Piper choosing to stay with Jo and her family might have seemed comforting at the moment, but the overall picture is that Piper is getting too dangerous for her own good. 

On Emergence Season 1 Episode 7, Emily got painted with a villainous brush-stroke as Jo figured out that they've naively been feeding information to the enemy the whole time. 

Emily's intentions for Piper came into focus as she attempted to convince the human-like android that she's her mother and the only one who truly knows her. 

When her attempts failed, Emily threatened Alan Wilkins until he reprogrammed Piper to do what she wanted. 

He helped Emily replace Jo in every one of Piper's memories with herself. 

Emily is a very broken soul, but her motivations for gaining Piper's love were a little underwhelming.

Emily: She's not doing what she's supposed to do.
Alan: Which is what?
Emily: Love me.
Alan: You're nuts.

• Permalink: You're nuts.

Are we supposed to believe that she's doing everything because she wasn't loved as a child, or that forcing a robot to love her will somehow fill the void left behind by her dad?

That's surface-level, at best, for a show that has the ability to dig deeper. 

Emily's brilliant, there's no denying that, but she's wasting so much of her potential on convincing Piper when she should be figuring out how Piper's become so advanced. 

Because honestly, that's the truly impressive part about Piper. 

She could recall her meetings with Emily despite being programmed to forget them so that she could warn Jo about the threat .

And Piper somehow managed to rewrite her code so that she could choose to stay with Jo's family. 

The sentiment is touching because, as humans, we're programmed to see that as an act of love, but I don't know if that applies to AI as well. 

Clearly, Alan, who has way more experience in the area, isn't finding it inspiring or touching. 

Instead, he's of the opposite mind; he thinks Piper needs to be destroyed before she becomes even more uncontrollable. 

There are still so many unanswered questions about Piper's abilities. 

What is it about Jo and her family that has made Piper want to stay? How has she been able to see through Emily's lies?

Why does she trust Jo so much?

Is she feeling love and channeling that into something more quantifiable?

Is it because Jo's the only one who ever believed in her and saw her as a "someone" rather than a "something"?

Maybe Jo was onto something about Piper not being just an android.

Towards the end of the episode, Piper told Jo and Mia that it felt as though her mind was telling her to go with Emily but the "real" her didn't want to. 

Kindred: It's a thing she cares about.
Jo: And you abandoned her for what? Money. Is that what you care about?

• Permalink: And you abandoned her for what? Money. Is that what you care about?

Could this statement alone justify Jo's claims that there is something in Piper that makes her human?

Who is the "real" Piper if not something that can be programmed with a keystroke?

Jo's managed to figure out things thus far, but what does it mean for the future when the people responsible for Piper's creation are nowhere to be found?

She still hasn't come clean to either Alex or her father about what's really happening with Piper.

While wanting to keep them safe is understandable, it also isn't completely fair to them. 

If it wasn't for Ed, Alex, and Mia, Piper would have left with Emily. 

They risked their lives to stop her, yet they still don't understand the full extent of the danger they were in. 

Jo wondered if Alex trusted Mia enough to be around Piper, but the truth is, he loves that girl as much as she does. He doesn't want to admit it because he's wary, but by saving her, he proved that love.  

As I mentioned, Emily's intentions were selfish, and when she failed, she seemed rather defeated, but she must have some kind of plan since she somehow managed to kill her father while he was in lock-up.

What does she want? What are her next step?

Is she going to try to recreate Piper?

Will she attempt to brainwash her again?

The revelation that Kindred was Emily's father was surprising, but it wasn't out of left field. 

She had to be someone high-ranking to know as much as she did and have the access she did.

What's more surprising is that she'd willingly kill her own father. That proves that Emily may be more dangerous than anyone ever anticipated. 

She wants to be loved, and she's willing to pay the price. 

If you watch Emergence online, you know the series has established itself as one that gives plenty of answers, but what really sets it apart from all the rest is that their heroine knows how to use her brain. 

Jo's not a cliche character who takes too long to figure out something, doesn't think ahead, or asks the wrong questions. 

She may have trusted the wrong people at first because she's figuring things out as she goes, but she's insanely smart, has absolutely no fear, and doesn't waste any time. 

She acts on every single hunch, which tends to be right.

From finding where Emily was holding Wilkins to figuring out Emily was Kindred's daughter to having IT scrub all the computers and phones for malware, she just gets it.

Chris doesn't fall into the stereotypical cop side-kick mold either.

He figured out that Wilkin's wife was in danger and snuck into the house to save her. Sure, his keys were jingling so loudly that they were a dead giveaway to his whereabouts in the house, but still, he managed to get her to safety, and that's all that matters. 

Alan: Well, it's a fatal exception. It's not like we'd blow up anything. It's a total reset. No memory of anything. Fresh off the factory floor.
Jo: Everything that she is would be gone. Right? Wouldn't that be like killing her?
Alan: Uh, in a way, but better her than us.

• Permalink: Uh, in a way, but better her than us.

What did you think of the episode?

Where do you think the storyline is going?

Will Piper remain loyal to Jo? 

Will Emily attempt to get to Piper again?

Based on the teaser for Emergence Season 1 Episode 8, will Benny be convinced to destroy Piper?

Lizzy Buczak was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in June 2021..