As though the fact that La Brea will soon be coming to an end wasn’t sad enough, the opening scenes of La Brea Season 3 Episode 1 just came along and bummed viewers out even more.
Obviously, the action sequences and CGI effects were impressive, but coming as they did at the start of the show’s final season, they served as a depressing reminder of what might have been.
With that sort of budget and a little time to mature, La Brea could have become the next great sci-fi and family drama. The current TV landscape is lacking in shows that combine elements of both genres. But hey, at least we can enjoy these final six weeks.
The stakes have never been higher in La Brea. Prior to the chaotic first scene of the season premiere, Gavin was mainly concerned with locating Eve, a task that became even more difficult when the dinosaurs destroyed the clearing.
While initially, it seemed odd to do a storyline all about Eve when Natalie Zea will only appear in a handful of scenes, but we can now see how her disappearance has affected almost everyone else on the show.
The group’s efforts to cope and find clues allowed several characters to shine after Eve was captured. While some fans are eager for Eve to appear again, I appreciated the ensemble approach and the fact that relationships took center stage.
Gavin suddenly had to deal with two teenagers who had lost their mother again, and he was out of his element. This is a guy who’s used to fixing things, and Izzy’s anger at his broken promises cast their relationship in a new light.
Gavin: Iz, I’m not going to give up. I’m going to bring your mom back.
Izzy: You’ve been saying stuff like that since the beginning. All those promises. Look at where we are.
Izzy and Gavin had always enjoyed a close bond, but the teen clearly suffered from her mother’s absence, so losing Eve so soon after reuniting was obviously devastating.
And then there’s Josh, who has become exactly like his father — stubborn and protective of those he loves.
Josh dealt with his mom’s disappearance by spending time with Riley, dreaming of a normal life, and taking her on dates in LA.
They sounded a bit like Gavin and Eve when they remembered their first date in La Brea Season 2 Episode 7.
Josh: Those are all the reasons why I love you. You know, sorry, maybe…
Riley: I love you, too.’
Of course, Josh and Riley’s romantic moment couldn’t last. A raptor interrupted their kiss and attacked Riley. Josh acted like many young men in love, and it was clear that he would have sacrificed anything to save his girlfriend.
He was overcome by guilt, partly because he didn’t want Sam to hate him but also because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing another loved one.
That guilt might be what prompted Josh to travel with Riley through one of the Auroras, hoping it would lead them to medical care.
Josh, you’re not going through! We do this together!
Gavin
He and Izzy had been disappointed by Gavin’s theories before, and there was no guarantee that their dad’s latest scheme would lead to Eve. At that moment, Josh’s top priority was taking care of his girlfriend.
Speaking of Gavin’s theories, couldn’t we have gotten one flashback of just the Harris family before Levi was inserted in, too? There was so little of Eve as it was.
Truthfully, I was relieved that Gavin still had issues with Levi after everything that went down. I would have resented it if they had solved their issues offscreen.
While he had difficulty trusting Levi, Ty tried to convince Gavin to discuss his past, as doing so might open up a blocked memory and help them find Eve. Even though Levi hurt Ty too, Ty seemed to forgive him more easily than the others.
Since, in many ways, Levi and Gavin were still like brothers, Levi was able to crack the missing memory code, and the two realized what “Sierra” meant — unfortunately, they also endangered someone else they were trying to protect.
I love that Scott was involved in finding the clues since he was often portrayed as little more than Lucas’s sidekick. This time, his science expertise came in handy. I never would’ve believed you could turn on a laptop with potatoes and wire, but Scott made it happen.
We often have to suspend belief when watching sci-fi shows, especially when voices speak through computers. While there are features like voice chat, they don’t look like — well, that! Gavin was desperate to solve the riddle, and his desperation created more problems.
I felt for Petra. She had just opened up to Scott, and he promised to look after her, and then she was taken again. Poor kid. She’s a perennial victim and the only thing Scott cares about.
I was hoping that several important storylines would be addressed before the end of La Brea Season 3, and I think we’ve checked off about half of the list, including the question of how Veronica and Lucas would handle a 10,000 BC pregnancy.
I love how much Lucas has matured since La Brea began. He went from being a hothead and a drug addict to the leader of the Clearing. He didn’t even take offense at Judah’s comments but instead admitted his mistakes and vowed to keep their home safer for everyone.
I thought it was cute that Lucas accidentally announced Veronica’s pregnancy to everyone because he was so excited. Of course, Lucas’s excitement and optimism grated on Veronica’s nerves, as she was suffering from morning sickness at the time.
Even though Lucas has stepped into the role of leader, I’m glad Sam still mentored him. Clearly, Lucas was clueless about realistic relationships. Since neither Lucas nor Veronica had good parental role models, he tried to bear the brunt of everything and never worried Veronica.
That wasn’t realistic, especially when Lucas suffered a head injury when the dinosaurs attacked. Sam tried to convince Lucas that people value honesty over protection.
Sam needed to remember his advice because that wisdom applied to family relationships, too, and he often tried to protect Riley over hard truths.
We’ll see how Sam copes now that he’s once again one of the most important people in his life.
Curiosities About the Clearing
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Watching the dinosaurs attack each other and destroy the clearing was entertaining. We need more of that since it affects everyone and rallies the survivors to work together.
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Who is Maya Schmidt to Gavin? Whatever they worked on must be important if it prompted the military to kidnap Petra and Levi just to send her a message.
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Is anyone else worried about the number of characters that disappeared at the end of this episode? When will we see Josh and Riley pop up again? Has she been healed in whichever timeline she’s been transported to?
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How will things change if Ty has been transported to LA pre-sinkhole time? From watching Timeless, I know informing people of things before they occur can mess with history, but how else will they save their friends?
Something tells me we’re in for a wild ride this season.
Over to you, La Brea Fanatics. What do you want to see in these final episodes? Are you disappointed we haven’t seen Eve yet?
Let’s discuss everything below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.