Critic’s Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
3.5
At the start of Land of Women Season 1 Episode 5, the Xatart women literally find themselves staring down the barrel.
It’s been a long and winding road that has brought viewers to tears and laughter, but it looks like Land of Women is headed for an intense ending.
With only one more episode of the series, it was surprising to see some of the story and character choices the writers made for the fifth episode.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
There were many things that felt out of place or inconsistent with the narrative, but despite some shortcomings, the show still exceeded expectations most of the time.
Land of Women is Holding Audiences at Gunpoint with Inconsistent Characters
Up until this point, the series has managed to keep the pace of the story consistent despite many dramatic moments that could’ve slowed it down.
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It was surprising to see such a mismatched tone of an episode with a cold open that is a far cry from the dire straits that the Xatart women are in right after.
The episode was also hampered by the two thugs, Hank and Kevin, who the writers didn’t seem to know what category to put them in.
Hank and Kevin, played by Jim Kitson of The Red King and Amaury Nolasco of Hightown, have been all over the place with where they fall on the alignment chart.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
One second, they’re a couple of bumbling idiots who don’t understand the fundamentals of tracking a few women down.
Then, the next second, they’re professional hitmen who speak with their guns first, even though viewers are fully aware of their incompetency.
The characters flip-flop so much that it’s a wonder they have any loyalty to Tony at all, considering how loose and easy they’ve been handling the women.
The show would benefit from finally settling on these men’s motivations or getting rid of them altogether because their mere presence has hindered the tone and pace.
Julia’s Fragmented Memory is Starting to Slow Down Land of Women
As mentioned above, the cold open was an odd choice, considering where Land of Women Season 1 Episode 4 left things at its end.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
Julia’s back story has been a key component of the story in several different ways, but the constant flashbacks make it hard for viewers to keep track of the story.
The need for Julia’s memories is understood as it helps to depict the problems between Mariona and Julia fully, but that part of Land of Women needs to be wrapped up.
Luckily, it looks like that is where the story is headed now that Jula and Mariona have just about made up, despite Julia’s ever-declining memory.
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Speaking of her memory, it’s become evident that Julia is not taking her medication as prescribed by her doctors, whether by not taking them at all or mixing them with alcohol.
Hopefully, someone will adjust her medication in time for the Apple TV+ series to end on a better note with only one more episode of the season.
Audiences deserve a solid ending to the first season since the show has yet to be renewed for a new season.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
While critics have praised the show’s breezy and fun nature, audiences have not matched that energy, with many tuning out because more than eighty percent of the dialogue is in Spanish.
Kate Keeps Her Head Held High on Her Brave Journey
One aspect of Land of Women that has been consistent since the beginning is the struggle and journey that Kate has endured, not just on the run but her whole life since transitioning.
Played by Victoria Bazua, the actress has done a phenomenal job of portraying a very real and very raw depiction of the struggles many transitioning teenagers likely feel.
Everything that Kate goes through in each episode brings the show back to the core of what makes the series so heartwarming.
Especially after that traumatizing incident that happened at Montse’s bar in Land of Women Season 1 Episode 3 with that horrible doctor and his loud-mouthed girlfriend.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
Speaking of girlfriends, now that Maggie has shown her true colors, we’ll hopefully not be seeing that filler character anymore despite her father’s shady dealings.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this leaves an opening for the super sweet and amazing mechanic who has been like a hero to Kate since she arrived in La Muga.
However, the mechanic wasn’t the only one swooping in to save the day, as Kate’s drawings eventually won over the town’s chickens.
Related: Land of Women Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Wayward Women & Wasted Wine
She may not be as brash and abrasive as her mother and grandmother, but Kate has proven to be just as headstrong and caring as the other women in her family.
Get Gala a Glass of Red Because the Men are Driving Her Crazy in the Land of Women
Finally, we get to Gala, which is probably what Fred thought when he just showed up at Amat’s house at the end of the episode.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
Even though this was the second to last episode, seeing the rat-bastards face was still surprising.
We can only imagine how fiery things are about to get when Gala likely lays into him for being the crap father and even crappier husband that he’s been so far.
How he can even show his face is beyond me, but it will take a miracle of epic proportions for Fred to receive any redemption in the viewers’ eyes.
Though he hasn’t had that many scenes, Fred, played by James Purefoy of The Veil, has ironically done a fantastic job portraying the character and all his complexities.
There was that beautiful moment in Kate’s flashback when he comforted her after meeting Maggie’s parents, showing he was a genuinely sweet and loving father.
So, at best, he’s a gigantic idiot who doesn’t understand how borrowing money works.
(Apple TV+)
Still, it doesn’t change the mountain of lies that Gala has dealt with or the endless pits he has dug his family into.
And to leave them to fend for themselves like that?
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Gala is definitely about to go full telenovela on Fred, and we are going to be eating up every delicious word and hopefully slap that she lays on the cheating bastard.
We’re approaching the end, with the next episode being the season finale.
While we can speculate about what might happen, it’ll be far more fun just to let it all play out.
(Courtesy of Apple TV+)
That said, I think it’ll end with Fred turning himself in to Tony, Kate returning home to finish school, and Gala staying behind with Julia to help the wine co-op.
What were your thoughts about the tone and pace of this episode?
Were you as surprised as we were to finally see Fred’s face again in real-time?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join us again when we review the next episode of Land of Women!
You can view the original article HERE.
