Somehow ‘Devs’ Knew a Quarantine Episode Would Be Exactly What We Needed
Spoilers for the 7th and penultimate episode of Devs in the following story. Stop reading if you haven't watched yet.
The 7th and penultimate episode of Devs is an action-packed and thrilling one.
In a way, it's a prescient moment for the social distancing, quarantine-based times we're living in right now.
We break down the episode below.
Devs, Alex Garland's thrilling new sci-fi series, takes place in a not-so-distant, alternate reality. Yet the technology we see—simulating deep into both the future and past—seems untouchable, unobtainable, unworldly. So, when something comes along that like the show's 7th episode, that so closely parallels the world we currently find ourselves in, it can feel weirdly comforting. The entirety of the 7th episode of Devs, conveniently enough, centers on the idea that simply staying at home will save everyone. And in the world of Devs, well, that proves to be difficult. Sound familiar to everyone living in this time of quarantine and social distancing? I thought so too.
As Forest (Nick Offerman) and Katie (Alison Pill) told Lily in the previous episode, the Devs system that Amaya generated showed that things get really messed up because Lily shows up at Devs. So, as she realizes, in order to mess with Forest and Katie's plan, all she has to do is not go. Like all of us in this very moment, all she has to do is stay the hell at home.
And at first, that's exactly the plan that she and her ex-boyfriend Jamie (Jin Ha) have. Just stay home, and trip up the "bad guys" (if we can classify Forest and Katie as such), and potentially save the world. Or at least stop whatever they're predicting from coming true. But, given the nature of Devs, obviously, this doesn't happen. Garland's storytelling doesn't allow it—and as anyone who's ever watched a piece of sci-fi art before would let you know, something was going to happen that was going to make staying at home no longer possible.
That thing that happens, accordingly, is Kenton going completely rogue, breaking into Lily's home and murdering Jamie. He was about to kill Lily, too, until Pete the homeless man came into her house and took Kenton out once and for all. As it turns out, Pete wasn't a homeless guy at all, but rather another Russian spy, working with Sergei and keeping an eye on Lily. After everything went down, he lays Lily's options down in front of her: long story short, things will never be the same again. Life as she knew it is now over.
And as the story wraps up and dives headfirst toward the finale, Lily storms toward the Devs headquarters. Staying at home—in her own quarantine—did not work. The universe pushed her toward the destiny that Forest and Katie predicted, proving once again that the Devs model does, indeed, know all. Even when all that's needed to defy it was as simple as staying home. Sometimes, as Devs always seems to prove, it's not as simple as it seems.
The finale of Devs will debut on FX on Hulu next Thursday.
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