La Brea Season 2 keeps the good times rolling with another action-packed episode in The Heist. While there’s still some big unanswered questions that annoy me, such as how Aldridge was able to heal so miraculously before and yet somehow falls prey to a wolf bite, they nevertheless do a great job establishing the lore of the show. While the time travel rules are a bit more loose, overall I can’t really complain. It’s a notoriously hard genre to write, with cause and effect often left in a tangled mess.
It starts off with our action hero team of Sam, Gavin and Levi planning how to steal a wagon of black rock from the Exiles and using said wagon to access the Lazarus tower. They have all the tools they need, and it sounds like a relatively simple mission. Which should have been the first sign it was all going to go pear shaped.
Some of the smaller side stories involve Scott and Izzy, and dealing with their relative issues. Izzy is furious about her mother’s affair, and angrily asks why bother coming back in time if her family is shattered. As for Scott, we finally learn the source of his anxiety, and the reason he uses drugs as a crutch to treat it. Ty also leaves to join Paara at her village, and things don’t go as planned. Mostly because his new wife to be is extremely cagey about her first marriage. Not to mention the villagers don’t look to fondly of her bringing in a Sky Person to their ranks.
Before he leaves, Ty gives Eve very good advice. Namely not to let her relationship baggage fester and ruin things. He says she has to choose between Gavin and Levi, for both their sakes. Levi also wants to talk with Eve about their relationship, while Gavin is committed to winning his wife back. It’s a complicated love triangle, but they push it aside in The Heist to focus on trying to get into the tower and save Josh from 1988.
Speaking of 1988, Josh is overjoyed meeting his grandmother, and she seems equally affected by meeting her grandson. She tells him and Riley she’ll help stop the tidal wave, but first she has something to attend to. Dr. Clark also reveals a huge nugget – Gavin wasn’t from 10,000 BC. Caroline Clark and her husband are actually from the future, and were trying to save their time by traveling into the past. Instead, they did a lot of damage, creating the sinkholes and other disasters. Now she’s committed to fixing things. Then when Riley goes to meet with Dr. Clark, it’s revealed she’s at the adoption agency where Isaiah is. Which makes Riley worry she’s going to break the timeline and adopt her own son, which would effectively erase Josh and Izzy from existence.
Once the group from the Clearing head out, things get messy. Virgil appears, having escaped from the mines thanks to dumb luck. He reveals the Exiles are moving their prisoners to another location, and have stepped up security. Once they get to the ridgeline overseeing the camp, the group of 7 agree to split up and do different tasks. Scott and Lucas want to save the prisoners, while Eve and Gavin are committed to reaching the tower. So Gavin, Eve, Sam and Izzy go on their Lazarus mission while Levi joins Scott and Lucas for theirs.
Moments after setting out, Gavin’s team falls into a trap door, which lands them right back in the mines. Worse, they land in a dark pit full of spiders. Izzy just happens to be terrified of them, and these are some huge arachnids. The use a lighter to keep the bristling horde at bay, and escape through a hole in the wall. Then they wander around until they’re able to find a group of guards. They make quick work of them and take their clothes, which they use to escape via wagon. Taamet almost makes them, but they luck out. Then seconds later, the Exiles realize they’ve been duped, and Taamet leads a group on foot to chase the wagon.
As for Levi’s group, they quickly realize the Exiles are heading close to Paara’s village, so Levi leaves the boys and goes to get reinforcements. Scott isn’t handling his emotions well, and blames himself for Aldridge’s death. Lucas says he has to be honest about how he feels, and stop using his vape pen as a crutch. Then Scott runs out of vape fluid and gets totally anxious. Hhis anxiety comes from watching his older brother die when he was only 13, and being unable to save him. Lucas says he can get past it, and they come up with a plan to distract the Exiles and light their raft on fire, keeping the prisoners from being taken to another camp. It works, but then guards chase Scott, only for him to be saved by the timely arrival of Paara’s people, who skewer them with arrows.
Though Gavin and company do a good job using the wagon as a decoy and then attacking the Exiles, the fight is really tense and things quickly look bad. Izzy is caught by a guard and Gavin and Eve are terrified they’ll lose their daughter. Then Levi arrives out of nowhere to save the day, which only complicates everything. Izzy is not happy with the man, and is lashing out at her parents at every opportunity. Gavin barely convinces her to keep her feelings in check so they can rescue her brother.
After Levi saves the day, one of the Exiles escapes – Taamet. Paara and Ty chase after him, and she has him dead to rights with her bow and arrow. Only to suddenly put her bow down, and let him escape. Turns out, Paara’s first husband was Taamet, and he fomented a rebellion in the village, leading to his group getting exiled. Which is not great news for Ty, as Paara’s soon to be husband. Nor is it good news for anybody else, since Paara is certain the Exiles will lash out soon in retaliation.
Back in 1988, Riley and Josh find Caroline, but turns out she’s not breaking the timeline. She’s helping it stay on course, and makes sure a young Isaiah gets adopted by the Harrises. She just wanted to see her son again, and talks with him briefly. He reveals that he doesn’t remember anything except for the events of the past few days. Which is very curious, but that’s a mystery for another time. For now, Dr. Clark is ready to help stop the tidal wave that’s coming in 72 hours or so.
The Heist ends with the group reaching the Lazarus and getting ready to infiltrate the tower. Scott had great growth, and seems to be pushing past his anxiety. He even tosses away his vape pen at Lucas’ urging. As for Izzy, she’s in a worse place than before, and it’s clear she’s gonna make trouble for her parents. Plus I’m still waiting to see if Sam’s drug dependency becomes an issue. If not, I’m curious what has changed. But in any case, another really solid episode that does a good job of weaving the fabric of the show. Here’s hoping things stay consistent for the rest of season 2!
