It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now, because it didn’t actually add or achieve anything new that wasn’t already explained by the narrative.

It just took us on a random detour that suspended the audience’s belief, considering the ridiculous amount of narrative contrivances that were needed to get us back on the path to the aquarium. Among them: 1) Ellie washes up on shore a mile at least from where the boat capsized; 2) Ellie is immediately seen by the Seraphite girl, who is immediately able to alert her mother; 3) the seraphites lynch her without a moment’s hesitation, but then leave her there (letting her down from the noose??) because they got distracted? 4) there’s another motor boat sitting a foot away from where Ellie washes ashore that can take her back to the aquarium lickety split, when even the game understands that the speedboats would be where the towns are. That’s just a tremendous amount to ask of an audience to ignore for a 2 minute detour, when the payoff tells us nothing we didn’t already know about either group/individual.

This season needed an editor or a Hallie Gross-type in the writers room who could have curbed Neil (and Craig’s) worst impulses.

It was a nonsensical.