Piper's journey is one for the books.

And it's not over, even though Emergence Season 1 Episode 13 wrapped up nearly every storyline knowing that a second season wasn't guaranteed.

Currently, the show is on the brink of cancellation, but let's not focus on that now because Emergence doesn't deserve it and neither do the writers, the crew, nor the actors.

With so many story arcs floating around, the finale came together quite nicely. The stakes were raised just enough so that things were suspenseful but no substantial damage occurred.

And the cliffhanger remains that little beam of hope that a second season might just happen.

Jo: Rumor is they were trying to weaponize anthrax. Still sounds safer than out here, though.
Alex: Does it? Does it sound safer?
Jo: Get in.

Permalink: Get in.

It provides us with just enough to continue the story around Piper, but it's also fine if we never find out what happens because we know that if anything, Jo's got it handled. She always does.

For a series that was running on empty when it came to happy endings, there was an abundance of them by the end of the hour even if they didn't seem like happy endings at first.

As predicted, Benny and Piper both sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Benny's death was heartbreaking, permanent, and followed by Jo's realization that Piper was right and he truly had changed.

Benny may have led Jo on for most of Emergence Season 1, but once he was convinced to act and think for himself, he wanted to make amends for betraying her.

His death was his redemption.

He and Piper were the only ones who could get close to Helen, and even then, it was a suicide mission.

Helen was either too strong for the killshot to work or it was never intended to work in the first place. It's unclear.

Despite Loretta and her mate, Department of Justice agent Michael, acting as allies to Jo and Brooks, they always had an ulterior motive that didn't have their best interests at heart. It's a good thing Jo never trusted them or handed over what they wanted.

Jo: You were in my house, Benny We took care of you when you were hurt. How did I not know? I never even suspected that you were lying.
Benny: I wasn't. Not entirely.
Jo: How can you even say that to me?
Benny: Because I couldn't kill you, Jo. When I had the chance, I couldn't do it. I have the weapon in my pocket. I'm going to take it out. I could give this to you, but I would be condemning you to death, but I'd rather not do that.

Permalink: Because I couldn't kill you, Jo. When I had the chance, I couldn't do it. I have the weapon...

Piper's sacrifice came after she and Jo teamed up to take down Helen once and for all.

Helen was shown to be a pretty fierce and dangerous villain, so it felt a little cheap that all it took to take her down was a perfectly crafted ambush between Jo and Piper.

However, it was fun to watch them work together and cheer them on. They're such a great duo.

It was also proof that there's a chance this mess could have been avoided if Jo had just listened to Piper in the first place.

Piper and Jo are stronger together, and despite Piper's "young age," she's an advanced AI that is capable of handling these kinds of battles. She's literally built for it.

A normal teenager wouldn't be able to save the planet from the explosion of the glowing orb, but Piper did.

What's most impressive is that Piper sacrificed herself knowing that her plan of coming back might not work.

She swapped the exabyte disk with her necklace because she understood and comprehended that there was a chance she might not make it out alive.

Though, when she said, "I can stop this and no one will get hurt," she really meant it -- she was confident in her family that they'd figure it out.

Thankfully, Alex was on hand with an insane idea, albeit, not more insane than any of their other plans, and it worked.

Emergence did a lot of things well in the finale but their best work was integrating all the characters in the main plot.

Inserting the exabyte disk into Helen's shell was a roundabout way of solving an impossible situation.

It was almost too perfect and convenient, which is why it's great that the cliffhanger reveals that it wasn't without danger.

Loretta and Michael didn't want Helen to die completely, they simply wanted to gain control of her regardless of what body she was in.

Piper's programming may have been restored, but there's a trace of Helen that the killshot allows Loretta and Michael to tap into thus giving them the ability to control our sweet Piper.

But what do they want to do with her now that they have control? And how will they know if it worked?

Again, if this season finale is to serve as a series finale, we know that Jo will handle it and Piper's ability to think for herself and not be confined to any programing will eventually allow her to overwrite the program that's controlling her.

However, it's an interesting concept to explore if Emergence Season 2 gets a green light.

Piper is a hot commodity, and, as far as we know, the only AI left. At the very least, she's the only super-advanced AI left, so there's bound to be hordes of people who will want to get their hands on her.

Piper's sacrifice was also important because it underlined the strong connection and love that became possible between a human and a robot.

Don't be mad Alex. He just cares about Jo, too. Right, Agent Brooks?
Piper

Permalink: Don't be mad Alex. He just cares about Jo, too. Right, Agent Brooks?

Her relationship with Jo has always been at the center of the show, and her actions throughout have been a positive reflection of Jo's warmth, acceptance, and love.

Piper and Benny are proof that AI doesn't have to turn out wicked and power-hungry like Helen.

They were both programs who possessed independent thinking alongside their powers and were also able to tap into human emotion.

Alexa Swinton is an amazing actress whose emotional-range is astonishing.

Jo's love-life was also left-open ended. She's torn between two incredible and supportive men who have accepted that she goes after what she wants, calls the shots, and gets wrapped up in sci-fi situations that don't make any sense to the average person.

Piper: I'm happy... I was in your family.
Jo: No, sweetie.

Permalink: No, sweetie.

If we're looking at it from the perspective of who knows her better, Alex wins the round. He proved that he knew well when he recognized that Helen was posing as Jo.

Surprisingly, Brooks didn't catch on despite Jo's demeanor changing completely.

Jo would never "not know" where Chris was.

However, it's unfair to fault Brooks for something like that when he's only known Jo for a few weeks and yet, he's risked his whole career for her and dove headfirst into a situation where the odds were stacked against.

While most men would run and never look back, Brooks ran towards the danger.

I mean, find me a guy that would cut out a nanobyte bug out of someone's neck while being chased by a killer robot that can slinky through walls. Impossible.

On the other hand, Alex was there, too. He may not have liked being thrust into questionable situations, but he never wavered and supported Jo in every way he could.

Jo: Are you insane?
Alex: Maybe. But this whole thing's kind of insane, right? And one more crazy thing won't hurt. Not if it can bring her back.

Permalink: Maybe. But this whole thing's kind of insane, right?

What I'm saying is that Jo has every right to be torn because both Brooks and Alex are great. And they both want to be with her. And they both deserve to be.

Both of them want her to figure it out. Brooks said he'll wait until she does, but Alex has been waiting, and Jo's right, it's unfair to ask him to stay or give up his life for her unless she's willing to give it a real shot.

If a second season happens, I'll be interested to see how this triangle pans out.

Usually, triangle tropes get weighed down by unhealthy habits, coping mechanisms, and drama, but Emergence managed to come out of this with everyone in-tact and respecting each other.

It's a welcome change of pace even if Alex did slip up for a moment and let his jealousy control him.

Ed's cancer was even addressed and while Piper may not have a solution for it at the moment since she's inherited all of Helen's powers (including the nanobots), she has a general idea of how she can cure Ed.

Other Emergence Thoughts

Chris finally found the confidence to stand behind the decisions he made when Jo wasn't around.

Piper's childlike approach to trusting someone is so pure. Benny told her that she could trust him and she shrugged her shoulders and said "okay." That's such a rare quality these days and one of the best things about Piper. She's always been inherently good.

Emergence was one of the best shows available this season not because of the intricate plot or the mystery propelling it forward but because it had heart, it fought the right battles, and it featured a cast that seemed to genuinely enjoy telling this story.