The premiere of Avenue
5 had a lot of legwork to do, introducing its large cast and sending its
more lavish S. S. Minnow off course. Now that the core ensemble are established
and the stakes of the situation are clear—over 5,000 passengers and crew are
stranded in space, their eight week pleasure cruise now a leaderless three year
marathon—the show can get started. Unfortunately, “And Then He’s Gonna Shoot
Off…” well, doesn’t. Rather than picking up steam and exploring the
complications its premise presents, the writers continue to center on squabbling
passengers and the same broad thematic swipes that failed to land any
meaningful punches in the premiere.
The episode picks up right where the premiere left off, with
Ryan addressing the passengers. He and Billie attempt to explain their
situation to everyone, but busybody Karen has already spread the word of their new
return date. Tensions are high and it quickly becomes clear that while Ryan may
not know anything useful about how to captain Avenue 5, he is much more
equipped to deal with the passengers than Billie.
In the conference room, Judd and Iris get an update from Rav
at mission control, and they don’t like what they hear. NASA has come up with
ideas to help rescue the passengers earlier than their current three year
trajectory, but Judd Galaxy will have to “contribute financially” to offset the
expense to NASA. What is the state of the Earth such that the expense of saving
5000 lives is tabulated before the rescue effort even begins? While the
audience ponders the dystopian present that awaits the passengers when they
return home, the episode cuts to Rav at mission control. Judd may not like
having to reimburse NASA, but Judd Galaxy can’t afford to let Avenue 5 take the
long way ‘round either, as that will bankrupt the company four times over.
Conveniently, one of Billie’s fellow engineers pops up with
a fix. Though Billie, Rav, and the woman from NASA we’re introduced to later don’t
see how it’s possible, Cyrus claims he can get the ship home in six months. Cocky
and fast-talking, Cyrus feels lifted from an entirely different show. Neil
Casey is a fun burst of energy as Cyrus, but his bravado is an indication of
more troubles ahead for the ship. If Cyrus actually had a viable solution, he’d
be able to explain it to Billie and the others and they’d verify it. Instead
he’s secretive, and rather than being skeptical, Ryan jumps at Cyrus’ solution,
telling first Karen then Judd and Iris that they’ll be home safe and sound in
six months. This doesn’t bode well for Ryan or the show’s tonal balance. Judd
and Iris’ willingness to unquestioningly embrace this good news should be
tempered by doubt from Billie and Ryan. Instead, Billie is the sole voice of
concern and Ryan proves himself yet another posturing fool on a ship full of
them.
Ryan may be best kept far from the decision-making process,
but at least he’s still holding things together with the passengers. He gives a
solid, captain-y speech at Joe’s funeral, which begins as a somber affair
before Judd’s posturing and Matt’s questionable vocals—he sings Bowie’s
“Starman”—send it off the rails. Billie tries to warn Ryan that Judd’s
too-heavy coffin won’t be able to escape the gravitational pull of the ship,
but in his second brilliant move of the day, Ryan brushes her off. The casket
winds up orbiting the ship, likely to be a background presence for the
remainder of the season.
Judd doesn’t let the unsettling sight the circling Joe get
him down. He’s still riding high off of Cyrus’ new projection, so he tells NASA
to shove their rescue and its price tag. This goes over as expected with Billie
and Ryan, but neither are willing or able to rein him in, a problem that will
inevitably escalate as the series continues. Meanwhile, technical issues with
the ship botch the second funeral of the day, that of three passengers injured
during the premiere’s gravity flip. Now Joe has three creepy friends with him
out in space: Mary, Mary, and Johan. Any goodwill engendered among the
passengers from the new, earlier arrival date is overshadowed by the sight of
the “space zombies,” as Frank dubs them, and the episode ends with Karen
stirring up support among her fellow travelers. She will need to be dealt with,
and soon, if Ryan wants to maintain control on the ship. After his choices this
episode, though, bring on the revolution! It’s hard to imagine there isn’t some
other person on the ship who’d make a better captain.
Billie remains the sole voice of reason, which results in a
few fun scenes for Lenora Crichlow. Billie’s frustrated interactions with the
passengers and Judd are satisfying and well played, and the sooner she figures
out just how little Ryan understands, the better. Karen may not be all that
interesting, but Rebecca Front’s immaculate delivery of lines like, “You
corrected me very slowly if I may say so,” is delightful. While the writing
feels very committed to the idea that the entire crew, aside from Billie, is
useless, Iris does get a few moments to shine. Suzy Nakamura nails each of them,
as expected, and the standout scene of the episode is a dramatic, quiet
exchange between Nakamura and Hugh Laurie. Iris’ reserve and grit are
underscored as Iris tells Ryan about the death of her grandfather, opening up
just a bit to better convey how little she thinks of him. The subtler she’s
allowed to be, the better Iris is, and that holds true for the show in general.
Hopefully the show will adjust, and soon.
Stray observations
- Matt, Mia and Doug, and Spike get subplots this episode, but
they’re forgettable at best and irritating at worst. Surely something is coming
soon that will justify Spike’s inclusion, right? - Always happy to see Neil Casey pop up. Avenue 5 is turning into a Playing House reunion, and I am here for it.
- The show is
funnier the darker it gets. Some highlights this episode: Iris’ slight pause
when asked whether she wants Judd dead, Judd threatening the oxygen supply,
NASA’s inability to (legally) put a value on human life, and Ryan’s desire to
jettison Karen in an escape pod and, “set the fucking thing on fire”. - Why does Ryan oversee Joe’s funeral, but not those of the
passengers? Also, how does a ship three weeks in to a space cruise have that
much non-refrigerated fresh food around? Avenue
5 is not asking the questions that immediately spring to mind for a ship of
this sort being stuck out in space. They have food for at most eight weeks,
maybe a bit more for emergencies. How do they plan to feed 5000 people for three
more years? How much potable water do they have? I will happily accept a hand-wave
solution, like a Star Trek-style
replicator system, but at least some acknowledgment that Avenue
5 was not built for this kind of voyage would be appreciated.