You, Me and the Apocalypse Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Right in the Nuts
Elena Zhang
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You, Me and the Apocalypse Season 1 Episode 5 marks a real turning point, being the best episode so far.
What makes this episode such a huge improvement is that the writers are finally recognizing a central problem that's been plaguing the entire season, and that is Jamie's character.
Jamie has been depressed and mopey since day one. His whole life has been a series of misfortunes starting from the day he was born and abandoned in a car park. Like Dave puts it, he's been kicked around in the nuts for a long time.
As a result, Jamie has adopted a woe-is-me attitude, lamenting about everything that has gone wrong, not able to have any kind of real life. Learning about the reason Mary abandoned him was the last straw, making Jamie feel betrayed by every single one of his relationships.
Luckily, Dave is there to shed some perspective. Dave has truly been an underrated character. He's always been able to get a laugh out of me, and always able to lighten up the gloomy situations Jamie often finds himself in.
And now? He's putting Jamie in his place, as I've wanted to do for so long now.
Try not to make it all about you for once.
Dave
He rightly tells Jamie that he's been acting incredibly selfishly lately, first by neglecting his adoptive mother Paula, then by kidnapping Mary and then getting upset at her. Dave's words of wisdom sting coming from such a good-natured, goofy guy, but hopefully they're going to make a lasting impression on Jamie.
Jamie already seems to recognize the error of his ways in his decision to return to Slough and take off his wedding ring. It's good that he finally seems to be able to move on, and focus on the present instead of the past.
Unfortunately, it's inevitable that he will have some sort of future confrontation with Ariel and Layla, which will render all of this character growth meaningless.
That's the problem with revealing the end game too early. When we already know where these characters will end up, the steps it takes to get there seems to drag and meander, with little point to them.
The conspiracy subplot is completely uninteresting. The two mysterious characters who seem to follow everyone and know what is going on are tedious and boring to watch.
Right now, it's the characters that are driving the momentum of the show, and the conspiracy only serves to drag them down.
That being said, presenting Jamie as a potential false messiah was an interesting twist, and seems like a plausible way for the different storylines to intersect eventually. The whole religious angle remains the best subplot of the show.
Whether the supernatural will prove to be real or not, having the characters explore what faith means to them is intriguing and somewhat meaningful.
That brings us to Celine and Jude. While I don't buy for a second the budding romance between the two, it is fascinating to see how Celine is approaching the end times as a believer. She seems to remain devout, but Antonia has planted seeds of doubt in her.
Yes, you look...inconspicuous.
Father Jude
If these really are the end times, does that give everyone an excuse to act out their base desires, to reveal who they really are to each other? Celine is already starting to test her limits, getting drunk and exploring her "impure thoughts." Time will tell what Celine's boundaries will be, and how far she will go when the apocalypse draws nearer.
What did you all think of this episode? Are you starting to ship Jude and Celine? Do you agree with Dave that Jamie has been self-centered? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Don't forget you can watch You, Me and the Apocalypse online anytime right here at TV Fanatic!
