"And now, I'm going home."
With the heavy and involved one-two punch of "Chamber of Doubt" and "Forgiveness," it's nice for Final Space to grant us something more on the fun
side. I feel like a lot of Final Space fans can be wary of the series'
lighter fare, but I think it's important to recognize the intentionality,
balancing the show's moments of intensity with more light-hearted material,
and even then, the definition of "light-hearted" for Final Space is one
etched in thoughtful character development and personal sacrifice. Silly,
silly show!
Interestingly, "Hyper-Transdimensional Bridge Rising" decides to spend most of
its runtime pushing attention away from the main cast—who are probably at their
tightest that they can be emotionally—and more towards an unexpected place. With
Gary and co. meeting up with Kevin van Newton in London in hopes of leaving
Final Space, they discover that his revamped bridge needs to be connected from
the other side to work properly, and desperate times call for desperate members:
Clarence.
Clarence has always been something of an interesting, divisive figure. While
I've personally always been more partial to him than I probably should be, the
Conan O'Brien devotee I am, I understand the umbrage people take with him in
equal stroke. He's designed to be sleazy and unlikable, and he's a frustrating
character for which redemption isn't immediately desirable... but "Bridge
Rising" is intent on granting him that. And I think that it works wonders
here; this is an exceptional circumstance for Clarence, as he re-enters the
narrative at his lowest possible point, having lost his family and any true
motive to continue on. If there were any time for a character to redeem
themselves, this is it.
It's an interesting proposition even if it makes sense: it isn't just a matter
of if Clarence is worthy of redemption, but if he can
have redemption.
And I think the episode ultimately proves that yes, while holding him
accountable to all of his horrid actions of the past, he can get both. Even if
Ash tells him to his face that she reviles him, and that his duty to them would
be a result of the tiny shred of decency buried within his soul, it's treatment
that Clarence knows he deserves, and he recognizes the opportunity to help as
all the goodwill he'll ever get, so he gets to it.
Unbeknownst to Clarence, though, the transmission was sent out to every person
in the galaxy, turning the episode into a showdown at the destination amongst
Season 2's cast of villains and ancillary players who were wronged by the
Goodspeed gang. That sudden, impromptu reunion propels "Bridge Rising" into
delightful insanity, turning into a no holds barred fight amongst such elusive
figures as the Dewinters,
Time Swap Sammy
(now stripped of his job),
a deranged K.V.N. cluster, and
the Alien Queen
who was victim of Clarence's aborted swindle. Perhaps most darkly, though,
it's an opportunity for one of the greatest casualties of the show, Todd H.
Watson, to seek out the vengeance that has destroyed his life.
For all of the giddy flashiness of the episode's reunion, bringing Clarence
and Todd back into the same space as a fascinating and brilliant move for
the show, with the two exorcising each other's demons as the show's most
tragic figures. There's a brilliant dichotomy, too, between Clarence,
wisened by his past regrets and legitimately desprate to reconcile with
himself, and Todd, too blinded by the pain in his life to realize that he's
poisoning himself. Clarence's attempt to diffuse the tension between the
two, asking Todd the names of the family that he lost and telling him how
much he doesn't want to live his life filled with regrets, is a startling
moment of clarity for his character, one that shows his sorrows and the pain
in his life so palpably that he wins you back. That just makes it all the
more painful when Todd shoots Clarence through the chest, killing him
moments later as he himself collapses in blind contentedness. Fortunately,
though, Clarence is able to activate the bridge moments before he succumbs
to his wounds, and he dies with vindication.
Meanwhile, whatever "Bridge Rising" doesn't devote to either the team
squad or Clarence goes to Tribore and Quatronostro, and as usual with this
season, their plot feels like it's running in circles rather than pushing
into a place that deserves to be shown. By the time that the portal opens
and Tribore is able to guide the foresaken out of Final Space with Quatro,
they've accomplished a worthy task, but the wholeness of their narrative
doesn't even feed into the rest of the show in a fulfilling way, so like
Tribore's final, scathing words to Gary, there's not much gratification
here. He'll be back, surely. Hopefully for a worthy cause.
As for our main gang, their opportunity to exit gets clouded by another
great, conflicting revelation: Kevin van Newton invented the K.V.N.s to
develop a weapon of mass destruction capable of protecting Earth and killing
Titans. While Gary, Quinn, and everyone else could return home, what after
that if the Titans break free? It's a wrinkle thrown in at the worst
possible time for the crew, but a wrinkle that could simultaneously allow
them to save their universe. Time is against them, with Earth's implosion
imminent and Gary succumbing to Final Space poisoning (unbeknownst to
everyone but him), but dammit,
Final Space is a show about pushing
time to its absolute limits! We'll see how it goes.
Ultimately, "Hyper-Transdimensional Bridge Rising" is a breather, but an
appreciable one all the same, thoughtfully granting closure over some
burning questions from last season and priming whatever's left of this
season for the craziness that's hiding around the corner.
FINAL GRADE: A-.
For my last Final Space review of "Forgiveness," CLICK HERE.
Additionally, you can access every Final Space review I
have ever written HERE.
For updates every time I post a new review, follow me on
Twitter @Matt_a_la_mode.
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