When it comes to the Hulu adaptation of Y: The Last Man, the series has tried to walk the line between staying true to the graphic novels and putting together a show that can lure in audiences who might not have had any prior knowledge about the story. For the most part, it seems like the showrunners have done a pretty good job of striking that balance. That was especially true of the first three episodes. The kickoff for Y: The Last Man showed quite a bit more about what life was like just before a plague that killed everything with a Y chromosome hit the planet. Those episodes also started to build some real political tension. With the traditional lines of power severed, the series set up a showdown between two political parties for the presidency.
There were even some aspects in the first few episodes that seemed like there was going to be enough suspense that the show was actually going to contend with some horror movies on Hulu that deal with the end of the world-type plagues. Unfortunately, it feels like while the writers of the series absolutely knew what to do with the story at the beginning. They hopefully know what they want to do at the end of Season 1. It's not clear if they know what they want to do with the episodes in between. This particular season has 10 episodes. Five have now come and gone and it's unclear where the story is going from here. Perhaps that's a good thing. If twists and turns are in store, it certainly could be. However, for those who do know where the story goes in the graphic novels, it feels less like these are twists and turns and more just ... stalling.
Unrest Is The Through-Line In Y: The Last Man Episode 5
The first four episodes of Y: The Last Man were a hodgepodge of Yorick Brown trekking across the country first to find his girlfriend and now to find Dr. Alison Mann (yes the jokes about her last name are obvious and done) Then there are the moments where viewers are shown what's going on in Washington, DC as newly minted President Jennifer Brown tries to put the country back together. Finally, there's the story of Hero Brown, Yorick's sister and her apparent journey to Washington to get help from her estranged mother. The first three episodes combined those three plotlines rather well, showing a little bit of each story. Episode 4 was about 50/50 Yorick and Hero and how they were both getting to where they'll eventually end up. Episode 5 ignores Hero entirely and instead focuses on Yorick's travels to find Dr. Mann and what's going on in Washington. On its face, that should have made for a pretty decent episode. In practice, something just isn't right.
Part of the problem is how the Hulu original series focuses on the "unrest" that's going on in Boston. Yorick and 355 stumble onto what is cast as a kind of war zone between what's left of the military and "protesters." Y: The Last Man writers explain in great detail why the army is there. One soldier that 355 talks to explains that there are labs, as well as priceless art inside Harvard and the higher-ups in DC want to make sure that they are protected. There's also some talk about the fact that the protesters are trying to burn every building down. The motivation for that, however, is nebulous at best. Viewers even meet the group of women that the military is hitting with tear gas, apparently every 30 minutes. It's not entirely clear why they made them a part of the show, unless they're going to make a return later in the season.
Certainly, a key to the clashes between the military and the students or protesters or whatever they're supposed to be is to show how the army is already starting to dehumanize those that aren't part of "them." This is certainly something that could hit home with some emotion, considering what the world has just been through. The hope would be that everything with a Y chromosome dying off would teach people how precious life is to everyone. Perhaps Y: The Last Man is too heavy-handed about that message. Or maybe it really is because the two sides seem to be clashing just so the story can have two sides clashing. Whatever the reason, the whole thing rings a little hollow. It doesn't help that 355 strolls into the middle of the troop encampment simply saying that she's with the 82nd airborne. It would seem like soldiers who have spent quite a bit of time fighting a group of women on the Harvard campus would be a bit more cautious when a stranger walks up to them, but apparently merely saying she was in the military was enough.
Taking Away All The Tension
If the tension between the military and the people at Harvard is undercut by the lack of clarity on why there's a clash at all, Y: The Last Man goes even further out of its way to remove tension from the episode. The biggest scene to end with a loud thump is when an aide to President Brown turns out to be pregnant. While it feels like there could have been a couple of story beats as to the baby being a boy and whether or not it could survive, or even a waiting game to find out the sex of the baby, the show ends that rather quickly, telling the expectant mother and the viewers, that the baby is a girl. Then there's Jennifer believing her son is dead, killed in a helicopter crash. This too seems like it's setting up for a little tension that could last at least a few episodes, where the president thinks she's lost her son, after finding him again. Instead, the same episode goes out of its way to make sure that she knows her son is still alive. It's unclear either time why showrunners decided to cut the cord on those story points.
As a matter of fact, the entire fifth episode of Y: The Last Man seems to be all about building up tension, only to let the air out of the balloon. While this week's installment does move the plot forward a little bit, the constant build-up and then let down within five minutes seems like a full episode that could have been included in other episodes that came before it.