Zoo Review: Sex, Lies, and Jellyfish (Season 2 Episode 6)
The Zoo Crew is experiencing a whopping case of deja vu.
The big takeaway from this week’s episode of Zoo, “Sex, Lies, and Jellyfish,” is that the animal apocalypse has happened before.
Oh, and Robert Oz is TOTALLY alive.
While those two big shockers are excellent for the series, I can’t help but be disappointed by the other major elements of this hour.
Jamie’s new bad-ass attitude feels all wrong.
I can appreciate changing the character a bit, based on the things she’s experienced since being apart from her team. What I can’t appreciate is the sharp (and drastic) change in her attitude toward Mitch.
On a timeline, Jamie and Mitch have been away from one another for over a year. It’s understandable that the feelings once there would have changed, especially given their separate circumstances since the plane crash. All of that makes sense.
What doesn’t quite add up is how Jamie went from fighting to get to Mitch, to suddenly mistrusting and lashing out at him. This isn’t Jamie and Mitch. This isn’t how they interact. They fight like an old married couple, but always kiss and make up.
Additionally, this show is about animals. While season one carefully placed romance on the back burner in favor of focusing on the larger animal problem at hand, this episode makes it clear that a love triangle is brewing between Mitch, Jamie, and Logan.
I’m a hard-core ‘shipper. I co-host a podcast about ‘shipping. I love when characters on television are in love.
But I don’t love this.
I’m hesitant to place any bets on a romantic entanglement that’s more complicated than just A + B = Love. Why? Well, because I actually like shutting my brain off and watching this show for the action, and the ridiculous twists and turns.
This viewer does not want to watch a soap opera with animals. I want to watch an animal show with the slightest of soap elements. I also just don’t trust Logan. He’s already proven himself to be quite shady. Jamie’s done shady. (Remember the FBI Agent Shcaffer?)
I want Jamie and Mitch to be solid, and to focus on the cure for the animals. Is that too much to ask, really?
Jamie 2.0 attacking Dariela, without totally understanding the circumstances surrounding Chloe’s death also feels wrong. Jamie is quick to trust a guy who’s carrying photos of her, and one who confesses that he was paid to dupe her, but won’t even give Dariela, a person whom the rest of the Crew know and trust, a chance to explain herself.
If this is the new and improved Jamie, then I’m just not on board with it.
That’s not all.
I’m not crazy about Allison. She really brings nothing to the table. The idea that she is Mitch’s strained step-mother seems like an afterthought stamped onto a character. She, more or less, serves little purpose, other than taking over the female leadership role that Chloe held. Her introduction has been sloppy. This episode does nothing to make her more likable or interesting.
Overall, I don’t care for this episode, or the direction that the show seems to be headed in.
It’s not all bad. Again, I’m thrilled that Robert Oz is alive, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out. As far as the rest goes, this hour just leaves me feeling quite unenthused.
What did you think of this episode of Zoo? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Zoo airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
Christine Laskodi
Christine is guilty of watching Hart of Dixie more times than the average human will in their lifetime. She's the host of Long Live the Hart: A Hart of Dixie Podcast (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!) as well as co-host on The Shipping Room, a podcast devoted to television's greatest relationships. You can find some of her older television reviews at TV Fanatic and IGN. Christine eagerly anticipates every cheesy holiday movie that networks can throw at her, and current favorite shows include The Good Place, The Resident, Shark Tank, and All Rise.