Welcome, one and all, ladies, and gentleman, to our review of FX’s new science fiction drama, Y The Last Man. Though the pilot episode slogs under the weight of too much exposition, it sets up what looks to be an interesting story, with standout performances and unnervingly relevant themes. Maybe it’s best if you think of it like a really long trailer. So pay attention to the animals, and mop up that blood, here are five thoughts on Y The Last Man season one, episode one: “The Day Before.”
1: Pretty Boring With a Dash of Promise
Y The Last Man‘s pilot episode is more like a prequel. It left me feeling like the show hasn’t started yet, but I’m intrigued and eager to begin. We meet a lot of characters, and there’s only time to get to know each of them a little bit before forgetting their names. The experience is like a small voyeuristic peek into a bunch of little worlds the moment before they are upended forever. Since we are only briefly introduced to so many characters, opportunities to emotionally invest in them are few and far between. The cataclysmic event that ends the episode will create the world and characters of the show that will begin on the second episode. The somewhat disappointing result is that the most engaging part of the pilot is wondering what will happen next.
2: It’s Not Not About The Pandemic
Y The Last Man the comic book series was published 2002 – 2008. It is about how a global mass death event changes the world. I don’t expect every reader to relate to this, but some may have experienced and may be experiencing another world-changing event. This show isn’t about that, but while watching “The Day Before” it’s hard not to think about the day before… you know… nowadays. If you already know how this episode ends, the viewing experience carries a grave sense of tragic doom, like remembering a car crash in slow motion, or recalling the new years’ resolution you made on January 1st 2020.
3: There Will Be Blood
Everyone who dies from this mysterious plague, animal and human alike, begin by bleeding out of all the holes in their faces before collapsing and perishing. The show doesn’t shy away from the gruesomeness of the cataclysm, including car and plane crashes that result from half the population mysteriously and immediately dying. It will be interesting to see if the show can or wants to maintain that tone in a way that is tolerable, but the pilot wallows in the immediate shock and ghastliness of death, as if to insist that we look death in the face and not intellectualize that which is senselessly tragic.
4: A Promising Premise
The best thing I can say about Y The Last Man‘s pilot episode is that it presents a promising premise. What happens to a society that loses half it’s population in an instant? What happens to gender identity after most of one gender is wiped out? What happens to power structures and societal norms that have been crafted to benefit a gender that has almost expired? What’s the immediate aftermath like, and what changes slowly over time? What happens to the world when every single person is in grief at the same time? How can a society heal after a collective trauma? Again, it’s not about the pandemic, but it’s not not about the pandemic either.
5: A Promising Cast
Even though no one actor gets enough screen time to steal the show, several well crafted performances stand out. Amber Tamblyn brings a chilling sense of humor to a conservative wife/pundit, and Diane Lane is a joy to watch as she navigates the stressful life of a liberal congresswoman in a conservative administration. Ashley Romans calmly executing her duties as a secret service agent under what might be considered the worst possible scenario is also refreshingly engaging in an otherwise slogging episode with too much exposition. Though the titular protagonist is a privileged unemployed magician who becomes the most important person in the world, (I know, right?), I get the sense the show is more interested in all the women surrounding him as they work to define a new reality after the old one ends.
Nothing floats my boat more than cerebral science fiction that challenges social norms and societal structures that so many take for granted. In other words, it’s about, like, society, man. Based on the premise alone, this show should be my favorite. I would’ve preferred if they chose to introduce their large and wonderful cast more gradually, but I can’t help but remain curious and maybe a little optimistic about where the show will go next.
