Season Review: “Final Space” Season Two

 

 

A few weeks back, when Olan Rogers did a Reddit AMA, I was pleased to hear that it was the network and not the creators who insisted upon so many stand-alone episodes. Because even though some of those stand-alone were enjoyable—particularly “The Other Side” which was among this season’s best outings—Final Space works best as a continuing saga.

It’s not a traditional adult cartoon comedy in the vein of The Simpsons, American Dad, or even Rick and Morty. This unique program is a space adventure series, not unlike Star Trek, with well-developed, humorous characters. But the characters aren’t funny because they’re always cracking jokes or saying inappropriate things—except for KVN who is just insane—the amusement comes from how inept they are in every situation thrust upon them.

Nobody aboard the Crimson Light should be a crewmember of a starship, and they certainly were never meant to be heroes. Together, however, they make it work. And it’s this new “team” lineup that really propels season two above its predecessor. The first season set up an “every person for his or herself” scenario that had no healthy relationships besides Gary and Avocato which took weeks to develop and ended abruptly. Gary was a less likable character and at times it wasn’t clear whether we should’ve been rooting for or against him.

Season two broke that mold almost immediately. As soon as Gary was rescued from last season’s cliffhanger, he reunited with his old crew, got together with some new, uneasy allies, and the bonding process kicked right in.

Connecting over the death, resurrection, and finally, the sinister possession of Avocato, Gary and Little Cato’s relationship was given ample time (and space) to evolve. They went from two strangers facing the impossible, to a pseudo father and son, taking on the universe together.

Gary and Nightfall—to a far lesser extent—bonded over his affections for Quinn and her longing for a different, multi-dimensional Gary. Leading up to her self-sacrifice in the final moments of the season, their relationship grew considerably. However, as I mentioned in my review of the finale, the groundwork in building their unique relationship wasn’t explored as much as it should have been. Nightfall’s fatal gift was meant to be the season’s most powerful moment, but the emotions just weren’t there. The others may have been sad to lose a crew member and even a friend, but she wasn’t like family to them.

Running gags like the continuing saga of the grieving Dewinter family, and the friendly rivalry between Fox and Little Cato were utilized at the right moments and never felt overdone. These iotas of continuity made the season more realistic, lively, and interesting to watch. At times, there were a few too many characters swearing revenge on Gary or one of his crew members, but many were one-off mini-threats while the others were thoroughly dealt with prior to the finale.

Long-term plots also affected the season’s outcome. While the return of Avocato seemed like a cheat, at first, the creators marred his return with a pretty hefty obstacle—a straight-up demon possession—which kept the conflict between him and Little Cato going strong. We can’t forget that Avocato was once a really evil cat, and before he can reunite with the one being in the world—other than Gary—who means anything to him, he has to repent. And the road to redemption has never been, nor never should be an easy trek.

I’m surprised to say this, but Clarence actually developed after his first few tedious episodes and has earned a redemption arc in season three. It was clear from the start that he was meant to be a despicable character, but he wasn’t making many waves while scheming on the outskirts of the primary plot. It wasn’t until his actions hurt Gary, the crew, and even his own adopted children, that his potential redemption even mattered. However, throughout the second half of the season, he was the perfect, sleazy foil to aid the show’s major villains. What he did was unredeemable, and his banishment was justly deserved. Unless…

Quinn was the lone badass-female character of the first season—seeing as Nightfall is just her from another time and dimension. With the addition of Ash and Sheryl Goodspeed, we now have three times the badass females, which is never a bad thing. Any time Tribore got too whiny, HUE too depressed, or KVN too annoying, those strong women kept me interested and engaged.

While I feel Final Space still has room to grow, this outing was a big step up from an otherwise enjoyable first season. Here’s hoping we get to see an equivalent increase in quality for many seasons to come. The absolute best part of this show is its ever-expanding world and its endless potential—and also Ash. She’s the best, no question.