BrainDead Season Finale Review: Love You
Carissa Pavlica
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Not only did Laurel let the two little words slip out in casual conversation (raise your hand if you've ever done that same thing...HAND RAISED), but BrainDead Season 1 Episode 12 and BrainDead Season 1 Episode 13 tidied things up so nicely they felt like a love letter to fans.
Was there anything left unsaid that you couldn't live without being said by the time the credits rolled?
It would have been impossible to address every single thing, of course, but this finale worked on so many levels.
I don't even know where to start. There was so much material and it came from so many different directions, and I'd like to cover as much as I can. So, here goes!
From a political angle, I really appreciated the lengths to which Luke went to find out exactly what was in that bill. If any actual politicians were watching, it would be thrilling to discover someone learned from this technique of using all available hands on deck to dig in deep.
It allowed Luke to think outside the box. At first I thought he bought into all of the CIA garbage, but was so pleased when he used a fake fact to trick the director into agreeing with something he'd made up.
Luke was kind of all over the place, especially when he thought Laurel was leaving.
Oh my God. No. I'm on my own.
Luke
But when he finally found his motivation, he was on fire. I don't even care which side of the aisle someone like him would be on, I'd just like more people like Luke to represent us.
Director, I'm a duly elected member of the United States Senate, and with all due respect, Sir, no one has ever voted for you, so don't you dare tell me how to serve my constituents. I gave a speech because I think this farm bill is a boondoggle and I continue to think it is. Now I don't care what secret plans you have, they have to work around me. Do you understand?
Luke
When they told him about his sex tape and he turned over the vote, I thought I was so wrong about him. Oh me of little faith. He was setting his opponents up for a fail by keeping their attention on his sit-in.
Meanwhile, they passed another bill they didn't bother to read that nullified everything in the Farm Bill. Genius. But, he was still kicked out of the senate in the long run. It didn't hurt him, though, because he moved to Wall Street and was rollin' in dough.
Speaking of geniuses, Rochelle and Gustav were out there trying to rid the local world of cherry blossoms so none of the alients could thrive. The best part of that storyline was their banter, which ultimately lead to a surprising reveal.
Rochelle: You're NSA?
Gustav: Of course. What'd you think?
Rochelle: That's insane.
Since Rochelle had turned down Gustav because she was feeling superior to him, this kind of annoyed her. She had no other option than to cop to her superiority or not go out with Gustav.
Luckily for her, Gustav liked that he pulled that over on her and enjoyed making her squirm. I think we can assume their kids will be playing with the kids of another couple we know.
Laurel [on phone with Gareth]: OK. I'll tell Gustav and Rochelle. Love you. [awkward silence] Yes, I did just say that.
Gareth: Ya did.
Laurel: I'm not sure why. It's just one of those things you say when you're hanging up.
Gareth Yeah, Red and I say it to each other all the time.
Laurel: OK. I'm hanging up now.
Gareth: Hey. Love you.
That is such a weird mistake to make. It goes kind of like that, and it becomes the first time you say it and from there, things just roll on down the road. It usually makes your eventual full-blown relationship a lot easier to lean into. It did with Laurel and Gareth, too.
They had so many close calls of breaking up. Even in the finale! Laurel almost left to finish her documentary, and may have done it if not for the beautiful singing happening right there in Luke's office. She could find the magic anywhere. Whew!
Eventually, they were just kind of together. Laurel learned how to shame the alients out of their half-brained hosts and discovered it was quite possible for them to live on even without a full head.
The two men most important to Laurel and Gareth were both salvaged, Dean Healy and Red Wheatus. Ironically, neither of them were all that special to begin with, but they were a helluva lot better as they were and brainless than they were as savage alients.
And Red had gotten doubly savage after killing Ella. Doing that healed up his queen nicely. What I didn't quite understand was how her king died (another king?), but eh, it didn't matter. His vigor was the end result, and it put him into a killing frame of mind.
He even tried to kill Luke.
But Gareth found a photo that was Red's Achilles heel. His Lana. Laurel shamed him by telling the tale of his immigrant love who perished in Guatemala and Red grabbed his gun.
My butt!
Red
The intern squashed the queen, all the other alients abandoned their hosts to...what? Mourn and die? This happened just as Gustav and Rochelle killed the cherry blossoms. Oh it was so glorious!
Bringing the songster right into the action for the finale was brilliant. People were tipping him, Gustav shushing him, it was such a lovely piece of the program up to this point that it felt right for him to be right in the thick of it.
The Senate Majority was back in action, most without their full thinking capacity, but as the singer pointed out, there probably wasn't much of a difference anyway.
Personally, I laughed out loud when this was going on, though. Just think, Red doesn't even need to to drink anymore to have what appears to be a permanent buzz.
Red [speaking into his desk lamp]: Well, I'm not a scientist. [looks to Gareth] Am I?
Gareth [whispers]: No sir.
Red: So, I can't tell you a hundred percent whether global warming is real, but doggy woggy. There is doggy woggy. Why can't I have a doggy woggy? [gets a microphone] What I mean is, there are those who believe global warming is a conspiracy put forth by the Chinese. You tell me.
Gareth is still helping Red, and Red probably really thinks of him like a son now, and all the time instead of just some of the time. Maybe new roomies Laurel and Gareth can buy Red that doggy woggy he wants for Christmas. It would be just like buying one of their future five or six children a gift!
Without a doubt, BrainDead was one of the most entertaining series in a long time. Even better, it ended on a high, with a couple of its best hours to date. What shows do that? Every minute of time I spent watching was worthwhile.
Bravo, CBS, for taking a chance on this quirky number from the Kings. It was one of the highlights of Summer 2016!
If you want some satisfying viewing, you can watch BrainDead online. In the next couple of days, the entire series will be available on Amazon Prime. What more could you possibly want??
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 X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
