Pantheon Season 1 Episode 7 Review: We Are You
Please note this review contains spoilers for Pantheon Season 1 Episode 7, “We are You.”
It’s the penultimate episode of Pantheon Season 1, and Chanda’s plan is already having dramatic consequences in the tangible world on Pantheon Season 1 Episode 7, “We Are You.”
Everything that David and Lori warned about on Pantheon Season 1 Episode 6, “You Must be Caspian,” comes to pass by the opening sequence. UI’s have become a global crisis even if most people still don’t know they exist.
Governments are uploading people to use for espionage and sabotage. They are creating geopolitical and economic instability and countless UI in the process. None of them are considering the consequences or are concerned about the flaw that will eventually destroy every person they upload.
People are just as disposable to these governments as they are to the companies that developed the technology. Whoever could have predicted such a thing?
The opening sequence is again one of the best parts of the episode. The openings have been thrilling for every episode of Pantheon, regardless of how good the rest of the episode is.
“We Are You” is no different. It is as exciting as the other episodes and immediately signals the new global stakes.
“We Are You’s,” however, also underscores an issue that is slowly becoming more noticeable. The series always paints the non-US players as much worse than the American players.
It’s not that Logorhythms is heroic or anything. They are villains. What they did to David, Lori, and Caspian is despicable. Still, the callousness and depravity of Alliance are on a whole other level. That on its own is not a problem.
However, now that you have Chanda emerging as one of the main antagonists of the season and the US as one of the only countries not abusing the technology (although, to be fair, not for lack of trying). It’s become more of a pattern.
Maybe this is just a tiny gripe. I hope it isn’t even an issue by the end of the season. I don’t trust Pope’s promises to Caspian. Logorhythms could easily be playing him.
They may end up showing themselves to be every bit as bad as Alliance. The US government, too, for that matter. There is still time. Right now, though, how US characters and entities are portrayed vs. how non-US characters and entities are portrayed is a little off-putting.
The rest of the episode is solid, if a bit disjointed. There are some fantastic scenes on “We Are You.” The fight with the Chinese uploads is one of the best action sequences of the series. The scenes that take place in the cloud are always some of the coolest looking. I hope we get even more action sequences in the cloud next season.
The final cliffhanger is also great. The sequence builds tension before delivering the final blow, starting with Chanda’s call to Maddie and ending with Chanda blowing up Lori. It’s precisely what viewers need to get them excited for the finale.
Even if viewers predicted how things end, that final moment is shocking because of its superb execution. It also dispels any doubt about whether Chanda will end up a big bad of the season.
The other reason that the final sequence is effective is that the episode makes viewers finally care about Lori and Cody’s relationship. In that way, it is more emotionally impactful than expected.
Before “We Are You,” I wasn’t emotionally invested in Lori and Cody’s relationship. Not the way I am in David, Ellen, and Maddie’s relationships, anyway. It’s impressive that they make me care enough to be moved in just one episode.
The conversation between Lori and Cody before she starts recording her message is genuinely sad. It makes you want to root for them to have a happy ending. It’s also why many viewers likely knew they wouldn’t get it.
The sudden focus on Lori and Cody’s renewed love practically screams at viewers that things aren’t going to end well.
Despite standout moments like the ones discussed above, “We Are You” doesn’t quite live up to the bar set by the previous two episodes. There are no parts of the episode that are explicitly bad, just parts that are comparatively underwhelming.
The biggest drag on the episode are the scenes with Caspian at the church youth center. I appreciate the themes they explore with those scenes and the questions posed. The scenes themselves are just a bit boring and out of sync with the pacing of the rest of the episode.
This is a process that Caspian has to go through, and that final conversation with Pope sets up a host of possibilities for the finale. I just wish they explored those themes more dynamically.
I know the series can do that. They explored big philosophical questions with Chanda and Lori in thought-provoking ways that are also narratively and visually compelling. They miss the mark on this episode, though.
I stand by my previous statement that Chanda is the most intriguing character of the series. I also, however, stand by my earlier assertion that not seeing more of his progression is a disservice to the character.
This is again highlighted on “We Are You.” Viewers can infer how Chanda came to believe that the uploads are something more than human and why he wants to create more.
Seeing his beliefs and power evolve over time would have been more impactful, though. Scenes of him alone in his digital kingdom, learning to use his power and stewing in his rage without an outlet, would have added great context.
He is still the most interesting character. Nonetheless, not showing us his progression is a missed opportunity that becomes more apparent the further we get.
Overall, “We Are You” is a fine episode. It suffers more from the high expectations set by the previous episodes than anything else. That’s not a terrible problem to have. It just means everything else has been excellent, and “We Are You” is simply good.
What did you think of this episode of Pantheon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
New episodes of Pantheon stream Thursdays on AMC+ and HIDIVE.
Follow us on Twitter and on 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.