Lazarus – Episode 05

Episode Synopsis:

Lazarus discovers that someone from Delta Medicinal has been covertly sharing clinical data with Skinner. Axel is able to confront the CEO, Dr Rahman, and the team convinces him to set up a sting operation using a fake cure as bait. Despite heavy security, a master hacker is able to break into the fake conference, setting up an intense struggle between them and Eleina.

Review:

I appreciate when a show lines up nicely with my own thinking. In this case, the hunt for Skinner has turned up dead end after dead end, and so the crew decide to flip the script and try to get him to come to them. This gives us a sting in episode 5 that’s plenty entertaining, though some elements are weaker than previous entries.

While scouring the internet for leads on Skinner, Eleina locates suspicious audio files that have been uploaded to Soundcloud (holy snap, still going strong after 45 years!) by someone at Delta Medicinal. As the team considers ways to infiltrate the company’s HQ, Axel decides to take the direct approach and strolls right up to the elevators. It’s a brash move, and to noone’s surprise, a quartet of security guards follow him into the elevator, not realizing that Axel gets a massive bonus to damage dealt in cramped spaces.

It’s an intense and messy fight, more raw than the ones we’ve seen so far. The change in animation style appears to be pretty divisive, but I actually enjoyed how it meshed with the chaotic energy of the scene. Both the guards and Axel use some interesting close-quarters moves, the latter focusing a lot on choking people out with their own neckties. While it does feel like he’s showing off to no one in particular, that feels in-character for a guy who loves to always push things to the edge. He’s not sophisticated – he just knows where to find his own fun.

Once Axel gets in front of the CEO, he and the team lay out their plan to lure Skinner to them with a fake Hapna cure. While I get that they’re desperate enough to try anything, this seems like a pretty unlikely shot at nailing the man himself. In fairness, they’re also aiming for any accomplices who might lead them to Skinner afterwards, but it still feels like a long shot. Eleina gets the job of explaining all of the fancy security measures before things inevitably go to hell.

Once the conference is breached and an outside hacker starts burning through their defenses, the team is seriously on the back foot. The chaos that erupts as everyone scrambles to avoid malfuctioning security bots and out of control HVAC systems is funny, but has a real Benny Hill feel to it that doesn’t quite mesh with the dire situation. I get that it’s hard to make a scene where two nerds furiously punch keyboards exciting, but it does feel like a mild letdown after last episode’s kung fu club/helicopter chase.

On the other hand, it does finally give us a bit more time with Eleina, setting her up for a rivalry with the mysterious hacker. I’m hopeful that this is the start of them focusing on the team more broadly so that Axel’s antics aren’t the only thing carrying the cast forward. I like them individually, but we’ve only got a limited time to get to know them (21 days as of this episode), so I’d appreciate a chance to sit with them as individuals for a while.

Summary:

There’s some solid action and fun bits to this episode, but the hacking aspect is underwhelming and it doesn’t feel like much was accomplished outside of a drawn-out character introduction. Lazarus has built up enough goodwill that I don’t mind it too much, but I’d appreciate some stronger momentum or character drama in the coming episodes. We’ll see if that comes to pass!