In episode 6, we join Fred as He wakes up dressed and in a mysterious house that he quickly finds out is Hobb’s. Hobb wants Fred’s help continuing Dr. Elster’s work. He believes the lines between man and machine are blurring. Fred tells Hobb a story about Elster testing him by giving him an injured fox. Fred was able to mend the fox’s wounds and free it, but Elster didn’t believe him. Fred said, “Human minds can’t comprehend that their creation could surpass them. That’s how I know you’re underestimating me too because you can’t do anything else,” Then, while keeping eye contact with Hobb, Fred punches through a door and strangles the guard that had been guarding him. Fred does not kill Hobb but does shoot him with what appears to be a stunning gun used against synths. Fred is an interesting example of self-aware synths. Fred seems to hold some of the violent tendencies we have seen in Niska, but he is much more He shares Niska’s propensity for violence, but he seems to be more deliberate and calculated.
Niska shows huge growth in this episode. Dr. Millican is able to show her that not all humans are evil. When Odi shows up at Dr. Millican’s door, she sees how much Dr. Millican cares for Odi. Dr. Millican expresses that Odi holds the memories of his wife that he cannot remember after his stroke. Niska repairs Odi when Dr. Millican is unable to due to his shaking hands. I think that Dr. Millican is teaching Niska what it means to be human. Niska and Dr. Millican talked about life, love, and humanity. Niska tells Dr. Millican that Dr. Elster had been raping her when she was younger, and she’s continued to keep the truth from her siblings. Dr. Millican promises he will do everything he can to help her.
Having pressure put on her by Mattie, Laura reveals the truth about Tom to Mattie. Laura tells Mattie that Tom was her younger brother who died when she was 11 years old and she was supposed to be watching him. Being truthful allows Laura a tearful reconnection with Mattie, proving she was never losing her daughter’s love in the first place. During the scene, Anita stands just to the side of the bench they are sitting on but her face changes just slightly with a show of sadness. This was an incredibly emotional moment and I think that this was showing Mia, pushing through to the surface with feelings of shared emotion.
Laura and Mattie continue their conversation on the car ride home when suddenly Anita gasps from the backseat causing Larua to swerve, pull over, and she and Mattie quickly exit the car. Mia introduces herself quickly and tells them “Anita” sees her presence as rogue code and is trying to destroy her. Mia proves her intentions by describing that she too has lost a brother, then correcting to son. This eases Laura just before Anita is able to take over Mia again. Mattie now has confirmation that Mia is in fact in Anita somewhere and she knows she must tell Leo.
Mattie gets Max’s help to find Leo, who is unconscious in the park. Mattie is horrified to see Max start to hook up electronics into a wound in Leo’s side. She demands answers, and Leo gives them to her by showing her his digital memories on a television. We confirm that he is the biological son of David Elster. Dr. Elster, unable to be the parent Leo would need, created his first self-aware synth to become Leo’s mother: Mia. He then created Fred, Niska, and lastly, Max. Leo died by drowning at age 13 and was turned into a human-synth hybrid by his father. We then see in Leo’s digital memories he creates an even bigger bond with his synth family. Lastly, we see that Dr. Elster destroys his lab and kills himself, telling Leo to take care of everyone.
Mattie brings Leo to her house to try to uncover Mia. Mattie suggests a method of finding Mia which was successful in Mia coming to the surface for good. The happy times don’t last long as Fred is able to contact Leo and tells him he has found his way to the city. Max and Leo head to the city to find Fred but Max. Joe, in yet another shady selfish move, calls the police on Leo and Max, alerting Hobb to their whereabouts. Max realizing his power will runout putting Leo in danger of being caught, sacrifices himself by standing on the railing of a bridge and, with a smile, tells Leo to find Fred and the others and be a family. Fred tells Leo, “If I die, it means I’ve lived” before falling back into the water below, making the ultimate sacrifice for his family.
Max is such a unique and interesting character throughout the show. Watching his smile as he floats deeper into the water gives a strong image of his feelings on the importance of his family. He is shown joking with Mattie and talking about what it is like “being” a synth. This existential conversation was one of the most humanizing moments. It felt very familiar while some of the other conversations heard with other synths still had a heavier undertone of unnatural existence. There is a scene of him praying to God in hopes of his family being okay. He is speaking to the hypothetical creator of human beings as he has seen in the culture around him. This scene creates an even deeper contrast between him and his synth siblings. The humanization of Max creates an even bigger blow when we watch him die for his family.
Karen makes a move on Drummon at her apartment and eventually has sex with him. After, feeling closer to him than ever, she shows him her charging port and plugs herself into the wall. She was hoping for acceptance but Drummond shows absolute horror and runs out the door. This comes as no surprise as he has not been silent about his feelings about synths. I have to wonder if she thought that this would change her mind or if this was a synth misunderstanding of a relationship that has become intimate. Did she have an understanding that the sexual nature of their relationship would somehow change his views? This is something that I will pay close attention to in the final episodes.
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