La Brea Season 2 Episode 7 Review: 1988
Laura Nowak
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La Brea's fall finale served its' purpose by tying up certain arcs and dangling new cliffhangers to get the characters back to 10,000 BC.
The Harris family was at the heart of La Brea Season 2 Episode 7. Other relationships were front and center, too, such as the strong bonds in the clearing and the determination of Lucas's friends to find a cure for him.
The general theme of "1988" seemed to be that many characters believed they could overcome adversaries if they were together.
We've waited almost two seasons for the entire Harris family to reunite. Seeing them interact together in 1988 was a dream come true.
There was a natural ease between Eve and Gavin for a few moments as they reminisced about their lives.
Eve: Besides, we can’t let a tidal wave destroy where we had our first date.
Gavin: No, we can not. Do you remember being on the top of that Ferris wheel?
For most of La Brea Season 1, Eve and Josh, Gavin and Izzy were in two different worlds, and the series focused on mother and son and father and daughter relationships.
It's apparent that Josh took Eve's side, and Izzy took Gavin's side in the separation. Since Eve and Izzy reunited, their relationship has been strained because of Eve's affair and not reconciling with Gavin immediately.
"1988" was the first episode we saw Gavin and Josh interact. It was such a heartfelt scene when Josh apologized for not believing in Gavin's visions.
Hopefully, we'll see more scenes of their relationship evolving since we missed so many father and son moments, and there was love and regret there.
Learning that they couldn't return home threw Izzy more than the rest of the family. Her parents and brother maintained they could live in 1988 as long as they were together.
Izzy only wanted her family together for real, not if her parents reunited for her and Josh. She's afraid her mom still loved Levi.
Izzy: It’s not the 80s that confuse me. It’s you, Mom. Are you and Dad back together again? That’s all I want, but only if you really want it too.
Eve: Yes, of course, I want it too.
I truly enjoyed that Sam appeared to be on Team Gavin since whenever Levi attempted to plead his case, Sam interrupted them or insisted that Eve join her family.
There was no place for Levi in this reunited family, and that thought depressed him.
As soon as Levi saw Eve and Gavin together, he became argumentive about the search and rescue plan.
Gavin: Snatch and grab sounds like our best bet. We go through the back and take them out together.
Levi: It’s too risky. There could be guards at the ends of those hallways. We need to go through the property first.
Gavin: We can’t just stand here. There’s no time for that.
Levi: There’s always time.
Gavin: It’s my mother. This is what we’re doing.
Levi became so distracted in his grief for Eve that while everyone else was reuniting with Caroline, he got shot. While Eve wanted to tend to him, she also had to help her family.
For the second time, Gavin dealt with meeting a birth parent, and his birth parents distrusted each other. While he wanted to help Caroline stop the sinkholes, that meant yet another sacrifice.
Caroline: Your father is a complicated man.
Gavin: I got that from meeting him.
Thankfully, Gavin didn't decide by himself this time. He remembered to talk to his family. Eve surprised me by understanding that Gavin had a mission to complete.
She further surprised me by suggesting that she and the kids go with him. She acted like a supportive wife and knew their family would survive if they did this mission together.
Gavin may have made a mistake since he kept the visions of Eve dying to himself. He didn't want to scare anyone, but he needed to be honest to solve this mystery.
What will await the Harris family and the others in 10,000 BC?
After Lucas's character evolution, we didn't want to watch him die. Scott and Veronica rushed him to Ty and Paara, begging for a cure. Unfortunately, Paara couldn't help, but Taamet knew of a treatment.
Paara distrusted her ex-husband, but he knew specific things about Lucas's marks, and Scott was desperate to save his best friend.
Taamet proposed a duel for the cure; they would get it if he lost. Paara feared letting Ty fight, partly because of his cancer and partly because she feared Taamet was still in love with her.
Ty, a psychiatrist, thought they could use that to their advantage in their quest to save their friend. He was determined to feel useful again instead of letting cancer beat him.
Paara: I understand why this is important to you, but you’re important to me too. You won’t win.
Ty: Well, as much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, who says you need to win with a spear?
It was amusing watching Ty taunt Taamet about his relationship with Paara. It angered and distracted him.
Taamet was used to winning fights with brute force and spears, and Ty used Tammet's weak spot --to impress Paara.
No one thought Ty could take down Taamet, but he attacked him when his guard was down. However, no one should have trusted Taamet.
He hinted that he left a vital ingredient out of the cure. What does that mean for Lucas? Will he still die, or will his arm only be affected?
Even after all his progress in La Brea Season 2, Lucas still believed he had nothing to live for. He still thought he was a loser, which was a shame since both Veronica and Scott had proven they would do anything for him.
Lucas: What am I fighting for, Veronica? No one is going to miss me when I’m gone.
Veronica: I would. You’re the only person down here that understands me. No one else has been through what we have.
Veronica risked sharing an essential part of herself and her childhood, so Lucas could see how they were alike.
Letting go of past regrets and moving on was essential for him. Hopefully, he and Veronica get a real shot at happiness now.
Over to you, La Brea Fanatics. What do you think Gavin's new visions mean? Are you relieved the love triangle is over?
Do you think Lucas will heal completely? Let us know in the comments below.
To catch up on any episodes you missed, you could watch La Brea online via TV Fanatic.
La Brea will return for the second half of Season 2 on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, at 9/8 on NBC.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
