BrainDead Season 1 Episode 7 Review: The Power of Euphemism: How Torture Became a Matter of Debate in American Politics
Carissa Pavlica
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OK, pat me on the back because I finally understood in totality the lengthy title of an episode of BrainDead!
The biggest question after BrainDead Season 1 Episode 7 is whether or not Luke finally believes Laurel may be onto something with her conversation about bug infested brains.
It sure seemed as if Gareth was on board, because the pieces that fell into place after Laurel shared her theory, The Cars evidence and then disappeared was too much for him to overlook.
Poor Mike the Intern. Red felt up his head like you would a melon at the grocery store, and by doing so was able to tell whether or not his head would explode after being infected.
The infected are using the paranoia and other terrible qualities already infused in American culture to get them to do their bidding.
Anthony noted that when he told Laurel he was the only FBI dude to be infected. Everyone else was merely following his lead.
How many alient infected beings have a queen living in their head, allowing them to choose who they will infect? I wouldn't have thought it all that important before what Gustav and Rochelle were able to procure from the iPhone getup.
It's highly unlikely any single words would make the alients walk into walls or raise their arms, but that's exactly what happened.
It made for some fun scenes, even if I can't imagine what sentences those individuals words made up.
Did you notice when the full sentence was transmitted nobody was raising their arms? I guess that's neither here nor there, but it's fun to think about.
And when it got down to a vote, Red wasn't able to restrain his alient any better than anybody else. That's why it's interesting he is housing a queen. The stupid thing does nothing by way of communicating with him, apparently.
There are definitely some holes in this alient story.
Sadly, I believe it would be as easy as two signatures to torture someone like Laurel and that nobody would really know why she was being tortured as the entire conversation would be masked with phrases like Initiative Q or whatever.
Luke himself only put up the most mild struggle before signing. Of course he wouldn't have signed had he known it was Laurel, but it would be nice to think you'd press harder for the details before signing away someone's life like that.
Laurel was ridiculously calm while awaiting torture. Whether that was because she had the utmost faith in her family and friends or she was half out of her mind, it was hard to tell, but I don't think I would have taken things as well as she did.
But, Gareth only needed to hear Laurel was missing to jump into action, as did Gareth and Rochelle. They all have each other's backs, and considering none of them have been friends very long, it allows for the more heartwarming side of icy politics in Washington.
Surprisingly, even Mr. Cornish the torturer was a kind guy.
As part of my training, I had to experience all the interrogations I was going to inflict on you. You were lucky. [extends his hand] See ya again.
Cornish
When they shook hands, Laurel had a sort of dazed look on her face, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if he turned out to be helpful again down the road.
The actors for Cornish and Dean Healy, though, have always reminded me of each other, so I kept getting confused when either of them was on screen. I don't know what it is about them, but I get them mixed up.
At least the torturer still had his wits about him. Dad Healy didn't seem all that happy to have Laurel back, and now we know why. He's infected. One Healy down.
It worries me these guys aren't sticking together. There is safety in numbers, and they haven't learned that yet, despite the number of close calls they have had so far.
If this was my BrainDead story, I'd be hosting a sleepover for Rochelle and Gustav, at the very least, every night.
Fingers crossed all of our favorites make it out of the season un-infected!!
What did you think of this one? More fun and buggy frolicking. If you missed it, you can watch BrainDead online. Hit the comments. Did you miss a #Laureth moment? Who will be infected next?
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
