Review: Scavengers Reign “The Decision/The Return/The Reunion”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The Decision

Driven by memories of her final days on deck, Azi confronts Kris in a fight for the lives of the abandoned crewmates. As they near the end of their journey, Sam presents Ursula with a devastating truth.

The Return

As she races towards the Demeter—and any hope of escape—Ursula runs into a survivor who has managed to adapt to life on Vesta. While Kamen fights off a terrifying vision and Azi struggles to get free, Kris and Barry face their greatest challenge yet.

The Reunion

While a blood-thirsty Hollow destroys what little is left on their ship, Azi and Ursula fight to save the remaining crew. As Kris prepares to escape, Barry faces a life-changing decision that could shape Vesta’s future.

Our Take:

It feels like yesterday when I first watched the series and immediately grew attached to its themes and character depth. Even though I haven’t watched the short film it’s based on, I adored every minute of its world-building that balances incredibly well with its survival narrative. But now, it looks like that journey has ended with the season’s final three episodes. By the end of “The Mountain”, I knew that the finale would be the cherry on top of this emotionally-charged sci-fi sundae. After watching it myself, I’m happy to see I was right.

The final three episodes aren’t without their few bright spots to accompany their thrilling stakes and conflicts. Levi has been reborn as a new robot thanks to the planet’s creatures and moss, although she has fully adapted to its environment. So much so that Levi has given birth to several baby versions of herself near the end of “The Reunion”. Another bright spot is that the remaining characters have finally arrived at the Demeter after a long, hallowing journey to get there. However, like the previous episodes, it comes with some heart-wrenching sacrifices.

One particular sacrifice comes from Sam in “The Decision”, in which he sacrifices himself to kill the parasite consuming him, resulting in Ursula completing the journey without him. That is until she met Azi. After a rocky start to Sam and Ursula’s personal adventure, the series easily compensates with an enticing conflict that concludes on a poignant yet narratively rewarding note. The other is Azi’s conflict with Kris reaching its breaking point, with Kris caring more about herself than helping the crew members. As a result, Kris leaves Azi and the others behind to fend for themselves, including Barry, who stays behind to help. It emphasizes Kris as Azi’s opposite regarding its theme of humanity, with Kris’s selfishness putting a price on the people around her and Azi’s determination to help others. Based on the ending, it seems we’ll be seeing more of that selfish bitch due to her shuttle landing on the ship full of mysterious cult members.

It may not be the happy ending we deserve for Scavengers Reign, but it’s a great ending that perfectly balances hope and hopelessness. Ursula and the remaining survivors reunited with some of the crew members, including Kamen, and they’re now adapting to their new lives on Vesta. At least until they find another way to escape the planet in a potential second season. I hope that’s the case because this series is another fantastic piece of adult animation content, which I’ll explain further in my upcoming season review.