Almost Human - Recap: The White Cheetah

Episode 7 of Season 1 of Almost Human, “Simon Says,” introduced us to a perpetual reject out for revenge. Whether it was a failed loan application or a bad date, this Simon character was dead set on making those who found him inadequate in all of his creeptastic glory pay. Soon, Kennex (Karl Urban) and Dorian (Michael Ealy) were dragged into his broadcasted series of games, but with the DRN working with only half a charge, could the dynamic duo still pull off a win this week? Here is the Recap and Review of Season 1 Episode 7 of Almost Human, “Simon Says”!

Episode 7 opened with Detective Paul (Michael Irby) announcing the protocol for handling a mass power outage caused by a solar flare. Operating on auxiliary energy, the synthetic partners of the force were forced to work on less of a charge than normal. Dorian, an “antiquated” DRN model, was subsequently, and appropriately, infuriated upon realizing that his sleep status was regulated to the bottom of the barrel behind each and every MX model. Thus, this week’s Dorian had quite a couple of comical screws loose, opening up his arc during Episode 7 with a fantastic slug across Paul’s face for making such a prejudice decision. Basically, Dorian’s personality and emotions were entirely out of whack, and he’d oscillate between moments of clarity and moments of hilarious insanity while he and Kennex continued to sift through Episode 7’s crime case.

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This Simon psychopath broadcasted his victims’ trials from afar, rendering them unconscious first before attaching a collar bomb to their necks. If they would proceed to follow the instructions of the computerized voice transmitted to them, they were led to believe that they would receive a deactivation code. Simon’s first victim was Ramon, a loan officer who we eventually came to learn had turned down the man’s application. First, Ramon was instructed to head back to his place of employment in order to steal a massive amount of money held by this bank. When something was clearly awry, another employee of the bank covertly alerted the police via an emergency system following her decision to go along with Ramon’s pleas. Kennex and Dorian eventually trailed Ramon’s car as he sped towards the location of the code required to disarm the bomb wrapped tightly around his neck, but Dorian’s quick scan of the technology at hand revealed that they were simply too late. In a very tragic turn of events, Dorian instructed John to activate some kind of a bubble shield that would protect the surrounding area from the blast of Ramon’s bomb, and the poor guy was blown to bits right before our eyes. As Kennex and Dorian failed to rescue the first victim, thousands of internet viewers cheered in the comments section of Simon’s web show, adding a nice bit of social commentary to a plot that we’re already somewhat familiar with thanks to other shows and films. Have you ever clicked on a Twitter trend or comments under a news article out of an unhealthy curiosity, only to immediately regret subjecting yourself a slew of messages from ignoramuses around the globe? We’ve all been there, but this is 2048, and these people were cheering for blood. Though, I do have to admit that some of the slang and super poor grammar were hilarious to watch pop up. I’m sure the writers had a blast with that process.

With a little help researching from Valerie (Minka Kelly), Sandra (Lili Taylor), and Rudy (Mackenzie Crook) the boys headed over to the location that allegedly held the deactivation code Ramon had fought to win. There, a jukebox featuring the caveman’s music medium of choice, the compact disc, revealed that Ramon was never intended to make it there in time. Dorian had previously noted that the location seemed too far away to begin with. We weren’t witnessing a true game of horrors unfolding. We were watching someone on a sick power trip, and Jeannie, the attractive daughter of a florist, was his next target.

Jeannie was instructed to bring a very specific bouquet of roses to a gazebo in a local park. Afterwards, she was forced to dance solo to a specific ballad while Simon watched with glee from the safety of his apartment, behind his computer screen. By the time Dorian and Kennex had made there way to her location, Jeannie had done the math. She’d previously gone on a date with this Simon fellow that she’d met online. She was desperate for a match, having grown tired of watching men bring flowers to other women day after day, and gave her future captor a shot. Unfortunately, Simon’s nature struck her even then, and she ditched the poor sap in the park without a second thought. Now, he was mocking her in making her carry out the date she’d initially refused to participate in. This is where things began to get very interesting, as John and Dorian quickly worked to disarm the collar together while Rudy delivered specific instructions over the radio. In the meantime, Simon’s fans began to betray him, choosing somewhat to side with the girl who so harshly publicly burned him with her assessment even under such dangerous circumstances. Eventually, the heroes pulled through, and Dorian celebrated their victory with a jovial group hug that nearly crushed Jeannie under all of his heightened affection.

Before heading into the final leg of this week’s recap, it’s also important to note that Dorian has remained steadfast in his quest for his own place. Sadly, as government property, he’s not allowed to live outside of the precinct on his own. He could, however, shack up with a certain buddy… John, who’d refused to give up the high school trophy room that showcased the impressive victories of the boy wonder formerly known as “The White Cheetah.” He blew off Dorian’s begging even under the difficult circumstances of the current fight for energy. After a chat with Rudy, in which the tech whiz informed Dorian of the utter loneliness that comes along with living on his own, it seemed John’s opinion might have changed. Remember, there is a greater arc to Almost Human that focuses on John’s past and his life as a lone wolf, it just doesn’t seem like this show is too concerned with going there too deeply yet.

Desperate to regain the “respect” he’d drummed up with his first kill, Simon wasted no time targeting his next potential victim. A bit of digging on the team’s part revealed that Simon had previously been kicked out of the police academy for a failed psych test, so the group assumed that someone in charge of those orders would most likely be the next rejecter to play the “game.” Unfortunately, there seemed to be a misjudgment, and while Paul and Dorian were busy attempting to nip Simon’s plans in the bud, John suffered a sneak attack and was then truly then dragged into the fray.

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John woke up attached to a park bench at night, cradling a whiskey bottle in his arm like a bum. This time, matters were truly personal, and the circumstances proved to be extremely dire for John. Simon, humiliated by John’s casual thwarting of his plot, decided that John’s task would be disarming his own collar in the way that he’d done so for Jeannie with the help of Dorian. While the police were instructed to keep their distance from the scene, Simon also noted that he’d added a manual detonator, a trigger that he held, to this specific scenario. If we didn’t know any better as viewers, it looked like it was about to be curtains for Kennex. First, however, Simon revealed the unlikely connection between the two. If you recall, Kennex also has a black mark on his record in the form of a bad psych evaluation. Had Sandra not insisted that he return to the force, nobody else would have. The difference is that John took his initial leave and suffered in his own private hell, while Simon took out his frustrations and bitterness on those around him, like innocent civilians who’d be hurt by the blast if John should fail to disarm his collar bomb. After pinpointing Simon’s location to be a nearby clock tower, Dorian came up with the brilliant suggestion to use whatever was left of his charge to zap Simon into a frozen state, thus rendering the trigger safe within his grasp. As Kennex worked to carefully bust the timer, Dorian ensured that the manual detonation would not occur. In the end, the two managed to put an end to Simon’s reign of viral digital terror, even amidst the outcries for police blood on the web. Funny, I didn’t think Simon ever got that many viewers. Wouldn’t you think he’d get more in this crazy dystopian society? I think my recap of his scheme can beat out his show in hits!

In the end, John thanked Maldonado for believing in him despite his previous shortcomings. Perhaps inspired to a have a little heart, John then set Dorian up as a roomie… to Rudy. Dorian, admitting that living with Rudy was not quite what he had in mind, took the offer never the less!

What did you think of Almost Human, Season 1 Episode 7, “Simon Says”? Will Dorian eventually move in with John? Do you think it’s time this show starts to explore the deeper themes at hand rather than focusing on these weekly sub-plots?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Almost Human, Season 1 Episode 7, “Simon Says”!