#Y: The Last Man Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Karen and Benji

Everyone on Y: The Last Man Season 1 Episode 4 is just trying to survive.

Plotlines converge as Hero and Sam meet Nora and Mackenzie. Yorick and Agent 355 travel through the forest. We are introduced to a new group of survivors — Roxanne and her followers.

None of the action takes place in Washington, DC. Instead, we go to the woods, to the road, to the front lines, where out in the real world, survival is not a given. 

It’s interesting to see a post-apocalyptic world like this. No zombies, no battle between the eternal forces of good and evil, just people trying to survive as society collapses and infrastructure crumbles. 

For most of us, this world would be the one we’d have to contend with.

What would you do to protect your child? Your family? Your friends and loved ones? What lengths would you go to? 

These are the questions now posed to Nora, Hero, Sam, and now, Roxanne.

Who doesn’t love a couple of good converging plotlines? It’s great to see Mackenzie and Nora joining up with Hero and Sam. Nora desperately needs a break, and Mackenzie needs medical attention.

Marin Ireland is looking positively feral as Nora. Once again, she portrays this mom at the end of her rope so believably that it makes the show’s high concept feel more real than any drama of its kind thus far.

Nora represents all the moms who have worked so hard to balance family life and career, only to have it all crashing down when catastrophe strikes. Mothers are left to carry immense emotional weight to the detriment of their own sanity.

Given all the stories we’ve heard from working moms relinquishing their careers during COVID, this feels like a deliberate — and necessary — social commentary.

I was not expecting a surprise fantasy musical number to start the episode, but here we are!

When can we expect an Ella Fitzgerald biopic starring Ashley Romans? Talk about versatility — the woman has a glamorous stage presence and a sweet, sultry voice.

I’m not sure what it’s meant to evoke, exactly — could it have been one of Agent 355’s previous missions, in which she went undercover as a jazzy nightclub singer? If that’s the case, it feels like we could get a whole spinoff of just 355’s missions, honestly.

Or could it be more metaphorical? Agent 355 sings “Taking A Chance On Love” — maybe she really does intend to help Yorick find Beth.

Agent 355: Call Me 355.

Yorick: Okay, cool, call me trapezoid.

Yorick (Ben Schnetzer) and Agent 355 have a fascinating dynamic. It starts off a bit strange, and he’s definitely wary of her. I don’t quite understand her purpose in watching him strip — it seems out of character for her, like some sort of power trip.

Maybe she feels that he’ll only follow her instructions if he’s afraid of her. 

Their final blow-up was inevitable but ultimately cathartic. They needed to hash it out before they could move on, especially since he suspects her of sabotaging the pilots. He’s not wrong in that she does “jump the gun” quite a bit, but she is the expert in these types of situations, not him. 

How smart is going full fucking Rambo any time something goes wrong?
Yorick

Her tirade against him feels valid, but it clearly encompasses her feelings towards every man she’d ever had to deal with who underestimated her or questioned her abilities.

This is a speech going out to every man who moves through the world unaware of his privilege, unaware how much harder it is for women just to exist. Yorick, despite how well-meaning he is, is a perfect example of this.

From the god-damn day you were born, the whole world told you you were the most important thing in it.
Agent 355

Hero is frustrating this episode, but Olivia Thirlby does well at showing how multi-layered her character is. She acknowledges that she’s been called self-centered, which she then proves by sabotaging the car, her and Sam’s quickest way to DC.

When Mackenzie arrives, Hero uses her medical expertise to help the girl but also uses Mack and Nora as another excuse to stay put. When Hero can sense Sam’s frustration, she ups the ante by making a move on him. 

I love Sam and Hero’s friendship, but iI suspect that Sam has been carrying a torch for Hero, so I was glad when he pulled away. She’s willing to manipulate her best friend with physical affection to get her way.

Sam’s instinct was not totally off — he immediately followed up with a question about the car, which gave Hero a hint that he was suspicious of her motives. At least she seemed like she felt bad about it. 

Hero must really hate her mother. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Roxanne has entered the building.

Roxanne isn’t even onscreen a minute before she executes someone — one of her own, Kate — saying it was mercy. Roxanne is not to be trifled with. Clearly, she’s well-respected and feared by her followers. 

Roxanne’s position begs many questions — what was she doing before the Event? What are her politics? Did she rise to infamy since the Event, or did she already have a following? The fact that Missi Pyle is playing her only intrigued me further.

You brought him here, under duress. They try to help us, this is how you treat ’em?
Roxanne

Missi Pyle is one of Hollywood’s most underrated character actors. If you watch movies and television, you’ll have seen her in something — she’s a brilliant chameleon. I’m so curious what she will bring to her character on this show. 

Hero, being an EMT, has medical expertise that is valuable to Roxanne — so much so that she is willing to share the secret of their warehouse. Not only that, but she is also willing to bring Mackenzie, Nora, and Sam into the fold.

It’s clear Roxanne’s followers don’t care for men. Perhaps there’s a religious element to their group — that the Event was a sign from God. After all, you can’t have an apocalypse without a little religious zealotry.

Nora is right to be afraid — she has seen the worst of what’s on the road, and perhaps has met women like this before. Her little aside to Hero was truly chilling, and I think it shook Hero as well. 

I worry for Sam and for all those Hero cares for. She is self-centered, and we have even seen her (accidentally) kill someone she professed to love. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she betrayed her mother.

A world like this can make the worst of people, especially if they are already broken. 

On a final note, Herdis Stefansdottir’s music gave a beautifully eerie underscoring to the episode.

From the weirdly ominous overlap on Agent 355’s jazz number to the final throbbing notes as Hero and the gang were led into the warehouse, Stefansdottir has captured the creepy, unsettling vibe that permeates the whole show.

Tensions are escalating. How will Hero, Sam, Nora, and Mackenzie assimilate with Roxanne and her followers? What will be in store for Yorick and Agent 355 when they get to Boston?

Did you miss President Brown, Kimberly, and the rest of the DC gang? What will happen when and if Regina returns — will she make a claim for the Presidency? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Mary Littlejohn is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.