Extant - Recap: Nobody's Perfect

The reason for this is because much of its runtime is focused on family dynamics that don't entirely work, which I admit is a strange criticism, given that I've spent the past three weeks praising this show for being a family drama, perhaps first and foremost. But it did nothing for me here. And that's a shame because everything surrounding those ho-hum family beats was actually quite exciting when you get down to it. The episode mostly focused on how Molly (Halle Berry), John (Goran Visnjic), and Ethan (Pierce Gagnon) are on the run from Sparks (Michael O'Neill) and his men, so they seek shelter with Molly's estranged father, Quinn (Louis Gossett, Jr.). It's a deceptively simple premise that adds a lot of urgency when you consider that Molly and John are basically on a ticking clock: they have to perform a makeshift DNA test on the fetus in order to determine its origins, but it needs to be done before Sparks and co. intercept them. And, well, family matters make accomplishing this task fairly difficult, since being a parent means dropping everything when your child is in danger.

Credit: CBS

First, what didn't work about "Shelter". While Louis Gossett, Jr. did a great job with the character, I had a hard time caring all that much about Quinn, whose lapsed alcoholism and gambling addiction creates a domino effect that results in Molly getting captured by Yasumoto's (Hiroyuki Sanada) men. Basically, Quinn is tasked with keeping Ethan busy and away from the house while she and John perform their test on the fetus. Despite having not had a drink in years, Quinn is talked into visiting the local bar to play a game of rings for money, on the one day he has his grandson in tow. Naturally, he decides to do this because Ethan, as a robot, has a greater sense of coordination and precision than your average child. It's an ability Ethan uses to great success, winning the admiration of Quinn in the process. Well, at least until it becomes apparent to Ethan that he's being used. He misses the final ring, and costs Quinn all of his money based on a belief Quinn instilled in him that "Nobody's perfect." Quinn, however, is furious that Ethan's big takeaway from his uplifting "Nobody's perfect" speech is that you can mess up at will, and not fear any repercussions. He tears into Ethan with all the bitterness and vitriol of a petty old man, and his emotions are exacerbated by his foolish decision to get drunk on this of all nights. And so it comes to pass that Quinn ends up losing Ethan in the woods, infuriating Molly since Quinn has never exactly been the best of fathers (which is used to explain why Molly hasn't visited him in six years).

While I can appreciate that Molly's turbulent relationship with her father provides an explanation for why she's so intermittently warm but distant as a parent, it's a conflict that doesn't feel germane to anything happening in the episode on a plot level. The only worth this conflict really has is in how it separates Ethan from the rest of the family, providing the catalyst for Molly getting captured. And even then, Ethan's capture isn't technically Quinn's fault, since Ethan is taken by Yasumoto's men while Quinn was momentarily distracted by the gate to the road leading to his cabin being inexplicably closed. It was obviously a setup by Yasumoto's men to provide for the distraction they needed to snatch Ethan, but the episode frames it as being a result of Quinn's irresponsible behavior. I suppose, in theory, Ethan wouldn't have been taken had Quinn brought the child home on time like he was supposed to, but Yasumoto and Sparks always knew where Molly and co. were hiding, and likely would have had their trap ready regardless of when Quinn got home. Blaming Quinn didn't feel like something the episode earned, even though I'd readily admit that Quinn's actions were reckless and irresponsible. But whether Quinn was involved or not, I still feel Ethan would have been captured. And he would have been rendered unconscious by stun baton to his open circuit board (in a truly creepy visual). And his body would have been used as bait for Molly who still would have been captured. Pretty much the only thing that might have turned out differently is that John might not have gotten arrested for punching the small town sheriff after the lawman implies that Ethan, as a robot, is unworthy of his unit's concern. But even then, I'm not entirely certain things wouldn't have gone down in more or less the same fashion.

Credit: CBS

But, with all that having been said, the show is building its mythology in a very effective fashion. Yasumoto appears to be working on manufacturing a mysterious substance with healing properties, only to discover that the substance is more dangerous than beneficial, as it results in the death of one of the scientists that helped create it after the substance enters the man's respiratory system. Yasumoto is getting a bit desperate to not only have this substance created, but to also have Molly in his possession, since he feels her fetus might be the key to making everything work. And so he devises a plan to capture Molly and surgically remove the fetus, in order to take the meddlesome Molly out of the equation altogether. And whaddya know? It's a plan that works, as Molly is captured and, despite a futile escape attempt, taken in for surgery. It's all incredibly creepy, deeply unsettling stuff, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out, since I never imagined Molly's premise-establishing pregnancy ending this soon into the show's run. I'm also strangely invested in Sam (Camryn Manheim), who is being forced to sell Molly out when Sparks threatens to expose the truth about her mentally-challenged brother, who committed a terrible crime for which he's in rehabilitation. Manheim has always been one of those TV performers who, for me, could bring the best out of the smallest subplot. She takes an underdeveloped character like Sam and makes her feel three-dimensional, and that's unmistakably valuable on a genre show, where attention isn't always paid to giving non-major characters their time in the spotlight. After all, we gotta save time for Molly hallucinating Marcus again and then getting mad at John for not believing her. We also need time for Sparks to discover the results of Molly's DNA test, but discover them in such a way that the results are concealed from the viewer. Because mysteries!

Credit: CBS

"Shelter" isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't up to the standards of the previous three weeks. Yet this doesn't dampen my belief that Extant is still a good show, with the potential to possibly be a great one someday. There's way more to like here than to dislike, in my opinion, and complaining about the subterfuge surrounding the show's mysteries is admittedly petty. But in a subpar episode, I tend to recognize things I might have otherwise overlooked, or given a pass to. I do like this show, as it's been moving at a pretty surprising pace so far. I'm still looking forward to the weeks ahead, to see where this story goes.