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Five Thoughts on Y: The Last Man‘s “Karen and Benji”

By | October 5th, 2021
Posted in Television | % Comments

Welcome, one and all, ladies and remaining gentlemen, to our review of FX’s science fiction drama Y The Last Man. It’s fourth episode steps away from the big wigs in DC to introduce us to rural Americans struggling to fill the void left by the patriarchy, and they’re filling it with guns. Guns and… mostly guns. How very American. So rock that frilly pink dress, and join the horse-riding gun-toting man-hating Costco cult (worth it for the Costco part), here are five thoughts on Y The Last Man season one, episode four: “Karen and Benji.”

1: And She Can Dance!

This episode opens with the MVP in a cast stacked with VP’s, Ashley Romans as 355, sleep-jogging through the woods as she dreams of singing and dancing like Ella Fitzgerald. As a secret agent, 355 is constantly transforming herself to manipulate people. This transformation, for the first times, gives us a glimpse into her subconscious, a part of herself that isn’t for anyone or anything else, a part of herself that has no agenda. Though it’s a dream, in a way it’s the most real version of her we’ve seen, and she’s completely different. It is refreshing to see a character on TV who contains so many multitudes, and she can dance! We get another more “real” glimpse of 355 when she yells at Yorick for being irresponsible. When they make up at the end of the episode, it seems like an effort on 355’s part to keep him on her side so he’ll be less volatile, in the same way she offered the pilots medals before ultimately murdering them. It’s hard to tell with 355, and that’s a big part of what makes her such an intriguing character.

2: Y The Liability

Last episode, Yorick (Ben Schnetzer) stated clearly that he’s no hero, that he does not have what it takes to be responsible for the future of humanity. This episode he proves it, when he runs away from the woman risking her life and taking other lives to protect him, because he thinks he sees his ex-girlfriend Beth. A more logically grounded person might’ve realized she wasn’t Beth when she didn’t respond to someone shouting her name multiple times, but Yorick is no such person. Even after they escape a hail of bullets from the trigger happy real widows of rural Massachusetts (more on them later) Yorick insists on returning for his phone, showing he has absolutely no sense of the danger he has put himself and 355 in, and somehow even less sense of the importance of their mission. At least he has enough self-awareness to know that he does not have enough self-awareness. In lesser shows, this character’s warmth and snark would accidentally make up for his shortcomings and transform him into the hero the world needs. I deeply appreciate that this show let’s him be the flawed, mostly useless person that even he knows himself to be.

3: Selfish and Self Destructive

Hero (Olivia Thirlby) bemoans to her put upon companion Sam (Elliot Fletcher), that her mother called her selfish and self-destructive, and then immediately proves her mother completely and utterly correct. Even though finding her mother is the best thing for herself and especially for Sam, who is facing dangerously unmet medical needs, she purposefully sabotages the car they find, prolonging their journey. Her relationship with Sam is the most interesting one on the show. They have clearly been friends for a long time, and even though Sam knows she is putting her selfish desires over his and her own actual needs, he believes that this friendship is worth preserving. This episode left me deeply interested to learn more about how this relationship evolved.

4: The Trigger Happy Real Widows of Rural Massachusetts

As I glibly describe them as the trigger happy real widows of rural Massachusetts, they are maybe equally glibly described in the show as “Staties Wives.” They are widows of policemen who have chosen to take over their careers, by “keeping order” in the bartering market, and in exchange they take whatever they want. The vendor 355 speaks to says she appreciates them, preferring their version of “order” to the anarchy that preceded it. It’s possible she changed her mind after one of them shot her while trying to shoot Yorick for… accidentally trespassing? As old power structures crumble, similar ones very quickly fill the void. The “Staties Wives” are just like their late husbands, but with less training and (somehow) less accountability.

Continued below

5: The Matriarchy

In stopping to rest at a seemingly abandoned home, Hero, Sam, Nora (Marin Ireland), and Mack (Quincy Kirkwood) have stumbled into a matriarchal commune of devotees to their fearless leader Roxanne (Missi Pyle) who executes one of her own after being on screen for less than a minute. She has clearly done some terrifying things to earn the group’s fear and respect, and it would be wise for our friends to stay away, were it not for their heavenly Costco-like warehouse to satisfy every post-apocalyptic need. As one of those ladies who prefers cult documentaries to true crime, I am just dying to learn everything about this group. If I was going to join a post-apocalyptic horse-riding gun-toting man-hating Costco cult, I sure would be delighted to see Missi Pyle at the helm.

Y The Last Man‘s fourth episode satisfyingly fleshes out the world without distracting from what makes this show a must-watch: the all-star cast. Every moment we spend with the characters deepens their complexities, answering questions that beg yet more questions, and leaving the audience hungry to learn more. Who is the real 355? Why does Sam put up with and enable Hero? Nora has already been pushed far past her limit, how much farther can she go? This is a stressful world where everyone is on edge, everyone has guns, and most are not particularly great at shooting. And Ashley Romans can dance!


//TAGS | Y The Last Man

Laura Merrill

Screenwriter and script doctor. Writer for UCB's first all-women sketch comedy team "Grown Ass Women," and media critic for MultiversityComics.com.

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