‘Emergence’ Episode 8: Piper tormented by self-doubt and it could jeopardize Jo’s position as her guardian and a cop
Despite being the most evolved species, mankind is more often than not driven by human emotions, which have caused more harm than good. But what happens if a computer programmed entity starts to act upon its human instincts? As bizarre and impractical it sounds, we saw the same unfold on tonight’s episode of ‘Emergence’. It seems like Jo (Allison Tolman) may have to prepare herself to face the unexpected, as Piper (Alexa Swinton) is inflicted with some major self-doubting.
In the first few episodes, we saw Jo go to hell and back in search of Piper’s true identity. Eventually, she learns about the AI’s origin and even accepts it without the slightest hesitance. However, the latest episode ‘American Chestnuts’ is making us wonder if Jo made a blunder my pushing Piper to remember things from her past, which is only making it harder for the police chief to accomplish her goal.
Piper gets her hands on a map that could guide her home. She convinces Alex (Donald Faison) to drive her down, only to realize that she fled the rather creepy place because she hated living there. While we thought the AI would be able to put the pieces together by revisiting her home, it ended up giving rise to questions that are now haunting her.
Upon returning to Jo’s place, Piper asks Alex who she really is and expresses how she got sick and tired of all the questions surrounding her existence. At one point, Piper even questions Alex’s trust in Jo and asks if he believes what his former wife has told.
From the start, we’ve witnessed Piper blindly trust in Jo. Jo did the same with an estranged AI whom she brought home and decided to parent. But, unlike Jo who can still analyze her emotions rationally, Piper as an AI is developing constantly affecting her program, which she takes for emotions.
Also, knowing how the AI is capable of changing its own code, we can imagine what position Piper's doubts regarding self could affect Jo.