Tuesday, February 1, 2022

REVIEW: 'Naomi' - Naomi Remains Conflicted When Balancing the Conflicting Opinions of What Her Loved Ones Want in 'Enigma'

The CW's Naomi - Episode 1.04 "Enigma"

Naomi discovers more about her past, but she must come to terms with all the secrets that have been kept from her.. and who has been keeping them. As the newly empowered teen continues her training with Dee and finds the courage to confront Zumbado, she must balance her super-life with her school life when Annabelle, Anthony and Jacob push Naomi to campaign for Class President.

"Enigma" was written by Stephanie Coggins and directed by Neema Barnette


Naomi learns that her parents have been lying to her for her entire life. They lied about how they adopted her. In reality, they found her on top of a stone that lights up when she touches it. That artifact is still there in the woods. It hasn't been touched in the years since she was last there. They can offer no explanation for where she came from. They took her and gave her a stable home. They have long wanted to tell her the truth. She has always been curious about her birth parents. She has been asking Greg and Jennifer some probing questions in the last few episodes. They offer up the truth to her now. She is furious in the moment. But then, the action cuts to her back at school acting relieved that everything is now out in the open. The action depicts her parents telling her the truth. That comes as an extension to the audience as well. The viewer now knows that Greg and Jennifer were hiding something. It was withheld. But now, it's known. That allows every scene of Greg at work to have more tension to it because his bosses in the army are hunting down any alien activity. He is purposefully trying to protect his daughter by working on the inside. It's precarious for him. But the action carefully points out how Naomi wants to be okay with all of this. She isn't. She doesn't quite know how to process those feelings either. She is out of her comfort zone. People are telling her what she should be and how she should react. She still feels like an alien in this world. She doesn't quite feel like she belongs. She knows that she can tell her parents anything. She feels bad about having conflicting emotions about them lying to her. That's the truth though. Power comes from acknowledging it and addressing it. Dee is aware that meditation should be the next lesson they embrace. Naomi also has to be in a willing and open place in order to accept his teachings. She doesn't know her true strength. She can send the punching bag through the wall if she wants to. Her powers are growing. They may serve as a beacon for people across the multiverse to track her down. That's the theory Dee now operates under. She does come under attack here. It's her first big fight. She has to rely on her teacher in order to survive. Dee has the skills to prevail in combat. But it also proves that Naomi isn't safer by being kept in the dark about the true nature of her reality. Dee, Greg and Jennifer can't provide her with any clarity. Meanwhile, her friends at school want her to be class president. They need someone in school government to advocate for vending machines with candy in them. Naomi can certainly give a passionate speech about people standing firm in their morals and feeling confident in sharing them with the world. Being class president is something she wanted as well. It was on her to-do list for her life. That's not the plan she continues to embrace though. Instead, she is much more captivated by trying to translate the markings on the disc. Zumbado has ulterior motives for handing the device over to her. He has gotten his own use out of it too. They were both pointed to the same woman. Akira can share that Naomi comes from Earth-29. That seemingly disproves Dee's notion that she comes from an alien planet high in the social hierarchy. That theory may still be true in her universe. But she comes from a different reality altogether. That is special as well. She stands out in this world. Her existence doesn't line up with what aliens are known to do on this planet. Zumbado and Akira operate with more answers. They choose to remain cryptic. That's a choice that can be annoying as well. Again, it doesn't keep Naomi out of danger. Zumbado may want her to be threatened. He needs to amplify her signal in order to achieve his own ambitions for returning home. Akira has different motives. It's all confusing. That's especially true for Naomi. She does make a choice in kissing Nathan. That's where she seeks out stability. But her life will remain chaotic no matter what. That's become the standard even though she has so many people who love her and will do anything for her. That can be true even if the emotions are more complicated from moment to moment. That can be genuine and affirming too.