Nautilus’ Episode 3 Review
In episode three of ‘Nautilus’, the show takes a turn for the better, managing to add in some tension and actual character development.
The crew of The Nautilus manage to escape the Dreadnaught, but have to put into shore for fresh food and water. There they find a benevolent Englishman who seemed to know Nemo’s father and offers them free supplies. Seems too good to be true, and it is.
Being honest, the first two episodes of this show gave me no reason whatsoever to keep watching, but this episode managed to bring in enough story and intrigue to hold my attention for most of its runtime.
The episode opens where the previous one left off, with the Nautilus hiding under the waves as the Dreadnaught searches for them overhead. But they are not alone down there, there’s a vital part of any underwater adventure there too: a giant squid with an attitude. This scene really could have gone on a lot longer, as it’s such an iconic part of stories like this, and could have been more tense than it was (maybe we’ll see it again though). The arrival of the whales from the last episode in a “deus ex marine mammal” was far too convenient for me, and felt more like fantasy than sci-fi.
The best part of the episode starts after the arrival of Richard E. Grant’s character. He seemed like another convenient answer to their problems at first, helping them with no hesitation, but soon turns out to be more than he seems, turning on the crew as he tries to sell them out to the EIMC. Was what he said about Nemo’s father true? If so, it would add a bit of complexity to the plot.
There’s also Cuff, the stowaway Company soldier who was trapped onboard when Nemo stole the Nautilus. What’s his deal? Is he really working for the company, or just in it for what he can get? Why did he help Nemo escape from his cell if so? Seems counterproductive unless he has his own agenda. Either way, it helps add some more tension to the story as we wait to see how it plays out.
These things are welcome additions to the show, but they aren’t enough to make it truly great. It certainly needs to do more work with its characters than it’s currently doing, and also find a more interesting plot than just “running from the Company”. It also still relies heavily on convenience and oversimplifies complex issues, but at least it’s something. It might not be top-class television, but this was a more enjoyable episode. Hopefully it can build on it going forward.