Well, the remarkable series has now come to an end. It more than maintained its promise, being a richly-thought-out exploration of, essentially, what it is that makes us human. In the end the answer is simple and not surprising but the way this series explored all the ramifications of these massive questions was quite remarkable. And in the final episode it came to a very powerful, moving, in some aspects, tragic ending but one where hope was definitely there and that there was, finally, hope for humanity
The ideas dealt with – consciousness, the characteristics of humanity and what it is that makes us human – could have been approached in a reductive or simplistic manner but they were not and the creators/writers did not give easy or glib solutions for the viewer. The concept of God also entered into the situation with implicit talk of saviours, the beginning of the next stage of humanity’s evolution through synthesis and the placing of others over one’s own comfort and ease but these were done in a way that at once made the approachable but not dumbed down, emotionally powerful without being stickily sentimental…
The way the obvious traps and tropes were avoided in this series was really exceptional – and to be able to sustain it over the three series with the final episode being a satisfying conclusion (as far as there could be one) was perhaps its greatest strength.
One often has the feeling at the end of a series that there is the possibility of going on, that there are some loose strands to be tied up, some unanswered questions to be answers but with this series, none of these, remarkably, were the case. And the re-appearance of Odi and the revelation of who and what he is was wonderful.
So, a wonderfully satisfying experience, intellectually and emotionally – and a fine demonstration of how the biggest and most baffling questions that the human mind can confront can be dealt with thoughtfully and dramatically, in a manner that engages (well, grips hard, to be honest) with the viewer.