Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 7: In every single eccentric thought of Damon Lindelof, there is a point where he goes past the usual level of crazy. The result is the audience getting a single TV episode- which always stays with them for infinity and beyond. The term masterpiece is really overused when it comes to popular culture these days, but these particular “Lindelof whipping up some Lindelof special” events are something that actually deserves it. Lost had “The Constant,” The Leftovers had “International Assassin,” Watchmen had “A God Walks into Abar.” Now, Mrs. Davis has it- an episode titled “Great Gatsby: 2001: A Space Odyssey”, fitting enough to complement the vibe of the show.
Mrs. Davis isn’t like anything, really. Even though Lindelof’s impact on it is clearly visible, the show’s staggering originality is something that I haven’t seen before. While watching the show, there are times I wish that I didn’t have the assignment to write these recaps every week. But I am also glad, as this is where I get the chance to talk about it. Although, what you read is like ten percent of what really goes on inside my head while writing these pieces in a rather constructive manner. I hope you all understand what I am trying to mean.
Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 7 Recap:
It is hard to make sense of something when a person literally dives into the belly of a gigantic whale to retrieve a prized possession. But I am here to do exactly that, so here you go.
Before we begin, there are two very essential things I should mention as refreshers. In the world of Mrs. D (that’s what they’re calling her now), some people have an expiry date which is basically the date of their death, and the almighty D has the power to change that. The other thing is Wiley’s shoe has a tracker in it, which is, of course, put by evil priest Hans Zigler. This is eventually going to come into the equation.
Journey to the center of the Mediterranean
The Holy Grail (Like always, I’m going to call it THG from this point) quest is in full swing, and we are at a “very difficult to reach according to Celeste” Spanish port. Arthur has gathered a small crew for the whole thing, the same one he used the last time around when he came to kill PC 220 with THG. Yes, the whale is called PC 220, for whatever reason. While Arthur, Simone, Celeste, and Wiley get ready for the journey, a strange-looking man following them from the very beginning carefully puts a tracker on the ship.
No quest for you, Wiley
This is where the tracker plays the spoilsport. Just when the group is about to leave for the sea, Simone takes Wiley a little far under the pretense of having a personal talk. Actually, saying pretense is not entirely true as she does address the problematic aspect of Wiley’s savior complex- which always prompts him to be the sacrificial lamb in order to save her. Simone suspects that he would do the same in their imminent whale situation, and in order to stop him from that, she tricks Wiley and handcuffs him into a bench. Of course, she breaks the news of Wiley’s shoe having a tracker as well, which is the main reason behind her action. Wiley understandably doesn’t like it as this reduces him to only “the love interest,” which he clearly isn’t.
The plan
The question is- how to get THG? Well, it is quite simple. Simone, wearing the Lazarus shroud, is dipped into a green acid-like substance- actually, she is showered with it. Tethered with a strong, unbreakable rope; she is then dipped into the sea, where she uses a beatbox kinda thing to lure PC 220 with what we can consider whale inviting sound. Then when the time comes- she jumps into the belly of the beast, grabs the grail, and the crew from the ship pulls her up. And if things go wrong, she just blasts her way out that’s where the acid-like substance plays the valuable part.
The complicated parent-child relationship (s)
During the initial episodes of Mrs. Davis, I was wondering if the show has an emotional core under the rug of all the chaotic insanity. It still would have been as fun as it is, but the show has made one thing pretty clear- which is its underlying theme of parent-child relationship of the not-so-ideal kind. Be it Arthur and Clara, Celeste and Lizzy, Mathilda and Clara, or Monty and Lizzy- the show has given us non-ideal and very relatable kinds of parent-child relationships and conflicts around them. Simone’s constant attempts to win her mother’s approval, no matter how much she denies it, is felt through every single episode, which is also very similar to the Clara and Mathilda relationship.
Of course, Clara getting closer to her long-lost father and eventually striking up what I consider the healthiest parent-child relationship among all of them is used here as a comparable narrative tool. This episode emphasizes this subject, as we find Celeste genuinely concerned about her daughter’s safety, whom she has failed to protect. But Simone has made up her mind already, so she goes through with the plan.
Jake McDorman and Betty Gilpin in Mrs. Davis Season 1, Episode 7.One small hitch
Actually pretty big hitch- in the form of the vengeful Team-B, headed by Mathilda, who is still not aware of the tragic death of Clara and our priest Zigler. Just when the whale appears on Team A’s radar, and everybody goes quiet; the other team boat appears out of nowhere, and despite Team A trying to save them from their potentially disastrous fate, they don’t listen. Obviously, PC 220 attacks the B team boat and sinks it down. Arthur saves Mathilda, but as of now, we are not sure whether Hans Zigler made it or not.
Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 7 Ending Explained:
What happens to Simone?
Despite the nuisance created by Mathilda and Zigler, Simone moves forward with the plan and lands right inside PC 220 in a very literal sense. Naturally scared, Simone reaches the restaurant but doesn’t see Jay there. I should mention here that Simone does see Jay once earlier when Jay asks her to stop the quest, but Simone refuses to listen to him.
Simone is very surprised to find the boss’s door, which is always closed- is open after all. She goes in, and what happens next is one of the strangest things that I have ever seen in anything. I wonder the kind of edibles the writers were on while coming up with that. As you have already seen, you can very well understand what I am talking about here. The boss is- none other than mother Mary herself, cradling a baby in her arms. We all know who the baby is, and so does a very perplexed Simone.
Jay, aka Jesus, is both dead and alive. The alive part is the manifestation of a mother’s undying love for her child. It is Mary who has created THG, which is basically Jay- or whatever that remains of him. This happened during the time Jesus was taken away for the cross. Mary couldn’t let him go, so she created and put him in the now-infamous restaurant instead. Yes, I am rereading this paragraph while writing it, but that is exactly how things have gone. And now Simone has to destroy THG in order to free someone she loves. But her hatred for the AI is going to destroy her too- that way, both she and Jay can be free after all.
Unable to reach her hands to THG, Simone untethered herself, which resulted in an immediate pulling off of the rope she was tied with. Of course, to Arthur and Celeste’s horror- Simone is not found at the end of it, and the whale is gone. But Simone is not gone- as we see her ending up at a beach with THG in her hand, safe and sound. She soon sees a group of people who strangely start to recite the verses of the Electric Avenue, the Eddy Grant song.
Does Wiley finally surrender to Mrs. Davis?
Wiley’s arc in this episode is as exciting as the primary one as well. After getting sidelined from the quest, he soon gets a visit from the Spanish prime minister, but it is obviously not the PM, but Mrs. D, who wants to visit her. Wiley gets a huge shock when Mrs. D reveals that she is very much aware of The Resistance and their plan of taking her down. But that’s not all; she is not only aware of them, but she also lives in The Resistance server. And now she wants Wiley to expand The Resistance franchise, which will give him a new lease of life as his expiration date is only forty-eight hours away.
So Wiley goes back to the Reno HQ of The Resistance, convinces everyone about opening more shops and eventually going international- but secretly tells JQ about what Mrs. D has told him. So JQ comes up with a counter plan of destroying their own server to kill Mrs. D for good. Wiley and JQ visit a very straight outta science-fiction-looking Mrs. D HQ to let basically shit on her.
When the Resistance server is destroyed (yes, we get a big explosion scene)- Mrs. D stays on. And Wiley is gone. The thing here is Wiley figured out that Mrs. D being only in The Resistance server can’t be true, and she is clearly manipulating him. But Wiley goes along with it anyway, kind of reversing the manipulation. His reason is to protect his friends at The Resistance from going after the AI- which will finally free them. The truth which he finally accepts is that AI can’t be beaten. In the final scene, which runs parallel with Simon’s beach scene- we see Wiley’s bike outside Mrs. D HQ, which is an implication of his surrender to the almighty AI. But I am not calling it yet, considering this show can always surprise you in ways you can’t even imagine.
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Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 7 Links – IMDb
Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 7 Cast – Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen
Where to watch Mrs. Davis
