Debris Episode 6 Supernova Review- The Fountain Of Youth And Computational Nightmares

Debris Episode 6 borrows a storyline from 80’s classic Cocoon as the mystery finally heats up. Our patience is rewarded with an intriguing episode about what it means to be alive.

With a show as setup heavy as Debris, it’s bound to take time to develop both the characters and the mysteries. Debris has suffered some from feeling rushed or forced. It has been a struggle not to feel as if we were unceremoniously dropped in the middle of something we didn’t understand and weren’t sure we wanted to. Last week’s episode, we showcased more of the shadow organization Influx and Scroobius Pip’s Anson Ash, and the show was better for it. This week, attention to the artifacts’ greater mythos from space and the many factions who all want it pays off in Debris Episode 6. Finally, a complete episode that felt both urgent and emotional in equal measures.

If Jonathon Tucker(Brian) and Finola(Riann Steele) are the heart and soul of Debris, Anson Ash is the chaotic moral compass. He is a member of Influx who has proven he isn’t above sacrificing people to protect and use the tech, but his group has a purpose. We just don’t know what that is yet.

The debris has some amazing uses so far. The power to bring back the dead, clone, and teleport entire buses, to name just a few. This week it also provided a second chance. The adage is put to the test. “Youth is wasted on the young.” Those of us old enough to realize it knows it’s true. It’s only after you have lived long enough to appreciate what you have and what you have lost that you truly understand what that statement means. For a group of elderly men and women, they have forgotten what makes that statement important. It’s not just about being young, but having someone to share it with and believing in the possibilities yet to come.

Brian and Finola are headed once again to chase down some alien wreckage. The partners are civil, but neither trusts the other. Several desiccated bodies in a cabin in the woods should help with that. Before they get there, though, Finola is dropping bread crumbs for Brian to give to Maddox to follow. The problem with secrets is that they keep too much in the dark to develop beneficial relationships and foster injustice. When transparency isn’t encouraged, deception is allowed to grow. Ferris and Maddox want to keep Brian and Finola in the dark and wary of each other. Unfortunately, the two have begun to develop a slow relationship that could make them more loyal to one another than their respective organizations.

The teens we saw at the beginning of Debris Episode 6 are actually a group of elderly people who are using the debris as a Fountain of Youth. As long as they stay close to the debris, they will remain young. However, once they get too far apart and they rapidly age and die. It is the reason the bodies were so aged and dried up in the cabin. Two of the teens are Kurt and Clara Cox. They are a couple who has been married for 50 years. She has end-stage dementia, and he is desperate to help her. They think finding the debris was a miracle. It gave them back their lives together.

Kurt and Clara never meant to hurt anyone. They just wanted everyone to get the chance to appreciate life again. In the end, that is exactly what they did. The two teens captured by Finola and Brian know they will age back to their 80’s but are grateful for the chance to continue living. For them, it was a miracle. They were given the blessing of gratefulness. It is a gift that can’t be taken away. The doctor can reverse the effect of the debris without killing the person. This is good news for the two teens who were caught and would rapidly age back, but for Kurt and Clara, it isn’t an option. They choose to spend their final moments together, going out on their own terms. It’s a romantic view of life that fits squarely in Debris’s wheelhouse.

As likable as Brian and Finola are, their bosses are just as ethically challenged. Finola’s boss Priya Ferris(Anjali Jay), wants her to lie to Brian about her father to send Maddox on a wild goose chase that tips his hand, while Maddox wants Brian to lie to Finola about her father and pump her for information. If that isn’t bad enough, the CIA calls Brian from inside Finola’s apartment, wanting him to get her passwords. Instead, the pair choose to tell each other the truth about almost everything.

They are choosing to trust each other, but it is a fragile trust. Despite everything, Brian still wants to believe Maddox is a good guy. What happens when that faith is questioned by whatever Maddox is up to? Finola doesn’t look thrilled with what Brian told her, but she can’t trust her boss either. Hopefully, next week we get more Agent Brill(Sebastian Roché) and more answers.

What is Maddox up to? Between working with Russian dealers to obtain a piece of debris that he may or may not be taking back to the government, he interrogates Anson Ash. The artifact is dangerous, and the dealer questions Maddox if he knows what he is doing. This makes me wonder if this piece and possibly others are for a different purpose. We haven’t seen much from Maddox’s son since the previous extended scene earlier in the season. I doubt that plot beat was unimportant. Maddox strikes me as the kind of person willing to take any chance to help the ones he loves.

Maddox interrogates Anson Ash. Pip plays Ash with an intriguing, enigmatic quality. Pip manages to walk the line between mustache-twirling villain and believable zealot. He questions who is really the good guy in this situation despite everything that has happened. Debris has used music well to enhance the mood and emotion of essential plot beats. Debris Episode 6 was no different, especially regarding Ash. He is being telegraphed as the Big Bad, but what if everyone is shades of grey? That would allow the show to have longevity.

Debris is at its best when it accepts exactly what it is. At its core, it is a touching drama with a big nerdy sci-fi heart. Love and time are gifts. Let’s hope Debris gets both of those, or the little show that could, will be one and done after the season wraps. Follow all our Debris coverage here.

Scattered Wreckage

• In addition to the memory foam and toaster oven Brian mentions, there are many other things NASA inventions have been repurposed into. Among the crazier ones are Invisalign dental devices, Nike Air Sneakers, and ski boots.
• How did Maddox save Brian’s life? Does it have something to do with the injection he got early, or is that injection a byproduct from the cloning incident in Episode 2?
• What kind of work did Orbital do with Finola’s Dad?
• Finola mentions that her father was interested in nightmares and neurological computing. This is a real thing. Scientists think they may be able to devise an algorithm that can control our dreams.