Zoo Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Fight or Flight
Christine Laskodi
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Things are getting a little strange in Zoo Season 1, Episode 2. The animals are starting to fight back.
Last week, Zoo had laid out an excellent mystery for me to solve, and I was all in, and excited. It was action packed, thrilling, and fun. Which is why "Fight or Flight" was such a disappointment to me.
My biggest problem with the episode was its pacing. Last week, there were two stories: Jackson's story in Africa, and Jamie and Mitch's story in Los Angeles. It was easy to follow and to stay in the story.
What do we do in the face of fear? Do we run, or do we strike back? This question resides in the most primal aspect of the brain, both humans ad animals alike; but it won't be long before the animals realize that they no longer need to flee. That they have the capacity and the capability to rule the planet. That they no longer need to fear mankind. It's not scared of me. It knows that all they need to do is fight, and they can take down the human race.
Robert Oz
"Fight or Flight" featured four separate plot lines to follow, and the cuts between plots were abrupt, and took me out of the story. I understand that we're dealing with a miniseries, and that the plot needs to propel forward faster, but this wasn't so much about moving the plot forward as it was sloppy, both in editing and in writing.
Zoo had tension at every turn last week. "Fight or Flight" wasn't very tense at all, and the only real action took place in Slovenia, with the family adopting a boy that led to the dog attacks. This was a story that could have been condensed into a cold open at the beginning of the episode. Perhaps due to the lack of action, the writers chose to spread the story out over the entire hour?
This entire town, this entire region exists because the people want to see the lions.
Captain Kavimba
The introduction of Jackson's mother as the safari doctor, felt especially sloppy. We spent all of the first episode having it drilled into us that Robert Oz was brilliant, but that his theories drove him crazy, and that he was chastised by his peers, a fact that Jackson's mother reiterates.
Why is it then that after examining one lion attack victim, just one, that she all of a sudden looked up, realized that Robert was right, and sends Jackson off to Japan to recover Robert's lost manifesto tapes? It's too simple, and out of character based on what we know about her from the first half of the episode.
Thank goodness for Mitch and Jamie's story, because it truly saved the episode for me. Billy Burke continues to steal every scene with his sarcastic humor.
Jamie and Mitch are the most unlikely investigative team, but they just seem to work so well together. (And did you catch her jealousy when that zoo keeper was chatting up Mitch? I smell a love story...)
Those lions did what lions do, they acted...liony.
Mitch
What was with Jamie's landlord's son? Was that bad acting, his whole speech where he asked her out slowly and painfully while her computer was being hacked? Or was it bad writing? A bad coincidence, maybe? Or...was he purposely distracting her the whole time and in on the hacking?
I'm going to give Zoo a pass this week because they're still getting their footing, I'm still invested in the mystery, and I really want to see Jackson succeed in saving the world from the animal apocalypse.
Stray thoughts:
- Mr. Fermer's cat Cupcake is home, safe and sound and purring happily. Thank god, I was so worried.
- Jackson's got no game. He saved Chloe's life. That should have warranted him at LEAST getting her phone number without her scoffing at him.
- Note to self: If a Jack Russell take your toy, just let him have it, don't follow him to get it back. He looks sweet, but he's no Eddie Crane.
- Can we talk about Jamie's apartment, which looks like it was furnished at Pier One and Anthropologie? How can she always be late on her rent? Is it because she's spending so much money on brand new worn-out pieces of furniture and curtains?
- Jamie and Mitch, sittin' in a....nope, that's still the cats.
- The live animals on the show are gorgeous, and I can't imagine what it was like for the actors to work with these beautiful creatures, especially given the subject matter of their show, with animals attacking people. They must have been completely scared and in awe, all at once.
I don't think that they were ever going to eat you. I think that they wanted us to find you. I think that they wanted someone to spread their message...that they're no longer afraid of us.
Jackson
What did you think? Are you still invested? Is Jamie on the right track with Reiden Global? Who hacked her computer?
Missed this episode, or want to watch it again? You can watch Zoo online, right here at TV Fanatic, and when you're done, come back and join the conversation!
