Pantheon Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Reign of Winter
Pantheon delivers another solid episode with Pantheon Season 1 Episode 3, “Reign of Winter.” It is equal parts unsettling and heartfelt.
“Reign of Winter” begins by showing viewers what happens to Chanda after he was uploaded against his will on Pantheon Season 1 Episode 2, “Cycles.” It ends with him breaking from his digital prison and setting the stage for Chanda to be part of the resistance against the company he once worked for.
In between, viewers get a closer look at Ellen and David’s relationship and more questions about Caspian that are sure to set fans abuzz with theories.
Chanda
As messed up as Caspian’s situation is, the most disturbing story so far belongs to Chanda. It is also, thus far, the most engrossing.
“Reign of Winter” doesn’t have the same body horror elements as Chanda’s murder/upload scene in “Cycles,” but it is no less unsettling. It might not be physical but what they are doing to him in that time-loop simulation feels just as violent.
It’s almost more insidious because it’s not simply that they don’t see him as human. They are fully aware of his humanity. They just don’t care. If fact, they are using his humanity to manipulate him into being a more productive cog in their machine.
This idea of reducing people to their productivity and manipulating their emotions to do it is a tried and true cultural critique in sci-fi. The technology they use might seem far-fetched, but the idea that corporations would commodify people like that is not.
That is what makes Chandra’s story so uncomfortable. We recognize something of our culture and economic system in the choices of these fictional companies, and it strikes a nerve.
I imagine as Chanda takes more control, some of that sense of anxiety his story creates will dissipate, which is something I’m looking forward to. Still, I hope they continue to draw on horror elements to tell his story. It is all extremely effective and easily the best part of the first three episodes.
Caspian
The more time we spend on Caspian’s story, the more mysterious it becomes. We know that Caspian’s entire life is an elaborate simulation orchestrated by Logorhythms and that Renee was once David Holstrom’s lover.
They’re trying to manipulate his development, believing they must create a specific, traumatic home life to do it.
Beyond that, there are more questions than answers. One of the biggest is why. Logorhythms wants something from Caspian. What that is, is unclear. Why they feel these abusive forces in his life will get them what they want also remains a messed up mystery.
Before we can even begin to answer that, though, we have to figure out who or what Caspian is.
One worrisome moment on the episode is Pope’s statement when Caspain finds the photos of the lab online. It suggests that Logorhythms’s plans for Caspian aren’t any better than Alliance’s plans for Chanda and that he is in real and immediate danger.
Caspian already seems to be going off script, though. Things won’t go according to Logorhythms’s plans, especially if Hannah is an unexpected variable rather than part of the simulation.
I hope Hannah is who she seems, and she helps him expose Logorhythms. It would be nice for someone in Caspian’s life to be real. Even if she’s not, watching Caspian blowup Logorhythms’s plans will be so satisfying.
Maddie, Ellen, and David
Maddie, Ellen, and David’s story give the series its heart. It is a more intimate and vulnerable storyline. It’s more focused on the family dynamic than the larger plot elements. At least for now.
They will undoubtedly be drawn into the larger plot as the series progresses. For now, however, their story feels separate.
It isn’t quite as gripping as the rest of the episode. Nevertheless, there are some strong emotional moments fo them on “Reign of Winter.” Ellen’s “break up” with David being the best of them.
Ellen and David’s virtual conversation asks big questions about what it means to be human and the nature of relationships. The most interesting and poignant statement is David telling Ellen that he is who he loves.
Without that part of himself, he’s just an advanced computer. David doesn’t know what he is anymore. What he does know, though, is his ability to love people that make him more than data and code. It’s the part of him that transcends everything else and makes David uniquely human.
It’s a beautiful sentiment about humanity and something that David will have to hold on to. There are already some red flags that David is prone to misuse his power.
If he or his family are threatened — and of course, they will be — he will need to hold tight to everything that makes him the man they knew. Especially those pure feelings of love. If he doesn’t, he could end up one of the series’ villains.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.