Extant 1.04 “Shelter”

Is Spielberg the problem here? One interviewer has already compared his involvement with this series to A.I. and Minority Report, both good sci-fi flicks that were heavily invested in creating nuclear family units by their finales. As was War of the Worlds come to think of it. In all of those films (but none more than A.I.), the return to traditional family was a jarring element that had little to do with the edgier messages in the greater majority of the story. Is there a way to reconcile E.T. with Alien? Maybe not.

Expectations for story development were frustrated this week. Rather than being a wise refuge, Molly’s father turned out to be a small-town drunk, and their relationship was brittle throughout. Though he accepted his robot grandson, he also tried to exploit him, not the sort of message his parents wish to instill. He also managed to lose him on the way home, to the special forces employed by the ISEA. And they knew exactly what they were dealing with (as they should, since their boss Yasumoto funds John’s lab now), and turned Ethan off to create a distraction and a lure to capture Molly.

John and Molly use Quinn’s garage to try and cobble together a DNA test, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be keeping the baby long enough to raise it. It is likely not hers (or at least not John’s) genetic material anyway.

Meanwhile, in a lab on a boat, Russian scientists are struggling to make alien goo taken from a meteorite beneficial rather than deadly to humans; but that doesn’t go well, as Yasumoto ruthlessly orders an in situ test, killing one of the scientists quickly. Way to reward effort there, Bill Gates.

The only other thing that happened is that Sam tried to hold her own against her employers, until they threatened her family and she caved. She didn’t realize quickly enough she needed to be on the run, too. They caught her dumping Molly’s blood sample, but that may be her last helpful act.

Too much standard TV 101 plotting this week, not much of distinction. Don’t settle for tradition, Extant, you need let your spooky convictions break the rules, and soon.