Review: Final Space “The Sixth Key”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

 With the five-dimensional keys, the gang is now able to free Bolo. But Gary is no longer sure if he can trust that mysterious Titan from the Inner Space. Sheryl, due to the crazy control she has over him, put a shadow of doubt in Gary’s mind which he is unable to shake. He wants to believe Bolo, a being who has been nothing but nice to him. But instead, he believes his mother, a being who never treated him with even an iota of respect.

Fox, HUE, and Tribore want to fix Sheryl’s shortcomings because they’re all about peace, love, and understanding. So after knocking her out amidst a wily escape attempt, Fox brings her to the ship’s “not holo-deck that is definitely a holo-deck” to remind her of the past. They show her the night her husband kicked her out, as well as all the memories she missed with both John and Gary. Even though Sheryl is a hard woman, those missed opportunities eventually melt her heart.

After maneuvering the Crimson Light through the Sun’s aperture, Gary, Nightfall, Little Cato, and Mooncake approach Bolo. Gary asks the Titan if he is good or bad. Bolo assures Gary he is good, but what else is a Titan aching to be released from an uncomfortable-looking prison cube going to say? Bolo also uses that moment to mention the titular sixth key. Even trapped in his cube, the Titan managed to see Avengers: Endgame, therefore, the “sixth key” requires one of the crew members (not KVN) to sacrifice their life.

Before the crew has a chance to draw lots, Avocato ambushes them and a battle ensues. Invictus still has him in her clutches and controls his every move. Little Cato, hoping the power of love would prevail, almost gets strangled to death by his dear old dad. Luckily, Sheryl and the others arrive just in time to lend a paw.

With the others distracted, Nightfall takes the keys and prepares to give up her life for the good of the crew. But first, she has to convince Mooncake. Only a little superweapon is powerful enough to break through the glass prison. He doesn’t much care for Nightfall’s act of heroism, but after much convincing, he agrees and lights up the world. It’s very emotional.

Ash, after watching Nightfall perish, remembers her supportive words and steps up to save her friend, Little Cato. By conjuring all of her power at once, she rips Invictus from Avocato’s body and reunites the brave cat with his son. The crew, minus their fallen member, escape Inner Space just as it’s about to explode. Bolo, who appears to be a good guy, after all, contacts the Arachnitects and gets them to open a path to Final Space. Not showing any fear, the crew enters to reunite Gary with Quinn.

 

Our Take

Even though this episode felt a little lacking at times, it gave us viewers everything you might expect from a season finale. With their mission complete, the crew has grown and evolved and now must face even more challenging obstacle. The stage has been set for season three, leaving us to wait for when (and if) it happens. Here’s hoping it does.

Nobody seemed that broken up after Nightfall’s death. Granted, there was a whole bunch going on, but nobody other than Mooncake could even be bothered to shed a tear. And while it made sense for her to make the sacrifice, it didn’t feel one hundred percent earned. Nightfall was often relegated to the background for a majority of the season, and her relationship with Gary wasn’t as defined as it should have been. While the great Goodspeed is in love with Quinn, we needed to see him develop a deep bond with Nightfall in her stead. To the contrary, Gary rejected her way too early making her death feel a little too convenient.

However, I must admit, once all the characters were sharing that large stage, I wondered if the show-runners were going to throw in a twist. As they battled, everybody seemed vulnerable, and anyone of them could’ve become an accidental sacrifice. At one point, I thought it was going to be either Little Cato or Avocato only to separate the father and son once again. Also, there would’ve been something poetic about Sheryl dying for her son after more than thirty years of selfishness—but I’m glad they decided to keep her around.

Claudia Black has done an excellent job developing Sheryl Goodspeed even though she was in only a handful of episodes and we didn’t meet her at all last season. Her soft, vulnerable Australian tones make for a perfect contrast to the cold and vindictive character we’ve grown to love. Even if Final Space does get canceled—which we all hope it doesn’t—I still think Sheryl deserves a two-hour origin movie to give us further insight into this wonderful character.

The Lord Commander and Clarence were surprisingly absent. I expected to see at least one of those bald, doughy rogues before the final credits rolled. Of course, it was a good decision to hold back on them since their stories are so rich and there was already so much going on during this twenty-two-minute finale.

And that’s a wrap for season two of Final Space. Cliffhangers are always frustrating, but this one was well done, and very much earned.