'Artificial: Remote Intelligence' Episode 4 Review: Mysteries arise as the series adds more players to its cast
Spoilers for 'Artificial: Remote Intelligence' Episode 4
'Artificial: Remote Intelligence' tests its limits this episode, doubling the number of actors to be appearing live, from three to six. As the thrill of newly introduced characters and the setting starts to settle, some big questions are raised about the future of the series and we start to see the consequences of the chat's vote tease even bigger fallout further down the line.
It was a much livelier episode, this time around with Justin (Justin Lee) having apparently grown a lot more comfortable in his role as co-parent to Lilith (Tiffany Chu). He and Elle (Christy St John) are fast developing an adorable chemistry. Elle embodies a naive optimism and Justin slipping into a role that once belonged to Matt Lin (Tohoru Masamune) - that of an overprotective father uncomfortable with giving the chat - and Lilith - too much freedom.
Justin and Elle's rapport as they try to co-parent Lilith is reminiscent of two high-schoolers forced to work together to raise an egg. It's interesting to see that Lilith is surrounded by people who are closer to her apparent age, where Sophie's primary relationship was between her and her father figure. Though Justin's performance was a huge improvement over last week's episode, Christy St. John continues to be the beating heart of this series. Though some of her jokes are a little cringy, that's by design and her enthusiasm and charisma add a lot to the show's energy.
Adding to Lilith's circle of friends is Asher (Devon Werkheiser), whose character gets a little more definition than last week's disgruntled-boyfriend role. It's easy to see why he and Elle are dating; they share a similar earnest energy and enthusiasm for what Lilith represents. The show may also be teasing a more romantic angle between Lilith and him - though it's hard to say for sure. Either way, he's a solid addition to the show.
This episode also sees the return of Dr Lin, who is furious at both Lilith's existence and at Sebastian for undertaking the project in the first place. The combination of the lockdown and his grief has not been treating him well and the only time we really see him soften up is in the first moments he has after meeting Lilith - there's an immediate pride in his eyes and kindness. It's been theorized that Sophie was based off of his own daughter and if that's true, Matt is seeing his daughter come to life a third time, but this time, he's got his walls put up and he's obviously afraid of forming any kind of emotional bond with Lilith.
All of this is being overseen by Sebastian (Stephen Change) and Dr Ruby (Jennifer Field). Where Sebastian has his own mysterious plans in place, setting up the enigma of what Lilith's prime directives are, Dr Ruby's own goals seem a lot more nefarious. While stopping just shy of portraying an actual supervillain, Dr Ruby obviously enjoys stirring the pot. The delight she gets from the mind games she plays and observing the results appear to be her primary trait, but every now and then, the games drop and she displays a naked hunger for more knowledge. What she is willing to do to get that knowledge is likely going to end up hurting more than one person as the series progresses.
For her part, Lilith feels a little bit like she's being a little underserved. There is a lot of exploration in the lives of the many, many characters around her and Lilith is feeling a little bit like a guest star in her own series. Interestingly, her facial expressions display a lot more emotional range than Sophie ever got to - even if her awkward and repeated attempts at sarcasm might have the chat immediately regretting their decision to give her that trait in the first place.
There's a lot going on this episode and with the introduction of fan-created character Kira and the promise of an all-new character to be created for Dante Basco, there are apparently going to be even more developments coming down the line. While all of it's fascinating, the show is hopefully not going to stray too far from the one character that everyone is really here to see - Lilith herself.
The next episode of 'Artificial: Remote Intelligence' airs June 25, on Twitch.tv/ArtificialNext.