Recap of THE LAZARUS PROJECT Season 2 Finale: Episode 8

The end is here, friends. The Lazarus Project Season 2 finale is also the series finale, since the series was canceled back in March. Double unfortunately, the outing ends on quite a cliffhanger. I have so many questions, y’all. Season 2 Episode 8 is a high-octane, thrilling installment that moves at a steady clip and delivers on the performance front. Paapa Essiedu is a standout, to be sure, and the rest of the cast kills it, too.

This series is far from perfect—Season 2 is somewhat bloated and lacks crucial character development—but we have so few legitimate time-travel shows on TV. I would’ve loved to see this intriguing narrative continue.

We open in 2012, with Wes (Caroline Quentin) asking Sarah (Charly Clive) what the latter thinks Lazarus does. Adult Bryson (Royce Pierreson) sits next to his younger, unconscious self after George (Essiedu) beats him with a telephone. Sarah replies that Lazarus saves the world. Wes finishes that statement: “No matter the personal cost.” Sarah approaches Wes, disclosing that the plans for the machine are still out there. Additionally, one of Dr. Gray’s “disciples” is alive. Wes asks Sarah what she needs, to which she responds, “Time.” This spurs Wes to declare a Code Black.

Sure enough, the clock turns back to July 1, 2012, with George, Sarah, Archie (Anjli Mohindra), Zhang (Elaine Tan), Rebrov (Tom Burke), Becky (Safia Oakley-Green), Dr. Samson (Sam Troughton), and The Dane (Lukas Loughran) landing in the time travel plane. Rebrov immediately tries to shoot The Dane. However, Archie knocks him down, and Zhang restrains him. Becky trains her weapon on The Dane. Archie insists that nobody is allowed to kill him. Then, she binds The Dane to one of the plane seats.

Before that, though, The Dane fires his gun, shooting the component in the time machine that’s necessary for the, you know, time travel. So, now they’re stuck in 2012. Becky reminds the group about the time machine in Dr. Gray’s lab. They must get there before Wes dispatches Lazarus to destroy it. Rebrov asks George and Sarah how they returned to the checkpoint prematurely. Seeing flashes of him striking young Bryson with the phone, George claims they broke into Wes’s office and persuaded her.

After everyone departs, Sarah lingers, asking The Dane what she should do to carry out his mission. He tells her the location of the time machine. It must be destroyed. Then, she must kill everyone who knows how it works. Sarah grabs a few things from The Dane’s bag before leaving. Uh-oh. Homegirl’s about to betray them all.

Meanwhile, Wes implements Operation Midnight, ordering her team to go to Dr. Gray’s lab. Elsewhere, Lerner (Colin Salmon) wakes up in his bed. He recalls getting shot in the head in the cafe on Wes’s orders. While on the elevator, he talks to someone about an evacuation plan. Unfortunately, a mysterious someone shoots him again when the elevator doors open.

Bryson also wakes up in bed. He finds Janet (Vinette Robinson)—the 2024 version—and young Becky (Priya-Rose Brookwell). Operation Midnight is already in full swing. Bryson asks Janet how long it’ll take for the time machine to be ready. They can fight back against Lazarus and use said machine to return to 2024. He urges Janet to call Dr. Gray and the scientists to keep working on it.

Then, 2012 Shiv (Rudi Dharmalingam) barges into Wes’s office, asking why she returned them to the checkpoint early. Wes claims she received intel, but everything’s under control now. He walks out of her office, looking contemplative. He spots 2012 Rebrov, and they exchange nods.

Later, Wes instructs Greta (Salóme Gunnarsdóttir) and the team to hold the lab’s perimeter; however, she doesn’t want them to engage. Somebody on the inside — ahem, Sarah — will kickstart the action. Wes will order them when to strike. Meanwhile, Bryson orders the guards inside the lab to prepare to defend it. Janet (2024) asks Dr. Gray (Zoe Telford) how long until the time machine will be ready for a human test run. Gray surmises it will take months.

After this, Dr. Gray notices the gun near Janet’s hand. Janet promises to explain everything — starting with the fact that Lazarus plans to burn down the lab. Elsewhere, Shiv asks 2012 Janet, 2012 Rebrov and Ross (Brian Gleeson) to meet their 2024 counterparts (sorry, Ross) when the plane lands. They need to ask themselves for clarification. Why are the Lazarus peeps from 2024 in 2012?

So, (2012) Rebrov, Janet and Ross come face-to-face with our 2024 crew. Ross asks if they want to hang out at the pub. Janet learns she has a daughter after Becky introduces herself. Ross discovers that he dies in 2018, and Archie will be there. Of course, at this point, Ross doesn’t know Archie yet. The 2012 folks learn that Wes plans to kill everyone at that lab, including Janet (2024). Oh, also, in 2024, the world is stuck in a three-week infinite time loop.

The 2012 trio is down to save their own and break a time loop in one go. Janet asks if anyone knows how to hotwire a car, to which both Rebrovs confirm they do. The math checks out there.

That evening, George and Sarah drive to the lab. George tries to defend what he did to young Bryson. “I did what I had to do,” he says. Sarah admits that what they told the 2012 crew—that Ross dies in six years and Janet loses a child—are all things they shouldn’t know. Nobody should know their future. Sarah believes they’ll try to change their respective futures now.

The 2024 crew and 2012 trio encounter Janet (2024), Dr. Gray, Dr. Samson (2012) and the other scientists. Their reactions to seeing each other are akin to that one Spider-Man meme. 2024 Janet is emotional seeing her Rebrov, while young Becky hugs 2012 Rebrov, thinking he’s her dad. Young Becky also meets her older self. Wouldn’t these interactions, with the Rebrovs and Beckys meeting, cause a paradox?

George hands Dr. Gray the manual that he, Becky and Rebrov found in 2024 (the one Janet left for them to find). Wes asks Greta for an update as the Lazarus team observes the lab from afar. Greta claims the groups are all chatting inside. Meanwhile, Bryson stands outside with a weapon, guarding his section of the perimeter. We learn that Archie and Zhang are in another spot, as is 2012 Rebrov and Ross. George and Sarah are on guard, too.

Sarah makes up an excuse to leave George alone, citing that she’s ensuring another part of the building is under guard. She tells George she loves him. It’s here that she decides to implement Wes’s plan. Greta notices the time machine is starting up inside the lab. Wes orders Greta and her team to carry out the mission. However, Shiv believes they should wait.

Wes orders the street team into position. They start firing on the building. Everyone in the lab ducks down as bullets rain down on them. Sarah utilizes the chaos to sneak in undetected, planting a bomb underneath a desk. 2012 Janet grabs the bomb and runs into the hallway, where it detonates. Naturally, she dies. Outside, Bryson fires on Wes’s street team. Sarah starts shooting the equipment in the lab, hoping to destroy the time machine. Then, she shoots Dr. Gray in the head, along with the other scientists.

Next, Sarah runs into 2024 Janet, who embraces young Becky and adult Becky. Janet urges adult Becky to take care of young Becky. The two flee, leaving Janet to Sarah. Janet asks Sarah to ensure the Beckys stay far away from The Lazarus Project. Then, Sarah shoots 2024 Janet.

After this, Sarah runs into George. George can’t believe she’s done all this, working to dismantle the very thing they tried to save. George trains his gun on Sarah, seemingly planning to kill her. However, he hesitates. Once he turns around, Sarah is gone.

Then, George encounters Dr. Samson (2024), who finds the component they must install in the time machine plane to fly home. George and Samson run into Rebrov and the two Beckys in the hallway. George confirms that both Janets are dead. Enraged, Rebrov asks about Sarah’s location, but George doesn’t know where she went. George calls Archie and Zhang, ordering them to pull out. They all need to return to the plane.

Next, George, Samson, Rebrov and the Beckys get stuck behind a car as the Lazarus team fires at them. Rebrov tells adult Becky he loves her and urges her to accompany the others to the plane. He stays behind to give them cover. Meanwhile, Bryson heads inside the lab as it burns and steps into the time machine. It lights up and spins before revealing that Bryson has vanished. So, Sarah didn’t properly destroy the machine after all.

Later, Shiv and Greta pursue what’s left of the 2024 crew. Greta asks if they’re the good guys, but Shiv doesn’t know. Another Lazarus vehicle also gives chase. Archie decides to do something risky; she jokes that she hopes Zhang doesn’t fall in love with her. Zhang claims it’s too late for that. Aw. Archie leaps from their car and into the Lazarus vehicle (not Shiv/Greta). She effortlessly kills its occupants—unfortunately, the car crashes.

Zhang runs toward Archie, pulling her out of the wreckage. Archie looks like she’s on death’s door. She encourages Zhang to help George. However, Zhang refuses to leave Archie’s side. (Please don’t kill your gays, please don’t kill your gays, please don’t kill your gays…)

After that, George, Samson and the Beckys arrive at the time machine plane. Wes and her crew try to prevent them from boarding. We learn that George and Becky’s guns are empty, but they pretend they aren’t. Wes claims it’s over—the machine is gone (it’s not). Suddenly, one of Wes’s soldiers kills Samson. Then, Shiv shoots that soldier, defecting to George’s side. Shiv urges them to get on the plane.

George installs the new component once on the time machine plane and unties The Dane. The Dane heads into the cockpit to guide the aircraft. After hitting a patch of turbulence, the plane lands. George checks his phone. Thankfully, it’s July 22, 2024, meaning they broke the three-week time loop.

Then, we hear a voiceover from Sarah in 2024. She delivers a speech about time travel representing human endurance, and its power is down to how one wields it. Sarah hopes they can explore time travel together and see where the experience takes them. It’s quite a far cry from Wes’s approach. George heads inside the empty Lazarus HQ to find none other than Sarah sitting in Wes’s office. She welcomes him, claiming she’s been waiting for him.

The Lazarus Project Seasons 1 through 2 are now streaming on Hulu.

Source: Geek Girl Authority