BWW Recap: 'Crickets' Are the Future on THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
By: Gunnar Larson Oct. 25, 2015
Tonight on THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, the survivors found another alive animal: crickets. Along with the survivors and the cow, this is the first sign of other life. The whales were beached; we haven't seen anything else. Given the short lifespan of crickets, these are likely newborns-survivors after the plague. The crickets bring nutrients to the cul-de-sac, and they also bring hope for the future.
Most of the episode, in fact, handles dealing with the future. Whereas two weeks ago when Carol and Tandy were reintroduced to the group, the show dealt a lot with the past, this week the episode looks forward, adjusting course, and leading to some great developments in character.
The crickets open the episode, setting the tone as a hopeful one. Carol capitalizes on this moment, cooking the crickets in a meal for the cul-de-sac members. Everyone finds them disgusting, and don't try to hide it (except for Phil II who is still pining for Carol after dumping Erica). This brings up the idea of food sources. Carol mentions that they ate all the canned food, there are no animals except for the cow which will die, and all they have to look forward to from now on is crickets. Gail and Erica hate the idea of crickets, and they go through the stores, choosing to eat two-year-old chowder instead of fresh crickets.
This ties into the other half of the episode, where Tandy finds out Todd's secret. Last week we ended on Tandy watching Todd go into another house. This week we find out that not only is this house solar paneled, thus giving it electricity, but that Todd has bacon stored in a freezer there; bacon that he has been periodically eating alone. Tandy capitalizes on this, and blackmails Todd into sharing the bacon with them. They eat through most of it, and then Tandy, in a classic Tandy move, wants to bring the secret to the group. Tandy can't do secrets; he has to tell everyone everything, which is his downfall. Todd yells at Tandy to keep the secret private, for them to just eat all the bacon and never mention it.
Tandy, however, can't sleep at night thinking somebody might find out about the secret, so he brings it out into the open to tell everyone, in the hopes that telling a little white lie blocks the larger deception at hand. This backfires, of course, and the group finds the bacon wrappers that Tandy thought he got rid of by tying them to a jet ski, speeding off into the pacific.
When Carol cooks the crickets for the survivors, she gets a lot of flack. Tandy joins in on this, and makes sure to belittle Carol's cooking. Last week, Tandy was last man on the totem pole, so he jumps at the chance to bring himself up a rung in the social ladder. He knows his role in the group is the most tenuous, so by bringing Carol down a notch, he's trying to better his position in the group.
Carol's role in the group is, of course, the second-most tenuous, which stems from Phil II's affection for her, and Erica's subsequent hatred. Carol goes to Melissa for fashion advice to better get Phil II's attention, then gets into a fight with Erica about Phil II. Carol tries to convince Erica to stop fighting with her over a boy. Carol tells Erica, "You have a chance to do something new in this new world," pushing a feminist agenda, suggesting that girl-on-girl hate doesn't have to exist in the new society. Carol rightly points out that the problem is Phil II, not either of the girls. Erica listens, calling Phil II out on how uncomfortable he makes both Carol and Erica.
Similar to how Tandy puts down Carol, he jumps at the chance to put down and blackmail Todd for his lie about the bacon. However, this turns around when Tandy brings the three packages of bacon to the group. He encourages the survivors to cheer for Todd, making him the most popular guy around. When the bacon wrappings are found, Todd takes the blame. Then, in an unprecedented move, Tandy asserts that it is really HIS fault, and tries to take the blame from Todd. This is another way that Tandy makes Todd look popular. Through the bacon experience, Todd and Tandy become friends again. Like I said a couple weeks ago, the most important thing in a post-apocalyptic society is human relationships. Once Tandy has a friend again who isn't Carol, he wants nothing more than to maintain that friendship. And when they are both put in stocks at the end of the episode, it's a bonding experi ence.
All of the events in the episode point toward the future. The crickets suggest that the plague is over, and life will start to return to the planet. It starts with the crickets, but I'm sure after a while other animals will start to show up again. The solar panels suggest a future with electricity. The food problem is now more serious than ever. The friendships are stronger, and the characters evolved to caring more about themselves. The future is bright on THE LAST MAN ON EARTH-but for how long?
Last Quotes on Earth
Tandy: "Screw the freaking community!"
Erica: "Phil, why don't you take that comment, put it in a bottle, and shove it up your butt?"
Carol: "Would you like some butter with your eyerolls?" Melissa: "Don't full up on eyerolls, Erica. Save room for dinner"
Melissa: "Gail, are you drunk?" Gail: "I have been drinking, but I'm not drunk."
Leave your comments or thoughts on tonight's episode below or tweet me @gunnar_larson! THE LAST MAN ON EARTH returns in TWO weeks because of the World Series. See you then for the sixth episode of season 2!
Photo Credits: THE LAST MAN ON EARTH Twitter & Anthony Hardwick | FOX
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