Y: The Last Man continued its run as the newest addition to the Hulu family of shows on Monday. Episode 4, which picks up right after the events of the first three episodes doesn't exactly start off with a bang. It's possible that's a good thing, considering just how much action and how much story was packed into the first three episodes that were released on Hulu at the same time. Those episodes set the stage for the rest of the series quite nicely. However, not every installment can be as action-packed as those first few were. Y: The Last Man needed to find a way to bring it down a notch. It certainly seems to have done that. The big question is whether or not slowing the showdown meant that it kept its momentum. The answer to that question is ... a little bit yes and a little bit no.
While the first episode of Y: The Last Man was all about setting the scene, Episode 4 was definitely focused more on moving the plot along. To some degree, this was bound to happen. Quite a bit of the graphic novel the show was based on is just a story about Yorick and 355 traveling around the country trying to figure out a way to figure out why he is indeed the last man on earth. Perhaps knowing that the singular plot point might get a bit dull for a full 10 episodes, this particular installment also took its first really big move away from the graphic novel. Instead of just following Yorick, viewers are also apparently going to get a good long look at the trials and tribulations of his sister, Hero nad her new traveling party.
Diverting From The Original Y: The Last Man Plot Works
Even more interesting than the changing up of the way the story is told in this series, is that the changeup has allowed showrunners to introduce characters that did not appear in the graphic novels. Hero makes several appearances in the book. In fact, she'll eventually play a very important part in how everything plays out, if the writers decide to go in that direction. However, Nora Brady and her daughter Mackenzie, as well as the transgendered character Sam Jordan are exclusive to the Hulu series. So far, it's a bit of a mixed bag if that's a good thing. Nora especially is obviously supposed to be a mother who will stop at nothing to protect her last remaining child. However, through the first four episodes, she mostly seems to be someone who is just grating on everyone she's around. There's a reason why and it's understandable that she's acting the way she does, but that doesn't make the character any less annoying. Of course, one of the last lines in the episode might be foreshadowing that she's going to turn into a powerful figure at some point in the very near future.
For now, the separate storyline starring Hero is both a positive and a negative. It allows the show to do something besides constantly follow Yorick and his somewhat surly traveling companion. At the same time, considering the show is indeed about the last man on earth, it felt somewhat strange that he played such a minor part in the episode. However, back to the positive side of the ledger, is that the suspenseful Hulu series is able to show what the world has become since the virus struck just a little bit better. Yorick, because of who he is, has to mostly stay away from other people, lest they find out that a man who was born a man is actually out there. With Hero, the ability to really get a look into what the culture of this new world is, especially with the group that our second group of travelers meet towards the end of the installment. If they are who they appear to be, it could take Hero's tale in a whole new direction.
Does Y: The Last Man Have Too Many Plot Points?
One thing that sums up the first four episodes of Y: The Last Man is that the show is plenty ambitious. The show seems to be setting up more than one story that viewers will have to follow along with as more episodes are being released. However, it feels already like it might be too many. It's important to keep in mind that this is a 10-episode season, which means next week will mark the halfway point. Yorick and Agent 355 have a two-pronged mission. They need to try and find a famous geneticist who could get to the bottom of the cause of the virus that wiped out everything with a Y Chromosome. There's also Yorick's quest to find his girlfriend Beth. Things are a bit different here than they are in the comic because it wasn't quite so clear that Beth wasn't all that keen on being committed to Yorick.
Then there is the story of Jennifer Brown - Yorick and Hero's mom - and just how she's going to keep a hold on the United States government. There was some foreshadowing the already difficult task was about to get tougher towards the end of the first three episodes last week. And finally, there are the trials and tribulations of Hero. The good news here is that there are all kinds of events and moments from the Y: The Last Man comics that could be included in the television show. Judging from the cast list, there are even some moments that are going to be included that have only been hinted at so far. The question becomes, whether or not the show ends up working harder to set up a second season, than really deliver on a good first one. Episode 4 of the Hulu series is already running the risk of having too much on screen, while not really having the show do much. The show needs to break away from that formula in Episode 5 if it wants to re-establish momentum.