Things are really heating up now!
On Debris Season 1 Episode 7, a little girl and her uncle were at the center of a case that revealed more about Bryan’s past in the military.
While Bryan and Finola were otherwise engaged, Maddox got significant information from Ash, who was under great duress.
Is there anybody else out there who still sees Benjamin Hollingsworth and catapults back to the 2015 TV season when the wonderful Code Black debuted?
Hollingsworth was playing Luke, and no matter where he’s been over the last several years, his appearance makes me wistful for that show, which was one of the best medical shows in recent years.
My appreciation for Code Black made Hollingsworth’s role in this episode hard to take.
I don’t want him to be the bad guy, not even a bad guy driven to the edge thanks to his military service and strung along by a bad piece of debris to do things that he’ll never be able to forget.
Debris can drive people to do terrible things, but after everything he had gone through already, killing his brother and manipulate his niece like that is something he would have never overcome.
When he turned down Bryan’s outstretched hand, I hurt more for Bryan than Luke. From the moment they met Luke, Bryan was on guard because he was Luke.
Saying it out loud doesn’t come close to explaining to Finola or us what he’s gone through, and after the awe in Luke’s voice at whatever Bryan’s unit did in Afghanistan, I can’t say that I’m not eager to learn more.
Whatever it was, it was so dark that he sees Maddox as his savior, which could benefit them because it seems unlikely that Maddox has any idea what Ferris is up to with Finola. It just doesn’t wash.
After seeing Maddox at work, you might think I’d come to a different conclusion about his motivations. What he did to Ash was brutal.
But you have to admit that if the information was as easy to pull from someone’s psyche — right to a nearby monitor — torture could be a lot less painful and a lot more fruitful.
Still, it was a grizzly scene and not easy to watch. Me? I have no strength, and the only time I was ever questioned by authority, I spilled my guts without games. Surviving what Ash experienced wouldn’t be in my repertoire.
But he got information on George Jones, and Finola is about to be reunited with her father. Assuming she doesn’t bolt back to England to find out what was up with DeeDee.
If Maddox wanted Bryan and Finola back to address the George Jones situation, Ferris was up to no good, even if Maddox did speak with her about it before calling Bryan.
What the heck is Ferris up to, anyway?
Are we being hoodwinked into believing she’s a bad guy, or IS she a bad guy?
If she wants Finola to return, why doesn’t she just demand that she return as a part of her duty as an officer of their country?
Getting a call like that will put Finola in a terrible spot. As much as she wants to see her father and find out what the heck has been going on with him, she’s also obligated to her sister.
One thing I know about sisters is that when you reach back to childhood during a conversation, your sister tends to listen.
No matter how poorly they get along or what issues had driven them apart as adults, looking back to a time when you trusted each other implicitly, working together to fool your parents, your heart melts.
Will that conversation niggle at the back of Finola’s mind, or will the pull of seeing her father again and needing to understand how he’s still with us be the direction she wants to go?
We haven’t had an episode yet in which Bryan and Finola are working separately, and it would be interesting to see how they function on their own now that they aren’t 100% sure who to trust or why.
Could Maddox have been pulling Bryan’s leg when he said he spoke with Ferris about needing them at the Washington Scablands? It’s possible that the two want to separate Bryan and Finola for purposes we don’t understand.
But, surprisingly, I’m with Bryan. Maddox is doing some shady things, but perhaps he’s doing them for worthwhile reasons.
That gizmo they used on Ash had to be created as a result of debris. It was primitive and somewhat barbaric, but it produced almost immediate results. It’s hard to imagine how they’d discover that particular use for debris, though.
And it’s too painful to imagine that Bryan got fooled into thinking that Maddox helped him when he was only doing it to have Bryan under his thumb.
There is so much to be uncovered with this story on many different levels.
And it’s because of that that I don’t think the debris-of-the-week format is working to the show’s benefit.
The amount of information dribbling out of is such a tease, especially since the debris cases don’t seem to have a long-term connection to the story.
Debris isn’t following the same path forged by Fringe, in which the cases were all adding to the greater mystery. This is procedural, seemingly just to drag out the reveal, and that’s the kind of tease that can be very frustrating.
This review was a bear to write because there isn’t much to discuss, and the details of the case with Caroline just don’t matter overall. Bryan could have been inspired to share information about his past in many other ways.
If you haven’t seen the show yet, you can watch Debris online. It’s worth watching but perhaps not worth discussing every week. I’ll leave that up to you. Should these reviews continue?
As always, I look forward to hearing from you. Surely, you can feel my frustration. What does your level look like?
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.