While Debris Season 1 Episode 3 was still emotionally driven, the scientific aspect stood out.
Finally, we had an incident that required usage of the debris and offered information about the ship, how it got here, and what it means for humanity.
It was a solid hour that not only furthered the various mysteries but added to the discussion.
Before we delve into the content, I want to take some time to appreciate that Joel Wyman knows he’s not reinventing the wheel with Debris. What I mean is he’s paying homage to other great shows and films.
I don’t know if you’ve recognized that the theme music is reminiscent of Westworld. While the composer isn’t Ramin Djawadi, Raney Shockne (if he did indeed compose the theme) takes influence from Djawadi for sure.
They’ve also been influenced by Wyman’s other notable show, Fringe, which was especially noticeable with the deep pulsating chords that played throughout.
But my favorite callout, by far, was at the end, when the square was closed, leaving behind those who had been trapped over the years. It was so much like Close Encounters of the Third Kind when the aliens released those they’d scooped up over the years.
Generally, this episode hit all of the right notes with a well-executed case, emotional elements that connected the case to the main characters, and more details on Influx, the baddies.
Nicole Hegmann is a real missing person. She vanished from Seline, Michigan, in 2019. I don’t know how that’s possible. The debris only began falling six months ago.
Bryan
With as many people who go missing annually, it’s impossible not to wonder if there isn’t something otherworldly at play. I think it would be comforting to think there was another answer than murder, even if true answers were never uncovered.
Finola: Anyway, the one good thing about the possibility of my father’s theory being true, is that if Nicole and the others inadvertently found their way into another dimension, there must be a way to get them out.
Bryan: Your father created a US Access Points map in his files. I cross-checked the coordinates of the dimension sites. One of them is in Seline, Michigan, where Nicole vanished, and another is here, in this field. Your father was right. They exist.
The idea that our bonds make a larger impact on us than we know would make all of our hearts sing, especially after a year we’ve been so alone in so many ways.
Bryan: You’re gonna start in on how he felt she was alive, right? How his dreams told him that?
Finola: I mean, like gravity is an unseen force, but it’s here. Maybe the bonds that we create with each other, maybe they’re just as strong.
And haven’t we all had dreams about loved ones that are no longer with us and imagined that it’s a tether between worlds that we cannot see?
Hope is strong. Sometimes it seems stronger than all other aspects of our lives, no matter how bleak it gets.
Bryan: I’m sorry that upset you.
Finola: Yeah, it’s OK. I just realized I’m just so mad at him that I just forget how much I miss him. I just wish I could, uh, speak to him one more time.
Nicole’s plight spoke directly to Finola because her dad is always on her mind. She has no idea how much more similar she and her dad might be to Nicole and Richard, but you could see her working on Nicole’s behalf as if she was an extenuation of herself.
Muntz didn’t want to waste the debris’ energy if it meant they’d lose access to the secrets they could uncover, but Finola had other thoughts on the issue. She, of course, won out, and her excitement was palpable when she finally saw a Nicole she could reach out and grasp.
Muntz: What we’re looking at are the first crumbs that humanity has ever had not only of intergalactic travel but extradimensional travel. We can’t risk losing this technology by using it on these people.
Finola: If we’re not willing to use this technology on these people, then we’re not worthy to have it.
Even Muntz seemed shocked that it worked and happy that survivors were remaining. If they can learn from the debris, they can also learn from those affected by it.
The whole time, Bryan was keenly aware of Nicole and Finola’s similarities, and it was eating away at him that he couldn’t tell her about George.
When he initially told Maddox that they should send Finola home since she’ll be affected by what they’ll uncover about George, he framed it so that Maddox thought he was looking out for their work.
But it was evident that Bryan was worried about Finola’s reaction for much more than how it would affect their work.
Similarly, Bryan was touched that Finola worried after him when he was getting checked out after being cloned. So far, he’s all set physically, but that could change at any time. Bryan hasn’t had many people who care about him, it seems, but he’s got two looking after him now.
Maddox, though, is up to something. He doesn’t put the organization first any more than Bryan and Finola do, and he’s willing to play dirty ball with the enemy.
Now that we’ve seen his son, who is wheelchair-bound and needs constant care, it’s impossible not to wonder if his heart is in this because of what it could mean for his son’s future. Who could blame him?
Aimlessly tossing a chair at debris as it returned, again and again, wasn’t the same as tossing a tennis ball against the wall. Not exactly. He was trying to understand it.
That’s the $64 billion question, though, isn’t it? What does it all mean, and how can it improve our lives?
If what you’re saying is correct, then the spaceship used a different dimension to travel, and it opened the square as an access point.
Bryan
We’re only three episodes in, and we already know that there are multiple dimensions beyond three, and there is a piece of debris that can manipulate them.
This time around, we learned how that particular piece might do it, acting as an intergalactic and interdimensional GPS that can also create portals through which to travel.
That’s the first time so far that a piece was identified with its possible purpose, and it helps understand their mission immensely.
Maddox, too, was open about wanting to rebuild the craft, but I’m curious. If everyone has that same goal and they’re not all working together, won’t they have two halves of a ship in the end?
Pieces are helpful and have a purpose, but without all of it, how will it help, ultimately?
And then we have the George Jones of it all. Given his vast knowledge about so much, his death would have been quite the blow to society. But it could have been beneficial to others.
It seems unlikely that a man like George would kill himself. But if he was murdered, then who replaced his body?
Hopefully, what Maddox saw on the recording will alleviate some of his concerns about Finola’s knowledge about her father’s reemergence to society and Bryan’s reasoning about what MI6 knew should do so, as well. If they knew what was coming, they’d pull Finola. Not doing that would be too risky.
And are the Russians really the bad guys here?
If they were evil, would Maddox be willing to deal with them?
Maybe there are no bad guys, just one group that has managed to manipulate and learn a lot more about the debris than others.
What did you think about this episode?
Are you more interested in what lies ahead?
Was the science more on point?
Drop below and comment, and if you haven’t caught up yet, watch Debris online and join the party!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.