Written by Andrea Ciannavei And Andy Parker
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Cameron (re impending war): "It's like summer camp."
What an ending. Now, if this show doesn't get a second season and with Netflix, that's very likely these days, I'll admit that this episode somewhat left things on a very satisfactory note. I hope it gets a second season though.
For the final part of the recruits to become Marines, there was the Crucible. Another exhausting challenge that saw characters step up for another while one character had a much needed epiphany of their own.
At the start of this show, it felt like Cameron's journey was the one that mattered the most and it still did but I found myself engrossed with everyone's journey in this episode alone. Even the likes of Slovacek stepped up when he needed to and it was rather nice to see that.
Getting to the Cameron, Jones and Sullivan arcs, it's interesting how our three gay male characters all turned out by this finale. Jones put himself in harm's way and might just have succeeded in order to get his medical discharge. It's a shame if we've lost that character but it did make sense what he did here to preserve himself.
Then there was Sullivan. He chose both desertion and a dishonourable discharge over admitting to being gay. I mean, he did finally admit it to Cameron, which offered some character growth but he still chose to damage himself nonetheless.
As for Cameron, he stepped up for himself. He confronted both Jones and Sullivan, helped with saving the former, completed the Crucible and when Barbara tried to give him an out, Cameron opted to stay with the Marines. The growth with him as a character was amazing to watch throughout the season.
As for the other recruits - both John and Cody's relationship got tested with the death of their father, everyone has Santos back in getting him to the finish line, Ray moved past his father's need for approval, Slovacek showed some empathy for others and Nash got the Honour Man that Ray had been covering all season. I'd like to say Hicks showed some growth but that guy's still a chaotic mess.
- There's a dedication to Norman Lear (1922-2023) at the end of the episode.
- Cameron's actually 17, not 18 as believed and formed a nice rapport with Fajardo. Both McKinnon and Howitt had some sweet moments as well.
- Standout music: Hicks getting into the spirits of things with David Bowie's Changes and Queen's Under Pressure with David Bowie of course.
-Chronology: The thirteen weeks since the first episode were up and there's the conflict with Kuwait and Iraq that's clearly a lead for a second season.
The Crucible worked both a series finale and a season finale for the show. Much as I want a second season and hope we get one, I can't deny that closure was provided. Overall,I immensely enjoyed this show.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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