#Debris Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Earthshine

Coming off of a couple of good episodes, we have Debris Season 1 Episode 5, which is not so good. It’s not bad, just unsatisfying.

The entire thing felt like a tease for what was to come, but it never arrived.

On top of that, two actors are giving me trouble in the recognition department. That’s a me problem, not a show problem!

The latest debris situation didn’t come naturally from newly dropping debris. This situation was caused on purpose.

It really doesn’t matter what was happening because it only showed that INFLUX is well beyond anyone else’s capabilities when manipulating and learning from the debris.

Bryan surmised that they’re creating real-life and public situations to prove debris’ value on the open market.

But they’ve got so much knowledge that it seems unlikely they’re hoping to get rid of it. That was somewhat borne out when the foreign goon seen at the bus’ disappearance scene spouted that they cannot be stopped; the technology will be free no matter what happens to him.

It’s dangerous business showing the debris to the general public, and since they’re only using it for evil, it’s hard to imagine that anyone will embrace their agenda.

Sooner or later, people see you for what you’re doing. The men at these events stand out. I’m calling them goons for a reason.

If the world was alert to people they believed were terrorists after 9/11 (whether right or wrong in their assessments), the public will get wise to goons lurking about, eventually scuttling their plans. Who the heck wants people like that using technology that will kill them?

If they’re hoping to unleash the power of debris on the world, I don’t understand why they think anyone would welcome it. And if they don’t, then what’s the point?

Unless they’re all sadistic sociopaths, I guess. But I’d like to think that a group of people would need more encouragement to work as hard as they do to set all of this up. Financial gain? Power? None of them seem remotely intelligent enough to benefit from either of those.

So someone must be pulling the strings from a level far above anyone we’ve seen so far.

Fiona believes that the only way any of it is happening is if the group is using her father to understand and manipulate the debris.

This is a nightmare. This is a bloody nightmare.
Finola

But why on earth would he go along with it? He’s already died once; dying again doesn’t seem as daunting after that, especially if the fate of the world lies in your hands.

Finola is still inwardly struggling against Bryan keeping secrets, but I appreciated that Ferris reminded a ranting Finola that the U.S. is not the only group keeping secrets.

Finola: Why did we even bother with this alliance? This is pointless if the U.S. is being dishonest. We’re supposed to be able to trust them. I’m supposed to be able to trust Bryan!

Ferris: Just to remind you, we have secrets from the American’s too.

Finola is a strange character. On the one hand, she has excellent instincts. But on the other hand, she’s naive and easily led to believe that she’s on the side of good and anyone who isn’t on the same page is not good.

Nothing is that simple.

Bryan tried to get that message across to her when they talked on the plane, but she bristled with contempt and defeat. She doesn’t like that he’s keeping secrets (as she is, too), but she feels like since he can’t understand her side of things, there isn’t any point in helping him.

Bryan: You’re upset with me. You’ve been really quiet since Nebraska.

Finola: How would you know, Bryan? You slept the whole way.

She takes the same attitude with her sister. All Dee Dee wanted was to connect with Finola and remember a time in her life that wasn’t fraught with stress. Instead of sharing what she remembered of the song with Dee Dee, Finola told her to go home and get some sleep.

Finola never indicated that she didn’t recall the song; she just didn’t want to take a minute to enjoy the memory, whether she remembered or not. If she has problems with how Bryan is going about things, she should consider how she puts others on hold.

If nothing else, their taut conversation about trust showed that Bryan might be wavering about trusting Maddox.

As Finola prodded him about it, Bryan’s facial expressions revealed he’s not as certain about his mentor and handler than we’d been led to believe.

Now, if only Finola could reach the same conclusion about Ferris, maybe she and Bryan would be more likely to share with each other than they have been so far. They’re both too intelligent not to see they’re being manipulated.

Brill (Sebastian Roché) tried to clue Finola into the truth about Ferris, and they didn’t introduce that actor without end. If Roché is on-screen, then he has a purpose.

As for the actors that are giving me trouble, it’s Maddox and the goon who is working with Anson Ash.

Is anyone else finding their similarity confusing? I keep thinking that Maddox has done something crazy, and now I’m not sure if he ever did. Was it the other guy?

The craziest thing to come of the hour was Anson’s incredibly creepy smile when he was face-to-face with Finola.

He mentioned that she had her dad’s eyes, so we know they know each other. But when she was playing the song, and he was humming along? That took things to another level.

Do you have any idea what’s going on with INFLUX?

Do you wish that Bryan and Finola would work together instead of against each other?

If you need to see it all again, you can watch Debris online.

This wasn’t my favorite, so I’m eager to hear from you!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.