Naomi Review: Enigma (Season 1 Episode 4)
Naomi Season 1 Episode 4, “Enigma,” opens the floodgates regarding our titular character’s quest for answers while digging deeper into Akira and Dee’s pasts. It’s the strongest outing of the series thus far, but there’s still room for growth.
“Enigma” introduces fight sequences to the Naomi-verse, and, admittedly, they leave something to be desired. The battle between Dee and the Earth-29 bounty hunter is short-lived and somewhat dull. That said, we’re only in the beginning stages of the series, so take this criticism with a grain of salt.
DEE: The universe is vast. There are more planets than humans have even counted. More than they can imagine.
The episode wastes no time with resolving last week’s cliffhanger. Greg and Jennifer only take a few minutes to explain how they found Naomi on a rock in 2004. Naomi instantly forgives them for concealing this vital part of her identity from her for 16 years.
Naomi’s nonchalance regarding her parents’ dishonesty rubs Annabelle the wrong way. While Naomi has every right to harbor anger toward Greg and Jennifer, there’s something refreshing about her willingness to let bygones be bygones.
NAOMI: We need something simple, like a Turing machine. NATHAN: Is that the thing that makes those little cups of coffee?
Countless teen genre shows go the route of grudge-holding and unnecessary drama, putting a damper on the overall plot. Believe it or not — not every teenager chooses the path of fire and brimstone when faced with wrongdoing.
Naomi illustrates the power of forgiveness beautifully and that intentions mean everything. Despite Naomi’s mature move, Greg and Jennifer’s behavior at dinner with Dee leads us to believe they’re still keeping pertinent info under wraps.
Stephanie March’s Akira gets her time in the limelight along with Alexander Wraith’s Dee. Wraith’s stoic yet soothing presence remained an enigma (much like the episode title) until this point, but “Enigma” gives him a chance to spread his wings (literally and figuratively).
DEE: The first step toward fixing a problem is admitting you have one.
Wraith adds subtlety and grounded nuance to Dee, never overpowering the script but simply acting as a conduit for the dialogue. It’s lovely to watch in a heightened world that can lend itself to overdramatic and sometimes bloated line readings.
“Enigma” kicks things into high gear; here’s hoping Naomi maintains that momentum over the coming episodes. While the series isn’t perfect and occasionally veers into “too cheesy” territory (see the scene where students encourage Naomi to run for class president), the intriguing storyline and our charismatic lead are enough to keep viewers invested.
Well, at least to see if Naomi finally succumbs to Dee’s “yoga pants on a mountain” meditation methods.
Stray Observations:
- Naomi’s fashion sense is unparalleled. Those sunflower sneakers are enviable.
- Dee has one of the most soothing voices in the world. If his side hustle isn’t recording audiobooks, then what are we even doing here?
- Lourdes is still the romantic partner frontrunner, but Nathan’s a suitable placeholder until the aforementioned takes the gold.
- Dee should have asked Jennifer to cook an entirely different meal since she “offended” his winged sensibilities, then told her he was only joking after the fact. It’s called the “long con.”
- If Naomi hails from Earth-29, does that mean we might get a Bizarro Superman appearance? Fingers crossed!
What did you think of this episode of Naomi? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Naomi airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.