What a jaw dropping episode this week! So, the gang has driven out of LA and is 300 miles outside of San Francisco when we meet them now…and they’ve got five cars, including a 1986 prison bus. Well, Tandy’s got a prison bus. Gail is actually passed out drunk in the driver’s seat of a self driving car when we first see her in this week’s episode. Ha!
Once they get to San Francisco, they see that the entire city has been burned to the ground. Cut to a flashback from two years ago of Tandy setting off fireworks and unintentionally being the cause of what everyone sees before them today. Hats off to the writers for keeping up on the continuity of the show. We know that Tandy has been to every single state so to make sure the world building and Tandy’s past is consistent with what we already know, this flashback was not only very much welcome but necessary. Wonderful job here, writers. Otherwise, if Tandy wasn’t the cause, then it would have been caused by other random people out there, only if that’s how the writers wanted to introduce more mysterious characters that way, so obviously the former makes more sense. I loved how this was executed.
So with San Francisco out, the crew hits the road again. Along the ride as they search for a new place to settle down, tensions rise among each of the cars – Louis riding with the ever-annoying Tandy, a sexually disgruntled Gail riding with couple, Melissa and Todd – one of whom in this couple is now coping with trauma by becoming a gun toting extreme survivalist, and pregnant Carol riding with pregnant Erica – both experiencing very different pregnancy symptoms, which isn’t helpful when you’re confined to the same space. Mind you, this wasn’t the original car situation.
They go from five cars in the beginning of the episode to a single one by the end. And I do wonder if we’ll see that self driving car again.
When things come to a head and they end up losing one of the many cars they end up saying goodbye to, the funniest moment of the episode comes when Tandy says, “Okay, look, we’re all a little tired and snippy. So let’s switch up the mojo a little bit. We still got two cars, so if there’s anyone you don’t want to ride with, just hop in the other car,” and they all walk towards the same car while Tandy walks to the bus alone. Oh. My. Goodness. I almost choked on my dinner while I was watching this.
Not a single person wants to ride with Tandy. We can all relate to the person who doesn’t stop singing and/or going on a trip with friends, taking multiple cars, and not wanting to ride with that one person that everyone finds annoying. The collective frustration towards one person bonds people very quickly. Needless to say, this was absolutely hysterical.
Finally, in this episode, we find out that Louis is gay. I hope that this doesn’t mean that he won’t eventually get busy with the ladies for the purpose of repopulating the earth and adding to the diversity of the new world. But there are two babies on the way so we don’t really have to think about this right now. But I do love how there’s diversity in more ways than one on the show now.
And that when Tandy found out, he was excited that of all of the places they had been heading to, it was San Francisco, or as Tandy calls it, “Frisco.” Ha! Another incredibly endearing moment. The Last Man on Earth is killing it with endearing moments this season.
And while we’re mentioning things that I love, can we take a moment to acknowledge the new and debatably improved Melissa? I don’t think improved is the right word because they’re all evolving in this empty post apocalyptic world and coping with who they want to be after the very traumatic event of interacting with a seriously crazy person. So. Keep it up writers. I loved the show from day one and the writing continues to blow me away and continues to make more room in my heart to love it more and more each and every week.
Speaking of blowing me away… that ending! They stumble upon a huge building with the lights on from end to end. Full electricity is working. How? Since when? Who is behind this? Are they still there? Is it safe to make this their new home, because it most definitely will attract other people passing through (and now they know that all new people are not in fact good)? So many questions arise and I cannot wait to see what happens next week!
Watch The Last Man On Earth Sundays at 9:30/8:30c on Fox.