BWW Recap: THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Treads Water from the 'C to the T'

THE LAST MAN ON EARTH is a show that works in equilibriums. It starts in one normal, throws everything into disarray, and then returns to the old normal or reaches a new normal. The fourth episode this season is the end of the first part of the season, returning our characters to the new normal. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (THE LEGO MOVIE) and Will Forte (SNL) knew they had to go from Tandy in the stockade to Tandy being part of the group again. Going from A to B (or in this case C to T) works to the show's detriment, resulting in a treading water episode.

Last week, we were left with Tandy locked in the stockade for the crime of having the other members of the cul-de-sac at gunpoint. The goal in this episode is to get Tandy from jail to general population, and the show does that by pedestrian means. Subtlety is thrown out the window, with the theses of the show stated point blank by the characters.

Tandy needs human interaction. Like I detailed last week, relationships are the most important thing in a post-apocalyptic world. Tandy is the kid on the playground who's always last to be picked, if he's even picked at all. His actions are all done for attention, and the show makes that explicit this episode. When he's locked in the gym (Phil 2's original punishment) he talks to Carol, explaining that he did the crime, so he has to do the time. He continues, describing how he has to get back in their good graces.

Except, he escapes to eat their fancy cheese. They move him to the cow pasture that has an electric fence for which he wears a dog collar. Here the begging for attention aspect of Tandy's character is made explicit. He yells to Erika, Gail, and Melissa while they're poolside. All Tandy wants his human interaction. He wants to be liked, and he wants to have friends. He goes about it the wrong way, still, this week, because characters don't grow on this show.

The lack of growth of characters on the show is tied into its genre, though. In a post-apocalyptic world, the few members of society there are latch on to fragments from the past. Everybody acts exactly as they acted before the virus. To change would be to forget the time before.The characters on THE LAST MAN ON EARTH are afraid of change. They stick to their old ways in an attempt to rebuild the world they lost.

Perhaps most interesting to this season is the rise of a new political structure. At the end of last season, it was clear Phil 2 was a natural leader. His ascendence to power, and eventual shunning of Tandy from the group seemed normal and expected, given the characters. Now in Malibu, it's clear this power dynamic (with Phil 2 the authoritative leader and Tandy the ne'er-do-well wild card) is reaching new heights. Tandy brings an unloaded gun and waves it around in front of a crowd of people, and is forced into a stockade. Phil 2 waves a loaded gun in front of a helpless, locked up Tandy, and remains in power.

Phil 2 is the character who defines the crimes and delivers the punishment. There is no judge or jury on THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, there is only Phil 2's commanding hand. He segments off the workout room for Tandy's jail without asking the other members of the group. Tandy suggests the collar and the cow pasture, and Phil 2 allows it. At least, Phil 2 allows it until he locks Tandy in the shed, tying it off, and leaving him in there all night. THE SHED is interesting, because nothing could realistically be put in there. It's almost as if it were designed for imprisonment, with the slit window reminiscent of windows in jail cells.

Phil 2 is, above all, interested in maintaining order. He's authoritative and commanding and nobody questions him. Now that we have punishments, it's only a matter of time to see where the show goes with these developments. The power structures are still in development, but the foundations are there for wild outcomes. Tandy will continue to try to be friends with people in the most ridiculous ways. Phil 2, with natural charisma, just asserts that these people give him relationships.

The show sums up the episode in the last ten minutes, with two on-the-nose quotes. Todd yells, "It's about trust, Tandy! Trust is the most important thing!" Todd's angry, but he still cares enough to try to get Tandy to understand and change. And then, at the end of the episode, almost as if in response to that, Tandy says, ""I look forward to gaining your trust. I have changed. You guys are really important to me." These quotes are too surface level and expository, but the chess pieces are now in play for future episodes. Hopefully the show recovers from this weak, place-setting episode and gets to meatier stuff.

The Last Quotes on Earth

Phil 2: "Carol, relax! Blanks!"

Tandy: "It wouldn't be much of a jail if i was allowed to fraternize with the general pop"

Tandy: "I did the crime, gotta do the time. C to the T"

Tandy: "Shocking that you would leave me. Pun intended."

Gail & Erika: "X Factor!"

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Leave your comments or thoughts on tonight's episode below or tweet me @gunnar_larson! Be sure to head here next week as I recap the fifth episode of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.

Photo Credits: Anthony Hardwick | FOX

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