'La Brea' Episode 8 Review: The truth about Gavin and Isiah's connection
Episode 7 of 'La Brea' sets up all the clues about Gavin's (Eoin Macken) past; Episode 8 of the series comes clean with the truth about who he is. But in turn, it also manages to raise even more questions than before. While Gavin's connection to the other world is clear as day, it turns out, it runs deeper than it seems, and yet somehow, Gavin is the last one to piece together this puzzle.
If you're looking to catch up on the previous episodes, you can read about Episode 1, Episode 2 - 'Day Two', Episode 3 - 'The Hunt' and Episode 4 - 'The New Arrival'.
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Episode 8 sees the survivors get back in touch with the people of the settlement -- after having braved the storm, they realise how equipped they are to deal with their lives out here. When they notice the child from the village spying on them, they use Isiah as the perfect diplomatic excuse to seek help. With Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) having established some sort of connection with Paara (Tonantzin Carmelo), he believes they will help them, as long as they do not possess any threat.
Back in the camp, we see Dr Sam (Jon Seda) lose the last of his anxiety medication, which instantly sends him spiralling. His rash decisions come quickly and smoothly, the worst one being to handcuff Veronica (Lily Santiago) to a car as she tries to take Lilly (Chloe De Los Santos) away. Veronica has an anxiety attack, and Sam can barely save her, leading him to confront his demons. Riley (Veronica St. Clair), however, seems far too invested in her romance with Josh (Jack Martin) to notice that something is wrong.
She continues to have seemingly trivial fights with her father, claiming that he sometimes acts like he cares and then other times doesn't. One would think that they would be long past this point, but Riley keeps harping about the same issue repeatedly. It isn't until Sam tells her about his PTSD and medication that she finally seems to come around...for now. Back at the settlement, the story behind Silas, Isiah's grandfather, is still unclear, as it is implied that he is not originally from the land and probably came through the sinkhole. As more conflict arises, Isiah is abducted by the most unlikely person -- Rebecca Aldridge (Ming-Zhu Hii), who insists he is the key.
Silas is the first to find Rebecca, who he calls out by name, implying that he knows her. He ends up stabbing Rebecca and runs off with Isiah. It is not entirely explained how Rebecca has so much access to all this information and how she crossed over to this world and managed to find the settlement without breaking a sweat -- it seems all too convenient. It is eventually revealed to Eve (Natalie Zea) that Isiah is a young Gavin, and at the same time, Gavin appears to have the same realisation himself. 'La Brea' looks like it possibly entering a time loop, but the question is, can they make it believable?
Catch 'La Brea' Season 1 on Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.