Yorick and Agent 355 search for Dr. Allison Mann in war-torn Boston. Back in D.C., Jennifer hides the truth about Yorick from her political rivals.
In 2020, the television industry aired 493 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of FX on Hulu's Y: The Last Man.
"Mann Hunt" was written by Tian Jun Gu and directed by Mairzee Almas
The loss the world has suffered may be incalculable. Humanity wasn't the only species affected. The entire animal kingdom was ravaged as a result of this apocalyptic event. Yorick and Agent 355 succeed in their mission of tracking down Dr. Allison Mann. They trust her as the geneticist to explain why Yorick and Ampersand survived despite each having the Y chromosome. That explanation needs to be discovered. They are unique because they are a pair. And yet, the world still has a daunting task in front of it. Mann lays out the odds plainly. The science may no longer exist that can produce an answer or even create a solution. She lost the majority of her research because her department at Harvard was taken over by the crowds of people distrustful of the government. And yes, she can make the rational argument that it's perfectly understandable to believe the government is hiding something. Yorick's survival is a secret. It must be protected at all costs. So much importance is now thrusted upon him and this mission. He presents as the solution that can potentially save this world. All sense of individuality is thrown out the window. Some people still look at him with compassion. When he gets caught up in the protest movement for a beat, he is provided with directions to other trans men with resources. That showcases a profound sense of empathy still exists in this world. It's also completely based on an assumption. It's reasonable to have given how much the world has changed. People are adjusting. And yet, so much remains the same as well. The government is cracking down on people who are allowing themselves to get riled up by misinformation. Of course, Jennifer has no efficient way to communicate with the public. It's impressive enough that Regina has arrived. She survived so much of the chaos in Israel. And now, she is back in her home government ready to take over. She lands and her allies are ready to present themselves to back her claim for the presidency. That's a hurdle Jennifer has to overcome. It doesn't help that people instinctively see the secrets that consume her world. Kimberly just wants to believe it's the President taking resources away from the country to track down her missing daughter. She views that as irresponsible. Of course, she is then immediately distracted by needing to care for Christine as she believes she is having a miscarriage and then in confirming the baby is still alive. In that moment, Kimberly is full of hope. She sees the potential viability for the future. The human race is still alive. But she doesn't consider how Christine is feeling in that moment. She is overwhelmed. She is trusted by the President. She is a key ally for Jennifer who knows the truth about Yorick. And yet, that trust may only go one way. So many secrets are being kept. Some of the motivation is valid and understandable. Others simply have the potential to create more complications because of how it is all perceived. For example, the audience knows that 355 didn't contact Jennifer to update her on their mission. Instead, she goes off on her own journey to potentially track down the woman who recruited her for this covert program. Now, 355 has never lost faith in the mission. The same can't be said for the other surviving member. 525 is different. She has the same training and instincts. She too was made to feel special. It may just be another example of the government exploiting people in the name of national importance. It's not as special as it was always made out to be. 355 still adheres to the mission and the code. She loyally serves the President. Mann has questions and doubts. She goes against the system. That's why she was chosen for this mission. But she also explains how so much was lost on that fateful day. It's clearly a personal burden for her as well. She knows firsthand just how widespread this apocalypse was. The Y chromosome isn't indicative of gender. The show has been saying that subtly so far. Now, it's a full-on part of the text. It's not being positioned as men being so great and necessary to have a society either. It's simply framed as the loss dooming this world no matter what the people still alive opt to do. Yorick will have no freedom. That's apparent. And yet, people are tasked with missions hoping that something might change because they still hold those ideals of salvation. These are dark times. Everything is constantly changing. It hardly leaves any time to react. When those moments are found and can be processed, it's overwhelming to the average citizen all the way up to the President of the United States.
The loss the world has suffered may be incalculable. Humanity wasn't the only species affected. The entire animal kingdom was ravaged as a result of this apocalyptic event. Yorick and Agent 355 succeed in their mission of tracking down Dr. Allison Mann. They trust her as the geneticist to explain why Yorick and Ampersand survived despite each having the Y chromosome. That explanation needs to be discovered. They are unique because they are a pair. And yet, the world still has a daunting task in front of it. Mann lays out the odds plainly. The science may no longer exist that can produce an answer or even create a solution. She lost the majority of her research because her department at Harvard was taken over by the crowds of people distrustful of the government. And yes, she can make the rational argument that it's perfectly understandable to believe the government is hiding something. Yorick's survival is a secret. It must be protected at all costs. So much importance is now thrusted upon him and this mission. He presents as the solution that can potentially save this world. All sense of individuality is thrown out the window. Some people still look at him with compassion. When he gets caught up in the protest movement for a beat, he is provided with directions to other trans men with resources. That showcases a profound sense of empathy still exists in this world. It's also completely based on an assumption. It's reasonable to have given how much the world has changed. People are adjusting. And yet, so much remains the same as well. The government is cracking down on people who are allowing themselves to get riled up by misinformation. Of course, Jennifer has no efficient way to communicate with the public. It's impressive enough that Regina has arrived. She survived so much of the chaos in Israel. And now, she is back in her home government ready to take over. She lands and her allies are ready to present themselves to back her claim for the presidency. That's a hurdle Jennifer has to overcome. It doesn't help that people instinctively see the secrets that consume her world. Kimberly just wants to believe it's the President taking resources away from the country to track down her missing daughter. She views that as irresponsible. Of course, she is then immediately distracted by needing to care for Christine as she believes she is having a miscarriage and then in confirming the baby is still alive. In that moment, Kimberly is full of hope. She sees the potential viability for the future. The human race is still alive. But she doesn't consider how Christine is feeling in that moment. She is overwhelmed. She is trusted by the President. She is a key ally for Jennifer who knows the truth about Yorick. And yet, that trust may only go one way. So many secrets are being kept. Some of the motivation is valid and understandable. Others simply have the potential to create more complications because of how it is all perceived. For example, the audience knows that 355 didn't contact Jennifer to update her on their mission. Instead, she goes off on her own journey to potentially track down the woman who recruited her for this covert program. Now, 355 has never lost faith in the mission. The same can't be said for the other surviving member. 525 is different. She has the same training and instincts. She too was made to feel special. It may just be another example of the government exploiting people in the name of national importance. It's not as special as it was always made out to be. 355 still adheres to the mission and the code. She loyally serves the President. Mann has questions and doubts. She goes against the system. That's why she was chosen for this mission. But she also explains how so much was lost on that fateful day. It's clearly a personal burden for her as well. She knows firsthand just how widespread this apocalypse was. The Y chromosome isn't indicative of gender. The show has been saying that subtly so far. Now, it's a full-on part of the text. It's not being positioned as men being so great and necessary to have a society either. It's simply framed as the loss dooming this world no matter what the people still alive opt to do. Yorick will have no freedom. That's apparent. And yet, people are tasked with missions hoping that something might change because they still hold those ideals of salvation. These are dark times. Everything is constantly changing. It hardly leaves any time to react. When those moments are found and can be processed, it's overwhelming to the average citizen all the way up to the President of the United States.
