La Brea Season 3 Episode 5 Review: The Road Home Part 1
Laura Nowak
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This should have been titled "Traitors and Suspects."
While Gavin strived to locate Eve, most of La Brea Season 3 Episode 5 focused on discovering who betrayed him. Every time we were sure we figured out who the culprit was, another suspect popped up.
However, we were shocked by the second traitor. They weren't even on our radar.
We're nearing the end of La Brea, and I still have more questions than answers. It's been such a fast-paced season that could have used a few more episodes to flesh out some character arcs.
It was evident that Maya was the ringleader after Scott's confrontation with her on La Brea Season 3 Episode 4, but her motives were still unclear. Was she just over-ambitious and wanted to control time machines? Would she really risk her daughter's safety to get it?
Gavin: Maya, what are you doing?
Maya: I’m taking back what’s mine.
While Maya thought she had control, she underestimated Gavin and his friends. They had already proven they would do anything to reunite their families.
Even when the soldiers followed Maya's orders and chaos ensued, the men were rescued again.
I figured we would see Helena again but wasn't expecting her to make such an entrance, shooting the soldiers and rescuing Gavin and his friends.
It's too bad we don't have more background on Helena and Maya. While seeing Maya betray people was tiring, flashbacks of them working on this black ops project would have explained why Helena distrusted Maya and learned of her true nature.
We have to stop her. We have to get to that base now.
Helena
Unexpectedly, I fell for Helena. In her eyes, Gavin betrayed her by letting her take the heat for everything. He disappeared instead of introducing her to his family. It's understandable why she's so angry.
It's impressive that she still saved him and wants to help him find Eve. While she wasn't ready to forgive him, she was trying to work together. Helena wasn't at all like James portrayed her to be. She may resent Gavin, but not for destroying their father.
Gavin: I can’t imagine how difficult that was for you.
Helena: For years, I was on the run. You had your family. I had no one. I’ve never had a real family, so when you promised to include me in yours, it was big.
Gavin: Hey, I’m sorry. I was a different person then.
When an alligator attacked and Helena went overboard, Gavin proved his loyalty to his sister. He didn't hesitate before jumping in and saving her, while Sam's gun skills also proved helpful.
While they still have some progress before they become a happy family, Gavin shows that Helena is important to him, and he's eager to show her off to the rest of their family.
It's heartbreaking that La Brea waited until the end for Izzy to build some relationships. Of course, Veronica lacked some gal pals with Riley gone, too. Izzy wanted some happiness with Leyla, but she didn't know how. She felt overwhelmed by family responsibility.
Veronica: Izzy, if you both like each other, I’m sure you’ll find the right time to go stargazing.
Izzy: What if there isn’t a right time? How do you and Lucas make it work down here?
Veronica: We figure it out one day at a time. That’s all you can do.
We got cheated. So many fans wanted to watch Izzy and Leyla's relationship develop on screen. We haven't seen them since they almost kissed by the fire.
When we saw them again, it didn't feel romantic. It felt like Leyla had an agenda. She said everything to keep Izzy distracted and even offered to help locate Gavin, but something was off.
Who would have guessed, though, that Leyla was the other traitor? Initially, it looked like Joseph was the culprit, but he had always respected Gavin and Sam, which seemed fishy, too. Ruth would only cover for someone she loved.
How could Leyla have believed Maya? Did Leyla ever really care about Izzy, or was Izzy part of the mission to distract her so Maya could get closer to Gavin?
Initially, it seemed that the writers had done a well-written queer storyline, but now, we question Leyla's motives and if any part of their relationship was genuine.
While it hurt seeing Izzy's young heartbroken, they still had more complicated issues. While Leyla attempted to fix things by letting them listen in on the Air Force radio, was it too late? Did her actions lead to the devastating consequences near the base?
Since Levi got captured in La Brea Season 3 Episode 1, it seemed possible that he was working with Maya. You couldn't blame Scott for distrusting him. It was refreshing to see that Scott supported Gavin and a relief that Levi was a double agent and, ultimately, Team Gavin.
Scott: So that helicopter was saving you, not capturing you?
Levi: Yes.
Scott: And they put you in that cell to get information out of you?
Levi: Because they still believe I’m on their side, which I’m not. My allegiance is to my friends, and that includes you.
Poor Scott. That beatdown Levi gave him was harsh but ultimately convinced Maya that Levi worked for her, not his friends. Thankfully, Maya underestimated Levi too because he and Scott escaped and were on their way to rescue Eve when the trouble started.
Izzy is great, but she always shows up at the worst times. Levi loved Izzy as part of his family, so he was most concerned about protecting her as soon as she arrived. That left the guards open to attack other people.
Levi only wanted to prove to Gavin and the others how much he regretted blowing their chances to get home and wrecking Gavin's family.
Levi was willing to sacrifice anything to prove himself. While he died a hero, he should have repaired those relationships before parting.
We suspected some important characters wouldn't survive the finale. Levi's death isn't even that much of a surprise, but it crushed Izzy and Gavin. He's still family, and Izzy will suffer from guilt because she didn't shoot her bow in time.
Over to you, La Brea Fanatics.
With the La Brea series finale nearly here, will Gavin and the others be able to save Eve with Levi's information, or did their friend die in vain? Do you think there'll be more deaths in the series finale?
Let us know in the comments below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
