In all honesty, this hour was a bit of a mixed bag.
Naomi Season 1 Episode 9 was simultaneously exciting and intriguing and confusing at the same time. And it’s a shame because it had all the ingredients in place to be the best installment of the season.
But there was just something about it that felt a little off.
Interspersing the action at the party with the interrogation scenes was something we’ve seen in several films and tv series over the years. It’s a device that allows you to piece stories together as you see what happened juxtaposed against what the characters are telling you happened.
And it was apparent from the onset that the mysterious interviewer questioning Naomi and all her friends and family was being lied to.
But what were they being lied to about? That ended up being the mystery of the hour, though it became increasingly clear over time that everything was leading back to Commander Steel.
Greg’s boss has been a periphery villain since we met him. And while we’ve gotten glimpses of him being a little shady, he hasn’t exactly been shaped as the biggest bad guy.
Zumbado still holds that distinction. But here he goes full-on supervillain as he bounces around town, tipping everyone off to his shadiness before going after Naomi.
It’s way too early in the series for Naomi to go down, so it was pretty apparent that she would get the best of Steel in one way or another. But how?
The buildup to what happened at the school wasn’t nearly as intense as it could have been once you realized where it was all going. It was almost a little disappointing to see it lead to Steel, but perhaps that was because the setup of one of Naomi’s closest friends being an alien was just too good.
Once Jacob discovered that Nathan, Anthony, and Lourdes were all on Naomi’s street the night went missing, I thought of the wackiest scenarios about what happened at the school.
Of course, I didn’t want any of them to be injured, but I kept thinking about the idea of someone close to her harboring this colossal secret and what that confrontation would look like.
But as time wore on, it was clear that the mystery victim would be Steel, and my attention was more on how he ended up hurt than who the mystery alien could be.
Just sussing out who the alien was would have been a compelling enough storyline to fill an hour, especially as it revealed Naomi’s pain with realizing someone she cared about was lying to her.
And on the surface, that does seem a bit hypocritical coming from her, as she often keeps things from those around her.
But if one of Naomi’s people is an alien and knows that Naomi is an alien and has just decided not to tell her? Yeah, that would definitely be a major betrayal.
And Naomi feels that pain before she even gets all the information.
Naomi and Nathan’s relationship has been adorable.
And it’s been nice to see Naomi get a break from all the mayhem and have something nice with Nathan. They have an easy banter and gentle way with one another that works rather well, but it’s also felt like they were always to end up here.
It’s not even like Naomi goes around lying for the sake of lying, but exposing herself exposes others, putting them in danger. Jacob found out unexpectedly, and he’s turned out to be a valuable resource, but Naomi probably shouldn’t tell everyone she’s an alien just because she likes them.
It’s a highly complex situation without a clear-cut answer, unfortunately.
Naomi: You know you can be honest with me, right? About anything.
Nathan: Yeah, I know that.
Naomi: And if you’re keeping some kind of secret, you can tell me, even if it’s hard.
Nathan: Everyone has secrets.
Everyone should be entitled to some secrets. Not everyone needs to know every single thing about you. There should be some things you keep within yourself, and that should be okay. But it’s also not right to expect others to accept certain secrets.
This brings us to the giant alien reveal, which I imagine was shocking for all the non-comic book readers like myself.
My money was on Anthony at first, mainly because I thought it would spruce his character up some, and then I moved to Nathan because he was moving funny at that party. But I should have known that Nathan really is as perfect as he comes across.
It being Lourdes would have been a nice boost to her character as well and maybe brought her into the fold some (though I think we’ll see the return of the love square soon if those looks between Naomi and Lourdes are anything to go by.)
But all the kids were red herrings, and the killer alien was right under our noses all along! Or should I say, aliens!
Greg and Jennifer are just a whole mess, aren’t they?
They were very weird when the series began, as it was apparent they weren’t being truthful with their daughter, but it seemed when their backs were against the wall, they came clean and wanted to do what was best for Naomi.
And maybe that’s still what they’re trying to do, but at what point is all the lying too much?
Naomi is a kid that needs to be protected, and everyone in her life can agree with that. But she’s always been deserving of the truth, especially the further she’s delved into exploring herself and her powers.
Outside of Annabelle, it almost feels like no one is ever willing to be completely honest with her. And it’s sad because while lying to someone at times can feel like protection, that can quickly turn into something sinister when the truth could have been an asset to them and not a hindrance.
There’s a much bigger story here we’re going to have to wait to get answers about, like where are Greg and Jennifer from? Are they from another planet, or were they infected with something that’s given them alien powers?
And did they take the disc from Naomi then? Why did they need it?
Dee never getting a sense of them being aliens leads me to believe they don’t have traditional powers. And also, the fact that they had to use dilustel to incapacitate Steel definitely makes me think they aren’t the same kind of alien that Naomi and Zumbado are.
But this reveal turns everything on its head once again, and poor Naomi was worried about her boyfriend potentially lying when it was the people she shares a roof with all along!
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Naomi lean further into both Dee and Zumbado, who make a fabulous team, and while they’re not the best either at being all the way up front, they at least want to prepare her for what’s coming while also protecting her.
Greg and Jennifer mean well, and they try to do what’s right, but Naomi has a destiny. And while it may seem like keeping her from her destiny is protecting her, the right this to do is prepare her for what’s to come.
It will be fascinating to see how this fractured family picks up the pieces at Naomi Season 1 creeps closer to his closing act.
Extra, Extra
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Zumbado and Dee looked AMAZING in those suits! And Dee is so unintentionally hilarious at all times. Please have him and Annabelle interact at least once an episode!
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Steel should have made his moves in silence because his decision to bop all over town was his ultimate undoing.
We’re taking a little hiatus, so we have all the time in the world to react to this hour and looks ahead to what’s coming next! Drop all your thoughts down below and make sure to watch Naomi online via TV Fanatic over the break, so you’re all caught up!
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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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