One of the things I am so excited to explore this season is the relationship between Anika and Harrison. Anika, for once, is actually starting to sound like a villain. With Bailey missing, she’s unanchored and terrified, but for the first time, she’s also angry. As she pushes through chaos, without someone to calm her down, I think it is the first chance we’ve had to really see how all of the events of Season 1 and prior have driven her to what the rest of her world views as villain-ry, and we view as her breaking point.
Exploring Harrison this episode was fun and a personal challenge. Harrison, like us, wants to be a part of something bigger than herself. She’s absolutely a fan, the kind of kid that obsesses over movies and comic books and lives on tumblr. Exploring the reasoning behind why she might drown herself in fiction — her own anxiety — and having her openly talk about it this episode felt like a real turning point for Harrison and our understanding of her.
For Harrison, her wildest dreams came true. One day, she was blogging about fictional super heroes; the next, real life super heroes were running around her city. She got so focused about finally having a real thing to put her obsession on that it became a little consuming, and now that she has faced real danger and consequences for getting involved in super hero nonsense. Instead of running away, Harrison is begging to stay, something that probably speaks to her desire and need to feel needed. In the face of her abandonment by Sean, Harrison feels like she has a chance to be the one helping someone in need. I love tapping into her emotional arc, and revealing a little bit more about her and why she’s so hell bent on being in the thick of something she’s not qualified to — why she’s so intent on being a part of something that could get her killed. I hope you also enjoyed getting to know Harrison a little better!