility and betrayal, declaring Avocato a coward and getting into a nasty fistfight. It's the perfect accumulation of the circumstances of the entire show, with Gary and Avocato cathartically working through every ounce of darkness that dictates their lives without clear resolution, and without the grace they would have at their most composed. 

At first I was taken aback by Gary's sudden abhorrence of Avocato, but by the time he starts talking about his father, it all makes perfect, painful sense. The loss of his father took Gary into his darkest place, and he wouldn't wish it upon another soul, but the fact that someone so close to him is responsible for afflicting that onto someone else he knows and loves is impossible for Gary to process in any way besides disbelief and hostility. All of the trauma in his dredges back up and he can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. That's where I think a lot of the poignancy in how their conflict resolves comes from, too; the conflict shifts from anger at each other to anger with themselves, as Avocato tearfully professes that it would've been better if he was left for dead. As Gary says poignantly, though, "We can't change the past, but we can write a new future. One that's better for him." And with that, their bond is back once more.

For as dark as their half of the episode is, there's something to be said, too, of how delicate and sweet Ash's half is. I was worried that the show would go down the route of Ash becoming a new villain for the series, but rather than pushing her into an even scarier place, "Forgiveness" spares that potential fate by giving Ash some of the most touching, pure character work anyone in the series has ever gotten, taking the form of a detour to the Hidden Lights with a strange ball of matter that she bumps into in the vastness of space. I was skeptical of how Final Space was going to handle the decision of having a gay character reveal, especially in light of the general heavy-handedness surrounding Tribore's sexuality, but this was just about perfect. There's nothing flashy or provocative about it; it doesn't feel like the show is out to appease anyone with its creative decision or justify it. "Forgiveness" just allows Ash's affection towards the being—taking a human form per Ash's request, and naming themself "Evra"—to be what it is. 

While I'm a bit iffy on how quickly Ash is absolved of her resentment towards Gary, realizing that her problems are small against the fabric of the universe, I feel like that's just something to ultimately accept about how Final Space paces itself. This is a show that can move fast, and it often has to because of how intensely it choreographs its narrative, so while I was a bit disappointed that Ash's inner turmoil was so quickly discarded, the fact that we got a full episode centered around her being able to mend herself—a rarity for Final Space, which often leaves healing to be either implied or worked through in a scene or two—is a significant step up. Ending the episode with Gary asking Ash to tell him about her brother, too, leaves the characters in a very nice spot. Basically, no matter what my gripes may be, I was touched, and that certainly has worth.

Lastly, even though Little Cato isn't at the forefront of the episode, he makes a strong anchor point throughout "Foregiveness," feeding quietly into both of its main plots in fulfilling ways. Obviously, he's dead-center in Gary and Avocato's outburst, but there's a sweetness to all of the moments he gets when he's on-screen, most profoundly in the form of his speech before they hoist Fox's coffin into space. I'm curious how the show will address the revelations that he isn't Avocato's biological son, but even with him being more loosely involved in the narrative, he makes a wonderful sounding board for everyone else as they go through their personal dilemmas and grants both Ash and Gary a nice bit of resolution in the episode's final minute.

As H.U.E. says at the beginning of the episode, "Crew means family," and "Forgiveness" is a touching affirmation that everything is gonna be okay, executed with the sort of thoughtful, lazer-sharp attention to detail that makes Final Space's emotions run raw and dig into your heart. Even if there's most certainly more heartbreak to come, it's nice to see those abilities being used to grant our crew the reprieve they deserve.

FINAL GRADE: A+.

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